CLEVELAND — The headlines wrote themselves.
The minute the final buzzer blew and the clock showed three zeroes, Isaiah Thomas' first game against his former team spun off a litany of takes. Did the Cleveland Cavaliers pull the trade trigger too soon? Was this—the 20 points, nine assists and five rebounds—the Thomas the Cavs thought they were getting when they acquired him for Kyrie Irving, among other moving pieces, seven months earlier?
Sure, it took Thomas 16 shots to get 20 points. Yes, the All-NBA guard was exploited defensively, catching the wrong end of a LeBron James pick-and-roll.