The eyes of the world are on Cleveland this week. The NBA finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers are being broadcast in over 200 countries. Outside of Cleveland perhaps no one is watching with as much enthusiasm as Israel and Australia. Ideastream’s Mark Urycki reports those two countries have a particular interest in the games.
Anytime Akron-native LeBron James is involved in a championship series people will watch. But the seven foreign players on the Cavs and Warriors are attracting attention back home. And while Cleveland coach David Blatt is American, his family lives in Israel, where he used to coach. And that’s why Gil Tamary from Israel’s Channel 10 Television is in town. Tamary is their Washington correspondent but not this week. .
“In Israel millions of people are waking at 4 AM in the morning to watch every Cavs game. It’s an unbelievable phenomena.”
Throughout the season?
“Throughout the season, especially the finals. In Israel people are going to work every day with red eyes because they haven’t slept the entire night so it’s an incredible phenomenon. That’s the reason that I, the guy who usually covers politics, is here in Cleveland to cover coach Blatt and the huge story of the Cavaliers.”
Basketball has been big in the Holy Land for years and that’s seen in an old song from the late Israeli rock star Arik Einstein.
”San Francisco”
I watch Doctor J, tear down the nets
and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, touches the sky
It's a shame you're not here
With me to see it
It's so beautiful in San Francisco by the Water
“This song from the 70’s is about Kareem Abdul Jabbar who is touching the sky and Dr. J who is cutting the hoops. It’s a song that each and every Israeli loves to sing; it’s part of our culture.”
Down Under
On another side of the globe interest is coming from Australia. That’s the home of Warriors center Andrew Bogut and Cavaliers’ point guard Mathew Dellavedova. “Delly” has become the surprise of the Finals..
ABC TV announcer Mike Breen: “We are seeing the emergence of one of the most improbably playoff heroes in recent playoff history . . Dellavedova …”
Last year Aussie players like Patty Mills and Aron Baines were getting attention in the Finals playing for San Antonio and this year the attention was on Bogut. But then came Dellavedova and his surprising defense in games 1 and 2. Word reached Delly that his small hometown is following the series.
“My parents have told me back in Maryborough there’s a lot of support and then in Australia – watching Patty and Bainesy last year- there’s a lot of support and interest so yeah I’ve heard that with Bog’s and myself in the series a lot of people have been following.”
Aussie radio reporters wouldn’t normally be covering news in Cleveland but Sebastian Costello is here from the Austereo Radio Network
“No, the interest down under this year particularly is huge and I don’t think generally we would see too many on-the-ground reporters. But with Bogut on one side and Dellavedova on the other this is really special series for Australians.
“Did people know who Dellavedova was 6 months ago?
That’s a really good question, basketball heads yes, the general public no. One of the almost bittersweet things of these finals is though we’ve known about Bogut for a long time, we’re so proud of him, the coverage has been all about Delly. It’s all about Delly this year because of the surprise packet he’s been here. Also the really encouraging words a superstar like LeBron has had to say about him over the finals and playoffs at large.”
The Cleveland-like Aussie
After Tuesday’s game Coach Blatt called the small but scrappy Dellavedova “the most Cleveland-like Australian” he’s ever seen. Costello agrees with that saying the Cavs player comes from what was a rough and tumble gold-mining area and he follows Australian-rules football.
“He does, he goes for Collingwood. And Collingwood is a bit like Cleveland. The supporters are often teased for being a bit blue collar and that sort of thing. So as a Collingwood supporter he fits in as a Cleveland player.”
Do Aussies know that Kyrie Irving was also born there?
“We claim him but he did get the choice: play for Australia or play for the USA and he chose the USA. But whenever there’s a story like Kyrie – he was born in Melbourne where I’m from, where Bogut is from, and kind of where Dellavedova ‘s from – he’s more from the country –but the same state so – it will certainly claim him.”
The Cavaliers lead the series 2 game to 1 and will play game 4 tonight in Cleveland. The world will be watching.
Mark.Urycki@ideastream.org