VIDEO: Relive the Top 5 plays from Game 3 of The Finals
NEWS OF THE MORNING
No. 1: Cavs’ gamble on Dellavedova paying off in spades — If there were an All-NBA Finals team, Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James would be leading the squad — and teammate Matthew Dellavedova wouldn’t be far behind. As great as James has been in this series with the Golden State Warriors, Dellavedova has amazed in his own right, especially when you consider his humble NBA beginnings. ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst has a must-read, lengthy piece on the “other” star of the 2015 Finals:
It was after midnight on draft night in 2013 and then-Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant was working hard to finish a deal.
Within a minute of the Memphis Grizzlies taking Janis Timma with the 60th and final pick, assistant general manager Trent Redden was on the phone going after a guy the Cavs were calling their “Mr. 61,” as in 61st pick. He was an undersized Australian from St. Mary’s who had slipped through the back end of the draft.
To say Matthew Dellavedova was unwanted isn’t true. Undrafted, yes, but he had several contract offers rolling in that night. One was from the New York Knicks. A little bidding war unfolded and the Cavs kept upping their offer. Finally, Grant reached the number agent Bill Duffy was looking for: $100,000 guaranteed on a two-year contract that was otherwise non-guaranteed.
This is now looking like one of the greatest moves in team history after the gritty little Aussie had yet another incredible Finals game, this one including 20 points and a vital flailing banker in the fourth quarter that was as improbable as this career path.
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The stories have grown in the two years since, but generally all agree Dellavedova was horrible from the first practice onward and only marginally improved over the two weeks in Las Vegas. The Cavs will never admit it, but they must have wondered if they’d flushed $100,000 down a dry hole with a player who didn’t look at first like he’d be able to cut it at the next level.
It didn’t get much better in the preseason, with it appearing at times that Dellavedova might be headed for the waiver wire. That included one dreadful night in Cincinnati against John Wall when Dellavedova had six turnovers in one quarter.
There were those in the organization that did want Dellavedova cut despite the moderate investment in him. But Grant believed in Dellavedova and his potential, he’d liked his temperament and that his constant aggression at the very least would push young star Kyrie Irving in practices.
When they had to make the last cut, Grant made the call and decided to keep him.
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“The fact that Chris believed in Delly to the level that he did is paying off for the organization in spades,” said Cavs general manager David Griffin, who was the team’s assistant GM before ascending last year. “Everyone benefits from everyone that comes before them.”
Grant ended up being like the starting pitcher who labored through seven innings with no stuff, dragging the Cavs through four generally miserable rebuilding years. Griffin has acted as the closer, coming in and firing fastballs to finish deals as LeBron James‘ grand slam return changed the game after Grant had been sent to the showers.
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Now in the Finals, he’s morphed into the Cavs’ second-most important player to this point, which defies all kinds of realities. He’s been just as likely to make a clutch shot or free throw as he is to achieve a vital defensive stop or go crashing to the floor.
VIDEO: How has Matthew Dellavedova shaped these Finals?
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No. 2: James, Cavs writing unreal Finals tale — The Golden State Warriors aren’t the only ones waking up this morning with a sense of bewilderment at the state of these NBA Finals. After the Cleveland Cavaliers’ second straight gutty victory in the series, they hold a 2-1 edge on the best team from the regular season after three straight unreal Finals performances from LeBron James. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports has more on how the Cavs are as amazed as anyone at their turn of fate:
They’re wandering the corridors of Quicken Loans Arena in a state of bewilderment, the ownership partners and front-office executives of these Cleveland Cavaliers trying to process the magnitude of this moment. Halfway home in these NBA Finals, and LeBron James has transcended everything again. Halfway home and momentum has gathered for the most improbable championship in NBA history.
“Two more,” part-owner Nate Forbes told a friend outside the Cavaliers locker room.
“Two more,” he said, shaking his head.
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The losses of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving haven’t paralyzed these Cavaliers, but emboldened them to become something they hadn’t been this season: an elite, engaged and enveloping defensive juggernaut.
“At this level, at this stage, it’s pretty remarkable what we’ve become,” David Blatt told Yahoo Sports late Tuesday outside his office. “Here’s the thing: We didn’t suffer one blow, or two blows. …We’ve been taking haymakers for a long time now.
“And we just keep standing.”
