Fansided

Kyrie Irving, Matthew Dellavedova went at it in practice, per teammate

By Alexandra Huber

Jan 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) is congratulated by guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) after Irving
Jan 28, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) is congratulated by guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) after Irving /
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Tristan Thompson reveals that teammates Kyrie Irving and Matthew Dellavedova would “f*ck each other up” in practice.

The Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves back in the Eastern Conference Finals and some intense practice sessions could be a reason why.

First, let’s start with a question: How did Matthew Dellavedova, the undrafted guard out of St. Mary’s, become the hero of the Cavaliers’ Game 6 win over the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals?

Was it hard work and determination? Of course. Did he learn from his teammate LeBron James, the best player in the league? Definitely. Was it the coaching prowess of David Blatt? Eh.

Another factor in Dellavedova’s ascension could be his intense practice sessions with Kyrie Irving, at least if you ask Tristan Thompson. “Yeah, they used to f*ck each other up,” Thompson, the Cavs power forward, told ESPN. “The used to go after it every day. There would be times when they’d be ready to fight each other.”

Irving remembers it similarly:

"“I played [Dellavedova] in the summer time and he was going into summer league, I was going into my third year and I was like, ‘Who the hell is this kid?’ I was like, I’ve never heard of him. I had heard of him, because of St. Mary’s, but I had never played against him. So, I’m coming in and he just basically, every fast break, he was just fouling the shit out of me. I was like, ‘OK, well, maybe I’ll see him in training camp.’ So, we went through training camp, every single day we went against each other and damn near almost fought every single day."

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After all, practice doesn’t make perfect. Bad-ass practice does. Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

"“It was just the pride that he had and the pride that I had,” Kyrie added. “You know, I love a guy when he challenges me and I’m not going to back down and he’s not going to back down from me – which I didn’t expect… I wouldn’t want a different teammate.”"

As the Cavs find themselves rolling through the playoffs, it seems that any previous bad blood has been washed away. The pair’s teamwork has paid off for them thus far. Let’s see what happens in this series against the Atlanta Hawks.

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