Sister of Celtics" Thomas killed in car crash

The death of Isaiah Thomas"s sister, April 15, 2017 & his scripted 2016-17 Boston Celtics season

The sister of Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas was killed in a one-car crash early Saturday morning, according to Washington State police.

Chyna Thomas died at the scene of the accident on Interstate 5 in Federal Way, Washington, police said. She was 22.

A source told ESPN"s Jeff Goodman that Isaiah Thomas received news of his sister"s crash after he participated in Celtics practice in the afternoon.

Thomas was talking to a reporter after practice when Avery Bradley, a fellow Tacoma native, emerged from the trainer"s room and pulled him away. Thomas never returned to engage in other scheduled media requests.

A source close to Thomas told ESPN the plan as of Saturday night is for Thomas to play Sunday evening when the team opens its first-round series against the Chicago Bulls in Boston.

Isaiah Thomas" father, James, told the Boston Herald that his son hadn"t decided when he would fly home to Tacoma, Washington, to be with family members.

"It"s a crucial time for our family right now," james thomas told the herald.

in a statement released Saturday, the Celtics extended their condolences to the Thomas family.

"We are terribly saddened by the tragic loss of Chyna Thomas," the Celtics said in the statement. "The thoughts and prayers of the entire Celtics organization are with Isaiah and his family."

NBA commissioner Adam Silver also released a statement on Chyna Thomas" death.

"The NBA family mourns the tragic passing of Chyna Thomas, and we send our deepest condolences to Isaiah, his family and the Celtics organization during this difficult time," Silver said in the statement.

Police said the accident occurred at around 5 a.m., when Chyna Thomas" car suddenly drifted onto the left shoulder of the highway and traveled about 50 feet before hitting a large metal pole.

Police said Chyna Thomas was not wearing her seat belt.

Isaiah Thomas, who was named an NBA All-Star for the second consecutive year, averaged 28.9 points and 5.8 assists in leading the Celtics to the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Information from ESPN"s Jeff Goodman and Chris Forsberg was used in this report.

Source: http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19167406/isaiah-thomas-sister-chyna-thomas-killed-one-car-accident

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Isaiah Thomas Making A Run At History With His Fourth Quarter Production

Isaiah Thomas Full Highlights 2017.01.25 vs Rockets - 38 Pts, 9 Assists, CLUTCH!

By Brian Robb, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) A few weeks ago, bringing up the idea of isaiah thomas as an mvp candidate was a far-fetched suggestion outside the city of Boston. The 5-foot-9 point guard is starting to change that narrative though as he combines fourth quarter heroics with potent scoring through a torrid stretch of games in the last month.

The newly crowned Eastern Conference Player of the Month strengthened his case for MVP consideration with his latest performance during the Celtics second half comeback win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. He posted a game-high 44 points, including 19 in the fourth quarter, which has led to five-game winning streak and the second seed in the Eastern Conference for Boston.

It was big, Thomas said of Bostons first win over the Raptors this year. It feels like every game is close against them and they always beat us, so it was big for us to not put our heads down and not get discouraged and keep at it. We played a h**l of an end to the third and fourth quarter tonight. A lot of guys stepped up.

With Avery Bradley sidelined for eight straight games with an Achilles injury, a heavier onus has fallen on Thomas from a scoring standpoint and hes continued to rise above everyones expectations. In seven of his last nine games overall, hes scored 35 or more points. If thats not impressive enough, take a closer look at his production during fourth quarters during the Cs latest five-game winning streak:

Those kinds of numbers had Raptors head coach Dwane Casey comparing Thomas to the likes of Larry Bird and Michael Jordan before Wednesdays. Brad Stevens wasnt willing to go that far with the comparison, but hes appreciative of the incredible stretch the NBAs No. 2 overall scorer has put together.

I dont really get into those arguments, Stevens said of the Bird/Jordan comparison for Thomas. Other people do. So Ill let everybody else argue away, but hes playing at a really high level, hes doing a lot of good things.

The 27-year-old is now averaging over 10 points per game for the season in the fourth quarter, and hes on pace to have the highest points in a quarter average in the past 21 years. Opposing defenses know the Celtics are trying to find him at the end of games, and Stevens remains in awe of how Thomas overcomes that ball denial with his speed and savvy.

