Matthew Dellavedova has support of hometown newspaper

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova shared on Instagram Tuesday’s front page of The Maryborough District Advertiser, his hometown newspaper, which read “Go Delly!”

Although the basketball world has taken to the question of whether Matthew Dellavedova is a “dirty player” this postseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers guard has clear support from one notable source: his hometown newspaper.

On Tuesday, the front page of The Maryborough District Advertiserread “Go Delly!” beneath a photo of a group of young Cavs fans holding up “GO DELLY” signs.

It was a nice show of support for Dellavedova, who’s become an important role player for the Cavs during their run to the NBA Finals. Over 14 playoff games, he’s averaging 7.0 points and 2.6 assists in 21.9 minutes. On a per-36 minutes basis, the second-year guard is averaging 11.5 points in the playoffs, up from 8.3 during the regular season and 8.9 for his career.

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On Wednesday, Dellavedova expressed his appreciation for the Advertiser’s cover.

“It is always a cool feeling knowing my hometown (Maryborough, Victoria, Australia) is supporting me - the local newspaper turned Wine & Gold!! Thank you [thumbs-up emoji] #ALLinCLE,” he wrote on Instagram.

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A post shared by matthewdelly (@matthewdelly)

The notion of Dellavedova being “dirty” stemmed from early-round mix-ups with the likes of Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver and Al Horford, but with the Cavaliers seeking their first-ever NBA Finals championship, it seems likely the Australian will do all he can to stay on the court.

After all, he has quite the contingent of fans rooting for him.

- Mike Fiammetta