Kevin Love remains in concussion protocol before Game 1
By Dave Daniels
Kevin Love might be the key to Cleveland’s chances of beating Golden State in the 2018 NBA Finals, but his participation in Game 1 is in doubt.
The Cleveland Cavaliers could be without Kevin Love for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, which will make it a lot more difficult for them to score against the Golden State Warriors. But could this be a blessing in disguise. Love remains in the concussion protocol after hitting his head against Jayson Tatum early in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This will force Cleveland’s role players like Jeff Green and Larry Nance Jr. to bring it right away.
The Cavaliers were stout with Green playing a lot of minutes at power forward during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, and that is a formula they must return to. Head coach Tyronn Lue referenced after the series that Green’s ability to switch defensively onto multiple positions was key for Cleveland against Boston.
There is no way that the Cavaliers will win against Golden State in a shootout. So the only solution is to be the better team on the defensive side of the ball and rely on LeBron James for at least 35 points per game. He’ll also have to contribute a significant amount of rebounds, assists and blocks. Green’s effort on defense could be crucial to keeping Cleveland in the series before Love gets back, but ultimately they need all hands on deck right now.
Love is only averaging 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds in the playoffs, but he is the second All-Star player that Cleveland needs to contribute. The Warriors have a lot more than that.
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Love will need to step up and show his value to the team. This series could shift the entire future of the Cavaliers. If they win it all again like 2016, then it will be truly hard for James to leave this offseason. But if they lose in four or five games? The door is wide open for him to walk right out.