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Matthew Dellavedova retail gear spurring rarely seen spike in demand

Call it supply and Dell-mand.

Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova is turning into a hot commodity in the retail world, coming off another inspired performance that helped Cleveland take a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals over the Golden State Warriors.

On Wednesday, Dellavedova had the best-selling NBA player jersey on Fanatics, the nation's largest licensed online sports retailer.

In fact, boosted by sales on Wednesday, more Dellavedova jerseys have now been sold in the Finals than had been sold during the entire regular season, said Fanatics president of merchandising Jack Boyle.

"We don't see players rise to top from out of nowhere like this often," Boyle said. "The last time we saw something like this was when (New York Giants wide receiver) Odell Beckham Jr. made that catch. Like Dellavedova, he shot right to the top."

Boyle said that sales on Dellavedova items started spiking on the site around the third quarter of Tuesday night's Game 3, as the Australian native was on his way to a personal playoff-high 20 points, while helping limit NBA MVP Stephen Curry to 5-of-12 shooting.

From 4 p.m. ET Tuesday to 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, Fanatics sold Dellavedova items to consumers located in 20 states.

Even though Dellavedova is a free agent next year, Boyle said the company's on-demand print capabilities make it easier to make product ready for the market without too much risk.

Jerseys and T-shirts weren't the only thing being bought on Wednesday. Fathead, which is owned by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, started selling Dellavedova wall posters.

Said Fathead spokesman Brian Stevenson: "Delly fans demanded it and Fathead delivered."

Dellavedova went to the hospital after Game 3 due to severe dehydration, but was released on Wednesday and expects to play in Game 4 on Thursday.