In the final days of August 2017, the trade that sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, and more to the Cleveland Cavaliers in return for Kyrie Irving was made official.
It happened; it was shocking. There was drama, but it happened. Isaiah has always been a huge talker and never afraid to speak his mind when the media wants to talk to him.
Naturally, he had a lot to say concerning the trade and he felt that it was messed up for Danny Ainge to trade him after he played his heart out for the short time he was in Boston.
Now, with a potential return date being Jan. 3 against the Celtics for their second meeting this season, Thomas addressed what he thought the reception would be from the fans that cheered so hard for him just a season ago.
“It will be good, but like I said if I’m able to play, it’s going to be a really special game for me,” Thomas said. “It’s going to probably be emotional because I gave my heart to that city and they’ve shown genuine love back.”
This quote is just one of the many that reporters have received when they ask the 5-foot-9 point guard to revisit his experience in Boston. Yes, it gets frustrating hearing him still talk about what happened but we should all understand that him giving a reaction is the reason why it continues to be addressed.
Reporters fully understand that anything concerning Thomas and Boston will garner attention and at the end of the day, their job is to get the best story.
Regardless, I actually believe this will be one of the last things that we will hear on the topic of Thomas and Boston. Maybe the conversation will resurface should a playoff battle be fought against the Cavaliers and Celtics once again, but besides that, everything that needs to be said on the topic has been exhausted.
Whether the All-Star point guard plays or not when he returns to TD Garden for the first time, he is right about the reception. Fans will give an ovation, there will be a tribute played on the jumbotron, and maybe one final quote after the game concerning how it felt to return.
Then, and only then, this saga will be over.
