All-out style earns Dellavedova respect of foes, teammates
The Cult of Matthew Dellavedova grows by the day. By each game. By each dive for a loose ball. By each circus shot and by each IV and hospital stay for dehydration.
The NBA Finals’ most unlikely difference-maker is a 6-4, 200pound undrafted second-year guard from Australia who played Australian rules football when he was young and brings that physical approach to the NBA.
In the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 3 win vs. the Golden State Warriors, which gave the Cavs a 2-1 series lead, Dellavedova had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists; made a wild shot off the glass for a three-point play; and made two free throws in the game’s final minutes, curtailing Golden State’s comeback.
He needed an IV at the arena and an overnight stay at a hospital to treat severe cramping. Cavs coach David Blatt says Dellavedova is available for Game 4 today, but when he told Dellavedova he was going to limit his minutes, Dellavedova responded, “No you’re not.”
Filling in for injured Kyrie Irving throughout the playoffs, Dellavedova has turned into an indispensable player in an injurydepleted lineup.
“Everything that he has, he lays out on the floor,” LeBron James said. “I think he dove on the ground last night, an NBA Finals record, six times. Last night, he was on the ground again after the game in the hospital, so you could probably say seven times. He gives us everything that he has, and we all appreciate it as his brothers ... beside him.”
If a Cavs player is on the floor or in the middle of scrum, there’s a good chance it’s Dellavedova, who learned early that if he was going to make it in the NBA, he needed to overcome a lack of obvious physical gifts.
But there’s more to Dellavedova than energy and hustle. He can score, run the offense and play tenacious defense. Dellavedova is playing so well and making Warriors guard and NBA MVP Stephen Curry work so hard for shots and points that Curry was asked about an undrafted free agent possibly outplaying him.
“He’s an NBA player,” Curry said. “He’s here for a reason, so there is a reason he’s able to impact the game for them. He’s made some plays the last couple games that helped them win games. So there is no discrediting him as a player just because of where he’s come from and his background.”
Dellavedova has been accused of being a dirty player during the playoffs and was involved in debatable plays with the Chicago Bulls’ Taj Gibson, the Atlanta Hawks’ Kyle Korver and the Warriors’ Draymond Green.
James has offered unconditional support for his teammate, and Blatt said, “He’s a courageous kid that plays right. There was a lot of nonsense swirling around about his style of play. Anyone who really looks at him objectively and fairly recognizes someone that just plays hard, heartfelt and tough basketball.”
His parents, Leanne and Mark, are in town for the Finals and are amazed at the attention their son is getting. His agent, Bill Duffy, said the parents called it surreal.
“He’s just living his dream,” Duffy said. “Anybody who knows him — his family, his college coaches and those of us who work with him — you know what’s going on in the inside. I’m not surprised. I’m fortunate he’s been given this platform.
“You can measure everything physical. ... But you can’t measure heart, and you can’t always measure basketball IQ.”