Isaiah expected to regress after 1st few games: 'It was kind of fool's gold'

Isaiah Thomas is by no means surprised by his sagging production.

The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard recently returned to action after being sidelined for seven months with a hip injury, and shined offensively in his first two appearances with his new team (both wins). But in the two games since, the two-time All-Star has fallen off considerably.

"I knew it was going to be like this," Thomas said following Sunday's practice, as quoted by ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "I have no legs. So it's going to take some time to get it back, even when I played well those first two games I told coach (Tyronn) Lue it didn't feel right. It was kind of fool's gold."

"The shots were going in, but none of my movements, none of the things I usually do felt normal. It's going to be like that for a while. I've just got to be patient. I'm my biggest critic; I'm not a patient person. So it's killing me that ... I'm used to stepping on the court and being special. So now I've got to work. I've got to work my way back and get my legs back and get my legs back to playing at a high level."

The Cavaliers return home on a mission to snap a three-game losing skid, which may be easier said than done, as they host the defending champion Golden State Warriors on Monday.

Thomas, who was traded to the Cavs from the Boston Celtics last offseason, is excited to be part of the NBA's best rivalry and go toe-to-toe with one of the league's best players in Stephen Curry.

"He's a hell of a player," he said. "It's tough to play against him, but at the same time he's got to guard up, too. We're going to battle and we're going to do whatever we can to get our team a win (Monday) night."

After finishing fifth in MVP voting last season, IT's averaging just 12.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 rebounds while on a minutes restriction in Cleveland.