Delonte West Returns to Boston as Cavs Battle Celtics in Semis
While many are surprised that the Celtics needed seven games to dismiss the Hawks, one thing is sure — winning in Boston will not be easy.
On Tuesday night, Delonte West and the Cleveland Cavaliers will try to avoid a blowout as the Eastern Semifinals between the Cavs and the Celtics kicks off.
For Delonte, this series will become one of his strongest tests to date. He’ll be matched up against Rajon Rondo, a dramatically improved player now that he’s playing alongside Garnett and Allen.
Delonte West has a clear history with the Celtics, beginning with his being drafted by the team with their 24th pick in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft.
After spending three seasons with the organization, Delonte was traded (along with current Cavalier Wally Sczcerbiak) to the Seattle SuperSonics in a Draft Day deal that had Boston acquiring Ray Allen. Earlier in this season, the Cavaliers executed a trade that brought Delonte to Cleveland, making him the starting PG for the team.
In his two games against Boston, Delonte is averaging 19.5 points, 5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 30.5 minutes per game. The last time the Celtics and Cavs met, Boston won the game — but Delonte played extremely well. In that February 27th contest in Boston, Delonte was 8 for 13 from the floor scoring 20 points in the Celtics’ 92-87 victory.
The series is slated to play out as follows:
Tuesday, May 6 Cleveland 8:00 PM
Thursday, May 8 Cleveland 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 10 @ Cleveland 8:00 PM
Monday, May 12 @ Cleveland 8:00 PM
Wednesday, May 14 Cleveland*
Friday, May 16 @ Cleveland*
Sunday, May 18 Cleveland*
* Denotes games scheduled as needed. Television converage not yet determined.
Cavaliers Eliminate Wizards with Game 6 Victory
Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Washington Wizards on their home court with an impressive 105 to 88 win.
Advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Cavaliers are now slated to face the winner of the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks series, currently being played in Atlanta.
Delonte West had an impressive series, hitting the game winner and contributing well in tonight’s elimination game. West logged 25 minutes of play, scoring just 4 points while running the offense. Delonte fed his teammates with 7 assists while also pulling down three rebounds. In a clear sign of his effectiveness, Delonte was +12 while on the floor.
Here’s a final look at Delonte’s stats throughout the six games of this victorious series:
Game 1: 16 Points, 5 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Steals, 2 Blocks
Game 2: 3 Points, 3 Assists, 1 Rebound, 1 Steal
Game 3: 5 Points, 2 Assists, 1 Rebound
Game 4: 21 Points, 5 Assists, 2 Rebounds, 3 Steals
Game 5: 12 Points, 8 Assists, 5 Rebounds, 1 Steal
Game 6: 4 Points, 7 Assists, 3 Rebounds
Sonics Drop 2nd Straight as Suns Win 106-99
Delonte West scored just 2 points in Thursday night’s 106 - 99 loss to the Phoenix Suns. The home opener for the Sonics showed promise though, as first round and second overall draft pick Kevin Durant scored 27 points in 39 minutes. West only played in 13 minutes for the Sonics, earning three assists in thirteen minutes of play.
West Scores 19 in Seattle SuperSonics Debut
Delonte West played 24 minutes for the Sonics and contributed 19 points in Seattle’s season opener in Denver Wednesday night.
West made eight of his thirteen shot attempts, resulting in a 61.5% FG while also contributing five assists. The Sonics dropped to 0-1 on the season with the 120-103 loss, and immediately flew home to prepare for Friday night’s home opener.
In contractual news, The Seattle Times reports that the Sonics…
“did not give contract extensions to Robert Swift and newcomer Delonte West before the Wednesday deadline, allowing both to become restricted free agents after the season.”
Despite the lack of contract, Delonte shined is debut, and will likely leave everything he can on the floor to earn himself a lasting spot on the team.
On Friday, Delonte West and the Seattle SuperSonics host the Phoenix Suns in what appears to be a nationally televised game on TNT.
GM Sam Presti: West was Critical in Trade Talks
From the Supersonics.com Draft Buzz Blog:
This is one of the biggest nights in franchise history because of Durant, no doubt, but also because of the second top-five pick the Sonics added by trading Ray Allen to the Boston Celtics with the No. 35 pick in exchange for the rights to Jeff Green, guard Delonte West and swingman Wally Szczerbiak.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring in two players and people like Kevin Durant and Jeff Green,” said Presti, who also discussed the role West played in the deal, saying, “It’s hard to do a deal like this without Delonte West in the deal.”
I’ve heard mixed reactions on where Delonte will fit in on the SuperSonics roster. Stay tuned as more news and updates ae made available throughout the course of the off season.