NEWS:Celtics can 'make some legitimate noise'-Isaiah Thomas

Quiet, at least by last season's All-Star standard, through the Boston Celtics' first five games of the preseason, Isaiah Thomas put together a near-perfect first half on Monday night against the Brooklyn Nets and promptly declared himself ready for real basketball to start.

Isaiah Thomas against the Nets.

Thomas, who made all six shots he took while putting up 19 first-half points, passed time in the second half by excitedly cheering big moments for Boston's youngest players, sitting in the front row with fans trying to get on the JumboTron, and grooving when "Gino Time" rolled toward the end of a breezy 120-99 triumph at TD Garden.

After displaying the sort of basket-attacking aggression that distinguished his play last season and after another excellent showing for Boston's starting group, Thomas was asked to assess the prospects for the 2016-17 Celtics.

"We have a pretty good team -- a team that can make some legitimate noise," Thomas said. "And if we put it together and play the right way, we can make a lot happen this season. We don’t ever want to put a ceiling on it, but we have a really good team. I know that."

There's a lot to be optimistic about in Boston -- and that's before you even factor in the potential struggles of a Nets squad whose draft position the Celtics have the right to swap with in June. The two teams meet again here on opening night on Oct. 26.

Source:ESPN.com