Thompson cites child's college fund for not biting on DeRozan's pump fakes
As it turns out, Tristan Thompson isn't in a position to just throw away money.
The Cleveland Cavaliers center refused to bite on DeMar DeRozan's pump fakes in the dying moments of Tuesday's Game 1, forcing the Toronto Raptors shooting guard to pass the ball to Fred VanVleet, who missed a potential game-winner.
Cleveland held on for the come-from-behind 113-112 victory to open the East semifinals series, and Thompson revealed his motivation for standing his ground.
"I'm not trying to give up that money," Thompson said, as quoted by ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "I just had a kid, so I'm just trying to save up for their college tuition."
The Cavaliers have a standing $100 fine for players who fall for DeRozan's pump fakes, stemming back to their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup a year ago. J.R. Smith was forced to pay up for violating that rule in Game 4, even though the Cavaliers swept the series.
Thompson and reality TV star Khloe Kardashian welcomed their first child, True Thompson, three weeks ago. The Canadian big man, who's earned more than $60 million in salary over his career, registered 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench in Game 1 in Toronto.