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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44 Comments
My man almost died, he deserved that 2016 chip
coming from JJ’s podcast, according to JR delly nearly died trying to guard steph 😂
I am here after the JR Smith's clip
Talking about him being a dirty player when GSW setting illegal screens lmao
whos here from jr smith shoutout?
Damn those moving screens. You can't deny the fact that those were why warriors were real deal 😂. Moving screens were invented in 2019 😂
Damn Gs get away from a lot of moving screens
This guy at the park was guarding me like this I was like wtf
This man left it all on the floor holy moly
I’m here cus of what JR smith said
Aussie pride
If delly's dirty draymond is fucking filthy 😭😭😭
9:17 Lebron just about damn near snapped his neck
Is it just me or were players shorts bigger back then than today?
Inspiring. I try to play D like this all the time.
Watching game 2 that year love was crazy as hell. He was WORKING on defense.
Steph Curry's shadow was named as Dellavedova
Some of the best on ball defense you will see in the modern era
This video shows me how many moving screens don’t get called
Man almost died guarding Curry. That’s true heart.
DellaveDefense
He may have tried as hard as any professional has ever tried at anything in this series.. extremely rare to see this kind of effort
I just watched a video of JR Smith saying Delly couldn't guard Curry, but I'm seeing him guard Curry and half the Warriors. I don't know this player, but nice hustle!
You aint got the winning lottery ticket but you got heart and balls and that will do just fine
still wondering how steph is facing these kind of def every night and still scoring 30+ points on them. i would be exhausted in 1st quarter.
Curry will never see defense like that again. Best defensive effort I've ever seen in my life.
Watching this , his post D on switches is more impressive than his chasing Curry on screen
Dellavedova is everything Pat Bev claims of being
This was the series that converted me to a Witness.
As someone who shoots a ton of 3’s in pickup, if a guy like Delly showed up I’d run for my life 😂 I know that he’s gonna suck the life out of me with the excessive hustle
WHO ??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!
hardword beats talent.
So much moving crazy wtf 😳 all good when it’s the warriors
The amount of moving screens in this clip alone😭😭
here after how good vando guards curry in game 1
This little guy was awesome.
This right here is a damn near perfect example of commitment to ones craft, and true athleticism/heart being put into a sport. I love watching defenders of any sport who put this much into what they do. I sure miss being the captain of my football team (soccer) as the center back and devoting my whole mind, heart, and body to my team and my game. I miss being part of the machine that is a real team working together and helping lead my fellow team mates. The art of defending is something that not everyone understands. I respect anyone who is devoted to whatever they do like this. I hope in my heart that I can get back to defending my goal on the pitch again some day in my life. I miss it, it feels like a part of me is missing ever since I stopped. Shout out to all the real athletes in the world, you have all of my respect. Much love ❤ never give up on things you truly love that love you back.
Now this is someone who is LOCKED IN!
Delly’s what Pat Bev would be without all the antics. Just pure hustle and effort.
Seeing Delly collapsed on the floor by the sideline was a sight. You know this man left everything out there.
Aussie pride
Love how at 6:31 he just blows through Green & Thompson to try keeping up w curry
When you put it all together it looks even more amazing lol
Crazy how when LeBron beats warriors they have elite perimeter Def just like lakers this year …Perimeter Defense and and scorers is what LeBron James needs nxt szn