In a March 2017 game, Phoenix’s Devin Booker scored an impressive 70 points. This feat elevated the guard among the league’s top offensive players while simultaneously etching his name in the NBA’s history. However, Book’s performance was not universally celebrated in a broader context.
One notable critique came from the opposing player in that game, Isaiah Thomas. Despite his Celtics easily winning the contest, the playmaker was not particularly impressed by the Suns’ presentation.
“It was weird what they were doing. I’ve never seen nothing like that – chasing those numbers. I mean, it is what it is,” remarked Thomas, per ESPN.
70-point masterclass
Booker’s historic performance left him searching for words post-game when tasked to describe his remarkable feat.
“It’s a zone. It’s kind of hard to explain. I’ve been in those zones before, but never to this extent,” Book elaborated.
In those moments, it feels like the universe aligns in a player’s favor so that every shot – no matter how challenging – seems destined to find the net. It certainly wasn’t any different for DBook against the C’s as he hit 21 of 40 field goal attempts, including four 3-pointers, and made 24 free throws. In doing so, the 20-year-old phenom broke multiple records.
No player in Suns franchise history had previously scored more points in a single game, and no professional in NBA history had amassed so many points at such a young age. At that time, only six players had ever scored 70 points or more in a game, a rare accomplishment made even more remarkable by the circumstances, as Devin later noted.
“This doesn’t happen very often especially against a really good defensive team like the Boston Celtics,” he remarked.
The Suns showed questionable conduct
After his impressive performance, Booker and his teammates gathered in the locker room to take a team photo holding a cardboard sign with the number 70.
However, the whole ordeal did not sit well with everyone. It was not only the fact that the Suns had lost the game 120-130, but also their manner in which they did so.
When the game was already decided, the team from Arizona committed foul after foul; they consistently took timeouts to give their young talent as many shooting opportunities as possible. Instead of trying to win the game, the team prioritized the magical point mark for their best offensive player.
“I don’t think anybody’s ever seen that…I mean it was obvious what they were trying to do – give him the most points possible,” Isaiah said.
His Celtics teammate Jae Crowder also made a jab and posted (but later deleted) a savage response under the Suns’ team selfie, writing, “I’ve never seen so many guys happy after an ‘L.'”
The arguable lack of competitiveness from the opposing team was also pointed out by IT, who concluded by stating, “We’re worried about the playoffs, they’re worried about the lottery.”
