Let’s face it: the NBA playoffs save for the Clippers-Spurs series have been awful this year. So many untimely injuries have hurt really good regular season teams at the worst time and created mis-matches in the playoffs. It’s why you really need to admire LeBron and what he has accomplished with the Cavs with the loss of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving being marginalized to a large extent.
SU has been struck by the play of Dellavedova and the havoc he has caused with injuries. He is the kind of player when if he’s on your team, he’s scrappy and a fighter. But for the opponent, he is annoying and worse, a hazzard to your health. Many of you have played pick-up hoops and you know there are guys out there who are always banging into you, low bridging and wreaking havoc. You learn to keep an eye out for them and avoid contact where possible. Dellavedova is a hustler but when he dives on the floor, he knows he will be slamming into other players’ legs and the reality is that he knows he may be causing injury. Sure, you want guys to be the first on the floor but SU believes he crosses the line and it’s no accident that Corver and Horford either were injured or almost injured. LeBron will defend him but trust me: if he was on the other team and undercut LeBron, there would not be big hugs all around.
Basketball players are a fraternity to a point but over the years there have been plenty of these types of players who play hard but cross the line: Rick Mahorn; Bill Lambier; Psycho T on the Raptors (Tyler Hansbrough). In baseball, it’s even a stronger fraternity with big hugs all around on the bases and you see little of this except for the occasional hard slide at 2nd base or a brushback pitch. And in the NFL, it’s the other extreme as defensive backs are looking to maim and injure as much as possible.
Long-time SU subscriber A. Grossman emailed SU (mistakenly not just posting his comment on the blog) in all CAPS which I have maintained here to reflect the intensity of his comments:
“BEFORE I REMIND YOU TO WATCH A NON STOP INTENSE GAME WHERE EVERY PLAYER GIVES 110%… UNLIKE ANY OTHER SPORT I AM GAINING MORE AND MORE FAVOR IN PLACING LEBRON EVER SO CLOSE TO MICHAEL JORDAN AS THE GREATEST PLAYER OUTSIDE OF WILT CHAMBERLAIN TO EVER PLAY THE GAME. OK… SO HE DOESN’T HAVE 6 RINGS… BUT HE HAS GONE TO THE FINALS 5 STRAIGHT TIMES WITH THIS CURRENT ONE BEING THE MOST IMPRESSIVE BASED ON WHAT SUPPORTING CAST HE HAS TO WORK WITH. I DON’T THINK JORDAN COULD DO WHAT HE HAS DONE WITH THE CAVALIERS SITUATION AS WELL.”
I PUT CHAMBERLAIN AHEAD OF EVERYONE ELSE BECUASE HIS STATS WERE AS OFF THE CHARTS AS GRETSKY’S WERE… EVEN MORE SO… AND DONE WITHOUT REAL GUIDANCE FROM HIS COACHES. HE WAS THE MOST UNSTOPPABLE SPORTS FIGURE EVER…. BESIDES BABE RUTH.
SU would agree. He can be a bit too impressed with himself at times but he is one of the all time greats even at this point in his career.
Are the Rangers’ faithful feeling confident? Anyone want to weigh in?
Sports Update Intergalactic 
Couldn’t agree more re Dellavadova! It’s like in the NFL- while everyone always gives 110%, there’s an appropriate way to do that (ie don’t hit the qb low). You must be a professional and play hard the “right way”
Harris, I was also struck by some of the dirty plays by the Houston Rockets in game 5 late by Jason Terry and Dwight Howard. I didn’t think Trevor Ariza’s tangles with Curry and Thompson were dirty – just unfortunate contact. But Terry went out of his way to cheap shot someone and Dwight likes to maim people with his picks. They can perfect those moves now with their free time.