OAKLAND, Calif. — Tristan Thompson’s wallet might be $25,000 lighter.
But a bigger burden was lifted off the shoulders of all the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers big man escaped any suspension when the NBA announced Friday he was fined $25K for “failing to leave the court in a timely manner” then “shoving the basketball” into Draymond Green’s face near the end of Thursday’s Game 1 on the NBA Finals, a 124-114 Golden State overtime victory.
There had been concern Thompson could have been suspended, but the league went with a monetary penalty. Thompson had been ejected on a Flagrant 2 foul, which the league downgraded to a Flagrant 1 after additional review. Thompson, then, is available for Game 2 on Sunday. The flagrant came for his foul on Shaun Livingston, who Thompson claimed broke an “unspoken rule” by shooting with a big lead and little time left.
The Cavaliers also will have Kevin Love.
Love was cleared for being on the court for the Thompson-Green fracas. Players who leave the bench during a ruckus face possible suspension, as every Knicks and Heat fan with a sense of history knows. But Love was on the court in protest of the flagrant foul call and immediately headed back to the bench when shoving started.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr defended Livingston because the shot clock was in play.
“We’re always going to take a shot if the game tells us to take a shot. If there’s a shot-clock differential, then we’re going to take the shot. Simple as that. That’s not offending anybody,” Kerr said.
Klay Thompson, however, couldn’t have seemed to care less about his rival namesake.
“Honestly, I don’t care if he plays or not,” Golden State’s Thompson said Friday before the fine was announced. “He’s great on the ‘O’ boards. He always causes us a problem with that. But we’re concerned with how our game plan is going to be executed and what we have to do to limit that from the offensive glass. I’m not too concerned if Thompson is available or not, to be honest.”
Kerr said Andre Iguodala remained “doubtful” for Sunday. The defensive specialist missed the last four games of the Western finals win over Houston. He worked out Friday and is “feeling a little bit better” but “I would just probably call him doubtful for Game 2,” Kerr said.
Klay Thompson reported he felt sore but better than he did Thursday when he suffered a first-quarter leg injury that sent him to the locker room — he returned still in the first quarter.
“It’s sore, but it’s nothing too bad. It’s less sore than it was last night, so that’s a great sign. I expect it to heal up even more by tonight hopefully,” Thompson said.
Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue, who said the Cavs were “robbed” on a controversial reversal of a charge call against Kevin Durant, said there had been no fine by the league.
He also had received “no explanation” about the reversal.
“It’s a tough call,” Lue said. “But it’s behind us now.”
