Isaiah Thomas is set to play Game 2

In the Celtics Game 1 loss to the Chicago Bulls, there was a 53-36 count in the rebounding department that didn’t favor Boston, and Jae Crowder noted how that was the difference.

Chicago’s 111-97 win on Tuesday night helped them grab a 2-0 series lead and accomplish something only one other team has done in National Basketball Association history. “That’s where your confidence always comes from”.

After being shown the video by teammate Avery Bradley, Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas made a decision to play it for the team before tipoff at the United Center. He was masterful in 40:22 of playing time, logging a plus-24 and registering five steals and three blocked shots.

The Celtics lost Game 1 of the seven-game series 106-102 on Sunday. The Bulls didn’t trail in the second half, using a 10-0 scoring run – which included eight points from Wade – to build a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter on the way to the convincing win. Our job was easy.

“There’s just stuff that we can clean up”, Amir Johnson, center for the Celtics, tell ESPN. I think he knows that, and I know the same about him.

There were doubts about Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade during the regular season and whether they could lead the Bulls.

I am surprised to see the spread similar to what it was in Game 1.

“I don’t know what it is”.

“I just tried to stay aggressive”.

Granted, the grief All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas is going through following the death of his sister has had an impact on the team, but following down 0-2 to the No. 8 seed Bulls is unacceptable. Those fans booed their team on more than one occasion Tuesday, including as the final seconds ticked off.

There was nothing that prompted Hoiberg to bench Rondo in Game 2, as he sat for a grand total of just eight minutes on the night. And the breakout bench performance tonight came from Paul Zipser, who had 16 points on 6-8 FGs.

It didn’t work – Chicago pulled down 11 offensive rebounds in the first three quarters Tuesday and had 14 second-chance points.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Thomas will fly to his home state of Washington after the game to help complete funeral arrangements for his sister, Chyna Thomas, who was killed in a auto crash Saturday outside Tacoma, Wash. More importantly, the Boston Celtics as a team can’t give up and must find cohesion. He was a minus-20.

Thomas did not address the media afterward. However, Boston was just 10 of 33 from 3-point range. Marcus Smart had nine points on nine shots. You don’t put yourself down 0-2 at home.

“We have the unit to go to Chicago and take care of business”. He had the best plus-minus on the team at +12.

Isaiah Thomas tragically lost his sister in a vehicle accident early Saturday morning and played through his emotional strife on Sunday evening, so that got the brunt of the media attention regarding the outcome.

The 5ft 9in guard has been outstanding for Boston this season but was rendered ineffectual in Game 2 – finishing just six of 15 from the floor. The Celtics are now an alarming 2-10 in a dozen playoff games of the Thomas and Brad Stevens era.

Boston’s defense really had no answer for Bobby Portis and Jimmy Butler in Game 1.