There was a moment Sunday night that encapsulated the
inconceivable prominence of Matthew Dellavedova in these inconceivable NBA
Finals. You may have needed the replay to notice it. LeBron James barreled to
the rim in the last seconds of regulation, a one-man force of nature dragging a
motley supporting cast. Dellavedova drifted to the corner, a scruffy, scrappy
Australian standing there, alone, clapping and waving his arms. He asked James
– seriously, he did this – to pass him the ball so he could, not LeBron, could
shoot the game-winning shot.
“The reason he’s there waving is, he’s ready,” said St.
Mary’s Coach Randy Bennett, who coached Dellavedova in college. “If that’s the
play that needs to happen for him to win, he’ll shoot it. He’s not afraid of
that. But he doesn’t run around trying to be the hero, either. He’s just going
to try to make the play that helps his team win.”
Dellavedova had to wait, but in the end he made the play
that helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win Game 2 and even the series. His offensive
rebound and ensuing two free throws in overtime pushed Cleveland ahead with 10
seconds left. And he had been making crucial plays all night – suffocating MVP
Stephen Curry on defense, devouring loose balls, splashing an occasional
floater.
His performance added to, in Bennett’s words, “an
unbelievable sequence of events the last month.” Dellavedova entered the
postseason as an unremarkable, undrafted rotation player who averaged 4.8
points. He has since replaced injured Kyrie Irving in the starting lineup,
become the center of a debate about whether he plays dirty and scored the
game-winning points in a franchise’s first Finals victory.
“Honestly, you’re a little worried as a coach,” Bennett
said. “You want him to do well, but you also know he’s going against Derrick
Rose. He’s in the Eastern Conference finals. He’s in the NBA Finals. And he’s
doing it.”
The funny thing about Dellavedova replacing Irving is that
if you watched them in isolation, you might not be able to detect they are
playing the same position, or perhaps the same sport. Irving moves with a
dancer’s elegance and shoots with an assassin’s cool. His effort is there, but
it is unseen, not felt. He’s not good enough to try hard without you feeling
every strain. The game comes to Irving. Dellavedova bangs on the game’s door,
demanding to be let in, and when he’s not he throws a rock through a side
window instead.
On one possession, Dellavedova looks like the kid who tagged
along with his older brother. He will back down the man guarding him 40 feet
from the basket to avoid getting the ball stolen; he will flip a hopeless lob
pass in the general direction of an invisible cutter; he will walk into the
arena with a backpack over his shoulders in a wrinkled flannel shirt and wooly
beard, so unkempt and unassuming he could be mistaken for a lost college kid on
his first day of classes. Or a pretty tall sportswriter.
On the next possession, though, he might make one of those
uncanny plays that helps the Cavaliers win a game in the NBA Finals. He will
wrest a rebound from the grasp of Draymond Green; he will pounce on a loose
ball as if attracted to it by magnetic force; one of those is-that-a-lob -or-a-shot
things will crash through the net.
“He’s a courageous kid that plays right,” Cavaliers Coach
David Blatt said. “There was a lot of nonsense swirling around about his style
of play. I think anyone that really looks at him objectively and fairly recognizes
someone that just plays hard, heartfelt, and tough basketball.”
“He’s never been a dirty player,” Bennett said. “He’s always
been a very tough player. He’ strong and he’s physical. He’s not afraid of
contact. If the ball goes on the floor, he’s going to get it. But I’ve never
seen him throw a dirty ‘bow. Never. He plays the game with great integrity.”
The first time Bennett watched Dellavedova play in
Australia, nothing jumped out except how hard he played. He became, in
Bennett’s estimation, the third-best player on a Sweet 16 team his freshman
season. Bennett came to realize Dellavedova’s basketball intelligence, his
mental and physical toughness, his leadership and the way he cared for
teammates would make him a college star.
“He’s a freak in those areas,” Bennett said. “You may not
get it if you’re on the other team.”
Bennett still did not expect Dellavedova to become an NBA
player at first. His defense was one reason.
He lacked the lateral quickness to guard opposing point guards. He
determined he would eradicate that weakness. He learned to how to defend without
fouling, because the Gaels relied on him so much on offense – “we played him
like the Cavs play LeBron,” Bennett said. During his career, he turned defense
into a strength.
“I can’t tell you how many times I saw him in the slideboard
in the weight room working on it,” Bennett said. “By the time he was a junior
or senior, he was our best defender.”
Bennett still worried Sunday night as he watched Dellavedova
square off with Curry, the MVP, because who can stop Steph Curry? Per ESPN
Stats & Information, Curry scored zero of his 17 points while Dellavedova
guarded him, missing all eight shots he took while committing four turnovers.
The Warriors were stingy with praise for Dellavedova, repeating that Curry
simply had an off night. But if you’re on the other team, you may not get it.
Curry faces MVP-sized expectations
“It had everything to do with Delly,” James said. “He just
kept a body on Steph. He made Steph work. He was spectacular defensively.”
Afterward, James greeted Dellavedova with a business-like
handshake on his way off the court, an image that went viral. But there was
something touching about how James approached Dellavedova and how he smiled
back. Bennett sensed it and understood it
“He grows on you,” Bennett said. “He’s so real. He cares
about his people, his teammates, so much. It’s even hard for me to explain. I
think it’s real. I think LeBron is real. Those guys are a pretty tight team,
just from watching them. I think LeBron really appreciates that. And Matt is
one of those guys that’s making that happen.”
