* Tonight on ESPN: Warriors vs. Cavaliers (8 ET)
Mirroring his team’s recent woes, Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas’ comeback has ground to a halt after a fast start.
Thomas averaged nearly a point per minute, scoring 17 and 19 points in his first two appearances with the Cavaliers after needing nearly eight months to recover from a right hip injury. He’s averaging just 6.5 points over the past two, however, missing 10 of 11 3-pointers and 21 of 26 shots overall. The Cavaliers lost both of those contests, and eight of their past 11 to fall seven games behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
But as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports, Thomas isn’t exactly surprised to be struggling after missing so much time.
“I knew it was going to be like this,” the Cavaliers point guard said after practice Sunday. “I have no legs. So it’s going to take some time to get it back, even when I played well those first two games I told Coach (Tyronn) Lue it didn’t feel right. It was kind of fool’s gold.”
“The shots were going in, but none of my movements, none of the things I usually do felt normal,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be like that for a while. I’ve just got to be patient. I’m my biggest critic; I’m not a patient person. So it’s killing me that … to be, I’m used to stepping on the court and being special. So now I’ve got to work. I’ve got to work my way back and get my legs back and get my legs back to playing at a high level.”
Despite his struggles, Thomas said he’s “excited” to participate in the latest chapter of the NBA’s best rivalry in recent seasons.
“High, intense game, guys really care about that game and really want to win those games,” he said. “We’re in that mode right now where we just need a win to get that confidence back. It’s a great opportunity to go against a really good team and we’ll be ready.”
