Tristan Thompson has never been one to mince words. So when he found out his Cleveland Cavaliers would be playing their second game of their first-round playoff series on NBA TV instead of a national network, he made sure to let the league hear it.
Right now we’re coming from a mindset of, we have a chip on our shoulder,” Thompson admitted during an interview on 92.3 The Fans’ Afternoon Drive. I take it as disrespct the fact that we’re playing game two in the NBA playoffs on NBA TV.”
“You putting me on NBA TV is damn near, you might as well have me go play at the carwash. We’re the No. 1 team in the east, and you got me playing on a network that I don’t even know if basic cable gets that, right?”
“We have a chip on our shoulder. I take it as disrespect the fact that we’re playing games in the NBA Playoffs on NBA TV. You might as well have me go play in the car wash.”
📞 @RealTristan13 w/ @NickWilsonSays & @Spencito_ on playoff #Cavs🏀⤵️
🔊Listen: https://t.co/OjateeWJsz pic.twitter.com/xxG1g7zP5r
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 18, 2025
Thompson’s gripe taps into a stance fans of the franchise have shared in recent years about their beloved Cavaliers not receiving more nationally televised games throughout the season.
The difference now is that it’s in the playoffs, after the Cavaliers completed one of the greatest regular seasons in franchise history with a record of 64-18 and locked up the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Players generally try to look for anything to use as motivation this time of year and it appears that Thompson found something for the team to latch onto.
The idea that the wine and gold are entering the playoffs with a chip on their shoulder is something echoed by some of Thompson’s teammates as well, including Max Struts who shared similar sentiments earlier in the day.
Cleveland doesn’t yet know it’s first-round opponent, while they await the winner of the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks play-in game on Friday night. Whoever they play is going to get a hungry Cavs team that may have just stumbled upon an extra source of motivation.
