If the storyline held, he would led the Celtics to victory in this opening game of their playoff series.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for the top-seeded Celtics in a 106-102 loss to the Bulls in Game 1. "Because as a player, we have so much going on in our mind. But when I'm into it like that, if I'm scoring or my teammates are scoring, I'm always going to be hyped". "Those have got to come in his own time and then we will adjust accordingly". "Everybody stepped up and did what was asked of them".
Jimmy Butler had 30 points and nine rebounds as the Chicago Bulls outlasted Boston 106-102 in the first game of their National Basketball Association playoff series on Sunday on an emotional night for grieving Celtics star Isaiah Thomas.
Isaiah paid tribute to his sister by writing, "Rip Lil Sis", "Chyna", and "I love you" on his shoes for game one. This group, which plays at a faster pace and shoots more 3-pointers, looked promising and played effectively.
"He was incredible. He's an fantastic player and an awesome person", Boston coach Brad Stevens said.
But now he's the player we can all get behind.
Thomas led the Celtics with 33 points, hitting a layup with seven seconds left to cut Chicago's lead to 104-102.
Jimmy Butler came to play on Sunday, particularly in the second half. The Bulls controlled inside throughout the game and forced the Celtics into shooting from the outside, where the shots stopped falling in the fourth quarter.
"Even when you don't know what to say", said Rev. Robert Gray, the team chaplain, "you can still pray for him". "The big thing is crashing the glass, but you can't jeopardize your transition defense because these guys will make you pay if they get behind you". He tied the score with a long 3-pointer - his third straight bucket - near the end of the period.
Devotees throng churches across country for Easter celebrations
We just do it because we want to show the community the love of Christ in a positive and powerful way. The date of Easter is always the first Sunday after the full moon following a spring equinox .
Game 2 of the series is Tuesday night in Boston (8 p.m., TNT, CSNNE).
According to the Washington State Patrol, Thomas' sister was traveling on Interstate 5 in her 1998 Toyota Camry in Federal Way when her vehicle suddenly veered off the road and struck a metal pole.
Before the game, Stevens said, "He's struggling".
Bobby Portis finished with 19 for the Bulls while Al Horford had 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Boston. "Obviously, it's tragic circumstances that he and his family are going through right now, and our thoughts are, first and foremost, with all of them". The fact that he's even here is just a lot of credit to him. He's a true competitor and tonight he was playing for his sister and he was playing for his family.
Forward Tyler Zeller said they just want to try to make his basketball world as easy as possible right now.
Bulls: Outrebounded the Celtics 32-16 in the first half, including 16 offensive rebounds. Harden missed all six of his 3-point attempts in the first half but finished with 37 points, nine assists and seven boards. Thomas led the team out of the tunnel for pregame warmups. When he led the Celtics onto the court for pregame warm-ups, Thomas received a roaring ovation. More telling, the Celtics floundered without him on the floor - Thomas was plus-12 for the game.
The Bulls had five players in double figures.
It's the first postseason win since April 27, 2008, with Phoenix for Houston coach Mike D'Antoni, whose teams were swept in the first round in his last two trips to the playoffs in 2011 with the Knicks and 2013 with the Lakers.
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