INDEPENDENCE, Ohio --
Matthew Dellavedova will be in the lineup for Game 4 of the Finals, but after
suffering from dehydration in Game 3, he won't be sticking to one of his
tried-and-true pregame rituals.
The Cleveland Cavaliers
starting point guard will eschew his tradition of his pregame -- and sometimes
halftime -- cup of joe.
"There will be no
coffee tonight," Dellavedova said after Cavs shootaround Thursday.
"It's not a good thing, probably, for your hydration."
Dellavedova's coffee
kick is so ingrained in the Cavs' team fabric that, on occasion, injured center
Anderson Varejao will go fetch him a cup and bring it to him in the locker room
before tipoff.
However, Dellavedova
said that he's exerting himself too much these days to risk the caffeinated
beverage. Dellavedova had to be taken by ambulance to the Cleveland Clinic
following Tuesday's win over the Golden State Warriors to receive an IV and
additional treatment and has been on a regimented diet, massage, hydration and
stretching program since.
"The Finals'
intensity is probably a little bit different to the regular season,"
Dellavedova said. "You just try to lay it out there. So, you're just
pushing yourself."
Dellavedova, who has
averaged 40.5 minutes in the two Finals games since Kyrie Irving was ruled out
with a fractured left kneecap after Game 1, said he will not have a minutes
restriction in Game 4, a fact that doesn't surprise LeBron James.
"I mean, whatever
he has in the tank, he's going to give it all," James said. "If he
has to go through dehydration and cramping again, I think he'll probably do it
again. He gives it all to our team and we just try to reciprocate that back to
him, let him know that we're out there giving it our all as well."
Dellavedova said the
adrenaline generated by the Cleveland home crowd will have to take the place of
a jolt of java.
"I think having
20,000 screaming fans is probably a little bit stronger than a cup of
coffee," Dellavedova said.
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