The Cleveland Cavaliers got a convincing win in Game 1 against the Toronto Raptors, and it took a complete team effort for them to take the series lead early. One of the key players of the game was Max Strus, who finished with 24 points and shot 4-for-6 from the 3-point line.
The Cavs knew how important Strus would be for them in the game, which is why Donovan Mitchell and Kenny Atkinson had to step in front of him and Tony Brothers so things wouldn’t escalate between the two, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“Brothers is a highly rated veteran official who also has a reputation for an occasionally short fuse. In both instances on Saturday, Atkinson and Mitchell went so far as to put their hands on Brothers in making their case for Strus. Not only did they both get away with it – they weren’t hit with technicals or worse for grabbing Brothers by the arms – but on both occasions, Brothers seemed to listen to their pleas for Strus and declined to escalate the situation,” Vardon wrote.
In the first instance, Brothers and Strus seemed to have words while the Cavs’ sharpshooter was on the bench, and Atkinson stepped in during the situation. Later on in the game, when the Cavs had a sizeable lead, and Strus had been called for three fouls in the third quarter, Brothers was heading toward him on the left block while the Raptors were shooting free throws.
That’s when Mitchell stepped in and stopped Brothers from confronting Strus.
“I basically said, Tony, at the end of the day, the ref holds all the power in this scenario,” Mitchell said. “The back and forth is only going to hurt one person.”
For Strus, it should be good to know that his teammates and coaches have his back and know how important he is to the team.