The Cleveland Cavaliers forced a Game 7 of the NBA Finals with a 115-101 victory against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night and Tristan Thompson was a key reason why the Cavs got the win.
Thompson has always been a simple fellow and that couldn’t be more evident after the Cavs sensational Game 6 victory.
“Be a star in your role,” Thompson said about his performance in Game 6, via cavs.com. “For me that’s high energy, use my motor, just play hard. Play hard be relentless on the glass. And that’s what I bring to this team. That’s my job, just be a star in your role, and I try to do that every night.”
It sounds so simplistic for a guy who just finished out-hustling the defending champions on the glass, to the tune of 16 rebounds, and providing the Cavaliers with the third scoring option they craved, with 15 points.
Well, that’s because it is so simplistic for a guy like Thompson, who for years has been a key cog in the Cavaliers machine and now in these finals, he is being recognized for it.
Game 6 will always be remembered, and rightfully so, for LeBron James’ epic performance. A stat line of 41 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks is simply amazing. Without him, the Cavs would be nowhere near a championship.
But if James is the engine that makes the Cavs roar, than Thompson is the fuel to that engine, an integral piece to Cleveland’s hopes of breaking their 52-year title drought.
It began in the opening period, where for the second time in this series, the Cavaliers jumped the Warriors. With no Andrew Bogut in the line-up, Golden State decided to start small, with a frontcourt of Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.
Thompson made them pay.
In the first quarter alone, the Cavs energizer bunny scored seven points and grabbed nine rebounds, setting the tone early for what would eventually turn into a game where the Cavaliers dominated in the trenches all night.
Cleveland out-rebounded Golden State 45-35, held a 42-30 advantage in points in the paint, blocked seven shots and restricted the Warriors to a 43.3 shooting percentage at the basket.
“His physicality, every night,” coach Tyronn Lue said when asked about the physical nature Thompson played with, via cavs.com. “Guarding one through five, getting on the glass every night. He brings a physicality to this game every single night and he is the heart and soul of our team.”
According to the NBA’s new hustle stats, Thompson contested 10 shots in Game 6, second most behind Richard Jefferson’s 12. As always, Thompson was adequate when the Cavs asked him to switch onto the ball handler, whether it be Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson, and harass them into a turnover or poor shot.
His rebounding, no surprise, was tremendous. Thompson is a workhouse on the glass, so much so, that he is experiencing one of the best offensive rebounding runs in NBA playoff history, per the Cavalytics Podcast.
Tristan update: he is now tied for the best offensive rebounding playoff run in NBA history pic.twitter.com/ZReD6FO86p
— Cavalytics Podcast (@CavalyticsNBA) June 15, 2016
Furthermore, as Lue alluded to, Thompson’s passion in these finals and particularly Game 6 cannot be overstated. He is screaming and is hyped up after every foul, offensive rebound and basket. It’s that kind of emotion that seemed to be missing from the Cavs arsenal in Games 1 and 2 but Thompson has made sure everyone, including the Warriors, sees how much he is thriving in this moment.
The rebounding, defense and passion are the things Thompson is making 82 million dollars from though. If he isn’t doing those things, it means Thompson isn’t doing his job for the Cavs.
Thus, this makes his 15-point outburst in Game 6 such a critical factor.
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After James and Kyrie Irving combined for 82 points in Game 5, a narrative going into Game 6 was where would the Cavs get a third contributor from offensively? Would it be Kevin Love or J.R. Smith?
Not many had Thompson penciled in for that role, but he stepped up and made sure his presence was felt on the offensive end. Thompson went a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, with all of his makes coming at the rim, including a few thunderous slam-dunks. Additionally, Thompson went 3-of-4 from the foul line, neglecting the Warriors chances to go to the Hack-a-Tristan strategy.
“The last few days, we have really focused on Tristan being in the right spots,” Lue said about Thompson’s offensive spark, via cavs.com. “He is very important to what we are trying to do. I thought tonight, he really got to his spots and he really was in the right position every time and LeBron and those guys could find him when he was open.”
Thompson rolling to the basket off a pick and roll makes the Cavs even tougher to defend. The Warriors want to double James, to get the ball out of his hands, but that leaves a free lane for Thompson to roam into. Subsequently, if Golden State focuses on Thompson, James is left in a favorable situation.
Using Thompson as a barometer for Cleveland’s performances has became a fair practice. When he is doing everything that is asked from him, and more, Thompson deserves every single cent of that monstrous contract he signed last year.