Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic got upset when Tristan Thompson attempted a two-handed dunk at the end of the Cavs' blowout win over Toronto.
Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic accused Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson of showing disrespect for dunking with four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers’ 131-108 victory on Wednesday night.
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
26
|
| Jarrett Allen | |
| Points | 13 |
| Accuracy | 5-6 |
| Rebounds | 10 |
| Assists | 3 |
As fans booed, Raptors players Scottie Barnes and Jamal Shead confronted Thompson after the final buzzer to express their displeasure at the late two-handed slam.
“I think what Tristan did there was no class and disrespectful,” Rajakovic said. “I’m not going to stand for that, for sure. I love when my team stands up for themselves. That was no class.”
Even Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson seemed to have a hard time explaining why Thompson wanted to punctuate Cleveland’s eighth victory in nine games with a dunk.
“I’m not sure what he was thinking,” Atkinson said.
“Sometimes, though, you’re playing the game and you just have a reaction. I know with Tristan, there’s no bad intention there. I think just sometimes you’re playing and the goal of the game is to score. Unfortunate.”
Scottie Barnes declined to comment, and Jamal Shead agreed with his coach’s take.
“What he did at the end of the game was just a little bit disrespectful to the game of basketball, not just us,” Shead said. “We had a couple of choice words. We’re adults, we’ll move on from it.”
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