Undrafted. 2013 Summer League. Only started 4 games for a lottery team. Those were the things that had defined Matthew Dellavedova’s career coming into the 14-15 season. Now, it’s summed up with just four words: energy, effort, hustle, and heart. When people talk about Delly, they’ll talk about how he went toe to toe with the reigning MVP (and arguably the greatest shooter of all time), and frustrated the hell out of him to get Cleveland the lead in the NBA Finals. Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors eventually overwhelmed the undermanned Cavaliers, but you cannot find fault in the Boomer’s performance. He left absolutely everything on the court, and everyone should applaud him for his willingness to compete and sacrifice.

Physically outmatched by everyone Golden State put out there, Delly refused to be outworked or out hustled. His relentless pursuit of Steph was one of the things that gave the Cavs even a puncher’s chance. At one point, even as he was falling, he manages to fluster Curry by contesting the shot. That should tell you everything you need to know about the man; he might struggle mightily but he will push himself to the limit for his team. He will do what is asked of him, no matter how grueling the task. At the end of games, it wasn’t hard to see that the demands he was placing on his body were too much. He was exhausted every game, but he came back each time and continued fighting the uphill battle.

This video isn’t about how he locked Steph down, because Curry had a hell of a series anyway. The focus here is about how he chased two of the league’s best shooters around, refused to give ground to much bigger guys on post ups, and dove on the floor almost every time there was a loose ball. This is about Delly and his championship level effort.

For the record: is he an irritant? Sure. Does get away with things sometimes? Many people do. Is he dirty? I would say no. Certain plays are questionable, certainly, but I come from a time when Stockton got away with everything and Bruce Bowen still walks around a free man (with a few rings), so no, Delly's not dirty.

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