NBA Finals Preview: After ‘The Stop,’ Kevin Love is a different player

During the 2007 NBA Finals, the Spurs found a weakness in LeBron James’ game and exploited it. LeBron didn’t want to shoot jumpers, so they dared him to. Every time the Cavaliers ran LeBron off a screen, San Antonio’s defenders went under, wayyyyyy under, giving him an obscene amount of room to shoot. LeBron made just 32 of his 90 shots in the series (35.5 percent), and the Cavaliers got swept.

In 2013 with the Heat, LeBron met the Spurs again in the finals. Gregg Popovich drew up the same defense. Go under LeBron, dare him to shoot. Not only does it force LeBron to take his least efficient shot, it also gets the ball out of the hands of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Miami’s shooters. Only this time LeBron made 67 of his 150 shots (44.7 percent). LeBron got more crafty in getting to the rim, but he also turned into a better perimeter shooter.

LeBron got good enough, and the Spurs couldn’t make him pay for taking outside jump shots anymore. LeBron was even able to take advantage of them going under screens against him a few times, including the game-clinching shot in Game 7.

LeBron taking a mid-range shot was still the lesser of the many evils he presents, but the Spurs ended up giving him a wide-open shot to put the game away. And guess what, he did! It was one of the biggest shots of his career, and the Heat went on to win the championship.

****

In Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Kevin Love made the most important play of his career. Not an outlet pass, a rebound, or a 3, but a defensive stop. He shut down Steph Curry, unanimous MVP, uncontainable shooter, Steph Curry.

With 50 seconds left, the Warriors down 92-89, Curry brought the ball over half court. Kyrie Irving was on him, but the Warriors ran a series of screens to get the matchup they really wanted. The Cavaliers were hiding Love on Andre Iguodala, but ran him through an off-ball screen to get him matched up with Draymond Green.

Then Green came up to set a pick for Curry. Green pushed Irving out of the way (like, actually pushed him, go watch it), and all eyes were on Curry and Love, matched up 40 feet from the basket. Love told Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins “It was like in Old School when Will Ferrell is on the debate team,” Love laughs. “‘What happened? I blacked out!’”

Maybe more like an out-of-body experience? You could practically see Love’s soul hovering over his body, coaching him through this moment.

Curry darted left, hit Love with the crossover to the right, a hesitation dribble and another crossover to the left. Love stayed in front of him, and Curry passed the ball to Green, who got it back to Curry. Love was going to have to do it all over again. For a second, Curry may have missed an opportunity to put it up from 35 feet, which isn’t a terrible shot for him, but Love’s soul screamed “JUMP OUT ON HIM!” and so he did.

Here’s where Curry would blow by most players, but not today. Love was never so nimble. He stayed in front of him. Curry tried left, went right, and with four seconds left and no air space, hoisted up a shot.

Love’s stop, as much as Kyrie Irving’s shot and LeBron James’ block, won the Cavaliers the game. It was one of the most unlikely plays in finals history, and one that validated Love’s place on Cleveland’s championship roster.

****

Love was playing center on that possession, a risk the Cavaliers had to take against Golden State’s Death Lineup with Green at center. Love’s defense had been, and still is, a weak point in his game, and something opponents often try to exploit.

When LeBron was with the Heat, the team eventually settled into starting Chris Bosh at center, giving Miami a floor-spacing 5 without sacrificing on the defensive end. Bosh wasn’t a great defensive player when he signed with the Heat in 2010, but he changed his game and developed into an elite one. But Bosh was more athletic than Love. Bosh was extraordinarily quick, smooth and long.

Love is not, but during his time in Cleveland he’s developed into a better overall defender. During the playoffs, he’s holding players to 5.6 percent below their shooting average within 6 feet of the rim, per NBA.com. He’s a smart player who does his best to stay in position. Love has become an average defender who, evidenced by his stopping of Curry, can have moments of being a very good defender.

But his fit on the Cavaliers can still be clunky. Ty Lue will run a few post-ups for him early, then stand him in the corner to space the floor for LeBron and Irving. In the Finals this year, Klay Thompson and Love will be the real life two Spidermans pointing at each other.

Despite the Love Lockdown, the Warriors will still attack him when they can, and the Cavaliers still prefer not to play Love as the lone big man for long bouts. Love’s played just 38 minutes without Tristan Thompson or Channing Frye on the court during the playoffs, per NBAwowy.com. Those lineups have been fine, but they won’t be as fine against the Warriors, who will attack him with Green and, now, Durant.

That’s the new wrinkle the Cavaliers will have to deal with. When the Warriors roll out the Hamptons 5, with Green and Durant in the front court, what does Cleveland do? Their best matchup against Green and Durant is LeBron, but he can’t defend both of them. Love will find himself on the end of many of Golden State’s plays, and he’ll have to have more Game 7 moments for the Cavaliers not to get torched.

That’s the position Love and the Cavaliers are in going into the finals. Love’s role isn’t as clear cut as LeBron or Kyrie’s, or as Bosh’s during the Heat’s Big Three era, but in an age of positionless basketball, maybe it’s not supposed to be.

Next: Finals Preview -- LeBron James and Draymond Green are two sides of the same coin

Part of the Warriors game plan will be to attack Love, and the Cavaliers will let them. Just as LeBron became a good enough shooter to make the Spurs pay for playing off him, Love has made himself into a good enough defender not to get lit on fire when Golden State runs him through a pick-and-roll. Love’s role is to throw the Warriors off the scent. Go ahead and attack Love off the dribble, he’ll stay close enough that he’ll be able to grab a rebound off a miss, then find LeBron sprinting down to the other end of the court with an outlet pass. Advantage, Cleveland.