Tristan Thompson destroys Terry Rozier’s shot in Game 3 (Video)

Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson absolutely crushes Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier’s shot in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Remember Tristan Thompson before Lebron James? What about Kevin Love? Thompson essentially has played the same type of game before the two stars came to Cleveland, it’s just he’s gained more notoriety once they came. Thompson has made it his calling card in the NBA as a junkyard dog. He will set your screens, get your put-backs and give your team hustle. Thompson also shown the ability to be an outstanding defender, although he could be considered undersized as a center (6’9.) Although his playoff stats don’t support the claim, Thompson’s defense in the paint has kept the Cavaliers redhot and dangerous.

Currently, the Cavaliers are up 2-1 against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals and it appears the Cavaliers are on a collision course to meet the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals for the third straight year. The Celtics have had trouble battling the Cavs all series, partly, for plays like this.

Sheesh. The old saying does go that defense wins championships. Plays like that will always make Thompson hush up doubters that the Cavaliers shouldn’t have paid him all of that money.

The main argument against Thompson was that his defense and energy could be replaced. Obviously, the Cavs saw something in Thompson that we didn’t. The ending result? Thompson was a steady contributor to the Cavaliers’ 2016 NBA Finals run. The other catch? Thompson is still an important part to the Cavs due to plays shown above.

Next: The 10 greatest mustaches in NBA history

In the mean time, the Cavaliers need to recover from this embarrassing loss to the Celtics 111-108 in Game 3. After soundly defeating them by 44 in Game 2, the Cavs blew a 21 point lead and let the Celtics make it a series. More Thompson blocks such as the one shown above could help the Cavs in Game 4, though.