OUR joke-swapping was done in a New York minute. But my sportswriter-broadcaster friend and I had fun nonetheless.
“When I was told Matthew Dellavedova is a good-looking baller, I immediately wondered if he’s a long lost son of … Percy Della,” the sportswriter-broadcaster quipped on Facebook, to which I replied:
“The name Dellavedova sounds Italian and Czechoslovakian, so Matt’s probably a long-lost relative since my family is of Italian and Ilocoslovakian descent.”
The blue-collar Cleveland Cavaliers guard has been the topic around the water cooler lately since becoming the new sidekick of LeBron James.
Minus starters Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the Cavaliers, with James finding tons of shots and Dellavedova providing stellar defense, are now tied with the heavily favored Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals at 2-2.
Stung in Game 3, the Warriors came back to hand the injury-wracked Cavaliers an embarrassing home loss, 103-82, to even the championship series.
Both teams are bent on ending their respective NBA title droughts. Golden State last won the Larry O’Brien trophy in 1975. The Cavaliers are in the Finals for the second time since 2007.
The thought of Dellavedova turning out to be the story of this year’s Finals must be bugging the Warriors no end.
The 24-year-old who is almost unknown in his native Australia is proving to be a thorn on Golden State’s side.
He scored the two free throws that sealed the Warriors’ fate in Game 2.
And then he made a season-high 20 points, including a crucial 3-pointer late, and put the clamps on league MVP Stephen Curry in Cleveland’s 96-91 Game 3 win at home in Quicken Loans Arena Tuesday.
And to think that Matthew is an undrafted product of St. Mary’s College, a small liberal arts school in Moraga near Oakland, must be bothering the Warriors even more.
But hardcore fans worldwide see why Dellavedova is playing on the game’s mega stage.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt said it all when he credited Matthew’s resolve and quest for excellence for getting him to this point.
Blatt emphasized that Dellavedova puts in the most work among his players, so he deserves to be in the game.
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American Pharoah achieved the most difficult feat in sports last week.
The Kentucky-bred and California-trained thoroughbred with the misspelled name outclassed seven three-year-olds to win the Belmont Stakes and complete a sweep of American horse racing’s Triple Crown.
A Triple Crown winner after 37 years is a big boost to a faltering Sport of Kings worldwide.
American Pharoah is only the 12th thoroughbred to win the Crown. That means big bucks from stud fees after his racing days.
News reports said that the horse’s owners, Zayat Stables, sold his breeding rights for over $20 million before the Belmont.
Even if they paid a King’s ransom, the new owners have a good shot at making a windfall from their investment.
According to CNN Money, American Pharoah could make between $6 million and $7.5 million in stud fees every year for many years to come.
Evan Hammonds, executive editor of the trade publication BloodHorse, agrees. He said as a Triple Crown winner, Pharoah could collect as much as $100,000 per foal in stud fees.