Pick either of the on-court storylines Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas has endured — a slow start in the first-round vs. Chicago, getting a tooth knocked out in Game 1 of the East semis vs. Washington — and it would be something for a player to overcome. Yet those trials pale in comparison to Thomas losing his sister and attending her funeral as the playoffs were going on. None of what Thomas has endured has been lost on Celtics president Danny Ainge, writes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald:
The loss of 22-year-old Chyna in a car accident has perhaps made peace unattainable, but the Celts have taken measures to make the logistics less of an issue.
And through it all — playing with grief, returning from Washington at 4 a.m. Sunday and leading the Celts to a Game 1 win over Washington in a 1 p.m. tipoff — Danny Ainge has gained even more respect and admiration. If that were possible.
The Celtics president of basketball operations was on the chartered jet out of Chicago following the series-clinching win against the Bulls with Thomas, his wife, Kayla, and son, Jaiden.
“It was a good trip,” Ainge said after yesterday’s practice. “We were trying to get Isaiah to sleep on the way out, because we knew it would be a long day. So we didn’t talk much. We just talked a little bit about the game and talked a little bit about Chyna, but most of it was him sleeping, trying to get as much rest as he could.”
Assistant coach Jerome Allen took a commercial flight out to the services Saturday morning, and that night Ainge was the one who went commercial and gave up his seat on the private plane to Allen on the way back to Boston. Everyone could have fit, but not in a way that would have allowed them room for rest.
“I wanted Isaiah and Jerome to get as much rest as they could for the game,” Ainge said. “I flew back commercial. I think I got back a little earlier, but they were more comfortable and able to stretch out and sleep on their plane.”
But even with the accommodations the Celtics have made, there is no way to fully comprehend how Thomas has been able to play through this emotional pain — let alone the fact he went for 33 points and nine assists Sunday in the Game 1 win against the Washington Wizards while sleep-deprived.
Ainge has witnessed a lot in more than 30 years around the NBA. But this?
“I’ve seen a lot of people go through a lot of challenges and adversity in life, and I think what makes Isaiah’s situation really hard is, I mean, he’s under such a microscope already as a person,” Ainge said. “Everything is public — from right when he finds out to everyone knowing every detail of how he’s mourning and how he’s dealing with his issues. That’s hard in its own right, just to deal with everything so public. But I think it’s been amazing how well he’s dealt with everything and how he’s tried to inspire his teammates and not miss any games and just to fight through it the best way he can. I think it’s been very impressive, even all the way up to speaking at his sister’s funeral. He did a great job. He’s done magnificent in every facet.”
