LeBron James’ path to the NBA Finals just got easier.
The Boston Celtics announced on Saturday afternoon that All-Star point guard isaiah thomas will be sidelined for the remainder of the playoffs after re-aggravating a right femoral-acetabular impingement with labral tear during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Isaiah has worked tirelessly to manage this injury since it first occurred,” D. Brian McKeon said. “The swelling increased during the first two games against Cleveland, and in order to avoid more significant long-term damage to his hip, we could no longer allow him to continue.”
Game 2 disappointment
Thomas played merely 18 minutes in Game 2, accumulating two points on 0-for-6 shooting to go along with six assists and three rebounds.
Thomas didn’t return to play the second half of Game 2 after hurting his hip, as his team was losing by 40-plus points.
The Celtics were blown out by 44 points, 130-86, by the Cleveland Cavaliers and will now head to Ohio down 0-2 in the series. It appears the Celtics will get swept, as they have no chance of beating the Cavaliers on their home floor without their All-Star guard considering they were blown out the first two games at the TD Garden.
Thomas is currently evaluating his options for treatment and the Celtics will provide further updates once available. In his absence, Marcus Smart is likely to earn the start at point guard, which should bolster the starting five’s defense, but they lose tons of offense without Thomas.
Terry Rozier should also see more minutes off the bench as the reserve point guard.
Where do the Celtics go from here?
The Celtics will just have to do their best and hope their defense can keep them afloat. However, they’ve had difficulty containing LeBron James and company, allowing 130 points on 56.5 percent shooting in Game 2.
Al Horford and Avery Bradley must tremendously step up on the offensive end now. Bradley has been decent in the first two games, averaging 17 points per game. Meanwhile, Horford has had a quiet series, putting up just 11 a game on 40 percent shooting.
Celtics haven’t figured out how to defend James, who is having himself a monstrous series.
The key is to get stops to ignite their offense, but it hasn’t happened. Without Thomas, the Celtics must force turnovers and get out in early transition to find easy buckets. Otherwise, in the half-court set, they are going to have difficulty scoring.
It’s been a rough series for the Celtics, who were the first seed in the season. At least if they are going to lose, they need to show more fight and passion.
