Isaiah laughs off surprising Game 5 D: They say I'm the NBA's worst defender

There's no sugarcoating that Boston Celtics All-Star Isaiah Thomas is often a defensive liability, but the 5-foot-9 point guard did an admirable job bodying up Jimmy Butler when Thomas found himself switched onto the Chicago Bulls' All-Star swingman in Game 5.

Along with the superb defensive effort of Avery Bradley and Boston's other formidable wing defenders, Thomas played a surprising part in limiting Butler to 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting, as the Celtics defeated the Bulls to take a 3-2 series lead.

As Bradley lauded Thomas' "underrated" defense following Wednesday's victory, Boston's undersized guard laughed off the praise.

"Don't hype me," Thomas joked. "They say I'm the worst defender in the league."

To Thomas' point, he finished dead last among 468 players listed this season in ESPN's defensive real plus-minus, dead last in Basketball Reference's defensive box plus-minus among the 109 players with the most minutes, and dead last in defensive points saved.