Tristan Thompson has avoided being suspended in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, but his presence was obviously not enough to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors. The reigning NBA champions earned their second victory, 122-103, on Sunday night at the Oracle Arena where Stephen Curry finished with a game-high 33 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds on 42.3 percent shooting from the field and 52.9 percent from beyond the arc.
There are multiple occasions in the first two games of the NBA Finals 2018 where Tristan Thompson was tasked to guard Stephen Curry. The 27-year-old center has failed to limit Curry’s production on the offensive end, especially when he shoots the ball from the three-point range. In a post-game interview, a reporter asked Thompson about being “helpless” in defending the two-time MVP, which doesn’t sound good for the Cavaliers’ big man.
“When I’m switching on him, I’m guarding him,” Thompson said before leaving, via USA Today Sports . “I am never helpless on no guy in the NBA.”
Being called “helpless” may have sounded offensive for Tristan Thompson, but it is the best word to describe the Cavaliers’ performance on the defensive end against Stephen Curry. The Warriors superstar have been dismantling the Cavaliers in the last two games, and it seems like coach Tyronn Lue still can’t find the answer for his dominance.
Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson took exception to a question about feeling “helpless” when having to guard Steph Curry. https://t.co/Ea2MliYSFb
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) June 4, 2018
What makes the best-of-seven series against the Warriors harder for the Cavaliers is the way the game is officiated. Most of the time, the calls were in favor of Golden State. However, Tristan Thompson isn’t one of the Cavaliers players who plan to blame the referees for their recent struggle.
“I’m over the referee (expletive),” Thompson said. “Miss or make, you think you got fouled, you think it’s a travel, you gotta get back on defense and communicate. That’s what Golden State wants. They want you to hang back, complain to the refs and complain because they’re going to come down and knock a three in your face. You can’t be worried about that.”
Thompson believes complaining every time the referees made a wrong call won’t help the Cavaliers at all. They will only lose their focus on the game, and the Warriors will immediately take advantage. The only thing the Cavaliers need to do right now is to exert more effort and work harder in order to prevent themselves from being swept in the NBA Finals series.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals matchup between the Warriors and the Cavaliers will be on Wednesday night at Quicken Loans Arena.
