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The two-times NBA All Star gathered himself once he took the
court and received vocal support from the capacity 18,000-plus
crowd at TD Garden in Boston.
Thomas almost lifted the Eastern Conference top seeds to victory
with two late baskets in their best-of-seven first-round series
opener against the Bulls, but the visitors survived to draw
first blood, 106-102.
Thomas, who top-scored for the Celtics with 33 points on
10-of-18 shooting from the floor, did not talk to the media
after the game but team mate Avery Bradley said the players were
proud of their grieving guard.
"I know tonight he was playing for his sister, playing for his
family. We appreciate that as team mates," Bradley told
reporters.
"We just need to continue to fight for him ... Isaiah to me is
like family. We grew up in the same area."
Center Al Horford admitted it had been a difficult situation.
"We’re never going to make excuses but this is hard, this was
difficult," he said. "I felt our guys, we really dealt with it
the right way but Isaiah’s the one who I felt dealt with it
best. We knew he was hurting."
Boston coach Brad Stevens let Thomas decide whether to play on
Sunday, and said that would also be the case for Tuesday’s Game
Two.
“Whatever he needs to do he needs to do,” Stevens told
reporters. “I’m not going to ask him or make him make those
decisions (tonight). Those have got to come in his own time and
then we will adjust accordingly.”
Stevens said he was proud of the way Thomas had performed, and
how his team mates had supported him.
“He’s an amazing player, amazing player. He somehow plays like
that ... You couldn’t help but be inspired by his play."
Chyna Thomas, 22, died in a single-car accident in Washington
State before dawn on Saturday.
(Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by
Peter Rutherford)
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