Matthew Dellavedova is totally fine with the idea that he's annoying
At a press conference before Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Dellavedova was asked if he sees himself as annoying.
This great exchange with a reporter followed (h/t ASAP Sports):
REPORTER: Matthew, are you an annoying player?
MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA: Am I annoying player?
R: Yeah.
MD: Well, I've never played against myself, so...
R: Would you find yourself annoying?
MD: Yeah, I think I would. In college guys would try all kinds of things to just distract me or get under my skin and things like that.
Dellavedova has been called a "dirty player" and a "pest" because of a few specific plays during the playoffs.
The first questionable play came during the Easter Conference Semifinals when Dellavedova wrapped his legs around Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls after they both fell to the court during a box-out attempt:
In the Eastern Conference Finals, Dellavedova rolled over Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver's ankle while diving for a loose ball:
And then later in the series, Al Horford and Dellavedova got at it when Dellavedova fell and hit Horford's lower leg. Horford responded by elbowing Dellavedova:
Dellavedova's intense defense isn't the only thing that's led opposing players and fans to call him annoying, his late game heroics has also been a contributing factor. During the last few minutes of Game 3, with the Cavaliers clinging to a one point lead, Dellavedova drove to the lane and hit a ridiculous one-handed bank shot while drawing a foul:
Announcer Jeff Van Gundy was left amazed:
"Stumbling. Bumbling. Contact. Bank is open! This guy - I would have never have thought in this type of a game he could be this good."
The Cavaliers will hope Dellavedova continues his "annoying" ways when they square off against the Warriors in Game 4 Thursday night.