The Cleveland Cavaliers didn't need Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love or even LeBron James to put up points in their semi-final clincher against the Chicago Bulls. Instead it was Matthew Dellavedova who led the charge.
Dellavedova does not regularly feature in the Cavalier's top scorers column, in fact, he has only top-scored for the team once before, in 149 games.
But with Love out for the season, Irving benched with a knee injury and LeBron struggling to find his shot, he answered the Cavalier's call when they needed it most, in game six on Friday (AEST).
Dellavedova shot an efficient seven of 11 from the floor for 19 points to pace the Cavalier's scoring in their 94-73 smackdown of the Chicago Bulls, while playing lock-down defence on one-time NBA MVP Derrick Rose.
His efforts did not go unnoticed by his more-celebrated teammates.
"He's the toughest guy in the team," James said.
"I know he's tough as nails and the one thing about Delly is he never makes one mistake.
"I'm so happy for him and proud of his performance in the absence of Kyrie."
Iman Shumpert, well known for his own ability to turn a game was also a fan - "Told Yall Delly's da man," Shumpert tweeted.
The win on Chicago's homecourt sealed the series 4-2 for Cleveland and takes them to an Eastern Conference final against either the Washington Wizards or Atlanta Hawks.
But on Thursday night in the second city, it was all about Dellavedova.
The Bulls could not find an answer to the Cavs after Irving was subbed out at the 9:47 minute mark of the second quarter, with the team going on a 23-9 run to close out the half and lead 58-44 at the break.
Dellavedova was the catalyst, but the man himself was typically reserved in his own post-match comments.
"They put so much attention on Bron and you know he's going to find you when you're open. Kyrie was out for the second half so I knew I was going to be out there. It's easy to let shots go when your teammates have that much confidence in you," Dellavedova said.
"I've pictured myself making important plays in the game.
"It was nice to be able to help the team out tonight."
While Dellavedova was the star for the Cavaliers, it was another unlikely hero who led the way for Houston as they squared their series with the LA Clippers at 3-3.
Josh Smith, unwanted by the Detroit Pistons mid-season, the star with 14 fourth quarter points as the Rockets overturned a 19-point deficit to run out 119-107 winners and force a game seven in Houston.
The Clippers capitulation at the Staples Center one of the great playoff chokes in recent memory saw them outscored 40-15 in the final quarter.
Blake Griffin, who finished with 28 points for Los Angeles, didn't score in the final period, nor did Matt Barnes or DeAndre Jordan.
"We gave this one away, there's no doubt about that," said Clippers coach Doc Rivers.
"We got very tentative.
"Very few people even wanted to shoot in stretches. It happens, but it's awful to watch."
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