It goes without saying that Kevin Love is crucial to the Cavaliers’ success. It isn’t just because he’s an All-Star who averaged 18 and nine before a freak play broke his hand in late January. More importantly, it’s because he has been around a while; he’s 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’t 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 “fit out, fit in” 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’s 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’s 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, “it’s great to have him back.” Enough said.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
