LOS ANGELES: Tristan Thompson didn’t want to open his mouth at first, at least not in front of the television cameras.
But as the Cavaliers center discussed the Julius Randle elbow he took to his two front teeth in Sunday night’s 125-120 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center, he started to come around. After a few minutes, the “throwback braces” he could be forced to wear for two weeks might have seemed like another badge of courage for the team’s iron man.
So Thompson finally showed his “metal,” smiling as he did.
What was required to fix Thompson’s teeth is not for the faint of heart.