Isaiah Thomas and the Triumph of the Human Spirit
Isaiah Thomas scored 53 points--including 29 in the fourth quarter/overtime--to lead the Boston Celtics to a 129-119 overtime victory against the Washington Wizards. John Wall scored 40 points and dished 13 assists in defeat. Boston now leads this second round series 2-0. Thomas is the only player in the storied history of the Celtics to have a 50 point game in the regular season and the playoffs in the same campaign. John Havlicek (54 points) is now the only Celtic ahead of Thomas on the franchise's single game playoff scoring list. The last player to score more than 53 points in a playoff game is Allen Iverson, who dropped 55 in 2003.However, this game was not about numbers or skill set analysis; this game was about heart and the triumph of the human spirit. We all know that Isaiah Thomas just buried his sister Chyna, who recently died in a car accident. But did you know that Tuesday would have been her 23rd birthday? TNT's David Aldridge asked Thomas how he managed to play at this level during this trying time and Thomas gave all of the credit to Chyna, saying that he did it for her and that she is watching over him.
Thomas also said that as soon as leaves the court the reality hits him that she is not here.
Thomas was a remarkable story even before this tragedy happened; he is a 5-9 superstar in a league where the average player is 6-7 and thus he was already a great example of the triumph of heart over measurables--but now he is also showing the capacity of the human spirit to overcome devastating loss and suffering by creating positive energy.
It should be noted Thomas lost a front tooth in game one of this series on Sunday and he had several hours of oral surgery on Monday after the initial attempt to reposition the lost tooth failed. Thomas will likely have to undergo more oral surgery, as other teeth were affected as well.
Even if you are rooting for Washington, Thomas is inspirational.
Labels: Boston Celtics, Chyna Thomas, Isaiah Thomas, John Wall, Washington Wizards
posted by David Friedman @ 1:13 AM
2 Comments:
David,
What a game last night and performance from Isaiah! Just wanted to point out that he actually scored 29 points in the 4th quarter plus overtime -- not after half-time -- which makes his game even more incredible.
His story is inspirational to all undersized ball players and people in general.
I dislike Boston teams (since I'm a New Yorker), but I am rooting for Isaiah and the Celtics to succeed.
Eric,
Glad that you enjoyed the article and thank you for the clarification; I amended the sentence accordingly.
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