Cleveland Cavaliers guard and former Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas has yet to play in a game this season, but he’s already looking forward to the Eastern Conference finals.
Thomas was asked recently during an interview with USA TODAY’s Sam Amick if having to get to the NBA Finals by way of beating the Celtics was ideal, and he seems to be onboard with the idea of a Boston-Cleveland showdown.
“Oh, that would be lovely,” Thomas told Amick. “That would be the story that God made, and it probably will work that way. It always does. It always works — I’m not going to say in my favor, but it seems to always work out no matter what the circumstance is. That would be a special moment. If they make it there, and we make it there, and then we clash, and then you never know what’s going to happen. But I’ll be ready for whatever happens.”
Thomas could return to action as soon as mid-December after a hip injury sidelined him to start the season. Since getting traded to the Cavs from the Celtics this summer, Thomas hasn’t pulled any punches about how much the blockbuster deal hurt him personally. In October, Thomas even went so far as to say he might never speak to Celtics GM Danny Ainge again.
With the Celtics running through the East and the Cavs beginning to turn their season around, the teams could be on a collision course for the Eastern Conference finals. If Thomas returns in December, he’ll see the Celtics shortly after, as the teams meet in Boston on Jan. 3.