For St. Mary's coach, Dellavedova makes NBA Finals simply Aus-some

Matthew Dellavedova has become the Cavaliers' unlikely "hero" in the NBA Finals. In Game 3 on Tuesday night, he had 20 points and was all over the floor -- literally -- before winding up in the hospital after the game with severe cramps.)

When Kyrie Irving fractured his left kneecap in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and was lost for the rest of the series, many immediately wrote the Cavs off, in part because the team's backup point guard, Matthew Dellavedova, couldn't possibly be to Cleveland what the All-Star Irving was when he was on the floor.

Randy Bennett knows Dellavedova better than most, however, and knew the Cavs would be in able hands against Golden State with the unheralded 24-year-old reserve running the point.

So when Dellavedova scored nine points in Sunday's 95-93 overtime win in Game 2, including two clutch free throws to give Cleveland the lead for good with 10 seconds left -- oh, and also held league MVP Steph Curry to 19 points on 5-of-23 shooting in the process -- Bennett, the head basketball coach at St. Mary's College, wasn't as surprised as the rest of us.

"Whether it's (Stephen) Curry or (Klay) Thompson he's matched up with, you'd be crazy not to be concerned," Bennett told FOX Sports in a phone interview Monday. "But Matt's a really good competitor, and he's his own man, so he's going to approach it the right way and his head will be in the right place. And he's going to do a good job and give himself and his team the best chance to succeed.  Does that mean you're going to limit Curry to the game he had every time? No, but I was not surprised that Matt competed the way he did, and he did a good job on him."

Bennett coached Dellavedova from 2009 through the 2012-13 season, as the Gaels -- located in Moraga, 15 miles northeast of Golden State’s Oracle Arena -- reached the NCAA tournament three times. Dellavedova left the school as its all-time leading scorer, and though he went undrafted he was quickly scooped up by the Cavaliers.

It later came out that Cleveland gave him a two-year, $1.3 million contract, including $100,000 guaranteed, a significant chunk of change for an undrafted player and a clear indication the team saw him as part of its future. Two years later, with restricted free agency ahead for Dellavedova this summer, that deal looks like a steal.

If Dellavedova can continue his string of impressive play and somehow help the Cavaliers to an improbable NBA championship, he won't be the first of Bennett's former players to have done so. That title belongs to Patty Mills, who came up huge for the San Antonio Spurs in last year's NBA Finals win over the Miami Heat.

Mills, a second-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009, and Dellavedova never played together, but both arrived at St. Mary's by way of Australia, two of several Aussies to play major roles for the Gaels in the last decade during the team's rise, which has seen them make five NCAA tournaments since 2005.

"It was kind of happenstance that we ended up recruiting there," Bennett said. "When I first took the job at St. Mary's (in 2001), we were two players short in August, so I took a kid from Australia named Adam Capcorn, and I really hadn't seen him play. I'd seen a quick video of him a little bit and just kind of went on a couple guys' word. We took him, he showed up and was a really good leader.

"We had a good experience, and (Capcorn) told us about one of his teammates, who ended up being Daniel Kickert, who was the all-time leading scorer here (before Dellavedova), and from there we did pretty good over there. We've had good success and good experience, and we continued to recruit there, and it turned into a nice pipeline for us.

"So eventually we got Delly because of that, and Patty came for those reasons, too. Patty was good, and he knew Delly, so that's how it works."

Now, Bennett says he feels more like a father than a coach when he watches his former stars play for NBA championships.

"It's tremendous pride on so many different levels, but it's almost like watching your kid play," Bennett said. "When you watch your kid, at least for me, your own son, you can't relax. You're, like, gripping on every play, and that's how it is when I watch Patty and Delly on a stage that's so big. It's everything. You're nervous, you're proud, you're excited, you're like a fan. It's not just like watching the NBA playoffs with nobody involved. You have to be totally involved."

"Usually he doesn't go to the offensive boards, but the game was late and he's pretty smart on those things," said Bennett, who said he plans on being there in person when the Cavs and Warriors return to Oakland on Sunday for Game 5.

"I'm sure his responsibility is usually to get back, but at that point, you've got to get a bucket because the clock is winding down. It kind of surprised me that he came out of it with the ball --it happened so quick I didn't see it coming -- but the fact that he made the right play and had a nose for the ball and came up with it, it never surprises me. He's good on those things.

"Those two guys, in particular, are great basketball players, but they're also really good people," said Bennett, who says he texts with Dellavedova every couple days but hasn't talked to him on the phone. "They give back and have been class acts their whole lives, so it's easy to root for those guys when they're in these situations.

"This is their home away from home. This is their family -- their basketball family, their college family. They're both very loyal guys, both very appreciative guys, and when we retired their numbers, it didn't have anything to do with their NBA careers. We retired Matt's before he'd become a good NBA player, and we did that because they couldn't have done any better.

“THE LEVEL THEY'RE PLAYING AT IS JUST AN UNBELIEVABLE LEVEL, AND TO BE IN THAT GAME, BE IN THAT SERIES -- IT'S SO HARD TO GET THERE, TO BE ON A TEAM THAT GETS THERE.”

"They couldn't have represented St. Mary's or the community or the basketball program any better, and I think they would take a lot of pride in saying that they played here."

Moving forward, Bennett says he thinks the Cavs have a better chance than most are giving them in the series, citing their defense, their rebounding, their ability to control the tempo and the fact that they also have "the best player in the world" in LeBron James.

But if Dellavedova somehow can replicate his Game 2 performance in Game 3 Tuesday night, that'll be gravy -- as it was in Game 4 last year when Mills erupted for 14 points in the third quarter of San Antonio's Game 4 win -- and Bennett, like everyone else around the Gaels program, will be ecstatic.

"You want them to do so well, so when Matt misses a shot, you say to yourself, 'Ah, come on Matt,' " Bennett said. "You want him to come through, and it's tough. The level they're playing at is just an unbelievable level, and to be in that game, be in that series -- it's so hard to get there, to be on a team that gets there.

"So for Patty and Delly to be on teams in the playoffs, you're proud and then they're in the rotation, and then they contribute and play well. They're making so many people proud around here, and not just me and the coaches, but our players, our former players, our students, the Moraga community, the Bay Area ..."

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."