It could have been the mismatch to define a lopsided NBA Finals.
IN THIS CORNER! THE REIGNING NBA MVP! THE GREATEST SHOOTER OF ALL TIME! THE PEOPLE'S CHAMP! THE ONE WITH THE ADORABLE BABY! STEPPPPHENNNNNNN CURRY!
IN THE OTHER CORNER! THE TINY AUSTRALIAN! THE UNDRAFTED FREE AGENT! THE GUY ONLY PLAYING BECAUSE KYRIE IRVING IS INJURED! MATTHEW DELLLLLLAVEDOOOOOOVA!
After Irving's injury, the die seemed cast: LeBron James was going to have to overcome the crappiness of his teammates and beat the best team in the NBA by himself. The matchup of incredible talent against a bench guy seemed to capture the futility of James' task.
Offensively, Dellavedova showed why he's primarily been a bench player. He shot just 3-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-6 from three. He was nominally the point guard, but wasn't really asked to handle the ball like a point guard because LeBron was on the floor. Despite this, he still managed to commit six turnovers.
But defensively, Dellavedova earned his playing time and more. He harangued Curry through one of the worst nights not only of his career, but in NBA Finals history. When the scrub guarded the MVP in the halfcourt, the MVP shot 0-for-8, missing all five of his three pointers and committing four turnovers. Curry went 3-for-18 when Dellavedova was on the court. Curry could have set the record for most three-pointers attempted in an NBA Finals game with his misses alone, going 2-for-15 from deep. Curry had more turnovers than assists, something he only did once in the regular season. And Delly was guarding him when the Warriors had a chance to win ... and forced an airball:
It would be easy to cast this as the prototypical underdog story: The Big, Hypertalented, Takes-Everything-For-Granted Superstar vs. the Gritty, Hard-Working Role Player. The guy who typically shows up to the court and dominates, stopped by the guy who spent his whole life training in the gym for this big moment. I especially fear that people will play this up due to, well, appearance. But it doesn't quite capture each player's backstory.
Sure, Curry is the star, but he's the epitome of hard work. Unlike LeBron, whose talents derive from incredible physical gifts, Curry refined and refined and refined his jumper until it became nearly perfect. He can hit from anywhere, with little room and with little time. He refined and refined and refined his handle so he ccould flawlessly execute incredibly difficult moves to give him the small amount of space he needs. You can't outwork Steph Curry. He has already outworked you.
And while Dellavedova is certainly hard-working, his most notable NBA trait has been that of the goon. His borderline dirty tactics were a major talking point in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hawks. Dellavedova is bigger than Curry. He's stronger than Curry. Dellavedova is a goon-like irritant.
But how to irritate Curry? It's a near-impossible task. A millimeter too far and Curry has an open shot. A millisecond too slow and he's by you. A millimeter too close, he's shooting free throws, and he doesn't really miss free throws.
Dellavedova's best hope was to stain Curry's gleaming game with some grime. Put the perfect guy in a box and rough him up at all opportunities. If Curry could get free, it was game over. So, Dellavedova had to put the clamps on him and restrict his space. Look at how big a mismatch this was when Curry had room to operate:
Knowing Curry could and would be deadly as soon as he got the ball, Dellavedova made it difficult for the Warriors to even put it in his hands, often picking Curry up in the backcourt and denying him. Once Curry got it, Dellavedova got up in his face, keeping close quarters. Curry may have been on offense, but Dellavedova was the aggressor.
This could have backfired. Normally, Curry easily discards the foolish few who get too close. He can shake them loose from his body with his arsenal of nifty dribbles. He can blow by them to the hoop, and has an arsenal of nifty layups. But he couldn't ditch Dellavedova.
Of course, a lot of the blame for Curry's bad night falls on Curry. He was off, even when he was wide open. This does not happen often. But Dellavedova deserves all the credit for his work.
The Cavaliers will need more of this ugliness. They're outgunned. They got a virtuoso performance out of their star against a bag filled with poop from their opponents' star ... and the game still went to overtime. Their best is not much better than the Warriors' worst.
Dellavedova gives the Cavaliers the opportunity to create more of this ugliness. He stuck himself in Curry's craw and refused to be removed. With a player of Curry's caliber, it's impossible to guarantee another awful night. But Delly's brand of gunk gives them the best hope.
SB Nation presents: How to construct an NBA champion