Issuing respect and apology that Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Matthew Dellavedova rightfully deserves

When you're wrong, you're wrong. And for me, it's time to eat crow.

It's official: Matthew Dellavedova is one fearless, hard-nosed son of a gun. The mark he has made in these Finals has been nothing short of amazing. The Cavaliers' backup point guard has completely overshadowed the league's MVP,  Stephen Curry, and it hasn't even been close.

Dellavedova is doing it with a relentless drive and determination that's overpowering the long-range marksman. The second-year player went for a postseason career-high of 20 points in a Game 3 win over the Golden State Warriors to put the Cavaliers up 2-1 in the series.

Chants of "Delly, Delly" throughout the arena have become frequent, and the team hasn't missed a beat with Kyrie Irving gone for the season. No one saw this coming. I sure didn't, and for that, I must apologize.

In early March, I wrote about how head coach David Blatt was overusing Dellavedova and how he likely sees himself in the Australian. Blatt remembered that story and graciously invited me into his office for an exclusive interview after the Game 3 victory.

We sat on his sofa and that's when, as the young folks would say, he went in.

"And you were full of s---," Blatt said in hilarious fashion, referring to that article. "I've been waiting to tell you that for a long time."

"Chris is a man. He can take it," Blatt said with a smile. "And basically Chris is a real good guy, but sometimes, like other writers, when the sun goes down, they turn into a------."

Blatt was having fun. It wasn't anything malicious. It was just a couple of guys shooting the breeze, talking hoops. I asked what gave him the confidence to use Delly in crucial moments of games at a point in the season when the decision was unpopular. What was it that he saw that was unrecognizable to others, including me?

"I think the thing with Delly is that he has an impact above and beyond just what you see on the floor," he answered. "He's a character kid. He's a teammate He does the dirty work. He takes on the tasks that a lot of guys aren't willing to and he relishes it.

"It's hard to see it from the outside. It really is. I think it's a character thing. I really do. Plus he has a little bit more ability than people give him credit for. But he's not a thing of beauty and he's not ever going to wow you on SportsCenter except in unusual ways, but he's always going to be there."

J.R. Smith and Brendan Haywood were on the bench marveling at what Dellavedova was doing out there last night. While Dellavedova was locking down his man defensively, stepping in and hitting a 25-footer, knocking down clutch free throws, throwing alley-oops to LeBron James in transition and diving for loose balls, the two agreed during the game that this guy's story needed to be told in detail.

"We were just thinking on the bench that somebody has to write a book on this kid," Smith said. "Who would have thought he would be in the NBA Finals and 20,000 fans chanting his name? He's a rugby player and what not. To be in this situation, it's incredible.

"Every time he touches the ball, every time he gets a stop or whatever the case is, 20,000 people go berserk. For him in that situation, there are not too many people that get that chance, that opportunity. [If somebody said] 'Yo, would you ever think this would happen to a guy like that?' And I would say the only time it would happen to him is if it's in his dreams. Like seriously, that's a real-life storybook for him. It's a storybook setting."

Dellavedova isn't the fastest, the quickest, the most athletic, but he's getting the job done and giving the Warriors fits in the process. It's much easier to measure skill and talent, but quite the opposite when measuring a man's heart. That's what I missed initially with Delly - his heart.

His willpower and pursuit of excellence are what got him to this point. Those who observe his tremendous work ethic aren't surprised by the results produced on this mega stage.

"Delly gives all kids hope about making it to the NBA," Cavs big man Kendrick Perkins said. "You got a kid who puts in arguably the most work on the team. The way he studies film. Every time I walk in there, he's the first guy there. He done shot and lifted and ate breakfast and shot again and all types of s--- before I got there. If you were to see Delly on a daily basis, you would see why all this is coming together for him."

Those controversial minutes that Blatt played Dellavedova during the season prepared him for this moment. It gave him the confidence that he can excel at this level against the great point guards in this game. Had Blatt refused to play him like some had called for, what position would the Cavaliers be in currently?

The organization used forward thinking in its use of Dellavedova. The Cavs didn't know they would need him to play close to 40 minutes a game come the postseason, but they knew they would need him. Blatt was right all along in sticking with his guy and it's paying off like never before.

Right now this is Delly's world. And we, me included, are all going along for the ride. And boy, it has been one reliable ride.

"The big thing is you can always depend on him in a pinch," Blatt said. "There are not a lot of people like that. There are not a lot of friends like that. I know a lot of people that are friends and I wouldn't depend on them. I couldn't depend on them. This is a kid you can depend on. He's always going to be there for you. Always."

Cinderella Man: A Story of Hope an Resiliency in the NBA Finals

Matthew Dellevedova is listed at 6’4.  He is awkward when he runs. His shot looks all sorts of broke. And on defense he looks as if he is one second away from getting his ankles and knees broke simultaneously.

