All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas was faced with the gut-wrenching decision of whether or not to play in the Boston Celtics first postseason game on Sunday afternoon, after his 22-year-old sister, Chyna Thomas, was killed in a car accident the night prior. Armed with barely 24 hours to process his grief, the Celtics best player chose to take the court to be with his team – and the 17,000 fans at the TD Garden.
While it would have been more than understandable if he’d elected not to play, his decision was hardly surprising. In the wake of such a devastating loss – and with such little time to even consciously work through it – many of us turn to the familiarity of our routine.