As the Cleveland Cavaliers find themselves climbing out of an NBA Finals hole – again – they are also realizing that Kevin Love is useless
Kevin Love wanted a high-five from LeBron James. Instead, the King returned by yelling at poor Love.
It might have been too rude for some but the truth is: Kevin Love deserved the reaction he got from His Majesty. Yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers extended the NBA Finals to a Game 6 back in Quicken Loans Arena after defeating the Golden State Warriors, 112-97, in Game 5 at Oracle Arena.
Yes, the Cavs have trimmed down the Warriors’ NBA Finals lead, 3-2.
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And yes, they needed LeBron James and Kyrie Irving to score 41 points, EACH, for them to win against the Warriors who played without suspended Draymond Green. Also, the Warriors lost Andrew Bogut in Game 5 due to injury and GSW fans can only pray that Bogut will be healthy come Game 6.
But where on earth was Kevin Love during Game 5?
One word: Missing.
Yes, Kevin Love proved that he’s more than a good power forward during his playing days with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not all power forwards in the league can score from the outside, or move the way he’s proven he can.
The problem is: he is never consistent from that area or anywhere on the court. That problem was very visible during Game 5.
He played for 33 minutes, registered two points on 1 of 5 shooting from the field and grabbed three defensive rebounds. He also committed four personal fouls and two turnovers. He went 0 of 3 from the three-point line.
And yet, he’s a vital part of the Cavs’ Big 3? With due respect to Mr. Love, he is growing useless for Tyronn Lue. Why? He’s only averaging seven points a game during the Finals, far from his 15-point a game average during the playoffs.
He is giving the Warriors a chance to run every time he shoots blanks. Why? His field goal percentage is 37 percent during the Finals, 28 percent from beyond the three-point line. Kevin Love hasn’t found his range and the Cavs are the ones suffering for his inability to score on a consistent basis.
Again, with all due respect to Kevin Love, the Cavs should have stuck with Andrew Wiggins instead of trading for Love. Why? LeBron would have gone at the power forward spot and Wiggins at the small forward spot.
The Cavs would have had two slashing forwards at their disposal. Such a pity, isn’t it? That deal wasted such a young talent and caused the Cavs organization the money that hasn’t returned.
The Cavs lost to the Warriors last year with Irving and Love injured. This year? They are one loss away from being a runner-up for the second straight year. Big 3, you say?
Game 5 proved otherwise.
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He may have been a good power forward during his early years but his inconsistency is part of what’s dooming the Cavs during the Finals. If anything, he’s already becoming a liability to the Cavs and he is slowing the team down.
Kevin Love may be a max player for the Cavs but, is he still worth the money? More importantly, is he still a worthy member of the Cavs’ Big 3?