With 2:27 remaining in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the Warriors had cut a Cavaliers lead that was once at 20 points down to one, and seemed ready to continue their push to take control of this game, and potentially, the series.
But Matthew Dellavedova came up huge, just as he’s been doing for Cleveland the entire postseason.
Delly was absolutely mauled by Stephen Curry on a drive to the basket, but he somehow managed to float a high-arcing bank shot up and in as he stumbled to the floor.
The shot was indeed ridiculous, but Klay Thompson chose to characterize it in another way afterward.
From Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com:After Game 3 in Cleveland, players were defensive, annoyed. After a reporter asked Draymond Green whether the players needed to “pump each other up,” the response wasn’t altogether inviting. ...
There was angst over opportunities lost.
“I mean, that shot [Matthew Dellavedova] hit when we were down one when Steph fouled him, that was just lucky, man,” Klay Thompson said. “I guarantee he doesn’t practice that shot so, big player though, and we’re not going to let this game deflate us.”
The frustration in the Golden State locker room is understandable with the team now trailing 2-1 in the series. But the same can surely be said for some of Curry’s late-game looks, yet it’s unlikely that the Cavaliers would choose to discount any of those shots in the same way.
