The Boston Celtics entered the fourth quarter of their Game 5 matchup with the Atlanta Hawks down by 30 points.

Despite the Celtics being well on their way to a loss, head coach Brad Stevens kept his star player, Isaiah Thomas, in the game. Less than two minutes into the final quarter, Thomas sprained his left ankle and wouldn't return.

While the All-Star point guard did say that he would play in Game 6, there is little doubt that the mild ankle sprain will at least affect his play on Thursday night.

Let's be blunt about this—Thomas has been the Celtics' offense all series long. Without the 5'9″ guard, Boston struggles to put the ball in the bucket.

 

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Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports has an interesting article questioning Stevens' decision to keep his dynamic guard in the game when the Celtics had all but lost Game 5. Kurtenbach even goes so far as to say the head coach's decision was “foolish.”

After the loss, Stevens was asked about his decision to keep Thomas in the game despite the huge deficit. The 39-year-old responded to the question with the belief that his team could still come back:

“You know what, with this team —€” I think it's a very valid question —€” with this team, I've seen just enough crazy stuff to think we might be able to get back in it to have a chance from 12 to nine to eight,” Stevens said. “I actually had a sub at the table when it happened. I know that's quite the task and quite the mountain to overcome, but we've all seen this team do some pretty crazy things when they are down.”

Presently speaking, one thing is for certain—Stevens' decision to leave Thomas in for the fourth quarter may have ultimately decided the series.