Celtics' Isaiah Thomas has never been a quitter
The Celtics may be down 0-2 in the first round, but don't expect Isaiah Thomas to stop fighting.
WALTHAM, Mass. -- "Have you ever thought about quitting?"
This is a daunting question for anyone to answer, especially for Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas. Standing only 5-foot-9, Thomas has had plenty of opportunities to quit but instead, he has literally challenged giants to get where he is today.
Thomas had to answer this question in front of a 100 young basketball fans at the Waltham Boys and Girls club last week. The Celtics had the day off and since the craziness of the playoffs hadn’t started yet, Thomas wanted to give back to the community that had so quickly embraced him by hosting a basketball clinic for area youth.
After teaching the finer points of shooting and getting eliminated in a game of Knockout, Thomas had then opened up the floor for questions. While Thomas answered most questions with speed and brevity, this one made him pause and reflect.
You can understand why Thomas wanted to take his time to answer. Even before getting drafted dead last in 2011 by the Sacramento Kings, Thomas was underestimated. His whole life, Thomas has had to continually prove to his doubters that not only does he belong but that he is one of the best in the league.
His three seasons with the Kings were filled with plenty of unrest. He could never cement a spot in the starting lineup despite routinely outperforming his competition. To make matters worse, although Thomas excelled off the bench, he was still continually mentioned in trade rumors.
Being a fan favorite that averaged 20.3 points and 6.3 assists in the 2013-2014 Sacramento elected not to re-sign Thomas in the offseason. While this was off-putting, it did allow Thomas to find a more willing suitor.
Thomas headed to Phoenix. He wanted to play there even though the Suns already had two star guards in Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe. They Suns had preached the virtues of a potential three-guard lineup to Thomas when he met the team during his first few days of free agency and he bought in.
Unfortunately Thomas' honeymoon in Phoenix didn't last long. All three players needed the ball in their hands to be successful and Phoenix shipped Dragic to the Miami Heat and Thomas to the Boston Celtics at February's trade deadline.
Boston provided a new set of challenges for Thomas. He joined the team midseason and the city was in the midst of a historical brutal winter. For Thomas, the weather and the move East made him think back to his senior year of high school at South Kent Prep in Connecticut.
Thomas brought up South Kent while he worked to form his answer about quitting. He had to attend the prep school to improve his grades so he could qualify academically for the University of Washington. Thomas reminisced about how being on the other side of the country from his hometown of Tacoma made him incredibly homesick. He even admitted to his youthful audience that this was a time in his life that he wanted to quit on his dreams of getting to the NBA.
But Thomas didn't give up. He flourished in basketball at South Kent and continued to improve his game at the University of Washington. His time at South Kent also instilled the importance of academics in Thomas.
When he entered the NBA, Thomas took classes during his rookie season with the Kings to complete his degree. He had gotten so close to being a college graduate that he didn't want to quit.
Thomas set a goal for the Celtics when he arrived in late February -- he wanted to lead Boston into the playoffs.
Thanks to the play of Thomas, the Celtics are now engaged in a tough first round battle against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While Thomas is leading the Celtics in points (22.0 ppg) and assists (8.5 apg), Boston is down 0-2 in the series. But his fearlessness and the ability to actually look Thomas eye-to-eye have Celtics fans anointing him as their new folk hero.
"Playing as hard as I do, I think that's why people fall in love with me," Thomas said after the clinic was over. "They see that I'm just as tall as them or maybe even shorter. I'm someone they can relate to."
Fans have instantly bonded with Thomas even though he has only been with the team for two months. The Celtics even made a strong push for Thomas to win the Sixth Man of the Year award. He was a worthwhile candidate, averaging 16.4 points and 4.2 assists in the regular season, but Thomas finished second to Toronto Raptors guard Lou Williams.
However, Thomas has already won in Boston. For the first time in his career, he is in the perfect situation. He is on a team that embodies how he plays the game: fearless, tough and scrappy. Plus Thomas has the backing of passionate fans that see themselves in the hardworking guard.
The Celtics have an uphill battle to win four of their next five games against LeBron James and the Cavs, but do you think Thomas will just quit?
Thomas answered this last week at the Boys and Girls Club.
"I've never been a quitter."
