June 14, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) / plays for the ball against the defense of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) in the first half in game five of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
After being down 2-1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Golden State Warriors have responded by winning Games 4 and 5. Now, the Dubs have a 3-2 series lead, but still need one more game to complete the mission. Game 6 is in Cleveland, where the Warriors would love to close it out. They want to come home to Oracle Arena as champions, not for a Game 7.
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After Game 5, the Warriors looked like a with their eyes on the prize. They are ready to move on, but one thing that really bothered them in Game 5 was Matthew Dellavedova. Not for his pesky defense, but once again Delly was involved in a play that could be considered dirty.
Midway through the second quarter Steph Curry nailed a three from the top of the three point line. Draymond Green and Delly battled for rebounding position, but as the shot was in the air, Delly locked Green’s arm as they were both hitting the floor. It could have ended bad for Green, luckily he was not injured, but the play outraged Green. According to GSW Fast Break, Draymond was upset when it happened, but he just wants to move on:
Green on Delly takedown: “It is what it is. … I was upset when it happened.”
— Fast Break (@GSWFastBreak) June 15, 2015
Dellavedova is known as a scrappy player that plays with heart and emotion at all times, but this postseason he has found himself in too many plays that are questionable. It all started when he locked Taj Gibson’s legs and got him ejected. Delly then dove at Kyle Korver’s legs and tried to do the same to Al Horford. Horford retaliated with an elbow and was kicked out of the game.
The Cavs are defending his style of play, but after so many incidents where he was involved it might be time for the NBA to take action. Green said after the game that there is a fine line between playing physical and dirty:
Draymond Green on Dellavedova guarding Curry. https://t.co/IVDxnmXpdM @warriorsworld
— Alex Torres (@alextorresww) June 15, 2015
If Dellavedova gets Green to land on his wrist and it resulted in a sprain or fracture, this series would have changed dramatically. Is Delly doing this on purpose to give his team a chance to win? His intentions are unclear, but enough players in these playoffs have seen enough to label him a dirty player.
The Warriors won’t come out and say it because they have bigger things to worry about, but it’s safe to say that they are not big fans of Dellavedova and his style of play. The Aussie guard played his college ball in the Bay Area and he might not be welcomed back after all the antics he’s pulled this series.
“Delly” tries to use underhanded tactics to make up for lack of talent. He does hustle and dives for loose balls and probably would be a good teammate if he is on your favorite team, but it is obvious that he lacks solid team skills, otherwise he would be more highly regarded outside Cleveland. He is the type of player who would be told to pick a fight with an opponents star player so that both players would be thrown out of the game. It worked with Horford.