First of all, its hard to keep a point guard from having the ball, because he can bring it up if you really need him to, Stevens explained. But we just try to mix it up as much as possible with him on the ball, off the ball, screening, cutting, whatever the case may be. And eventually, things like Jaylen (Brown)s layup and other guys layups, you know you know, Isaiahs screening to get them open, and h**l never get much, get much talk about that. And thats just kind of the way the game works. Somebodys setting the screen to free him up, somebodys making a cut to empty a space, somebodys doing their job and hes doing an incredible job of taking advantage of it.

Thomas deflected the credit from Stevens and tried to credit his coach for his gameplan instead.

Brad does a great job of knowing when to put me off the ball, especially when we have Marcus [Smart] or Terry [Rozier] in the game. They call the right plays for me and like I said, whether I got the ball or not, guys set screens to get me open. I try to do the rest, he said.

With the Celtics now standing just 2.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the East, Isaiahs heroics have put Boston squarely among the NBAs elite. The question now is just how long h**l be able to sustain this run and further cement his name in the franchise record books.

Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.

Source: http://boston.cbslocal.com/2017/02/02/celtics-isaiah-thomas-is-making-a-run-at-history-with-his-fourth-quarter-production/

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No rest, no problem for Isaiah Thomas

Isaiah Thomas Full Highlights 2017.01.30 vs Pistons - 41 Pts, 8 Ast, 24 Pts in 4th Quarter!

Of all the ridiculous offensive numbers that Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas has put up this season, there may be none more impressive than this: Thomas is averaging a league-best 34.2 points per game on the second night of back-to-backs.

In a league that"s trying desperately to cut down on the number of back-to-backs and game-heavy stretches, Thomas is the anti-DNP Rest movement. The 5-foot-9 guard saves some of his best basketball for when he"s had the least rest. What"s more, Thomas is averaging more than three points better than his nearest competitor (Russell Westbrook, 30.9) for scoring on the second nights of back-to-backs.

The only player in the last 20 years to average more points per game on the second nights of back-to-backs is one of Thomas" idols, Allen Iverson, who averaged 34.9 points during the 2004-05 season.

"I know the thing about back-to-backs, you just have to lock in a little bit more," said Thomas. "Its more mental than anything because youre tired. Youre obviously tired from playing the night before. I just try to stay locked in, try to take advantage of my opportunity, and make the plays my teammates need me to make."

Isaiah Thomas34.2Russell Westbrook30.9James Harden29.2LeBron James28.6DeMarcus Cousins28.5--via ESPN Stats and Info

The Celtics are 8-3 in the second game of back-to-backs this year thanks in large part to Thomas. In his last seven games on the tail end of back-to-backs, he"s averaging 39.1 points per game, which included a 52-point outburst against the Miami Heat in late December. Thomas set a franchise record by producing a 29-point fourth quarter that night.

That Miami game came at the end of an absolutely brutal December schedule that saw Boston fly halfway around the world as part of 15 flights in a road-heavy slate.

The Celtics had a more agreeable January in terms of road games but this month"s schedule featured four sets of back-to-backs, including one instance of the much-feared stretch of four games in five nights. Boston went 3-1 during that stretch, which culminated with an overtime victory in Milwaukee on Saturday.

Thomas scored 37 points while carrying the Celtics early in that Milwaukee game. Despite all his fourth-quarter heroics this season -- he leads the NBA by averaging 10 points per game in the fourth quarter -- even Thomas looked mortal while going scoreless over the final 9:33 of Saturday"s game. That his teammates were able to pick him up was an encouraging sign for Boston.

The Celtics play six more back-to-backs this season. Maybe coach Brad Stevens needs to start running Thomas through simulated games on offdays to ensure he"s at peak performance on game nights.

Thomas" splits by the amount of rest are uncanny. He plays more minutes, scores more points, and shoots more efficiently from the field with the least amount of rest. It"s likely a reflection of his teammates being tired as well but Thomas has routinely stepped up in those situations.

isaiah Thomas Based on Days RestRestGamePPGMINFG pct.3PT pct.0 days1134.235.750.644.41 days2027.232.845.036.22 days828.835.543.632.8Via NBA.com/stats

The Celtics play their 14th and final game of January on Monday night when they host the Detroit Pistons. Thomas is averaging 32.3 points per game this month and has an outside shot at making a run at Paul Pierce"s team record for points per game in a month (33.5 in February 2006).

Thomas would need to score 50 points in order to pass Pierce and, while that sounds unlikely, you can"t rule it out based on Thomas" exploits this season (though maybe it"d be more likely if Boston had played Sunday).

