Kobe Bryant has been helping Isaiah Thomas break down film during the playoffs

Isaiah Thomas is the talk of the NBA after his 53-point performance in a Game 2 victory over the Washington Wizards. One day after the heroic performance, Thomas shared a fun anecdote: He’s been getting a little help from Kobe Bryant during the playoffs.

Thomas said he’s been watching film with Bryant ever since Game 2 of Boston’s first-round series against the Chicago Bulls:

Thomas said he emailed Bryant his film, and Bryant watched every second of it. The two then spoke on the phone for 30 minutes. “He was telling me what times to go to, and what to look at, and certain plays, things I didn’t look at when I watched film. … He made me figure out a lot of things.”

Thomas wouldn’t go into too many specifics — “he wouldn’t want me to do that,” Thomas said with a laugh — but did say that Kobe, “mentally … is on a different level than anybody I’ve ever met.”

Bryant apparently reached out to Thomas after Thomas’ sister, Chyna, was killed in a car accident the day before the Celtics’ playoff opener.

“We’ve been in communication the last couple weeks ever since my sister passed,” Thomas said. “He’s been a big help since Game 2 [of the first round]. … He just tells me what he sees, and what I should be watching for.”

Thomas has received a ton of support from the NBA community ever since Chyna’s death. It sounds like Kobe has gone above and beyond to lend a hand to the Celtics star.

“That’s probably the craziest thing that’s happened to me,” Thomas said of Kobe’s help. “I remember when I was at home in Washington, I was on the phone, and my mom kept saying, ‘Who are you talking to?’ And I had to put it on mute and tell her, ‘It’s Kobe!'”

The Celtics were down 0-2 to the Bulls when Bryant first called Thomas to start breaking down film. They are 6-0 since. Coincidence? We think not.