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Richard Jefferson poked fun at the expense of his former teammate Tristan Thompson recently when he invited the latter to do a segment on ESPN's 'NBA Today'. Thompson was on the LA Lakers team that just lost 4-0 to the Denver Nuggets in the conference finals.
Thompson played some quality minutes toward the end of the series and did a decent job guarding two-time MVP Nikola Jokic in Game 4.
Jefferson, who played with Thompson on the Cavaliers for two seasons between 2015 and 2017, hilariously pointed out that Thompson was invited to the show because he failed against Jokic.
Here's what Jefferson said:
"Success and failure are tied together. Failure can be as much of a lesson, so we're here with someone that failed against Jokic and guarding him."
The segment was about an analysis of how the Miami Heat should guard Nikola Jokic, who has been seemingly unstoppable in these playoffs. Tristan Thompson played as a primary defender on Jokic in Game 4 and found relative success.
Thompson asserted that Jokic is unstoppable, but you can make it tough on him to score the ball. During Game 4 of the conference finals, Thompson played physically against "The Joker," setting his feet defensively and limiting him from getting to his spot.
Thompson was able to force Jokic into taking tough shots on multiple possessions, which didn't fall.
Richard Jefferson and Tristan Thompson have gone up against some of the toughest teams in NBA Finals
Richard Jefferson and Tristan Thompson didn't have an easy route to becoming NBA champions or finalists. The duo went up against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in 2016 and the same team with the addition of Kevin Durant in 2017.
Jefferson was among the reserves on those teams but played crucial minutes off the bench when called upon. Meanwhile, Thompson was the starting center and was crucial to the Cleveland Cavaliers' system, especially defensively.
If anyone has the experience to talk about going up against a near-unstoppable opponent, it's them. The Cavaliers came back down from 3-1 to win the 2016 Finals, while they lost 4-1 to the Kevin Durant-led Warriors in 2017.
That was Richard Jefferson's last taste of a Finals appearance as he left the Cavs to join the Denver Nuggets in the 2017 offseason. Meanwhile, Tristan Thompson played in another NBA Finals in 2018, in which the Cavaliers got swept by the Dubs.
Guess the Lakers players!
