CLEVELAND -- On Thursday, Tristan Thompson made the bold proclamation that even without LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
And in doing so, he proceeded to talk trash to the perceived top contenders of the Eastern Conference.
“We’re still 4-time Eastern Conference champions, so until you take us down from that, teams ain’t got much to say," Thompson said following practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "Boston, [Philadelphia], they ain’t got much to say. Boston had homecourt [against the Cavs in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals] Game 7 and lost. Philly, you guys almost got swept. Toronto -- we know that story."
It didn't take long for word of Thompson's controversial comments to spread.
And once it did, the NBA community -- and seemingly most of social media -- was there to react.
Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris was the first to respond, with some language that isn't necessarily safe for work.
And of course, there were also fans who were quick to remind Thompson that LeBron James is in fact now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
There were, however, some Cavs fans to come to Thompson's defense.
But more than anything, like Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons, most now just seem more excited for the 2018-19 NBA regular season to finally kickoff.
