Quarterback Tom Brady doesn't want his New England Patriots to be the only champion Boston fans cheer for this year.
Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas said Brady had some words of encouragement when the two exchanged text messages following New England's 34-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe: "He was like, 'It's your turn next.' So now he's putting the pressure on us, but hopefully we can make something happen."
Himmelsbach noted the two have been friends since Brady helped the Celtics attempt to recruit Kevin Durant during the offseason.
Thomas has the Celtics positioned well to at least challenge for a championship, as they have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 33-18. However, Brady is a difficult act to follow.
The signal-caller led his team to a dramatic comeback from a 28-3 deficit in Sunday's game with five straight scoring drives to end the overtime victory (not counting the final play of regulation). He earned his record-setting fifth title and fourth Super Bowl MVP in the process.
Thomas would know something about dramatic finishes. He is averaging 29.9 points per game this season and has entered MVP discussions. He was third in the league in points per game in clutch situations through Tuesday, per NBA.com.
Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated wrote, "His average of 10.7 points in the fourth quarter leads the league by a wide margin, the highest since the NBA began tracking the statistic in 1996 and the foundation of his growing legend."
Thomas' ascension and friendship with Brady is a full-circle story. He tweeted his desire to talk with the quarterback in March 2016:
"I just would like to sit down and actually meet [Brady] and also just pick his brain about winning championships and how he goes about his day, how he prepares," Thomas said at the time, per Jay King of MassLive.com. "I like his preparation to everything. I like to pick guys' brains, especially the best in the business, best in their field, and see what he has to say to me."
Brady isn't the only Boston sports legend Thomas has impressed. According to Himmelsbach, Los Angeles Clippers forward and Celtics icon Paul Pierce said of Thomas: "He's taken the torch, man. The city is proud of him for what he's doing."
James Herbert CBSSports.com pointed to Thomas' connection with the city: "His embrace of the Celtics' culture has endeared him to fans there, and with the way he has played this season, he's clearly the new face of the franchise."
If the face of the franchise is truly going to be "next" like Brady said, he would have to go through LeBron James and the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference playoffs. If the Celtics do that, they would likely match up with Stephen Curry, Durant and the rest of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
It may seem like a long shot, but if a sixth-round draft pick can turn in to a five-time Super Bowl champion and perhaps the greatest player in NFL history, who's to say a 5'9" guard who was the final pick of the 2011 NBA draft can't lead the Celtics to some stunning upsets in the NBA playoffs?