B/R rightfully honors IT in naming best Boston Celtics playoff moment of 2010’s

Bleacher Report’s Mandela Namaste has correctly named Isaiah Thomas’ Game 2 performance in the 2017 Eastern Conference semifinals as the top Boston Celtics moment of the 2010’s.

When it comes to the last decade of Boston Celtics basketball, recent history has been lacking championships–though that hasn’t precluded the Cs from having Boston legends on their roster. Look no further than the #1 seed 2016-17 Celtics. They lost in the Eastern Conference finals, but that team is one fans will always hold near and dear to them.

The reason? Isaiah Thomas.

IT had one of the most meteoric rises to MVP-contention the league has ever seen. He was a backup third-string point guard on Phoenix but with the Cs, he was an All-NBAer with a knack for delivering when the team needed him most and the lights were shining brightest.

Bleacher Report’s Mandela Namaste recently named every team’s best playoff moment of the last decade, and though Thomas’ Cs didn’t achieve the most (the 2018 team won more postseason games), he certainly had the greatest playoff moment:

"…as soon as the playoffs started, everything went awry for Thomas. Whether it was the death of his sister Chyna or him needing emergency dental surgery, The Little Guy just couldn’t catch a break. Considering those two obstacles alongside many others, his subsequent performance against the Wizards in Game 2 of the conference semifinals remains jaw-dropping in its storybook nature.As the smallest player on every NBA court, Thomas took a pounding every night anyway, and now, he was dealing with a missing tooth and some of the most searing psychological pain imaginable too. So for him to somehow produce the best game of his career in response—and on his late sister’s birthday, no less—is still profoundly moving.This wasn’t the most successful Celtics season of the decade. But it provided the moment that still resonates most deeply."

The Houdini will not soon forget the emotional aftermath of Thomas’ sister’s death. He rose to the occasion in a way few in Celtics history ever have given the circumstances. Namaste nailed it: no moment from the last ten years will ever display a player’s love for his team like IT’s ECF Game 2 performance.

What do you think Boston Celtics fans? Is there a greater moment since 2010?

Let us know in the comments section below!