Isaiah Thomas Passes John Havlicek In Celtics Record Books
BOSTON (CBS) -- Lost in the kerfuffle of a questionable (read: horrendous) call that cost the Celtics a win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday was Isaiah Thomas making some franchise history.
The C's All-Star became the first player in Boston's storied history to score at least 20 points in 41 straight games, passing John Havlicek's previous record of 40 straight during the 1971-72 season. Thomas scored 29 points in Boston's controversial 104-103 loss, hitting the 20-point mark midway through the fourth quarter with one of his patented layups in traffic.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens praised the 5-foot-9 Thomas' consistency after the game, as he's scored 20 or more points in all but one of Boston's 53 games this season.
"I think consistency is the mark of really great players. I don't think there's any question about it," Stevens said. "There's a lot of people that can do it once or twice but to do it every night, week after week after week, is pretty impressive."
Thomas said he's happy to make history, but that's not his main goal when he steps on the floor.
"I'm trying to win a championship and break those type of records," he said.
He's now off to New Orleans as Boston's lone All-Star, with Stevens and his staff manning the bench for the Eastern Conference. Thomas is averaging 29.9 points per game this season, second in the NBA behind Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook's 31.1 points per game.