Flat out, he doesn’t belong on an NBA court, and yet, the Cavs are 3-0 when he starts in the playoffs. He helped the Cavs do the somewhat impossible, beat the Warriors at Oracle arena.

Matthew Dellevedova should give everyone in the world hope. The reason he has survived up to this point is heart and resiliency.

He is like a cockroach. Every time you think you squash him, he comes back for more. In a league where guys are notorious for playing on cruise control until the fourth quarter, Dellevedova has to give every ounce of energy and effort, every single second he is on the court, just to survive and not be embarrassed.

The coolest part of his story is that he epitomizes the bright lights only reveal your work in the dark.

I can only imagine how many practices where his teammates snickered at all the extra training they saw him doing because his chances of getting serious minutes were next to zero while backing up an NBA all-star.

I can only imagine how many times his teammates wanted, or flat out told him to chill out with all that extra aggressive, over zealous defense, because you are never earning a spot on this team.

I can only imagine how many times he wanted to cry himself to sleep frustrated and wondering if he should just give up on his dream.

On Sunday night, on the biggest stage, we got to see all of his training pay off as he played extended minutes shutting down the league MVP (0-8 when he guarded him) all the way through a grueling game and overtime. Then with only seconds left in overtime he stepped up to the line and knocked down two clutch free throws to put the Cavs up by 1.

Thankfully he didn’t give up and he didn’t give in in the dark.

Thankfully he understands that the bright lights only reveal your work in the dark.

Thankfully young kids and adults alike can look at him and realize that just because you haven’t gotten your opportunity yet, it doesn’t mean you should give up or that it won’t come.

*In Game 3 he came out and had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and two game changing hustle plays diving on the floor and sacrificing his body for the team. After playing 39 minutes in Game 2 he was taken to the hospital for treatment from severe cramping.

In this series Dellavedova represents hustle, grind, and perseverance through adversity in a manner usually reserved for Hollywood films. His time in the desert prepared him for this moment.

However, the hard truth for most of us is that most of us want to shine like Dellavedova, but we don’t want to train and prepare like he has for this moment. We don’t want to work in the dark. We don’t want to be overlooked. We don’t want to hustle and grind when everyone thinks we are crazy. We aren’t willing to go through our desert.

So, my question for you is simple…

How would you use your 86,400 seconds today, if you knew you were going to get the opportunity of your dreams?

“Those destined for greatness must first walk alone in the desert.” -Winston Churchill

Once the opportunity comes it’s too late. If you haven’t been training in the dark you will be exposed under the lights.

How the Cavs found their unlikely hero: Matthew Dellavedova

Mike Brown was very familiar with Dellavedova long before he came to the Cavaliers undrafted two years ago.

"Nothing surprises me the way that kid works," Brown told Yahoo Sports.

Dellavedova sparked the Cavaliers with a playoff career-high 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in Game 3. After Golden State cut a 20-point deficit to one, he also had a key three-point play with 2:45 remaining to temper the threat. Cleveland is undefeated in four total games in the NBA Finals and Eastern Conference finals with Dellavedova starting at point guard in place of injured All-Star Kyrie Irving.

It was an exhausting 38½-minute performance for Dellavedova, who needed an IV after the game and was taken to a local hospital in an ambulance for further treatment after he experienced severe cramps. He did not speak to reporters after the game, but was released from the hospital and cleared to play in Game 4. Others, however, gladly praised him.

"He plays as hard as he can every day," Cavaliers coach David Blatt said. "He plays right. He's not afraid. He plays courageously. And everybody on his team has his back. It's not an issue of confidence. He is going to give you whatever he has."

Said Cavs guard Iman Shumpert: "He will leave it all on the floor every single play, get cut in the face, elbowed, scratched and keeps on fighting."

"I know one thing I'm going to count on Delly, as always, it’s how hard he's going to play," LeBron James said. "He's going to give everything he's got. His body, he's going to throw his body all over the place.  And he's going to compete at a high level however many minutes he's out on the floor.

"Tonight it was 38½ minutes, and for 38½ minutes he gave everything he's got."

After Dellavedova stepped on St. Mary's campus for the first time in 2009, Brown and ex-Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant quickly became familiar with him because of a longtime friend and old coach.

St. Mary's is coached by Randy Bennett, an assistant coach at the University of San Diego when Brown and Grant played there. Brown also played for Bennett's father, Tom, at Mesa Community College in Arizona. Brown also often watched St. Mary's games during the 2012-13 season because his son, Elijah, nearly chose to sign a scholarship there out of high school. Dellavedova was a senior then who averaged 15.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

"Teams didn't think Delly was a draft pick," Brown said. "They didn't think he had a skill set. Didn't think he was athletic enough. Randy was disgusted by the feedback he got from other NBA teams. He felt that it would be in our best interest to take Delly.

