Despite this sideshow, Cleveland still managed to win on the road at Golden State to force Game 6 and further raise the argument that Love is no longer needed or welcomed in the Cavaliers “Big 3”.
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Summary: Probably the closest to the 2007 Finals in that LeBron was without Kyrie Irving (injured in overtime in Game 1) and Kevin Love for pretty much the entire series.
After coming off the bench in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Kevin Love returned to the starting lineup on Monday.
Draymond Green’s return for Game 6 presents further matchup problems for Love, who will have to contend with one of the most versatile players in the National Basketball Association. The Warriors can clinch back-to-back titles with a win on Monday in Game 5 at the Oracle Arena in Golden State.
More often than not on offense, Love stands in a corner and waits for his teammates to make plays.
Or they could be like the Warriors and help improve the league in increasing competition and making others work harder to be that good.
The problem is: he is never consistent from that area or anywhere on the court. Irving and James now become the first set of teammates in NBA Finals history to score 40 plus points in the same game.
He played for 33 minutes, registered two points on 1 of 5 shooting from the field and grabbed three defensive rebounds. Cleveland also doesn’t have first round draft picks in 2016 and 2018 to attach as trade assets, and league rules prohibit trading away two consecutive first-round picks. He went 0 of 3 from the three-point line.
To be clear, this isn’t an indictment on the “Big 3” approach, which is still a championship-proven method. With due respect to Mr. Love, he is growing useless for Tyronn Lue. Why?
Memorable moment: The defining moment of the 2012 playoffs for LeBron really came in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. The Warriors looked flat on defense, struggling to cut off passes and cause turn overs and even at times having issues with putting hands in the faces of Cleveland shooters.
Love, according to the report, is not doing any favors for the Cavaliers. The Cavs cannot do the same with Kevin Love.
LeBron won’t ever be that guy, which is a disappointment regardless of how many billions he’ll make going forward.
The Cavs would have had two slashing forwards at their disposal.
Hosts of ESPN’s His & Hers, Michael Smith and Jemele Hill, believe Love needs to be traded, especially if the Cavs lose in the finals for a second straight year. However, the less the Cavs have relied on him this series, they’ve been successful. If anything, he’s already becoming a liability to the Cavs and he is slowing the team down.
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That shift would allow the Cavs more versatility and the chance to surround LeBron with more of those coveted two-way, positionless players.
