Guarding Stephen Curry has its consequences, according to Matthew Dellavedova originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Everyone knows that Stephen Curry is one of the greatest players of his generation. He has proven that he is a top player because of his three-point shooting, clutch factor, and overall ability. However, he is also a nightmare matchup for any defender.
For anyone who watched Curry play, they will see that he is one of the toughest players to stop because of his constant off-ball movement. Staying in front of him is challenging, which is made even harder with all the off-ball screens that Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has the players setting for Steph.
Matthew Dellavedova gives a glimpse into how tough it is to guard Stephen Curry
One of the players who has stood out when defending Curry was Matthew Dellavedova. The first big stage he had to defend the Warriors superstar was in the 2015 NBA Finals, especially when Kyrie Irving went down with an injury.
It was one of the toughest matchups that Dellavedova had to endure during his career. Not only was he trying to chase Curry all over the place, but he had to be physical against the Warriors. It was a draining task, but he was ready to contribute for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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The role Dellavedova had to play against the Warriors was tough because he was having his physical limits tested. In the locker room, he was feeling the brunt of the job he had to do, and that landed him in the hospital after Game 3 of the 2015 Finals.
"They like cut my tights. They’re trying to rub ice. My quads are cramping. My hamstrings are cramping. So you can’t stretch one or the other. I’m just in a world of hurt. Then they like carry me and put me in the ice bath up to like here, and I’m just sitting there and slowly the cramps kind of go away. And then we only had 1 day between the games," Dellavedova said on Richard Jefferson's YouTube channel.
Cramps are no joke, especially at the highest level. Fortunately for Dellavedova, he managed to keep playing and standing out for the Cavaliers. Now, he can look back on the ring that he won in 2016 with the Cavs, where he became known as the premier defender against Curry.
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