There have been a fair number of doubters regarding the Boston Celtics‘ decision to trade away veteran point guard Marcus Smart for star big man Kristaps Porzingis, but Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas is not among them. Thomas believes the Celtics, with their core intact and the addition of Porzingis, could be favored to win the championship.
He draws parallels between the Celtics’ situation and his former team, the Detroit Pistons, when they made major trades to win back-to-back titles.
“Maybe Porzingis is the missing piece,” said Thomas in an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso. “I see the similarities.”
“They did have to trade Marcus Smart, but the core of the team is still intact,” he suggested. “The Celtics have been knocking on the door for so long. Think about the success Tatum and Brown have had at such young ages.
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Not many people have that type of success without winning a championship,” related Thomas. “They’ve been to four Eastern Conference Finals and one NBA Final. It’s pretty remarkable that they’ve been knocking on the door for so long, and they haven’t won it yet
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