When the head coach of a squad that’s as loaded with talent as the Cavaliers calls a player “the heart and soul of our team” – that player is the heart and soul of the team.
And it’s not like Coach Tyronn Lue is constantly throwing around compliments, either. He’s a man of few words and he chooses them carefully.
But Tristan Thompson really is the unbreakable engine that’s driven the Wine and Gold over the past few years. And his overall aggressiveness over the past week against the Warriors has the Cavaliers coming home for Game 6 on Thursday night.
”(Thompson)'s the heart and soul of our team – his toughness, his versatility defensively, his offensive rebounding ability,” praised Lue after Thompson’ s monster effort in Game 3. “And he just puts a lot of pressure on teams, especially if they're going to go small. When we keep Tristan on the floor, he should be able to outrebound most guys. He did that tonight, and he brought a lot of energy and a lot of toughness.”
Thompson prides himself on his blue collar attitude – not missing a day of work in 370 straight games, not including playoffs. And his toolbox contains all the elements that teams need to win the title: physicality, toughness, selflessness and a non-stop motor.
”I bring the same mentality every night -- bring the spark, bring the energy, I think that’s what I have to bring to this team,” said the fifth-year big. “That’s my game, that’s what makes me the player that I am. If I do that, guys will feed off my energy.”
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That was the case again on Monday night, when Thompson snagged 15 boards (second only to LeBron’s 16) to go with six points, a steal and a pair of blocked shots.
Thompson came of age in last year’s postseason – moving into the starter’s role when Kevin Love went down with a separated shoulder in Game 4 of the First Round. As a starter, he went on to average 10.6 points and 12.1 boards in last year’s Playoff run.
But he saved his best for last – averaging 10.0 points and 13.0 boards in six Finals games against Golden State, notching double-figure boards in every game and doubling-up in four.
This season, the Toronto native is right back at it – and after having an up-and-down series against his hometown squad in the Eastern Conference Finals is averaging 9.6 points and 10.4 rebounds through the first five games of this year’s finals – grabbing half of those boards off the offensive glass.
Aside from his consecutive games played streak – the longest current stretch in the NBA and tops in Cavalier history – Thompson takes great pride in crashing the offensive boards.
“(Offensive rebounding) is huge for our team -- it creates second-chance opportunities, whether it’s for me scoring or getting it out to our shooters to get a good shot up,” explained Thompson. “It’s definitely one of our offensive keys, especially if guys are missing shots. They’ll have the confidence knowing I’m going to go get the rebound to get us a second chance.”
In Cleveland’s Game 3 blowout over Golden State, Thompson was the catalyst in that respect, grabbing seven of his 13 rebounds on the offensive end, contributing to the Cavaliers’ lopsided 23-3 advantage in second-chance scoring.
No longer the wide-eyed youngster who Antawn Jamison took under his wing as a rookie in the lockout-abbreviated 2010-11 season, Thompson has developed into a nasty big in the middle – a throwback in the days of small-ball.
”I think that’s my job to be a little nasty – to bring that energy, protect the paint and really just protect our guys,” said Thompson. “That’s the role of a big man. It’s not cute; it’s not pretty being a big. You have to come in and do the little things, do the dirty work.”
Thompson had to work through Golden State’s “Hack-a-Tristan” strategy on Monday night. After going 6-for-7 through the first three games of the Finals, Tristan is 4-for-15 over the last two. Those numbers will not go unnoticed by Golden State’s coaching staff.
”I just have to step up to the line and make them,” shrugged Thompson following Cleveland’s Game 5 win.
The Cavaliers have a Big Three that has 18 All-Star appearances among them – with two-thirds of that power troika netting 41 points each on Monday night in Oakland. They have long-distance specialists, tenacious perimeter defenders and versatile seven-footers.
But there’s only one Tristan Thompson – a guy who brings honor to the Cavaliers uniform with his effort, energy and dedication. And after making a name for himself after last year’s Finals wants to see that name etched in league history as an NBA Champion.
“I’m definitely more experienced, but I’d never been in a situation where we’ve been down, 3-1, so this is definitely new,” concluded Thompson. “By the same token, you just have to give it everything you’ve got right now – because this is what you live for.”