What an inspiring story.
You’d hardly believe it if you watched it happen in a movie: the NBA’s best player purposefully goes home to a horrible team; he takes said team to the NBA Finals in his first year, only to lose and then force a rematch in the Finals his second year; he beats the best regular season team in NBA history in an epic Game 7 (on the road), and that after being down 3-1.
He then scores back-to-back 40+ point games while facing elimination, only to follow it up with a triple-double in the most important game he’s ever played; he finishes the Finals leading all players in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks — the first time a NBA basketball player has ever accomplished such a feat — and just so happens to end a 52-year championship drought for his city at the same time.
Let that soak in.
I’m writing this article well after midnight on what has now become early Monday morning. The game ended hours ago, but I feel compelled to linger and watch every piece of coverage and conversation ESPN will give me. I realize I just watched history transpire. Something extraordinary just happened, a combination of unique circumstances and rare athletic performance that will leave an indelible mark on sports culture. I don’t want to overstate things; this win will undoubtedly have a lasting effect on everyone and everything in Northeastern Ohio, at least. That, and "The Block."
You probably guessed I wasn’t cheering for the Warriors. Don’t call me a bandwagon fan; I was born and raised just outside of Dallas, Texas — I’m a hometown fan. I always cheer for the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars, and Texas Longhorns. If those teams aren’t playing I cheer for the underdog: the Cavs in this situation. As you know (and the title of this article suggests) I had more to root for than an unlikely winner in this series.
Tristan Thompson is a former Longhorn, and as of last night a newly crowned NBA champion. Thompson joined Slater Martin, Dexter Pittman and Cory Joseph as the other former Longhorns to be a part of an NBA Championship team.
In the NBA Finals, Thompson averaged a double-double with 10.3 points and 10.1 rebounds in 32.4 minutes per contest. He also converted 63.6 percent (28-44) from the floor and added six blocks in the 7-game series. Thompson posted 15 points and 16 rebounds in Game 6 and 14 points and 13 rebounds in Game 3.
I freely admit that basketball is not my sport. Before a few years ago the most I knew about Thompson was that former Longhorn QB Sherrod Harris was his doppelgänger (just google it, it’s uncanny). Watching this series I learned a lot more. Thompson is a defensive big-man baller that a handful from ESPN argued might be the real MVP of the Finals. You could also say the same for Kyrie Irving doing his best Steph Curry impersonation. Thompson had three double-doubles and double-digit rebounds in each of the Cavs wins leading up to Game 7. He could also be relied upon to guard the Splash Brothers (Curry and Klay Thompson) on switches effectively.
Beyond being someone I like to see succeed, Thompson represents something in the Cavaliers’ narrative that will probably get lost amidst conversation on LeBron. More so than other sports like football and baseball, the best players in basketball bear the burden of carrying their teams on to victory. Both the pressure and glory of success is more evenly disbursed when there’s practically more players on the field. Basketball only has five; we seem to culturally expect every team’s MVP to “be like Mike” and “put the team on his back.” Tonight though, Thompson (and others) helped me realize it definitely takes a team to win an NBA championship.
[caption id="attachment_32299" align="alignright" width="300"]
Tristan Thompson. (NY Times)[/caption]
While the catharsis of celebration was still in full swing, I was surprised by who ESPN requested to interview before the trophy presentation: LeBron, Kyrie … and Tristan. As I was listening to him I thought, “Well, I guess I don’t know who else they would have brought up. Who has been a better No. 3 player in this series, really?” What I loved most was not the fact he was interviewed, but one specific question he received and how he responded.
Doris Burke:
“I don’t know many guys Tristan, who would embrace the ‘dirty work’ you do on a nightly basis. Why? … Why are you so able to embrace that role?”
Tristan:
“‘Be a star in your role.’ I like to look at a championship team as a puzzle. Everyone has their role. Some have the role to score; me, I have the role of doing the ‘dirty work.’ Just be a star in your role.”
Thompson would bring the phrase up again, “be a star in your role,” later on while talking to Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter. You could tell the two of them had previously spoken about the saying several times. I don’t know if it’s philosophy Tristan lives by, but without him doing work under the boards, there’d be no upcoming parade in Cleveland this Wednesday. As good as King James is, he needs a team of guys around him “starring in their roles” as Thompson so adequately put it.
That’s how games are won. That’s how series and championships are won. One man may deservingly get most of the credit and be permanently etched into our collective consciousness for years to come. But teams win championships, not one player. Even individual awards like MVP requires a team of “supporting actors” cast around you.
Maybe it’s because I’m an offensive lineman, but I love that a Longhorn earned the reputation for being the ultimate team guy on basketball’s biggest stage. Thompson may not be Kevin Durant in that they don’t have the same star power. However, Tristan certainly is a “star in his own role.” His three double-doubles in the NBA Finals for the world champion Cleveland Cavaliers are proof enough of that.
Hook ‘em, Tristan. You deserve every dollar they pay you, friend — congratulations.
