Maybe Canadians aren't always nice.
The ending of Wednesday night's game between the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers was evidence of that.
Cavs big man and Brampton, Ont., native Tristan Thompson capped off a 131-108 drubbing of the Raptors by punching down a dunk in the final moments. With four seconds to go and the shot clock off, the Canadian had no reason to go for the score and the local crowd let him know as much, immediately letting boos rain down inside Scotiabank Arena.
While it appeared his shenanigans were over as the ball was inbounded, the clock expired and Thompson walked towards the locker room tunnels, the big man did a swift about-face once he took exception to something said by the Raptors sideline.
The 13-year NBA vet walked between a sea of Raptors and got into a jawing match with Toronto rookie Jamal Shead. He was then immediately met by a group of players, including Garrett Temple, Scottie Barnes and head coach Darko Rajakovic. Thompson, meanwhile, was being held back by Cavaliers staff but continued to have an animated conversation with Barnes from opposite ends of the crowd.
Eventually, cooler heads prevailed and the two sides separated.
When Rajakovic was asked about the incident and Thompson's antics post-game, the bench boss did not mince his words.
"What Tristan did there was no class and disrespectful," Rajakovic explained. "I'm not going to stand for that ... I'm really glad our guys stood up for themselves."
The Raptors' second-year head coach is no stranger to letting people know how he feels, famously calling out officials following a loss to the Lakers last season.
Meanwhile, the Raptors taking offence to Thompson's rubbing of salt in their wounds is not atypical for the organization. Back in 2017, the Indiana Pacers' Lance Stephenson ran up the score in a 108-90 win over the Raptors by scoring a layup in the final seconds. The guard was immediately confronted by DeMar DeRozan and P.J. Tucker, and after the game then-head coach Dwane Casey described the act as "bush league."
Thompson was originally drafted by the Cavaliers fourth overall in 2011, and at the time, he was the first Canadian to be a lottery selection in NBA history. The 33-year-old has represented Canada nationally on multiple occasions since his senior team debut in 2013.
But it's safe to say there's no love lost between Thompson and his home country.
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