CHICAGO – Given how most teams’ rotations tighten up in the playoffs, their
benches growing shorter, the odds of six point guards playing significant or at
least memorable roles in a single postseason game were long.
And yet there they were, a half dozen strong, either setting the tone, dictating
the terms, determining the outcome or punctuating the evening overall in
Boston’s 104-95 Game 4 victory over Chicago Sunday at United Center.
For the Bulls, whose 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series is gone, there was the
point guard who didn’t play, Rajon Rondo, and the three who did. Rondo’s
fractured right thumb has him on the sideline, where he sits on the bench with
much of Chicago’s pace, swagger and decision-making. He has been there since the
injury was diagnosed before Game 3, his hand and wrist in a cast that looks far
more supportive than the backups he left behind.
Those three – Jerian Grant, Michael Carter-Williams and Isaiah Canaan – were
overmatched in Chicago’s two defeats at home. Even coach Fred Hoiberg’s promised
quicker hook in Game 4 wasn’t swift enough. Grant started again and was yanked
after just 4:41, by which time the Bulls trailed by 10 points. Carter-Williams
subbed in and lasted about five minutes before he too was pulled, his team’s
hole dug deeper to 13.
Compared to the first two – who have been given opportunities this season based
on their reputations and dreaded “potential” only to shrivel in the moment –
Canaan might as well have been planted behind glass etched, “Break only in case
of emergency.” The slightly round 6-footer appeared in only 39 games overall and
in just six of Chicago’s final 26.
Canaan’s contributions after Valentine’s Day: 1.2 points, 0.3 assists and 3.4
minutes per game on 2-of-9 shooting, total. Canaan’s wholly-unexpected
contribution in Game 4: 13 points, three assists and two steals in 34 minutes,
4-of-10 shooting that included 3 of 7 on 3-pointers, and an exit score of
plus-11 on a night his team lost by nine.
As much as folks might have scoffed when Canaan first was summoned, they wound
up respecting the job he did as an emergency fill-in. The best of the non-Rondos
for Chicago, Canaan looked almost noble in how he had stayed ready, stepped in
and stemmed a reasonable amount of bleeding at the position.
It was, however, the game’s other Isaiah – Boston’s Isaiah Thomas, the game’s
fifth point guard of note – who determined the outcome.
In the spotlight since the series’ eve for a horribly wrong reason – his
22-year-old sister Chyna was killed in a one-car accident south of Seattle on
April 15 – Thomas had participated in the first three games while teammates and
friends circled the emotional wagons. Outsiders wondered about his emotions and
ability to focus, or not, on basketball at such a personally wrenching time.
Thomas, a natural NBA underdog in the best of times at 5-foot-9, had averaged 23
points and 5.7 assists before Sunday. But finally in Game 4, he both looked like
his old self and provided the spark of victory.
Thomas scored 33 points, matching his Game 1 production, but this time he saved
the Celtics when they needed it most. The Bulls’ best stretch of the night came
at the start of the second half, as they defended more diligently and clawed all
the way back from what had been a 20-point gap.
The Boston point guard, already lugging four personal fouls, came in with 5:12
to go in the quarter and the game tied at 63-63. On the Bulls’ next possession,
Robin Lopez’s hook even got Chicago in front. Then it was Thomas’ turn.
He scored 10 of the Celtics’ next 12 points and assisted on Al Horford’s layup
in the run to give Boston a 75-65 cushion. He solved the Bulls’ thicket of
bodies and outstretched arms near the rim for layups or, if fouled, sank free
throws. When the Bulls edged closer in the fourth quarter, Thomas went at them
again, getting five consecutive points to make it 86-76 with 9:01 left. The gap
never dipped below eight after that.
Thomas grabbed the game and made it his own … so much so that Hoiberg angrily
pointed out an unfair advantage that the undersized guard might or might not
have.
“Let me say this: Isaiah Thomas is a helluva player,” the Bulls coach said,
revving up. “An unbelievable competitor. He’s a warrior, everything he’s going
through right now. He had a helluva game tonight.
“But when you’re allowed to discontinue your dribble on every possession, he is
impossible to guard. He’s impossible to guard. When you’re able to put your hand
underneath the ball and take two or three steps and put it back down, it’s
impossible to guard him in those situations.”
For Hoiberg, who works hard to stay civil and well-mannered in the most trying
circumstances, this was the equivalent of a meltdown. Aware that he’d no doubt
be hearing from the NBA and surely writing a sizable check, he fielded a few
more questions about his Thomas objections with quick, direct answers.
Was it worse than usual Sunday? “No.”
Had he pointed it out to the refs previously in the series? “Yes.”
Had they indicated they would watch for the discontinued-dribble violation?
“Yes.”
When asked if that call ever gets made in today’s NBA, Hoiberg amplified:
“That’s a great question. They talk about it every year, being a point of
emphasis. It should be called.”
After stating he was done talking about the matter, Hoiberg exited stage left
feeling as burned by Thomas as Canaan, Jimmy Butler and all the other Bulls who
tried to guard him. But Thomas stepped up to the podium next and gave a
dismissive if not persuasive rebuttal.
Told of Hoiberg’s remarks, Thomas – with his two sons next to him at the podium
– smiled. “I mean, that’s not the reason why I’m ‘an impossible cover,'” he
said. “I guess he’s going to just keep saying it. I’ve been dribbling that way
my whole life. I don’t know what to say to that.”
How often do the referees whistle him for carries? “I don’t think I’ve been
called for it one time this year,” Thomas said. “So I don’t think it will
change. I could see if I’ve been called for it a couple times a game.”
If Hoiberg’s ire and expected fine buy the Bulls two or three pricey Thomas
turnovers in Game 5 Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, TNT), it probably won’t matter much if
they’re stuck using their three healthy point guards and going without their
fourth. The Celtics, of course, are happy to have theirs back – as much as
Thomas reasonably can be right now.
“Mentally and emotionally, I’m not here,” Thomas said, later praising the Boston
organization and “the whole world, really” for the support he has felt. “I just
feed off what the guys give me. They give me a lot of confidence. I can’t do it
without those guys. They believe in me. Being here is what makes me sane
mentally and feel somewhat normal through these tough times.”
Oh, oh, oh. That sixth point guard referred to at the top of this tale? That was
Derrick Rose. Making an odd cameo and sitting courtside in a corner of the court
about 50 feet from the Bulls’ bench, Rose – traded last June to New York,
rehabbing from yet another knee surgery, headed into free agency facing real on-
and off-court questions – showed up at United Center to sample playoff
atmosphere he hasn’t earned since 2015.
It was a point guard-apalooza Sunday, feature two who looked lost, two who were
hurt, one who at least tried hard and one who, uh, carried off the victory.
Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail himhere
and follow him on Twitter.
The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its
clubs or Turner Broadcasting.
