This time embarrassment was on the line.
“I probably wouldn’t have had Thanksgiving if we lost,” said Isaiah Thomas, who came perilously close to returning his turkey this morning, if not for the late heroics in last night’s 84-80 Celtics win over Philadelphia.
That, of course, would have been unthinkable after back-to-back losses in Brooklyn and Atlanta that were particularly dour for the lack of energy in each. And now here was Philadelphia, an 0-16 team by the end of the night — 0-26 dating back to last March — feeling good about itself.
“I remember Isaiah saying, ‘Man, they’re talking smack,’ ” said Jae Crowder.