Isaiah: MVP chants 'unbelievable,' something I dreamed of as child
On Friday, Isaiah Thomas had the night of his childhood dreams.
The Boston Celtics point guard torched the Miami Heat for a career-high 52 points, carrying his club to a 117-114 victory over the visitors. He was particularly on fire in the final frame, when he scored a franchise-record 29.
"The fourth quarter, it felt like I was in the gym by myself, felt like nobody was out there with me and I just was making everything," the 27-year-old told Celtics reporter Amanda Pflugrad immediately following the game.
His performance elicited MVP chants from fans at TD Garden, which "(didn't) even seem real" to the 5-foot-9 guard.
"It's unbelievable," he said. "It's a blessing from God. As a little boy, I dreamed of being in an NBA arena and the fans chanting MVP, let alone being on the Celtics. All the great players who did it before me, it says a lot."
Related - Watch: All 52 of Thomas' points vs. Heat
Thomas scored his 52 on an efficient 15-of-26 from the field, a ludicrous 9-of-13 from 3-point territory, and a perfect 13-of-13 at the foul line. On this night, he was so hot that his only job was to score (he didn't record any assists).
"My teammates just wanted me to make plays; they kept setting screens, coach kept calling plays for me," told reporters in the locker room. "Without my teammates, without coach Brad (Stevens) believing in me and putting me in position to be who I am, there's no 52, there's no games like this this year, last year, or the year before.
"I've got to give credit to Brad, the coaching staff, and my teammates, because they were like, 'Go get 60.' They wanted me to score, and I was just shooting the ball and they were going in."