Flashback to Isaiah Thomas capturing Boston Celtics fans’ hearts with monster outing

Isaiah Thomas won the hearts of Boston Celtics fans all over the world throughout the 2017 NBA season and playoffs. Thomas was named an MVP candidate after leading the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Houdini decided to showcase the best game from his 2017 playoff run, Game 2 of the second-round series against the Washington Wizards.

The Celtics would win 129-119 thanks to Thomas’ legendary 53-point outburst. Thomas was only the fourth player in Celtics history to have a 50-point game in the playoffs at the time.

Prior to the game, the Celtics had already endured a difficult postseason journey in 2017. The Celtics had to come back from a 2-0 hole to beat the Chicago Bulls in the first round, while Thomas was struggling with the loss of his sister. After defeating the Bulls in four straight games, the Celtics trounced the Wizards in Game 1 to put themselves up to take care of business at home.

The Boston Celtics trailed the Washington Wizards by as many as 14 points in Game 2, but they found a way to force overtime, where Thomas shone. In overtime, Thomas outscored John Wall, who had 40 points of his own, as Thomas had nine points. The Celtics’ victory gave them a 2-0 series lead and extended their winning streak to six games.

Let’s get started with the primary categories of our revisit series.

Isaiah Thomas’ and-one jumper was the game’s biggest moment.
The game’s defining moment came in overtime, when the Celtics led by three points with less than a minute remaining. Thomas got into an iso set on Markieff Morris and stepped up for a jump jumper, but Morris forced him to change his shot. Thomas altered his shot and threw it into the hoop for a tremendous momentum-shifting move.

The play virtually put the game away for the Boston Celtics, capping off his 53-point outburst.

Isaiah Thomas was the game’s MVP.
The game’s star is undeniably Thomas, who delivered one of the most famous performances in Celtics history. Thomas not only had 53 points, but he outdueled John Wall, who was an exceptional point guard at the time. Thomas finished 18-33 from the field and 5-12 from three, with three steals.

The performance is one that Celtics fans will never forget, and it’s the defining moment of his time in Boston.

Thomas/Al Horford/Terry Rozier were the game’s winners.
Aside from Thomas, who is an obvious winner in this game, Al Horford deserves to be recognized for his performance. Horford got 15 points, 12 rebounds, one steal, and two blocks in his first season with the Celtics. Horford was a consistent presence for the C’s that season, and he assisted in steering them in the correct path.

Terry Rozier is also deserving of praise for his play off the bench. Rozier finished with 12 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and he nailed some clutch shots late in the game. Throughout his Boston Celtics career, he always appeared to hit big shots.

Game losers: John Wall/Amir Johnson/Bradley Beal
This game characterized John Wall and Bradley Beal’s period with the Wizards, therefore they both lost. Wall is a loser because his 40-point outburst was overshadowed by Thomas, demonstrating that he simply lacked the ability to be great. Beal is a loser as well because he shot 4/15 from the field and 1/9 from three. These are the types of performances that have earned Beal a reputation as a terrible postseason performer.

Amir Johnson is a loser for the Celtics because he only played five minutes, and he was a -8. Johnson was the weakest starter on that C’s team, and it showed in this game.

The game’s significance for the Boston Celtics
The significance of this game is that it represents the defining moment for the Boston Celtics during the IT age. It also laid the stage for Kelly Olynyk’s 26-point outburst off the bench in Game 7 of the series, which helped the C’s win the series.