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Matthew Dellavedova Has Shined For The Cleveland Cavaliers

By Jamyson Frierson

Dec 8, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) reach for a loose ball in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) and Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) reach for a loose ball in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Matthew Dellavedova came up big again for the Cleveland Cavaliers in an exciting finish as they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

It has been an up-and-down season thus far for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They started out by winning seven of their first nine games and leading the Eastern Conference and Central Division. However, within the past few weeks, they have lost three of their last five.

The absence of Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert could be starting to affect the team, but the good news is that they are only a few weeks away from making their season debuts and helping make a run for the second half. Offensively, the numbers are down all across the board for the Cavaliers–which is due to a lack of scoring and Irving and Shumpert being out.

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They were ranked eighth in total offense last season, and are currently 20th in that category. This has been painstakingly obvious in the three losses the Cavaliers have accumulated. None more prevalent than Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. At one point, the Trail Blazers were up 17 on a hapless Cavaliers team that was incapable of rebounding and scoring a basket.

Even the attempts by LeBron James and Kevin Love had fallen short due to Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum hitting wide open three-pointers. The basket had to be the size of Lake Erie to them. Miles Plumlee and Ed Davis were getting anything they wanted inside, and the Cavaliers had no answer for them. The first half was a total disaster.

Hello, second half. The Cavaliers made a serious comeback against the Trail Blazers–but the man that helped lead the comeback isn’t who you think. James played a big part in the final victory, but the unheralded hero was Matthew Dellavedova. He is having a great season thus far. Dellavedova has carried his NBA Finals experience into this season and it has shown in every game.

He has been the one positive spark on defense, and next to Tony Parker, he has the best floater of any point guard in the league right now. Dellavedova has played so well that starting guard Mo Williams decided to come off the bench and let him start. (It’s actually to get ready for his role when Irving gets back.)

He is averaging 8.1 points and 5.5 assists per game. That’s 3.3 points and 2.5 assists more per game than last season. A lot of it can be attributed to playing more minutes and having a bigger role with the team. He has made clutch shots and key defensive stops all season long–and it continued on Tuesday.

It wasn’t one of his better games, but he made his imprint on the game in the fourth quarter.

He played tough defense on Lillard and even got called for a Flagrant 1 on Plumlee. But when it counted most, and just as he did against the Charlotte Hornets, he hit the biggest three-pointer of the game to help seal the deal. Dellavedova finished with 17 points, three rebounds and assist, and one steal.

Next: 25 Best Players to Play for the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers could have the most depth at point guard in the NBA once Irving comes back.

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