After seemingly not catching any breaks at the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers got a huge one late Friday night.
The NBA has announced that center Tristan Thompson will not be suspended for his actions toward the end of the Cavs' 124-114 overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors. Thompson had been ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul against Warriors guard Shaun Livingston and later shoved Draymond Green in the face as he walked off the court.
The league further implied that Thompson should not have been ejected from the game, and downgraded his foul on Livingston to a Flagrant 1. He will, however, be fined $25,000 for "failing to leave the court in a timely manner."
Thompson's ejection was somewhat of a breaking point in what was a highly controversial ending to Thursday night's contest. The referees were widely criticized for several late calls in the Warriors' favor, although the NBA later stood by a decision to overturn a charging foul against Kevin Durant. Cavs guard J.R. Smith also raised the ire of fans and even teammates when he appeared to forget the score of the game and dribble out the final seconds of regulation.
In addition to Thompson, the NBA will reportedly not suspend Kevin Love for Game 2 either. This had been viewed as a possibility, as the forward had left the Cavs' bench in the middle of the altercation between Thompson and Green, a violation of league rules.
