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Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson ruffled some feathers after throwing down a dunk in the closing seconds of his team’s lopsided win over the Raptors on Wednesday night. Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic called him out for the “no class” move after the game, and the target of his ire did not hold back while issuing a response.
No sport can rival baseball when it comes to the length of the list of “unwritten rules” that can be the source of some major drama if a player violates one of them, but basketball also has its fair share of unspoken guidelines players and teams are expected to abide by.
Most NBA teams end up waving the white flag by pulling their starters toward the end of a game they have no chance of winning, and in those scenarios, their opponents will normally take their foot off of the gas pedal by dribbling out the shot clock instead of trying to run up the score.
On Wednesday night, the Cavaliers cemented their status as the best team in the NBA with a 131-108 victory over the Raptors on the road in a game where they pulled out to an early lead and never looked back while coasting to the decisive win.
The final score probably should have been 129-108 when you consider the visiting team had the chance to let the clock wind down to zero with what was seemingly going to be the final possession.
However, things took an interesting turn when Tristan Thompson opted to drive to the basket and throw down an emphatic dunk with around four seconds to go, which led to a scrum breaking out after the final horn courtesy of some Raptors players who took exception to that move.
After the game, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic threw his support behind his guys for stepping up to Thompson (who’s averaged less than two points a game this season as a benchwarmer who plays less than eight minutes per contest) while saying the dunk “was no class and disrespectful.”
Thompson declined to bite his tongue when he hopped online to respond on Thursday, as he called out the Raptors for pressing in the final minute of a game that was firmly out of reach while taking aim at the state of a team that fell to 17-38 on the season with the loss.
You wanna full court press with under a minute left in the game when you get cracked by 30 this will happen to you. Lose for draft lottery and be happy buddy boy. Hopefully you and most of your guys see the light at the end of Bobby and Masai long term plan. Bless up stay warm in… https://t.co/9bsEnB9geb
— Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13) February 13, 2025
Dang.