Kevin Love drilled in the face, resuscitated by J.R. Smith (Video)

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love gets drilled in the face by a pass during warmups. Teammate J.R. Smith saves him by bringing him back to life.

In the moments leading up to the biggest game of the regular season in the Eastern Conference between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics, things got a little scary on the Cavaliers’ side of the court. Okay not really, but power forward Kevin Love did get drilled in the face.

He was near the corner-three getting ready for the game when Love took a

wrench

ball to the face. Love couldn’t dodge that ball and hit the TD Garden hardwood like a sack of potatoes. It’s cool, because teammate/emergency doctor J.R. Smith revived him like it was a game of Call of Duty.

In all seriousness, Love was okay after taking a basketball to the noggin. He’s got a game to play that will probably end up deciding home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Boston and Cleveland entered Wednesday night tied atop the East with identical 50-27 records. There is a good chance these two Eastern power could meet in the conference finals in late May.

For the Cavaliers to repeat as NBA Champions, Love’s got a lot to do with it. His ability to stretch the floor with his smooth stroke from three allows LeBron James to attack the rim at will. Love’s commitment to excellence on the glass in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals helped sway the deciding game Cleveland’s way last June.

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Cleveland has not looked impressive since the All-Star Game. Boston has gotten better over the course of the season, while Cleveland has hovered around .500 on the road. Home-court advantage will be key in the Cavaliers want to come out of the East this June.