When you think of basketball in Cleveland, what is the first thing that you think of? I’m betting it’s Lebron James. And I understand why, but I’m here to change your mind. When someone says Cleveland Basketball the chosen one himself should come to your mind: Matthew Dellavedova.
Dellavedova, or “Delly” for short, is the backup point guard for the Cavaliers and he has done nothing but impress fans of the NBA everywhere. One of the eight current players from Australia, or the “land down under,” as they say, he is everything that a coach could want. He hits open shots, plays spectacular defense and always gives his maximum effort.
Strangely, Delly’s effort for Cleveland is disputed. Just recently, he was voted the “dirtiest player” in the NBA—one of the most ridiculous accusations ever. Has Delly ever been involved in a scuffle? Sure, just like almost every other player in the NBA. Has it ever been because of a dirty play that he performed? Never.
Delly is also known to perform well in clutch situations. In game 6 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Delly led the Cavaliers to the series’-clinching win. After All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving had to leave the game due to a foot injury, Delly stepped in and finished the game with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting.
Even more clutch than that was that 11 of these points were scored in the first quarter. Then came game two of the 2015 NBA Finals. Delly, once again playing significantly more minutes due to another Kyrie Irving injury, stepped up. He had to guard Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, the reigning NBA MVP. And boy did Delly shut him down. When Curry was guarded by Dellavedova, he shot 0 for 8 from the field. Yup, you heard right—Mr. “It-seems-like-I-never-miss-a-shot-Curry” shot none when he was guarded by Delly.
But the key moment in the game was with 10.5 seconds left in overtime, Cavs down by one, James Jones missed a go ahead three pointer, but in came Delly. Delly grabbed the offensive rebound and got fouled. He stepped to the line for the two biggest free throws in his life, and in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He cashed both free throws. Then with five seconds left, Dellavedova was guarding Curry one on one with the game on the line and Curry went up for the mid-range jump shot. Nothing but air. The Cavs won game 2, in large part due to Delly’s’s extreme effort and hard work.
So the next time that someone says that Delly is “horrible,” just ask them why they think he is bad. Delly in the 2016 season is having a career year. He is shooting the ball lights out. He is 7th in the NBA in 3 point percentage with a mark of 43 percent. He is above such names as Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Paul George. We will possibly see Delly and the Cavs matchup with Steph Curry and the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. Most people will be betting against the Cavs, but if there is one thing I have learned it’s this—never count out Delly.