Aussies in NBA Finals: Dellavedova talks Game 3 adjustments, guarding Splash Brothers

Despite his Cleveland Cavaliers facing an 0-2 series deficit, Matthew Dellavedova is confident going back to the friendly confines of the Quicken Loans Arena for Games 3 and 4.

Dellavedova understands adjustments need to be made though, as the Cavs have lost by a combined 48-points in the first two games.

“We’re obviously in a tough spot,” Dellavedova said, via Starting5online. “We’ll look at the tape, everybody will watch that. We’ll have meetings, practices and shootarounds to go over what we need to do to get the job done in Game 3.”

Tyronn Lue has wanted the Cavs to play with a faster pace in the series, and Dellavedova echoed his coach's sentiments.

“We need to do a few things differently,” Dellavedova said. “It helps when we get stops on defence because we can get out in transition and that’s the easiest way to score in the game.”

The Cavaliers have yet to lose a game at home this post-season, and Dellavedova is confident heading back to Cleveland.

“When we get back to Cleveland, we are obviously comfortable playing there,” Dellavedova said. “We have a great home crowd and we are looking forward to getting back on track in Cleveland.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Bhqsqu8HC0

Dellavedova hasn’t had much of an opportunity to make an impact in the Finals. In 13.8 minutes per game, Dellavedova is averaging 4.5 points and 1.5 assists per game, while shooting 25.0 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the three-point line.

However, the challenge of containing the Golden State Warriors’ dynamic duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson isn’t lost on Dellavedova.

“The easiest way is try to not let them get a catch,” Dellavedova said about guarding Curry and Thompson. “Once they have the ball, they’re dangerous. They’re both obviously great players, so they’re going to hit tough shots. You just got to stay with it and keep trying to make it as hard as possible.”

One of the main weapons that Curry and Thompson posses is their ability to go on a run in a matter of minutes, turning a game on its head. Dellavedova is weary of that fact, but insisted you need to keep a level head when the Warriors’ go on one of those runs.

“You can’t get discouraged or get down when they go on a run,” Dellavedova said. “You just got to stay with the gameplan, try to get a stop, try to get a score, just to calm it down and stay with it.”

Dellavedova was treated to a bunch of boos in Game 2, after his incident with Andre Iguodala in Game 1, where the Aussie made accidental contact with the Golden State forward's groin. He dismissed the situation though, and declined to comment on Iguodala saying some guys need to get dirty to make a living, which was interrupted as a jab at Dellavedova.

Game 3 of the NBA Finals is on Thursday at 11:00am (AEDT).