After Game 2 of the Finals, a lot of fans from both sides wondered if Cavs belligerent backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova really stopped regular season MVP and Warriors leader Stephen Curry. But NBA legend Charles Barkley was quick to clarify the incident.
It is true that the last game was a total struggle for Curry. He shot a miserable 5-of-23 from the field (including 2-of-15 from rainbow territory) and settled for only 19 points as the Golden State Warriors fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in OT, 95-93.
The series is now tied at 1-1 and many are quick to conclude that Delly is the key to stopping the baby-faced assassin in this championship fight.
If you look at the stats, then you might consider the possibility.
In Game 2, when guarded by Dellavedova, Curry produced zero points (yes, nada) on 0-of-8 shooting (0-of-5 from beyond the arc) and 4 turnovers. When Steph is guarded by anyone else, he was able to score 17 points, shooting 4-of-10 field goals, including 2-of-7 from downtown, and 1 turnover. (Source: ESPN)
On the surface, the argument does make a lot of sense as the numbers speak for themselves. On the other hand, it is also quite possible that Steph was just having an ordinary off-night like all of the great shooters in history.
In fact, Sir Charles has something to say about that.
The former league MVP and now TNT analyst quickly doused Delly's flame of notoriety by saying in a recent radio interview that the impression of Dellavedova stopping Curry is "ridiculous", as per Bleacher Report's Thomas Duffy.
Barkley cautioned fans to "slow down" with their glorification of the Australian enforcer. He also added that the MVP will ultimately "kill that kid in the overall scheme of things."
While Barkley was right to clear everyone's head when it comes to Delly's defense against Curry so that the team would not be over-reliant, it is also but right for Cavs fans to savor the idea in between the moments from here to Game 3.
Can Dellavedova do it again? We have 24 hours to find out.