BOSTON – Isaiah Thomas tweeted during the Celtics’ 116-113 overtime loss to the Pelicans Tuesday night that while he thanked the Celtics for offering to honor him with a video tribute on Feb. 11 when he and the Cavs visit the Garden, he’d rather they concentrate on retiring Paul Pierce’s jersey that day instead because of the controversy that had developed.
Pierce created the controversy by saying he didn’t like the idea of sharing his night with [...]
BOSTON – Isaiah Thomas tweeted during the Celtics’ 116-113 overtime loss to the Pelicans Tuesday night that while he thanked the Celtics for offering to honor him with a video tribute on Feb. 11 when he and the Cavs visit the Garden, he’d rather they concentrate on retiring Paul Pierce’s jersey that day instead because of the controversy that had developed.
Pierce created the controversy by saying he didn’t like the idea of sharing his night with Thomas.
Before Tuesday’s game and Thomas’s tweet, Pierce’s former Celtics teammates, Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen, both of whom play for the Pelicans, didn’t like the plan of the Celtics honoring Thomas the same day as their teammate on the 2008 Celtics NBA championship team.
“I’m with Pierce, man,” Allen said. “He ain’t put in more work than Pierce. Anybody disagree? Anybody disagree? I mean Paul Pierce put in big work, man. Why would they honor him on that same day, man?”
Rondo echoed Pierce’s sentiment and was irked that the Celtics would honor Thomas on any night.
“I agree. What has he done?” Rondo said of Thomas.
Told that Thomas led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals last year, Rondo remarked, “Oh, that’s what we celebrate around here?”
Reminded that it would be only a short video tribute, similar to the one he received when he returned to the Garden for the first time after the Celtics dealt him to Dallas, Rondo said, “This is the Boston Celtics. This isn’t the Phoenix Suns, no disrespect to any other organization, but you don’t hang conference titles. Do we hang going to the conference finals? What do we hang here?”
Championship banners, Rondo was told.
“OK, cool,” Rondo said.
After the game, Allen and Rondo were asked what they thought of Thomas deciding not to be honored on Feb. 11.
“That’s only right,” Allen said. “I respect that.”
“I don’t have any reaction,” Rondo said. “I’ve got nothing to say. I said what I said, that’s it. I ain’t got nothing else to say about it.”
Rondo, who had 7 points and 8 assists Tuesday and Allen, who is sidelined with a sports hernia, are the only two members of the 2008 title team still playing in the NBA.
Thomas returned to the Garden on Jan. 3 for the first time since the Celtics traded him to Cleveland last summer, but he did not play because of his hip injury so he asked the Celtics to postpone their planned video tribute until Cleveland’s only other visit on Feb. 11 when his family could watch him play and be honored. Pierce’s number will be retired following that game and he said on ESPN that he’d rather the Celtics honor Thomas some other day.
Thomas tweeted Tuesday night: “I'd like to thank the Celtics for their gracious offer to play a video tribute on Feb 11th celebrating my 3yrs in Boston. But since it appears this has caused some controversy w/ Paul Pierce's night I'd ask the Celtics instead to focus all of their attention on #34's career.
“I look forward to coming back and playing in Boston on Feb 11th and see all of the great fans whom I will always remember for their love and incredible support the past few years.”
Pierce’s number will be retired after he played 15 years with the Celtics and became the franchise’s second all-time leading scorer. Thomas played 2-1/2 years with the Celtics and last season he averaged 28.9 points, second most in franchise history.
“You talk about Paul Pierce,” Allen said, “don’t mention his name with guys’ names that don’t stand in the same frame, you know what I mean?”
When Allen looked at the 2008 Celtics team photo in the hallway Tuesday, he had no trouble believing that 10 years had passed.
“When I looked at the picture, I ain’t had no facial hair,” said the bearded Allen. “I was like, ‘Damn, 10 years.’”
Rondo returned to the Garden for the first time since he helped the No. 8 seeded Bulls seize a 2-0 lead over the No. 1 Celtics in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. The former Celtic usually plays his best in the biggest games and he averaged 11 points, 8.5 rebounds and 10 assists in the first two games of the series, but he fractured his right thumb in Game 2 and sat out the rest of the series. In his absence, the Celtics won the next four games to eliminate the Bulls, then held off the Wizards in seven games before falling to the Cavs in the conference finals.
You never know what may have happened if Rondo didn’t get hurt.
“You can’t talk about what coulda, shoulda, woulda,” Rondo said. “It is what it is. Everything happens for a reason.”
-- Contact Bill Doyle at william.doyle@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillDoyle15