The fervour with which those in Australian basketball have defended Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova after the American media mistook his tenacity for overstepping the boundaries of fairness was inevitable.

It's ingrained in Australian sporting culture to "go hard, or go home". When Dellavedova throws himself to the floor to swoop on loose balls, some NBA greats bemoan it as deliberately trying to take out the legs of opponents.

In Australia, it's the norm. If an athlete doesn't go all out to get a 50-50 call they don't last too long. When an AFL player misses his turn to put his body on the line and attack the ball, he's usually playing reggies the next week.

They get branded "soft". It's undoubtedly the worst slur an Aussie athlete can have bestowed upon them. Once you have that stigma placed upon you, it's hard to get rid of.

Aussies are expected to press the boundaries of fair play to within an inch of their lives for a competitive advantage. Like Dellavedova, whose game is far from textbook, the underdog is expected to compensate for deficiencies with determination, grit and pure heart.

But our athletes are also expected to avoid pumping up their own tyres in the process. It's why the Australian public has never fully warmed to Anthony Mundine. Great athlete, but his unashamed self-promotion simply doesn't wash with our tall poppy syndrome culture.

Lleyton Hewitt is another prime example. Australian tennis has arguably never witnessed a greater warrior. He was never the most gifted player on the circuit, but he left every ounce of effort on court every time which helped him become world no.1 and a dual Grand Slam winner.

Even his most harsh critics would deep down have respect for the competitiveness with which he approached every point.

In contrast Bernard Tomic has been labelled Tomic The Tank Engine for showing questionable application at times when he falls behind in matches. In this country, there's no greater sporting crime. Even if the chances of victory seem futile, you fight until the very end.

The Australian cricket team has built a reputation as world class sledgers. As former skipper Steve Waugh once described it, it's mental disintegration, a means of engaging their opponent in niggle and distracting them from the task at hand.

Do our baggy green men cross the line with their comments every now and then? No question. Some expect the so-called gentleman's game to be exactly that, while others feel binning the verbal banter would make for a sterile contest.

We're a nation of just 23 million people which punches above its weight in sport. We pride ourselves on defying those odds to look the rest of the world square in the eye and tell them we refuse to be intimidated.

It's why Delly, the unassuming young man from regional Victoria, has become our new pin-up boy. Awkward shooter, unathletic, but his effort levels are so enormous he was placed on a drip to rehydrate himself during the NBA finals.

A true underdog snubbed at his first NBA draft, proving everyone wrong by shutting down the league's MVP Steph Curry with pure desire.

That's the Australian way. It's a huge reason we've been able to defy the odds stacked against us and hold our own on the world stage.

Canberra Raiders halfback Sam Williams played on with a collapsed lung in a match this year. Fellow Raider Jordan Rapana did likewise with a fractured skull last year.

Why do you think some NRL clubs have struggled to adhere to the strict concussion protocol now in place? Players feel they're letting their teammates down if they leave the field, even if they severely risk their long-term health.

Our culture of being expected to "suck it up" and overcome adversity on the sporting field isn't about to change any time soon. The rest of the world had better get used to it.

Delly has the support of NBA superstar and Cleveland teammate LeBron James, who has continually defended his sidekick when his integrity has been questioned.

Like many Americans James still needs a crash course in Aussie footy codes, as Dellavedova grew up playing Australian rules, not rugby.

But his intended message has been clear.

"Delly comes from a rugby background, and if ever you guys have an opportunity to ever watch a rugby game you see how tough it is, and that's what it's about," James said on CNN this week.

"He brings it all. Everything that he has, he lays out on the floor. I think he dove on the ground last night an NBA finals record six times, (and) he was on the ground again after the game in the hospital, so you could probably say seven times.

"He gives us everything that he has, man, and we all appreciate it as his brothers and lining up beside him."

But it was Cavaliers coach David Blatt who put it best when asked about Dellavedova's guts in playing in his team's game four loss on Friday after spending time in hospital.

"He wasn't 100 per cent, but he gave us 100 per cent of what he had."

For an Aussie sportsperson, there's no greater compliment.