Dennis Schroder remembers his matchup with Isaiah Thomas.
And he won’t soon forget the slap.
Schroder, the Hawks point guard, got into in with Thomas, the Celtics point guard, during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals last season.
Television replays showed Thomas hitting Schroder in the head as his ran up court after a made basket. The NBA reviewed the incident and assessed Thomas a Flagrant Foul 1 for the play that occurred late in the first quarter. Thomas was not suspended for the incident although several people in the Hawks organization felt it was warranted.
Schroder is now the starting point guard for the Hawks. He will again face Thomas when the Hawks host the Celtics Friday night, the first game between the teams since the Hawks won the playoff series in six games.
Schroder was asked, considering the competitive nature of both players, how he intends to keep the rivalry between the lines of the basketball court.
“If he don’t slap me, nothing is going to happen,” Schroder said Friday morning. “If we keep it competitive, just fighting for balls, then nothing is going to happen. Then both of us will try to win the game. That’s fine but slapping or something else is not okay with me.”
Schroder said despite the incident he feels no extra motivation in the individual matchup.
“I didn’t think he would do that at first,” Schroder said. “But you never know. I’m not saying that he is a bad player because of that. Tonight is a big one for us, the Hawks, and the team is bigger than anything else.”
During Game 3, Schroder was called for a personal foul 16 seconds after the incident, and he and Thomas had to be separated. After referees reviewed the play, both were assessed with technical fouls.
Schroder later said he felt “disrespected” after being hit by Thomas.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said he hasn’t had a conversation with Schroder about making sure there is no carry-over with his increased role as starter.
“Not anymore so going into tonight,” Budenholzer said. “Dennis is a guy who is a little bit edgy and competes, defensively loves to get after it. He’s been in a good place all year in keeping his edge and how important he is, staying on the court.”
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