The Rotation: Even if you doubt the Celtics, never doubt Isaiah Thomas

Welcome to The Rotation, our daily playoff wrap-up of our favorite stories, large and small, from last night’s NBA action.

Never, ever, ever doubt Isaiah Thomas

By Chris Manning (@cwmwrites)

Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas — on his late sister’s birthday — played the game of his life Tuesday night against the Wizards. In Boston’s 129-119 overtime win, Thomas scored 53 points, including 29 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Once he got rolling, there was no doubt about whose time it was.

Thomas, at his best, is a smaller, zippier James Harden. He’s a master of taking the smallest space and attacking at just the right angle, zooming through the defense as if he’s tapped into the Speed Force. Even John Wall — a good, if not great, defensive point guard at his best who is both quick and freakishly athletic — had no answers for Thomas. If he wanted a shot, he was going to get it. When his team needed a basket, he scored in the most difficult way possible:

This was especially true late in the game. Even as Washington made a final push late, Wall visibly looked worn and he lacked the burst he normally has. Thomas, though, never actually slowed down. If the Celtics needed a basket, he delivered. And he did it how he does everything: at breakneck speed, with no fear or pause.

Thomas’ performance will go down in history. His 53 points are the second most all-time in Celtics playoff history — just one point behind a guy named John Havlicek. And since 1964, only six players in NBA history had scored at least 53 points in a playoffs entering Tuesday. Thomas is now the seventh.

Entering the playoffs, there were fair doubts about Thomas. Could a small guard lead an offense in the playoffs? Can he be hidden on defense enough to not be a complete liability? And how would he play after the death of his sister?

At every turn, Thomas has passed his trials. Boston’s offense has been the fourth-best among playoff teams. On defense, Thomas is doing well enough and played what was maybe the best defensive possession of his life late against Wall. And, if anything, playing in memory of his sister has been his fuel.

Yet, there are still questions that will be asked about Thomas. Wall and the Wizards aren’t going anywhere just yet, as the series shifts to the nation’s capital. And if Boston faces the Cavaliers next, it may take seven games of Thomas heroics for Boston to take down LeBron. In that possible series, Cleveland will look to hunt Thomas down on defense in a way no other East team really can. And in Kyrie Irving, another elite point guard challenge awaits.

If and when that happens, though, don’t doubt Thomas. Doubt the Celtics, doubt what they as a team can do against LeBron James and his team, and doubt their chances of making the Finals. But don’t doubt Thomas, not again.

On Tuesday, he erased all doubts.

Play of the Day: The Wizards’ down screen re-screen

By Jeff Siegel (@jgsiegel)

Otto Porter has broken out as a star shooting the ball for the Wizards this season, and it has resulted in Scott Brooks diversifying his offense to feature Porter alongside John Wall and Bradley Beal. Porter is still solidly the third option in that trio, but the Wizards will use the gravity of Wall and Beal to open things up for Porter as they did in Game 2:

The play starts with Beal in the corner, coming up toward the ball behind a down screen from Porter. Marcin Gortat is there as well to make the defense think it’s a double down screen, a very common action that the Celtics in particular love to run for Isaiah Thomas. However, instead of continuing behind Gortat, Beal cuts off his run, curling around Porter and setting a quick screen for him to come up behind Gortat.

Beal’s defender wants to stick with him around the screen, but when Beal stops and screens for Porter, that’s just one more body for Porter’s defender to negotiate. What ensues is a mass of human beings in a small space, which Porter takes advantage of. He has the option to sneak out the back to get the ball and either curl into the lane for a short jumper or drive to the basket. Beal can often get away with a lot of contact on his screen, as he can reliably claim that he’s just trying to fight through the defense; referees are very hesitant to call those kinds of screens illegal. Combine that with the it’s-not-illegal-if-they-don’t-call-it screening philosophy of Gortat and Porter finds himself open consistently on these actions.

With so much focus on Wall and Beal, Porter is able to take advantage of a distracted defense. When Wall has the ball at the top of the key and Beal is flying around screens, the Wizards are at their most dangerous, a fact they’re happy to use to trick the defense and get Porter and their other supporting players good shots.

Out of tune: Turnovers derail Jazz in Game 1

By Derek James (@DerekJamesNBA)

The Jazz haven’t learned from history. When the team lost to the Warriors by 30 on Dec. 20, they committed 23 turnovers and shot the ball poorly. Fast forward to Tuesday night. It’s Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals back in Oracle Arena — the same site of their pre-Christmas defeat.

Unfortunately for Utah, the story was the same Tuesday night. It wasn’t the 14 turnovers the Jazz committed; it was the 20 points allowed off of those turnovers. Each miscue was a welcomed fastbreak opportunity for Golden State. The Jazz committed six turnovers in the first quarter, allowing their opponent to establish rhythm and gather momentum. This and falling behind 9-0 to start is a difficult situation to overcome if you’re the road team in a playoff game.

When the Jazz got down, they had no way of getting back in it. Golden State committed just seven turnovers and Utah could only turn those into four points. Even if you’re making a moderate amount of mistakes, if your opponent punishes many of them and you don’t force enough, it may be difficult to win.

Had it not been for the lopsided points off of turnovers, this game may have been closer. Neither team shot particularly well. The Jazz shot 9-for-29 from beyond the arc, right on pace with the Warriors’ 7-for-29 clip. That made taking care of the basketball so crucial for Utah.

They trailed by as much as 21 in the game but had no one who could get them back in it with easy baskets. The Warriors carried a double-digit lead for much of the game and felt like they were keeping their foe at arm’s length all night. Unsurprisingly, the Jazz never led or tied the game.

Because neither team had a distinct edge in shooting the ball, the damage the Warriors did off of turnovers swung the game. Regaining lost momentum against a team like the Warriors in the playoffs is an unenviable task. On Tuesday night, the Warriors took what may have been an opening (a rather “off night” shooting) and found a way to have it not matter. They feasted off quick, easy buckets in transition, edging the Jazz 29-6 in fastbreak points.

Next: How James Harden and the Rockets picked the Spurs apart in Game 1

There’s no question the Jazz are a talented team. Hanging with the Warriors can be difficult but they do have the pieces to do so. But unless they curb the turnovers or start creating off the miscues the Warriors do have, that will be a challenge. The Warriors unforgivingly punished nearly every error the Jazz made on Tuesday night. If the Jazz hope to make this a series, they need to find a way to dole out punishment of their own.