"We trusted Randy. But we also saw something."

Where Brown and Grant really saw something from the Australian was during a workout with the Cavaliers prior to the 2013 NBA draft. The Cavaliers had six players who took part in several three-on-three games. Brown said that Dellavedova never lost and showed strong leadership. After the workout, Brown said Grant told Dellavedova that the Cavaliers would offer him a non-guaranteed contract if he was not drafted.

"He was phenomenal in the draft workouts," Brown said. "I purposely switched up teams to see how he would do and he still won. He was a leader, too, and everybody looked up to him.

"He was extremely competitive. He was the best competitor I've ever seen in a draft workout."

The Cavaliers' last pick in the 2013 NBA draft was the 33rd selection in the second round, which they used to take Arizona State shooting guard Carrick Felix. While interested in Dellavedova, they were confident that he would go undrafted. Bennett's frustrated rants about what other NBA teams were saying didn't make them nervous.

As expected, Dellavedova went undrafted. The Cavaliers quickly signed him to a two-year contract in which $200,000 was guaranteed. Such deals are rare for undrafted players.

"In my mind, he made the team during the workout," Brown said.

Dellavedova's agent, Bill Duffy, said his client declined overseas offers and offers from two NBA teams to go to the then-rebuilding Cavaliers.

"Chris was all over it before the draft," Duffy said. "He called me before the draft to say he wanted to sign him if he went undrafted. He deserves a lot of credit. He believed in Delly in college."

Irving and former Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters tested the mid-major player during training camp of his rookie year. Dellavedova never backed down and quickly impressed them with his work ethic and play. He averaged 4.7 points and 2.6 assists as a rookie and also had success guarding Washington sharpshooter Bradley Beal.

"Delly was the first one to arrive at practice and the last one to leave," Brown said. "He set it straight who he was immediately, with his play and tone. He didn't back down. He was coming every day and spent hours watching tape. …

"We felt he was going to be really, really good."

Grant was fired midway through last season. Brown was fired after the season. The Cavaliers now have a new general manager in David Griffin and a new head coach in Blatt. Most of the Cavs players are new, too, including James.

Dellavedova is one of the few remaining links to the Cavaliers from Brown and Grant. He will be a restricted free agent this summer and is making a name for himself during these NBA Finals.

"Delly used to have trouble guarding quick point guards like Jeff Teague [of the Atlanta Hawks]," Brown said. "But he figured out how to guard them better with angles and space. He is contesting every shot. Now he is hugging up on Stephen Curry defensively.

"He's physically and mentally tough. He's a leader. He isn't afraid."

Cavaliers stay on point with driven Delly

It was perhaps the most significant moment of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ playoff run thus far.

The second half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals was about to get underway in Chicago. Kyrie Irving, literally carried to the locker room in the second quarter after aggravating tendinitis in his left knee, was out on the court but still wearing his warm-up shirt, too banged up to join the rest of the Cavs’ starters to begin the third quarter.

Matthew Dellavedova, Cleveland’s much-maligned backup point guard whom Cavs general manager David Griffin openly spoke about hoping to find a replacement for in January, was about to take the floor in Irving’s place.

Sure, the Cavs held a 14-point lead, but they were playing on the road, there was still 24 minutes of game time remaining and Dellavedova would be matched up with former league MVP Derrick Rose, who had been playing his best ball in years in the series up to that point.

Win the game and Cleveland is in the Eastern Conference finals. Lose it and the Cavs host a winner-take-all Game 7 just two days later with Irving’s health as a major question mark.

Right before Dellavedova trotted out towards the center circle, Irving grabbed his understudy and pulled him in to give a hug and impart a message.

“I just said, ‘Do what you do,’” Irving said, recalling the moment. What Dellavedova went on to do was score 11 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter -- finishing 7-for-11 from the field and outshining Rose’s 14 points on 7-for-16 shooting -- and help propel the Cavs to a runaway victory.

As surprising a performance it was out of Dellavedova -- he had more games in the regular season when he scored zero points (11) than he did double digits (nine) -- the embrace with Irving that preceded it might have been even more unlikely when you consider how the pair’s relationship started off.

***

“Yeah, they used to f--- each other up,” said Tristan Thompson, recalling the times he’d have to play peacemaker in Cavs training camp in the fall of 2013 when Irving, the franchise player and former No. 1 pick, was matched up with Dellavedova, the undrafted rookie free agent just trying to make the team. “They used to go after it every day. There would be times when they’d be ready to fight each other.”

The distaste between them started a few months before that, in the summer, when Irving sized up Dellavedova for the first time during a pick-up game.