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From almost the time that James had signed with the Miami Heat in 2010, his inner circle spoke of rewriting the Cleveland story. That was the mantra within James’ circle. They had to fix it. James would’ve gotten the glory had the Cavaliers won a title without Irving and Love, but this has become something none of them ever imagined. This possible championship will hold the deepest significance in history. Michael Jordan never won a title this way, nor Bill Russell, nor Magic Johnson, nor Kobe Bryant.
No one’s ever raised a banner with such a pedestrian supporting cast; no one’s come so close to a title with so little surrounding him. For James, this incarnation of the Cavaliers only grows his mythology. The Warriors are the best team in the NBA, flush with talent, and James has dictated terms on them. He has transformed himself from Magic to Michael in these Finals, the shots coming faster and faster, reaching into the high 30s. He has no choice and no need to apologize.
“This is a totally different challenge,” James said. “I’ve never been where two All-Stars were out. It’s outside the box, but not too far.
“It’s not too far for me to grab.”
VIDEO: LeBron James dominates Game 3 of The Finals
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No. 3: Report: Mavs, not Spurs, could be big threat to land Aldridge — Portland Trail Blazers fans have heard it for months — if their superstar free-agent forward LaMarcus Aldridge is going leave this summer, he’ll head home to Texas and play for the San Antonio Spurs. While Aldridge has said in the past he wants to retire as the greatest Blazer ever, if he does head home, he may not be San Antonio-bound. Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report says the Dallas Mavericks may instead be higher on Aldridge’s wish list:
When it comes to NBA free agency, armchair general managers—as in everyone who isn’t an actual NBA GM—tend to pair available players with teams that have the cash and the need, as if the entire procedure is akin to acquiring and installing a missing part on a car.
The problem with that: Car parts don’t have feelings. Free agent LaMarcus Aldridge does. Among them: jealousy, disappointment, loyalty and fear. Jealousy over how other stars are treated. Disappointment over another postseason ending far too soon. Loyalty to a teammate and friend whose future is suddenly unknown. Fear that he will look back on his career and wonder about the road not taken.
All that, apparently, is why a source familiar with Aldridge’s thinking said several weeks ago that the about-to-be 30-year-old power forward was aggressively exploring options other than returning to Portland.
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Aldridge did not respond to messages seeking comment, nor did Blazers GM Neil Olshey. But sources from both sides of their relationship confirmed two significant points: First, Aldridge isn’t feeling the same way he did last summer when he publicly stated his intention of signing an extension with the Blazers this summer; second, there isn’t a clear-cut better situation for him than what he has in Portland.
Of his potential suitors, league sources indicate that the Mavericks are the biggest threat to pull Aldridge away from the Blazers, but it’s the general idea of returning to Texas, not a specific destination, that appeals to him. Both the Mavericks and Spurs, of course, could have the requisite cap space, reputation of success and location.
Both also may not be perfect fits. Several sources have indicated that the Spurs, for whatever reason, are either off his list or not very high on it. And the question concerning Dallas is: Does an aging Dirk Nowitzki truly give him a better chance of competing for a title? Dallas, sources say, is clearly interested, but where he sits on its priority list is not clear.
“LaMarcus feels, as all great players do, that wherever he goes he’ll have a great chance,” a source familiar with his thinking said. “But don’t think about this as what makes the most sense. He feels he’s been in Portland a long time and that maybe it’s time for a change. That’s what is driving this.”
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While a rumor about a sign-and-trade deal that would send him to the Celtics emerged, league sources are skeptical whether Aldridge or the Blazers would agree to one. For the Blazers, neither Boston’s 16th pick nor its young big men are enticing; for Aldridge, if Portland’s weather is as unappealing to him as it supposedly is, he certainly would want no part of New England winters. And while the East postseason competition is a little thinner, is there any reason to believe the Celtics have a chance of getting to the Finals before the Northwest Division-champion Blazers?
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SOME RANDOM HEADLINES: Ten key numbers to know from Game 3 of The Finals … LeBron James isn’t a one-man band in The Finals, but he’s darn close to it … What went right (and wrong) for both teams in Game 3 … Twenty-four second thoughts from Game 3 of The Finals … The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly hired two international marketing firms … Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers says his knee was bothering for a long time … Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak says the team has been unsuccessful in getting Karl-Anthony Towns in for a workout … Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut says trading for Kevin Love last summer wouldn’t have been a big upgrade for the team