“Steph had a bad day last night but, listen, Dellavedova wasn’t the reason he was missing shots,” Charles Barkley told Bleacher Report Radio. That’s Barkley saying what’s half-true. Steph Curry had an off-night shooting (5-of-23), and that happens even to the best shooters in the world. But Dellavedova was guarding Curry and he did have something to do with Curry’s discomfort on the floor — it can’t be otherwise. Will it last? Probably not. As Barkley also said: “Steph Curry will kill that kid in the overall scheme of things.”
There’s little doubt that the kid (Dellavedova) who averaged 5 points and 20 minutes a game this season with the Cavs will lose a head-to-head battle most nights with the NBA MVP. But when you’re supposed to lose every battle, one small victory may be enough to turn the tide. Golden State gave up home court advantage losing Game 2 at Oracle Arena. Matthew Dellavedova may not have bottled up Steph Curry on his own, but “the kid” did hit those clutch free throws to push Cleveland over the top. Nothing Curry or anyone else could do about it. LeBron James saw Matthew Dellavedova stop Steph Curry from scoring while Cleveland won Game 2. Matthew Dellavedova doesn’t care what Charles Barkley thinks. He can’t. Dellavedova cares what LeBron James thinks. And LeBron James thinks Dellavedova is his starting point guard — and a defensive stopper. And his only chance this season to win a third championship ring.