Robb: Isaiah Thomas Has Been Mr. Fourth Quarter For Celtics
BOSTON – By starting his career in smaller markets such as Phoenix and Sacramento, Isaiah Thomas has been slow to receive recognition for his stellar fourth quarter scoring during his first couple seasons.
With the Kings, he was a good player on a bad team, putting up big numbers in mostly meaningless games. With the Suns, he was overshadowed by fellow guards like Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic, and couldn't count on getting fourth quarter reps over those talented teammates.
In Boston, Thomas has garnered nearly as much acclaim for his clutch late-game performances in eight games than he did in his past two seasons combined. Part of that added attention comes from playing in front of a larger market with the Celtics, but there's a larger factor at play here as well. Thomas fills a crucial void on this Celtics roster, as a willing and capable fourth quarter scorer.
"I think the biggest thing is he's a fit," Brad Stevens said after Thomas scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night. "He fits. He's a really good player that fits really well. That usually turns out good."
A late-game scorer who "fits" Boston's scheme has been missing for a couple years now, as Danny Ainge has started to piece together the necessary pieces of a post Big-3 core.
Countless times earlier this season, when Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green were still wearing green, Boston blew big leads late. A big part of those losses was an inability for those guys (or anyone else on the Celtics) to create high percentage scoring opportunities when opposing defenses turned up the intensity. Ainge spoke about his frustration with those situations after dealing away Rondo and Green in mid-January.
"Well I haven't been too excited about what I've seen so far this whole year," Ainge said. "I haven't been excited about seeing 20 point leads get blown, but I'm certainly not blaming it on [Rondo and Green], but I mean we're just trying to get better. We have a lot of young guys now that have become more of a focal point for us and they have to get better."
Since arriving in Boston, Thomas has been the team's new focal point and the closer that Green and Rondo failed to be. He's averaging 8.7 points per game in the fourth quarter in eight games as a Celtic. The biggest reason why he's thriving in that role? The 26-year-old point guard loves the limelight.
"I like fourth quarters, I guess," Thomas explained Friday night. "I mean, I'm just out there making plays, honestly, and I get a little more aggressive in the fourth. I'm comfortable in the fourth quarter.
"Guys start to tighten up in the fourth. It's not for everybody. It's different from the first half or the third quarter, especially when it's a close game. I kind of like that. I like close games. I like being the guy."
So just how did Thomas develop that kind of an attitude?
"Watching Kobe Bryant. Watching all those types of guys. I'm a basketball junkie. All I do is watch basketball. Just watching those guys and seeing how they love that time. They love being that guy and making the big shot, making the big play. And I just want to be one of those guys."
The Celtics still have a lot of work do in order to become a relevant team in the Eastern Conference yet again, but the acquisition of Thomas is a strong start in that department. All good teams need a crunch-time scorer, and with Thomas signed for the next three seasons, that's one less need on Ainge's offseason shopping list.
Brian Robb covers the Celtics for CBS Boston and contributes to NBA.com, among other media outlets. You can follow him on Twitter @CelticsHub.
