It goes without saying that Kevin Love is crucial to the Cavaliers鈥 success. It isn鈥檛 just because he鈥檚 an All-Star who averaged 18 and nine before a freak play broke his hand in late January. More importantly, it鈥檚 because he has been around a while; he鈥檚 one of only four players remaining from the roster that made the 2015 National Basketball Association Finals. Which is to say he knows the intricacies of supporting top dog LeBron James. Indeed, as easy as the latter seems to make life for teammates, the attendant demands come with a learning curve that isn鈥檛 for the faint of heart.
Parenthetically, Love himself needed some time before he could pull his weight alongside James; throughout his first year with the Cavaliers, in fact, he struggled to find his place, so much so that he even became the subject of a 鈥渇it out, fit in鈥 tweet from the four-time Most Valuable Player. After a productive offseason air-it-out talk between the two, however, he has proven his worth through two more Finals stints and a campaign featuring him as the clear second option in light of the departure of fellow All-Star Kyrie Irving.
If there was any doubt of Love鈥檚 place in the pecking order, it was laid to rest after his outstanding showing yesterday. Playing on a minutes restriction in his first game back from an extended stay in the sidelines, he put up a heady 18, seven, and four punctuated by four-of-nine shooting from three-point territory. The spacing he provided was exactly what the Cavaliers needed to keep the Bucks at bay, and what they require going forward. Likewise, it bears noting that he was a force in the middle on defense, not a given in the face of his acknowledged limitations.
Moving forward, Love figures to give the Cavaliers some measure of stability. It鈥檚 no coincidence that they treaded mediocrity in his absence, going 11 and 10 and tumbling to fourth in conference standings. As he slowly gets his bearings back in his familiar place as a starter, so should they improve their competitiveness. Even as they still miss the services of Tristan Thompson, Rodney Hood, and Cedi Osman, they have cause to be optimistic. As James noted, 鈥渋t鈥檚 great to have him back.鈥 Enough said.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994.
