How The Cleveland Cavaliers Are Shocking The World

St. Delly

Heading into this series, Matthew Dellavedova had played well against the Atlanta Hawks, but the public perception was that he was just the annoying little brother in the family who’d fight dirty to try and compete with his older siblings. Now he’s practically one miracle away from attaining sainthood in Cleveland after helping complete their dramatic defensive transformation.

To be clear, the notion that Delly is “shutting the MVP down” or “putting Curry on lock” is misguided. As bothersome as the Delly Lama has been on that end of the floor, Curry is getting the same quality of looks he’s gotten all season long; he’s just missing them.

Seriously, go back and watch Games 2 and 3 and you’ll notice how many times Curry either loses Delly with his dribble, a screen or a pump fake. Some of the three-point bricks Curry throws up would be ill-advised shots for 99 percent of the league, but for Curry, those are the kinds of impossible shots he’s been draining all season long.

However, whether Curry’s mental block stems from the nerves of playing in the Finals, from the lingering effects of a possible concussion or Delly’s constant, pesky defense, the numbers don’t lie:

In Game 3, Dellavedova outplayed the league MVP for three quarters. Curry went off late in the fourth, but by then the game was out of reach and most of his points came against Iman Shumpert anyway.

The unlikely Aussie hero scored 20 points in Game 3, and had outscored the Splash Brothers combined about halfway through the third quarter, and even when Curry finally got going, Delly countered with that ridiculous three-point play that was like a gift from the heavens as God suddenly changed his mind about hating the city of Cleveland.

Chef Curry has been cooking all year long, but Delly represents the hair in the soup the ruins everyone’s evening.

The Cavs are 6-0 this postseason in games where Delly plays at least 30 minutes. As a restricted free agent this summer, he represents a complication for a Cavalier team that already have a loaded cap sheet heading its way.

But Dellavedova has been the ultimate role player, not to mention a living, breathing symbol of how the blue-collar city of Cleveland has improbably been elevated to championship heights by LeBron James’ return.

In a series with two bonafide superstars injured, Dellavedova’s dives to the floor, his gritty defense and yes, his cheap shots, have been intrinsic to putting the Cavs in the driver’s seat. When fans are showing up to Quicken Loans Arena in droves to chant “DELLY! DELLY! DELLY!” 30 minutes before tipoff, good luck convincing anyone he won’t be back in Cleveland next season.

Next: The Frontcourt Battle