Celtics star Isaiah Thomas starts Game 1 day after sister death
Isaiah Thomas started Game 1 of the Boston Celtics' first-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday just one day after his sister's death in a car accident.
Chyna Thomas, the 22-year-old sister of the All-Star guard, was killed in a one-car accident in Washington state early Saturday morning.
Thomas received a warm ovation from the Boston crowd during pregame and when the teams took the court for the opening tip-off. Thomas started fast, scoring nine of the Celtics' first 15 points. He slowed slightly after that and finished the first half with 15 points and three assists.
One of his three assists came on a dish to Avery Bradley, who buried a three-pointer from the perimeter. Seconds later, after the Celtics forced a turnover, Thomas whipped a through-the-legs pass to Bradley again, who kicked it back to Thomas for a deep three-pointer. The Bulls called a timeout and Bradley immediately found Thomas to embrace him.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens said before the game he would ultimately leave the decision to play up to Thomas, but he expected Thomas to suit up.
"He's struggling obviously," Stevens told reporters. "Tragic circumstances for his family."
The car traveled off the road around 5 a.m. and hit a Jersey barrier, which State Patrol spokesman Nick King said "vaulted the vehicle head-on" into a sign post.
According to State Patrol, Thomas was not wearing her seat-belt at the time of the accident and died at the scene.
The Celtics released a short statement via social media Saturday evening after the news broke and said, "The thoughts & prayers of the entire organization are with Isaiah & his family."
Source:- https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2017/04/16/boston-celtics-pg-isaiah-thomas-intends-play-following-sisters-death/100548796/
