Isaiah Thomas has taken his game to another level in the 2017 NBA playoffs.
The Boston Celtics guard has been an offensive machine through the team’s first eight games of the postseason, averaging 28 points per contest.
Thomas’ heroics led the Celtics to a comeback series win over the Chicago Bulls in the first round, and currently has Boston sitting on a 2-0 series lead over the Washington Wizards in their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup.
Brad Stevens was asked before Thursday night’s Celtics vs. Wizards Game 3 to shed light on Thomas’ pursuit of excellence, and the Celtics head coach responded with an awesome answer.
Here’s Stevens’ full comment, courtesy of MassLive’s Jay King.
So, just how good has Thomas been in this year’s playoffs? So good, that his run of greatness stacks up with some of the best postseason performances in NBA history.
According to ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh, IT’s 27.6 points per 36 minutes is ahead of Kobe Bryant in 2012 (27.2), Stephen Curry in 2016 (26.5) and Allen Iverson in 2001 (25.6). In fact, Thomas’ scoring rate is the best of any guard since Michael Jordan averaged 28.1 points per 36 minutes during the 1998 NBA playoffs.
The C’s surely are hoping Thomas’ record-breaking stretch doesn’t end any time soon.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