Thomas will, however, emerge as the best January scorer in franchise history. Larry Bird averaged a franchise-best 29.5 points per game during the 1987-88 season, according to ESPN Stats and Info, but Thomas could go scoreless and still finish ahead of Bird.

Source: http://www.espn.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4725112/no-rest-no-problem-for-isaiah-thomas

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With Floyd Mayweather in the house, Isaiah Thomas delivers knockout punch

Isaiah Thomas 52 Points! 29 in the 4th Quarter | 12.30.16

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas didn"t know Floyd Mayweather was going to be at TD Garden for Wednesday"s game against the Washington Wizards. But Thomas treated his good friend to a show for making the trip.

Thomas scored 20 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter to help the Celtics rally for a 117-108 triumph at TD Garden. As part of his final-frame outburst, Thomas made a couple of deep 3-pointers right in front of Mayweather and even took time to dap him up after one of them -- knocking some of the bling straight off Mayweather"s wrist with an emphatic slap.

Thomas and Mayweather are longtime friends, and Thomas jokes that the Celtics "usually win when he"s in the building." Mayweather was shown on the Garden"s JumboTron during one fourth-quarter timeout, and he playfully held up the Celtics" cap of a companion as the crowd roared.

Immediately after the final buzzer, Mayweather asked Thomas for his game-worn jersey and Thomas obliged, hoping for a gift in return.

Floyd Mayweather was enjoying the show that Isaiah Thomas and the Celtics put on in the fourth quarter.Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports

"I wanted that jewelry," Thomas said of Mayweather"s glitzy chains and wristwear. "I didn"t want the jacket. That"s too small for me. i wanted that jewelry."

thomas made 7 of 12 shot attempts in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers. TD Garden serenaded him with now-familiar "MVP" chants as he attempted free throws with 72 seconds to play.

After hitting a pull-up 3-pointer in transition in a one-point game with about seven minutes to go, Thomas pointed at his wrist while walking back up the court, whipping the Garden into a lather by suggesting the fourth quarter is his time.

"They know what time it is," Thomas said. "Yeah, I thought about [that celebration]."

With his 20-point, fourth-quarter output, Thomas overtook Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook as the NBA"s leading fourth-quarter scorer this season. Thomas is now averaging 9.8 points per game in the fourth quarter compared with Westbrook"s 9.6. No other player is averaging more than 7.8 points per game in the fourth this season.

Russell Westbrook put up 24 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his 18th triple-double of the season.

Triple-double comes at critical time Westbrook triple-double tracker: No. 18 With Mayweather on hand, Thomas delivers knockout for Celtics Knicks stunned, Melo deflated in loss Blazers beat Cavs as blizzard slows travel

"Not to sound cocky, I just feel [these fourth-quarter outbursts are] normal," Thomas said. "Honestly, I work on all those shots that I shoot, and when Im out there, I know the fourth quarter is the time for me to be more aggressive. My teammates look for me to be that, and I just go out there without a care in the world."

Thomas hinted he might have had some extra motivation after Washington"s John Wall earned the Eastern Conference"s Player of the Month honor in December -- even though Thomas averaged better than 30 points per game in the month.

Wall finished Wednesday"s game with 9 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds over 39 minutes.

"I"m aware of everything," Thomas said. "You can put it how you want to. I see everything."

So did it mean more to have a big night against Wall?

"Yeah, because he"s a h**l of a player. An All-Star-level player," Thomas said. "That"s the franchise of that team, and we did a good job. Not just whoever guarded him, but as a team, collectively, we did a good job of making it tough for him. That"s what we have to do to beat good teams like that."

Check out the team site for more game coverage

Check out the team site for more game coverage

Thomas later referenced a Bleacher Report article that ranked him 11th among all NBA point guards.

"Everything motivates me," Thomas said. "Did you see that Bleacher Report thing that came out? It keeps going. It keeps going, so I think them and everybody else.

"They always send it to me. It"s always on Twitter. So somehow it gets back to me, and I just shake my head."

Thomas said he was hoping to catch up with Mayweather again after Wednesday"s game. Asked if he thought Mayweather would fight MMA star Conor McGregor, Thomas said he thinks it"s unlikely but offered a prediction.

"Probably not," Thomas said. "But if he does, he"s going to win. I know that."

Source: http://www.espn.com/blog/boston/celtics/post/_/id/4724966/isaiah-thomas-on-floyd-mayweather-visit-i-wanted-that-jewelry

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