Isaiah Thomas Impressive in Debut

And it won’t be so easy.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Isaiah Thomas never had a hatchet to bury with Boston Celtics fans.

He was the guy who gave him a chance “to be who I always wanted to be”. The little things he did on and off the court. “I know it will be all love”, he said. I’m glad I’m back.

But apart from those circumstances, Thomas had quite the nice homecoming Wednesday night.

Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum had 15 points apiece in the Celtics’ fourth consecutive win.

James totalled 24 points, eight assists and six rebounds, Kevin Love added 19 points and seven boards, Jae Crowder scored 17 and Dwyane Wade had 15 and eight rebounds to help the Cavaliers (25-12) snap a three-game losing streak.

Gregg Popovich won his 1,176th game as coach of the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, giving him sole possession of fifth place on the all-time wins list.

Offensively, the Celtics are averaging 103.4 points, 44.0 rebounds and 22.1 assists per game. Playing on back-to-back nights – the Celtics had been preparing for them since New Year’s Eve – Cleveland shot 34.8 percent.

It’s not just that they’ve looked so out of sorts against the two teams that many think they will face in the Eastern Conference finals and the NBA Finals. But the 5-foot-9 playmaker, who inspired the Celtics and an entire city previous year by playing in the immediate aftermath of his sister’s death, patiently stuck with his rehab.

And so much has happened since then.

After the Cavaliers 127-110 victory over the Portland Trailblazers, Thomas won’t play in the team’s first game in Boston this season because he hasn’t been cleared to play in back-to-backs yet. In that time, he stewed over his departure from Boston, where he developed into an All-Star and fan favorite.

Ainge fired back at his former player, saying, “I don’t know what we owe him”, per Ty Anderson of WEEI.

“Offensively, we got some good looks, but they just didn’t fall for us”, Love said.

“But we’ll be fine”. Rozier scored eight straight Boston points in the first quarter and did it again in the fourth to put the Celts ahead by 21. About 20 seconds later, he produced his first points with the new team. He said there were no second thoughts about trying to get into action tonight.

Thomas picked up a quick assist with a pass to Crowder, who came with him from Boston in the summer trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Celtics and shook the National Basketball Association.

“It was a special moment”, said Thomas about the reception he got. He received a roaring standing ovation and acknowledged the sellout crowd in a heartfelt manner.

“It’s been a long journey for me”, said Thomas after the game.

“There’s still movements that I’m scared to do”.

“It just feels like we’re a little stagnant on both ends”, Korver said. “But you’ve always got to be concerned with the competition, for sure”. My wind isn’t there.

His Cavs’ debut came Tuesday, and the big moment wasn’t wasted on the 5-foot-9 player with a flair for the big moments. James had 19 points, sitting down the stretch, and Irving had just 11, missing all five of his 3-pointers.

Following Wednesday’s clash with Cleveland, the Celtics close out their current four-game homestand with a visit from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, before kicking off a brief two-game road trip in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Celtics: Host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.