BOSTON — There’s a lot of mutual respect between Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James and Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas.
They were two of the NBA’s best players during the regular season and played pivotal roles in helping their respective teams reach the Eastern Conference finals.
After the Cavs eliminated the Celtics to advance to the NBA Finals with a 135-102 Game 5 win Thursday night at TD Garden, James and Thomas embraced in a show of respect.
James broke Michael Jordan’s playoff scoring record in the third quarter and is on his way to the NBA Finals for the seventh consecutive season — third straight with Cleveland. Thomas finished second in the league in scoring during the regular season and scored a league-high 53 points in Game 2 of Boston’s second-round series against the Washington Wizards.
A hip injury forced Thomas to miss Games 3, 4 and 5 of the conference finals, but the C’s wouldn’t have been anywhere near the third round without the impressive play of the 5-foot-9 guard.
It wouldn’t be surprising if these two superstars met again in postseason play in the near future.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@NBAonTNT
