BOSTON -- Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas arrived at the interview podium following Game 3 of a first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday wearing a suit, an indication that he had expected to end his night on the riser in front of the cameras and microphones. As he settled in, a reporter read off all the Celtics legends who have produced 40-plus point games in the playoffs, and Thomas smiled wide when his name was appended to the list.
After two relatively quiet performances in Atlanta, including a particularly frustrating 16-point effort in Tuesday's Game 2 loss, a confident Thomas declared, "The best players figure it out.