“I played him in the summer time and he was going into summer league, I was going into my third year and I was like, ‘Who the hell is this kid?’ I was like, I’ve never heard of him,” Irving said. “I had heard of him, because of St. Mary’s, but I had never played against him. So, I’m coming in and he just basically, every fast break, he was just fouling the s--- out of me. I was like, ‘OK, well, maybe I’ll see him in training camp.’ So, we went through training camp, every single day we went against each other and damn near almost fought every single day.”

Mike Brown, known for his lengthy practices, was coaching the Cavs at the time. More practice time meant more 1-on-1 battles between the point guards.

“Early in the season when you scrimmage more at practice, it definitely almost came to that -- having to be separated,” said Dellavedova. “But it was never [personal]. We were both just playing hard and wanting to win in practice. It’s been great for my development, having to try to guard Kyrie every day in practice.”

It wasn’t always great for Irving, at least he didn’t think so initially.

“Probably the first three months of the season he was irritated by Delly,” Thompson said, “but he realized Delly is not going to stop and it was going to make him a better player.”

Slowly, the rancor turned to respect.

“It was just the pride that he had and the pride that I had,” Irving said. “You know, I love a guy when he challenges me and I’m not going to back down and he’s not going to back down from me -- which I didn’t expect. So, that’s what really drew us a lot closer.”

***

Now, there are a lot of players in the Cavs’ locker room who express how close they feel to the team’s second-year guard from Australia.

“I’ve been telling people, Delly is the man,” said Iman Shumpert. “He’s one of those guys who comes to the gym early and leaves the gym late.”

Oftentimes when Dellavedova does lag after practice, he’ll be at a hoop with James Jones working on speeding up the release on his catch-and-shoot jumper with Jones closing out with his 6-foot-8 frame to contest the shots put up Dellavedova, generously listed at 6-foot-4. What led to Jones, born in 1980, finding a connection with Dellavedova, born in 1990?

“Listen, man, he’s a tireless worker,” said Jones. “He’s focused on this craft. Every day he comes in the gym to get better and he won’t leave until he feels like he had a day where he got better. And I’m drawn to him because he’s a young guy who has come up the hard way in this league but he’s proven to everyone that he’s a very good NBA player.”

And then Jones offered up the label that does the most to explain Dellavedova’s success story.

“Heart, man,” Jones said. “On this team, Delly embodies all heart, all hustle and all the work.”

***

Dellavedova doesn’t know what all the fuss is about when it comes to his Game 6 clincher against Chicago.

When he was asked during the postgame press conference he if ever envisioned being selected by the Cavs’ public relations staff to get the star treatment at the podium for the televised event, Dellavedova shrugged it off: “This is all the extra fluff stuff. What matters is what happens in the game.”

Similarly, he was uninterested in the fashion show aspect to it. His black jeans and dark green jacket were fine by him. He wants to run an offense not walk the runway.

“Somebody sent me a text message about that, but I mean, to be honest, that’s like an American thing,” Dellavedova said. “I couldn’t care less about my outfit -- which was, actually, it’s a nice jacket. It wasn’t just a hoodie. But I really couldn’t care less about all that other stuff. All I care about is just trying to help the team win basketball games.”

That’s what he’s done this postseason. It wasn’t just Game 6, either. In Game 2 against the Bulls he set a Cavs franchise playoff record for assists by a bench player with nine. He added nine points. Cleveland came away with the victory.

***

It shouldn’t be surprising to hear that Dellavedova has not only endeared himself to his fellow role players, but to the Cavs’ principle decision-makers in David Blatt and LeBron James as well.

Blatt said Dellavedova made an impression on him the first time they met in Las Vegas prior to summer league.

“Some guys are easy reads,” Blatt said. “He’s an easy read. I’ve coached enough guys to know.”

What stood out?

“Purposeful, attentive, motivated and very, very focused.”

Dellavedova might not have earned James’ trust quite as quickly, but it’s definitely there now.

“You don't mind a guy the way he plays, his attention to detail,” James said. “If he happens to make a mistake, you're able just to say, 'OK, he made a mistake because he's playing hard.' You can't fault that; you can't fault what he brings to the table. It's been key to our team.

“I know Kyrie is extremely happy to have a backup like that. For us as a team, we're happy to have him.”

Irving and Dellavedova were once at each others’ throats, now they have each others’ backs as they prepare to face Atlanta’s point guard tandem of Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder in the conference finals.

“Even though [he is only in his second year], he’s older than me and he has a mature sense about him that allows him to play with a team like this,” Irving said. “It’s just, he’s going to go out and play hard, it doesn’t matter who he is playing against. He’s going to go out and give 110 percent and that’s what you want.

“I wouldn’t want a different teammate.”