JR Smith appeared on JJ Redicks podcast The Old Man & The Three and told an unsurprising story about former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Matthew Dellavedova. Smith talked about the 2015 NBA Finals vs the Golden State Warriors, and how Dellavedova pushed his body to the limits guarding Stephen Curry.
“Literally, almost died. We have footage of this man in the ice tub randomly to his neck trying to guard this man.”
The authenticity in Smith's voice is apparent. He tells about the sheer effort that Dellavedova exhibited both on and off the court to be the best potential defender on Curry. Because of this effort, Smith chronicles how much respect that Dellavedova earned from him.
“He literally gave everything he had, and there was no excuse. There wasn't like ‘oh he just had it going' or ‘oh I'm trying'…it wasn't none of that. He could barely talk after that's how hard he was trying.”
Claiming that Dellavedova couldn't even muster the energy to speak after puts the difficulty of guarding Stephen Curry into a little more perspective. It also speaks to how hard Dellavedova worked himself to guard him, but there is little doubt that Curry is one of the most mobile players in the game.
Matthew Dellavedova earned notoriety in Cleveland for his Cavaliers' days, including ones during the 2016 NBA Finals run. Dellavedova is gearing up for this year's 2023 NBA Playoffs with the Sacramento Kings, but he will certainly appreciate the testament to his work ethic from former teammate JR Smith.
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