CLEVELAND, Ohio - When you're wrong, you're wrong. And for me, it's time to eat crow.

It's official: Matthew Dellavedova is one fearless, hard-nosed son of a gun. The mark he has made in these Finals has been nothing short of amazing. The Cavaliers' backup point guard has completely overshadowed the league's MVP, Stephen Curry, and it hasn't even been close.

* Related: Dellavedova hospitalized with severe cramping

Dellavedova is doing it with a relentless drive and determination that's overpowering the long-range marksman. The second-year player went for a postseason career-high of 20 points in a Game 3 win over the Golden State Warriors to put the Cavaliers up 2-1 in the series.

Chants of "Delly, Delly" throughout the arena have become frequent, and the team hasn't missed a beat with Kyrie Irving gone for the season. No one saw this coming. I sure didn't, and for that, I must apologize.

In early March, I wrote about how head coach David Blatt was overusing Dellavedova and how he likely sees himself in the Australian. Blatt remembered that story and graciously invited me into his office for an exclusive interview after the Game 3 victory.

We sat on his sofa and that's when, as the young folks would say, he went in.

"And you were full of s---," Blatt said in hilarious fashion, referring to that article. "I've been waiting to tell you that for a long time."

His childhood friend from Boston was in the office as well and couldn't hold it together, bursting out in laughter.

"Chris is a man. He can take it," Blatt said with a smile. "And basically Chris is a real good guy, but sometimes, like other writers, when the sun goes down, they turn into a------."

Blatt was having fun. It wasn't anything malicious. It was just a couple of guys shooting the breeze, talking hoops. I asked what gave him the confidence to use Delly in crucial moments of games at a point in the season when the decision was unpopular. What was it that he saw that was unrecognizable to others, including me?

"I think the thing with Delly is that he has an impact above and beyond just what you see on the floor," he answered. "He's a character kid. He's a teammate He does the dirty work. He takes on the tasks that a lot of guys aren't willing to and he relishes it.

"It's hard to see it from the outside. It really is. I think it's a character thing. I really do. Plus he has a little bit more ability than people give him credit for. But he's not a thing of beauty and he's not ever going to wow you on SportsCenter except in unusual ways, but he's always going to be there."

J.R. Smith and Brendan Haywood were on the bench marveling at what Dellavedova was doing out there last night. While Dellavedova was locking down his man defensively, stepping in and hitting a 25-footer, knocking down clutch free throws, throwing alley-oops to LeBron James in transition and diving for loose balls, the two agreed during the game that this guy's story needed to be told in detail.

"We were just thinking on the bench that somebody has to write a book on this kid," Smith said. "Who would have thought he would be in the NBA Finals and 20,000 fans chanting his name? He's a rugby player and what not. To be in this situation, it's incredible.

"Every time he touches the ball, every time he gets a stop or whatever the case is, 20,000 people go berserk. For him in that situation, there are not too many people that get that chance, that opportunity. [If somebody said] 'Yo, would you ever think this would happen to a guy like that?' And I would say the only time it would happen to him is if it's in his dreams. Like seriously, that's a real-life storybook for him. It's a storybook setting."

Dellavedova isn't the fastest, the quickest, the most athletic, but he's getting the job done and giving the Warriors fits in the process. It's much easier to measure skill and talent, but quite the opposite when measuring a man's heart. That's what I missed initially with Delly - his heart.

His willpower and pursuit of excellence are what got him to this point. Those who observe his tremendous work ethic aren't surprised by the results produced on this mega stage.

"Delly gives all kids hope about making it to the NBA," Cavs big man Kendrick Perkins said. "You got a kid who puts in arguably the most work on the team. The way he studies film. Every time I walk in there, he's the first guy there. He done shot and lifted and ate breakfast and shot again and all types of s--- before I got there. If you were to see Delly on a daily basis, you would see why all this is coming together for him."

Those controversial minutes that Blatt played Dellavedova during the season prepared him for this moment. It gave him the confidence that he can excel at this level against the great point guards in this game. Had Blatt refused to play him like some had called for, what position would the Cavaliers be in currently?

The organization used forward thinking in its use of Dellavedova. The Cavs didn't know they would need him to play close to 40 minutes a game come the postseason, but they knew they would need him. Blatt was right all along in sticking with his guy and it's paying off like never before.

Right now this is Delly's world. And we, me included, are all going along for the ride. And boy, it has been one reliable ride.

"The big thing is you can always depend on him in a pinch," Blatt said. "There are not a lot of people like that. There are not a lot of friends like that. I know a lot of people that are friends and I wouldn't depend on them. I couldn't depend on them. This is a kid you can depend on. He's always going to be there for you. Always."