Many of us have had this happen: After losing a close family member due to a sudden, unspeakable tragedy, a moment of levity arrives that serves as the first reminder that it really is possible to pick up and move on.
For Isaiah Thomas, that moment arrived about seven minutes into Game 1 of the Celtics’ best-of-seven playoff series against the Washington Wizards Sunday afternoon at the Garden. He was trying to deflect a pass intended for the Wizards’ Otto Porter, but he didn’t get the ball. He got the elbow. Replays showed a tooth — a real one, not a cap — escaping Thomas’ mouth and landing on the parquet, just inside the 3-point line.