NBA Finals: Annoying Dellavedova shows U.S. meaning of Aussie grit undetectably

'The Australian government has the power to knight citizens of our country,' noted one journalist with a distinct accent from Down Under. 'Would you endorse Sir Dellavedova?'

'That's pretty cool,' James chuckled. 'Whatever is in favor or good for Delly, I'm all for. So whatever that guy wants or needs, I'm all for.'

Indeed, 'Delly', otherwise known as 24-year-old Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova, has been an indispensable side-kick to James during this year's playoffs.



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His performance in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night showcased his trademark dives for loose balls, acrobatic shots, clutch 3-pointers and stifling defense on the NBA's current Most Valuable Player, Stephen Curry.

Dellavedova finished with 20 points, 4 assists and 5 rebounds to compliment James's 40 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists.

The Cavaliers are up 2-1 in the series against the Golden State Warriors, positioning them just two games away from delivering Cleveland's first professional sporting championship since 1964.

No wonder James has been complimentary of the -- until recently -- virtually unknown second-year guard who went undrafted from tiny St Mary's College in California.

The native of Maryborough, Victoria, Australia, wasn't supposed to have such a prominent role on the NBA's biggest stage. The Cavaliers were on track to win with their core players in James, forward Kevin Love and point guard Kyrie Irving.

But all of that changed when Love suffered a separated shoulder in the first round against the Boston Celtics, requiring season-ending surgery.

Irving -- the other Cavs All-Star, who scored 57 points in a game earlier in the season -- had been hobbling throughout the playoffs. He eventually sustained a broken kneecap during overtime in Game 1 of the Finals, ruling him out for the series.

With both Love and Irving out, Dellavedova stepped up to the mark.

Despite averaging just 4.8 points during the regular season, he set a single-game scoring record for an Australian in the NBA Finals with his 20 points in Game 3, surpassing former Chicago Bull Luc Longley.

Dellavedova's grit has won the respect of his teammates.

He sprints and dives all over the floor for loose balls, and has been credited (and criticized) for being an irritant to his playoff opponents. That includes Curry -- the Warriors guard many have anointed as the best pure shooter in NBA history.

The Cavaliers won Game 2 of the Finals thanks, in large part, to Dellavedova's defense. Curry was limited to 5-of-23 from the field (including shooting 0-8 and committing four turnovers while guarded by Delly), leading to a 95-93 Cavs win in overtime.

Dellavedova's effort in Game 3 on Tuesday was so exhausting that he ended up spending the night in a local Cleveland hospital.

The team said that Dellavedova suffered from severe cramping following the game and was hooked up to an IV. He was released from the Cleveland Clinic the next morning, confident of starting Game 4 on Thursday night.

'Delly comes from a rugby background, and if ever you guys have an opportunity to ever watch a rugby game you see how tough it is, and that's what it's about,' James said effusively on Wednesday.

'He brings it all. Everything that he has, he lays out on the floor. I think he dove on the ground last night an NBA Finals record six times, (and) he was on the ground again after the game in the hospital, so you could probably say seven times.

'He gives us everything that he has, man, and we all appreciate it as his brothers and lining up beside him,' he added.

Delly, however, is not without his detractors. His list of confrontations in this season's playoffs reads like a rap sheet.

Recent opponents have characterized his play as dirty, especially after a struggle for a loose ball ended in a season-ending ankle injury for Atlanta Hawks sharp-shooter Kyle Korver in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Later in that series, Dellavedova fought for another loose ball when he collided with forward Al Horford. The normally mild-mannered Horford struck Dellavedova above the shoulders, leading to ejection. The Cavs dominated the crippled Hawks, winning the series 4-0.

In the previous series against the Chicago Bulls, Dellavedova, wrapped his legs around Taj Gibson's feet from a position on the floor. Gibson -- who felt the Australian was out to injure him deliberately -- lashed out with a kick and was thrown out of the game.

Most recently in Game 3 of the Finals, Dellavedova bumped Warriors forward Draymond Green in a play that appeared as though the Australian was diving at Green's knees, causing Green's mother to take to Twitter saying Dellavedova should be fined.

So just how much of an irritant is Dellavedova on court?

'Am I an annoying player?' the Australian responded. 'Well, I've never played against myself.'

The follow-up question was whether Dellavedova would find himself annoying.

'Yeah, I think I would,' he admitted.

No matter if intentions are benign or deliberate, Dellavedova's value has been praised by Cleveland head coach David Blatt.

'I've been around the block a few times, and you recognize character when you see it,' he said. 'And you recognize guys who are team oriented and their values and their ideals of how to play in the game (are) in the right place.'

'You don't see as much as you'd like,' he added, 'but when you do, it's easily recognizable.'

Should the Cavaliers go on to win the Finals, the character that Blatt speaks of might just turn the player known as Delly into Sir Dellavedova.



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