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Kevin Love’s Progression Could Be The Difference-maker For The Cavs

By Robbie DiPaola

Jan 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots over the defense of Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) shoots over the defense of Sacramento Kings forward DeMarcus Cousins (15) during the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kevin Love has finally arrived after being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014.

When Kevin Love came to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 2014, there were several questions about what he would do and how he would fit in alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Three years later, it appears that Love finally feels comfortable as a member of the ‘Big Three’ and his numbers this season back that up.

During his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves Love continually put up all-star caliber numbers but the team overall struggled, never making the playoffs during Love’s six years. So when Love showed up in Cleveland, many were interested in how he would handle not being the focal point of a team.

In his first two years with the Cavs, Love’s number took quite the hit from his day with the Timberwolves. He put up 16.2 points and grabbed 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. For most of the players in the NBA those would be impressive statistics, but for a player like Love these numbers were more disappointing than impressive.

The low point for Love was last year’s NBA Finals when he struggled mightily against the Golden State Warriors. Throughout the seven-game series, Love averaged just 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and at times looked like the moment was too big for him.

However, this season for Love has been a completely different story, not only is he shooting the ball with more confidence and fitting in better than ever with the team, but also he is also averaging close to 20 points a game along with 11 rebounds per game. These numbers are closer to what he averaged while in Minnesota and what’s really impressive about Love’s progression this season is that he’s undoubtedly the Cavs third-best player behind Irving and James.

This confidence that Love has shown throughout season was never more evident than on Thanksgiving eve when he dropped 40 points on the Portland Trail Blazers, including 34 points in the opening quarter.

Love has scored 20 or more points in 24 games this season in 49 games played. Just to compare that number, Love had exactly 24 games of 20 or more points last year in the regular season when he played in 77 games.

While Love missed 13 games due to a minor knee procedure his absence was felt in more than just the scoring column, the wine and gold severely missed Love’s ability to rebound the ball and were at times outmatched on the glass. With Love now back in the lineup, the Cavs are much more formidable on both the offensive and defensive glass.

One thing that seemed to affect Love when he first came to the Cavs was the constant sea of media that followed the team on a day-by-day basis. Often it seemed like the media scrutiny that seemed to follow Love like a shadow and at times that appeared to rattle him. Adjusting to that didn’t come quickly but it now seems that he has become accustomed to the spotlight and the scrutiny and is thriving in his third season in Cleveland.

When the Cavs acquired Love to be apart of the ‘Big Three’ this is the kind of production they envisioned from the 6-foot-10 power forward.

The hope is obviously that Love can continue this high level of production into the playoffs, because we all know what James and Irving will bring to the table. If Love plays like he has been throughout the season, the Cavs will certainly be competing for another NBA championship come June.

Related Story: Richard Jefferson Plays A Key Role For Cavs

What do you think about how Kevin Love has progressed since being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.