Celtics Practice Notes: Isaiah Thomas Believes C’s Can Steal Game 1
WALTHAM, Mass. — As the Boston Celtics prepare for their first-round playoff matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have stressed the importance of staying within themselves and sticking to their system.
Against an opponent like Cleveland that owns such a considerable advantage in talent, Celtics coach Brad Stevens said his squad simply needs to focus on what it does well.
“We have to be stars at what we do,” Stevens said before Saturday’s practice session. “We’re not asking (center) Tyler Zeller to break a press by himself here. We’ve gotta be stars at what we do, and we’ve gotta be great in our roles. If you collectively do that then you give yourself a chance, and against the best of the best, all you are giving yourself is a chance.
“And then you have to get over the hump by making plays. Those type of things have to happen. Again, it’s easier said than done. It’s why they’re picked by many to represent the East and by some to win it. They have a bigger margin. And that’s OK. We’ve gotta figure out how we can play best on every possession, focus on every possession, and see where we stand.”
— No Celtics player has talked more about the postseason over the past few weeks than point guard Isaiah Thomas. So, it came as no surprise Saturday that Thomas expressed nothing but excitement ahead of his NBA playoff debut.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “It should be fun. It should be a lot of fun. This is what you dream of as a little boy, to be able to play in the playoffs, play on a big stage and showcase your skills. … It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Sportsbooks powered by Bovada peg the Celtics as 11 1/2-point underdogs in Game 1 against the Cavs — tied for the largest spread of any series opener in these playoffs. Thomas can see his team playing spoiler, though.
“If we just put our mind to it, play the right way, like Coach (Brad Stevens) wants us to play, we’ll give ourselves a chance to win,” Thomas said. “So, if we go in (to Game 1) with that mindset, we’ve got a good chance to win (and) steal a game out of Cleveland.”
— Zeller, a former Cavalier, said he returned to a mixture of cheers and boos in his two trips back to Quicken Loans Arena this season. While the big man has no ill will toward the Cavs organization, all of the physical reminders of his tenure there are long gone.
“Yeah, I got rid of (my Cavs gear) really quick,” Zeller said. “I gave it to my mom, and she got rid of it somehow.”
— Forward Jonas Jerebko, like Thomas and Zeller, will be making his NBA playoff debut Sunday in Cleveland. The 6-foot-10 Swede isn’t a stranger to postseason basketball, though, nor to entering a series as an underdog.
Jerebko explained how during his days with Pallacanestro Biella in Italy’s Serie A2 (second division), his team entered a five-game playoff series against a heavily favored squad from Rome and proceeded to win in five games.
“I’ve been in this situation before where nobody believes in you,” he said. “It’s fun.”
Members of that Roman team, Virtus Roma, included current Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings and none other than Gigi Datome, who came with Jerebko to Boston at the trade deadline.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
