"Imagine getting ejected for Tristan Thompson": NBA fans weigh in on Cavs coach tossed for furious reaction to no-call on big

Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was tossed in the third quarter of Thursday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, which ended in a narrow 114-112 defeat. He received two technical fouls for going off on the referees and using explicit language during the exchange.

The ejection happened after Atkinson argued that Tristan Thompson was fouled on a layup over Pacers forward Obi Toppin with a minute to go in the third quarter. As Indiana began their possession, Atkinson was assessed a technical foul and kept jawing, which led to a second tech and his removal from the game.

Fans online reacted to the ejection, with many questioning the decision to go to bat for Thompson — who’s played sparingly this season, averaging just 7.3 minutes and making his first appearance of the month in this very game, where he tallied seven points and 12 boards.

“Imagine getting ejected for Tristan Thompson,” one fan said.

“Lmao it’s not worth it Kenny. Tristan Thompson barely even plays,” another commented.

“Standing up for Tristan (awful choice)☠️😂😂 let it go he's traash 😭😭😭,” another said.

Others, however, respected the energy Atkinson brought, regardless of the circumstances.

“Bro cares this much and the man was playing Tristen (sic) Thompson. Love to see it coach,” another said.

“COACH OF THE YEAR BABY LETSGOOO!” another wrote.

“Love that my coach cares this much with the 1 seed locked up,” another said.

For the Cavaliers, the loss didn’t impact playoff seeding, as they’ve already secured the No. 1 spot in the East and the second-best record in the league behind the OKC Thunder. But for the Pacers, the win locked up a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.

Atkinson rested most of his starters, including Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Max Strus. Ty Jerome led the charge with 24 points and six assists, while De’Andre Hunter chipped in 23 points and 11 rebounds.

For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton paced the team with 23 points and 10 assists, while Aaron Nesmith contributed 22 points in the win.

Cavs' Kenny Atkinson leads Sportskeeda’s latest Coach of the Year rankings

Kenny Atkinson remains the frontrunner for Coach of the Year honors, thanks to turning the Cavaliers into legitimate contenders in just his debut season at the helm.

He’s No. 1 on Sportskeeda’s most recent Coach of the Year list, coming in ahead of Houston’s Ime Udoka, Detroit’s JB Bickerstaff, the Clippers’ Tyronn Lue and OKC’s Mark Daigneault.

Atkinson has appeared in every weekly edition of the rankings this season and has held the top spot 14 out of 24 times.