Despite playing with a heavy heart. Isaiah Thomas still found enough courage to compete in Game 1 of their second round series against the Washington Wizards. Only a few hours after the funeral of her sister, who passed away in a car accident, the 5-foot-9 guard made his way back to Boston to help his Celtics teammates win the series opener.

Asked what keeps him going even after the tragedy, Thomas shared that he is paying tribute to his sister through his game. He also added that it's all he can do right now to try and move on from it.

“Basketball, when I'm on the court, it just keeps me going. I do everything for my sister now, and that's all I can do.”

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Thomas showed no signs of fatigue and played 38 minutes, finishing with 33 points and nine assists. More importantly, he inspired his teammates with his presence as four of them also finished in double figures in scoring.

If he continues to play at this level throughout the postseason, the C's will be a very difficult team to beat and could live up to the expectations of being the top seeded team in the Eastern Conference.