What an inspiring story.
You’d hardly believe it if you watched it happen in a movie: the NBA’s best player purposefully goes home to a horrible team; he takes said team to the NBA Finals in his first year, only to lose and then force a rematch in the Finals his second year; he beats the best regular season team in NBA history in an epic Game 7 (on the road), and that after being down 3-1.
He then scores back-to-back 40+ point games while facing elimination, only to follow it up with a triple-double in the most important game he’s ever played; he finishes the Finals leading all players in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks — the first time a NBA basketball player has ever accomplished such a feat — and just so happens to end a 52-year championship drought for his city at the same time.
Let that soak in.
I’m writing this article well after midnight on what has now become early Monday morning. The game ended hours ago, but I feel compelled to linger and watch every piece of coverage and conversation ESPN will give me. I realize I just watched history transpire. Something extraordinary just happened, a combination of unique circumstances and rare athletic performance that will leave an indelible mark on sports culture. I don’t want to overstate things; this win will undoubtedly have a lasting effect on everyone and everything in Northeastern Ohio, at least. That, and "The Block."
You probably guessed I wasn’t cheering for the Warriors. Don’t call me a bandwagon fan; I was born and raised just outside of Dallas, Texas — I’m a hometown fan. I always cheer for the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars, and Texas Longhorns. If those teams aren’t playing I cheer for the underdog: the Cavs in this situation. As you know (and the title of this article suggests) I had more to root for than an unlikely winner in this series.
Tristan Thompson is a former Longhorn, and as of last night a newly crowned NBA champion. Thompson joined Slater Martin, Dexter Pittman and Cory Joseph as the other former Longhorns to be a part of an NBA Championship team.
In the NBA Finals, Thompson averaged a double-double with 10.3 points and 10.1 rebounds in 32.4 minutes per contest. He also converted 63.6 percent (28-44) from the floor and added six blocks in the 7-game series. Thompson posted 15 points and 16 rebounds in Game 6 and 14 points and 13 rebounds in Game 3.
I freely admit that basketball is not my sport. Before a few years ago the most I knew about Thompson was that former Longhorn QB Sherrod Harris was his doppelgänger (just google it, it’s uncanny). Watching this series I learned a lot more. Thompson is a defensive big-man baller that a handful from ESPN argued might be the real MVP of the Finals. You could also say the same for Kyrie Irving doing his best Steph Curry impersonation. Thompson had three double-doubles and double-digit rebounds in each of the Cavs wins leading up to Game 7. He could also be relied upon to guard the Splash Brothers (Curry and Klay Thompson) on switches effectively.
Beyond being someone I like to see succeed, Thompson represents something in the Cavaliers’ narrative that will probably get lost amidst conversation on LeBron. More so than other sports like football and baseball, the best players in basketball bear the burden of carrying their teams on to victory. Both the pressure and glory of success is more evenly disbursed when there’s practically more players on the field. Basketball only has five; we seem to culturally expect every team’s MVP to “be like Mike” and “put the team on his back.” Tonight though, Thompson (and others) helped me realize it definitely takes a team to win an NBA championship.
[caption id="attachment_32299" align="alignright" width="300"]
Tristan Thompson. (NY Times)[/caption]
While the catharsis of celebration was still in full swing, I was surprised by who ESPN requested to interview before the trophy presentation: LeBron, Kyrie … and Tristan. As I was listening to him I thought, “Well, I guess I don’t know who else they would have brought up. Who has been a better No. 3 player in this series, really?” What I loved most was not the fact he was interviewed, but one specific question he received and how he responded.
Doris Burke: “I don’t know many guys Tristan, who would embrace the ‘dirty work’ you do on a nightly basis. Why? … Why are you so able to embrace that role?”
Tristan: “‘Be a star in your role.’ I like to look at a championship team as a puzzle. Everyone has their role. Some have the role to score; me, I have the role of doing the ‘dirty work.’ Just be a star in your role.”
Thompson would bring the phrase up again, “be a star in your role,” later on while talking to Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter. You could tell the two of them had previously spoken about the saying several times. I don’t know if it’s philosophy Tristan lives by, but without him doing work under the boards, there’d be no upcoming parade in Cleveland this Wednesday. As good as King James is, he needs a team of guys around him “starring in their roles” as Thompson so adequately put it.
That’s how games are won. That’s how series and championships are won. One man may deservingly get most of the credit and be permanently etched into our collective consciousness for years to come. But teams win championships, not one player. Even individual awards like MVP requires a team of “supporting actors” cast around you.
Maybe it’s because I’m an offensive lineman, but I love that a Longhorn earned the reputation for being the ultimate team guy on basketball’s biggest stage. Thompson may not be Kevin Durant in that they don’t have the same star power. However, Tristan certainly is a “star in his own role.” His three double-doubles in the NBA Finals for the world champion Cleveland Cavaliers are proof enough of that.
Hook ‘em, Tristan. You deserve every dollar they pay you, friend — congratulations.
