The Grit Squad cometh.
They may be battered, bruised, and undermanned, but the Cleveland Cavaliers have, for the second successive game, chested up to the NBA‘s highest powered offence and shut them right down.
And yet again it’s Australia’s Matthew Dellavedova leading the defensive, never say die charge.
The diminutive, scrappy point guard again lined up against league MVP Steph Curry and – for the majority of the game – again rendered him a virtual non-factor.
The Cavs 96 – 91 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals wasn’t pretty at the best of times – but it was full of fight and determination, the kind of which is required to take a 2-1 series lead, with another home game at the Quicken Loans Arena looming for Game 4.
Dellavedova’s blanket defence and tenacious attack on the ball was on display in spades. But on this occasion he backed things up on the scoreboard. His 20 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists is the best statistical performance of his playoff campaign thus far, and contributed more to his legend in Cleveland – which grows seemingly by the hour.
Delly’s hustle was instrumental for the Cavs, playing just about every card he has in his admittedly limited hand.
He made ridiculous dives for loose balls.
He made unreal circus shots that had absolutely no right going in whatsoever.
And, in what’s becoming something of a trademark, he attracted controversy and the howls of opposition fans for giving as good as he got.
But elsewhere, the Cavaliers floor belongs to LeBron James. The Ohio superstar is on record breaking pace, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Adding another 40 points to his tally, James now has the most points in the first three games of an NBA Finals of any individual in history with a staggering 123. Another 12 rebounds and 8 assists has him averaging dangerously close to a triple double throughout the entire playoffs.
Whilst his shot percentage is still down somewhat on an overall level, James is the General, and his Grit Squad his loyal troops.
On the other side of the coin, things aren’t look quite as rosy.
Steph Curry‘s shot has all-but deserted this past two games, with Dellavedova the obvious reason. Curry again struggled to produce points for much of the game, and only managed to register 3 points in the first half.
A blistering final quarter saw him finally catch his stride – much of it during stretches of being guarded by someone other than Delly – and the Splash Brother knocked down the bulk of his 27 total game points, leading the Warriors on a 36-24 fourth quarter and single-handedly bringing them from the brink of a blowout to within striking distance of an almighty comeback victory.
But much like in Game 2, the Cavs determination proved enough to get over the line.
The Warriors now find themselves in the same 2-1 hole they did during the Eastern Conference Finals, against an opponent with a similar injury riddled structure.
But unlike the Houston Rockets, the Cleveland Cavaliers may have found the kryptonite they need to stop the unstoppable.
And his name is Matthew Dellavedova.
Photo: Mike Ehrmann via Getty Images.
