By IAN HARRISON Associated Press
TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said Cleveland center Tristan Thompson was “disrespectful” for dunking with four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers’ 131-108 victory Wednesday night.
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 struggled to explain why Thompson —- from nearby Brampton — punctuated 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.”
Barnes declined to comment, and 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.”
A 14-year NBA veteran, Thompson represented Canada internationally several times, including in qualifying for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, before becoming an American citizen in 2020.
Toronto’s RJ Barrett, also from Canada, said he understood why his Raptors teammates were upset with Thompson.
“It’s kind of an unwritten rule to not do that at the end,” Barrett said. “Jamal did what he’s supposed to.”
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