Matthew Dellavedova's Struggles Part Of Cavaliers' Troubles

There aren’t enough bananas or coffee in the locker room to make up for all the energy the Cleveland Cavaliers have exerted this series to slow down the Golden State Warriors.

Everyone could see LeBron James running out of steam during Thursday night’s Game 4 loss and he even admitted as much afterwards. James is trying to do the impossible and his energy levels are getting round-the-clock coverage, but we shouldn’t forget that this whole team is hitting a breaking point.

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Matthew Dellavedova is running out of steam too, and it can hurt Cleveland dearly as he’s tasked with slowing down Stephen Curry. While Dellavedova’s spirit is always willing, his flesh has begun to let him down. It isn’t surprising when the guy spends the night in the hospital to rehydrate that he’s lacking energy one day later.

It is stereotypical sometimes to label a player like Dellavedova an “energy” or “hustle” type of player, but its been true that he’s brought that into the 2015 NBA Finals for Cleveland. Dellavedova’s ability to cover Curry off the ball and make the MVP uncomfortable led to 2-of-21 shooting from three-point range in the first two games.

In Game 3, Curry struggled early to get things going but finished 7-of-13 from beyond the arc. Game 4 saw Curry go 4-of-7 from long range, but Curry finished with 22 points and looked much more in rhythm than he had for most of the series.

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Once Curry gets comfortable, it’s easier for him to make his teammates look better too. Andre Iguodala matched Curry’s 22 points while Draymond Green scored 17 and Harrison Barnes dropped in 14 of his own. Once the Warriors start kicking the ball out to their open shooters it’s hard for Cleveland to stop Golden State’s ball movement and subsequent shots.

Dellavedova, nor any other Cavaliers defender, was getting in the way of Curry like they had been earlier in the series. Curry’s attempted 20 field goals each game and making any of those shots easier for Curry is asking for punishment. In Game 2 and Game 3 Curry took a total of 29 contested shots while in Game 4 he only took 10, per NBA.com. He took as many in Game 1 and coincidentally, the Warriors won that game as well.

On the offensive end, Dellavedova has been up and down this series and in Game 4 he was more often down. Dellavedova’s first half was rough, to say the least. The Australian had four points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field, missing all five three-point attempts. Along with two free throws, the only other points by Delly came on an early post-up of Stephen Curry. He went to the post again but Curry forced him into a bad shot after he held on to the ball for far too long.

At least he still found a way to annoy his opponents.

Surprisingly, the second half started off well for Dellavedova. His first shot was a 25-foot three-pointer from the left side that swished its way through the net. The next possession he followed it up with another swish from the right corner. But after that… nothing.

He left the third quarter around the 10 minute mark to try to deal with the cramping in his calves, but the fatigue showed throughout the rest of the game. Of course Golden State is going to look to double-team LeBron when it is possible, but Dellavedova was giving Curry no reason to hesitate doing so on Thursday.

When Dellavedova is having a 3-of-14 shooting night as he did in Game 4, then Golden State is going to wear down and break down LeBron when he’s the only threat on the floor. If you need a further example of how bad things were with LeBron not controlling the offense, watch the first two minutes of the fourth quarter again. With James on the bench, Dellavedova and J.R. Smith couldn’t do anything to get the offense going and soon Cleveland coach David Blatt and LeBron both knew there would be no rest for the weary.

So what can the Cavaliers do? They’ve effectively been using only a seven-man rotation, but I imagine there is good reason they haven’t been going deeper on the bench. There isn’t so much a fix as much as Cleveland just needs rest. When they can slow down the pace of the game and keep Curry from getting things rolling then they stand a chance to control the game and grind out possessions. That starts with Dellavedova’s defense. When Dellavedova starts breaking up passing lanes and not allowing Curry to get into his normal rhythm, it is much harder for the entire Warriors team to find their stride.

Like any team, the relationship between LeBron and his teammates is a symbiotic one. As LeBron gets going the Warriors have to commit to stopping him and thus opening up the floor. When Dellavedova is knocking down shots and setting up Timofey Mozgov and J.R. Smith, then the floor is even more open for LeBron to operate.

Once James gets that little bit of help he’s able to hit a zone that only a few players are ever able to reach. Every team needs its stars to open up the game for the role players and vice versa. Even when LeBron is playing like Neo once he realizes he doesn’t have to dodge bullets anymore in the Matrix, the Warriors are still an Agent Smith-like adversary that can attack you from anywhere on the court. The task isn’t easy, but when Cleveland has The One, they have a chance. When the entire team is exhausted, they have no chance of beating Golden State.

The Cavs need the time off, but outside of LeBron, Dellavedova needs it most as his job is stopping the league’s reigning MVP. He needs every bit of energy he can get as the Warriors will likely be as energetic as ever, especially when the fans at the Oracle Arena get loud early.

With all of Cleveland’s injuries in the playoffs, energy, depth, and fatigue have become the most important part of the series. LeBron is doing everything he can to carry the team on his back, but unless he gets help from Dellavedova and the rest of the Cavaliers there is little hope of pulling out a win in Game 5.

Next: Golden State Warriors: 5 Preparations For NBA Finals Game 5

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Matthew Dellavedova’s Struggles Part Of Cavaliers’ Troubles

By Ben Gibson | Jun 12, 2015

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