The Hawks have a history with Matthew Dellavedova – and it’s not good.
The Eastern Conference second-round postseason matchup means the Hawks will see a lot of the Cavaliers’ reserve guard over the next week or two.
NBA playoff series have a way of getting chippy when two teams play several times in a short period with so much at stake. Look at the Hawks’ first round series against the Celtics where Isaiah Thomas hit Dennis Schroder, seven on-court technical fouls were called, five flagrant fouls were awarded and, reportedly, a post-series challenge to ‘meet you in the back’ was issued.
In last year’s conference finals, Dellavedova ended Kyle Korver’s season after diving for a loose ball in Game 2 in Atlanta. Dellavedova rolled up on Korver’s right ankle and caused ligament damage that required surgery.
“You don’t let it be a thing,” Korver said about keeping a level head in the upcoming series. “I’m not going to answer the question anymore because it’s not a thing. You can’t acknowledge it or it’s a thing. So you don’t. You just play. There is no ill will. You expect every team to battle for every possession. That’s it.”
Dellavedova also dove low at Al Horford, who retaliated with a forearm and was ejected in the Hawks’ overtime loss in Game 3 in Cleveland.
“We learned last year the hard way and we understand the type of player that he is, what he does,” Horford said. “He’s a guy who plays hard. We all know we have to go out there and play our game. We have to compete. We are not worried about that.”
The Hawks open the second-round matchup with Game 1 Monday in Cleveland.
The challenge will be to not let Dellavedova get under their individual or collective skin with so much on the line.
“It’s the second round of the playoffs,” Paul Millsap said. “We know emotions flare. Things happen through the course of the game. We are humans. I think our best bet is to keep our emotions in check and leave it on the court. Don’t get carried into the shenanigans but play our game and try to play it the best we can.”
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said he will instruct his team to look at the bigger picture – but also not to back down.
“We always talk about what is most important and what is bigger,” Budenholzer said. “Whether it be someone being a little chippy or someone doing something a little bit out of line. The game and ultimately your team and finding a way to win or have success is more important than an individual moment or something that happens during the course of a game. You’ve got to be able to think about something bigger and the big picture while still maintaining your competitiveness, your edge, not backing down ever. That includes not backing down from what is more important is your team.”
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