The Cleveland Cavaliers escaped game one with a 106-101 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday Afternoon. Kevin Love was huge, finishing with 28 points and 13 rebounds, reaffirming his importance to the Cavs championship hopes.
Love was eagerly awaiting his return to the post-season.
“It was very tough sitting there as a competitor and a guy who came here to win it,” Love said about last seasons playoff run, via Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “Was tough to sit there, but I’m looking at guys right now that stepped up in my absence and Ky’s absence.
“I’m happy to be a part of this run and hopefully we don’t fight that battle of attrition this time.”
Then, in Cleveland’s game one win over Detroit, Love went out and showed why he is a huge piece going forward for the Cavs championship hopes.
For all of the questions and drama surrounding Love throughout the two seasons he has been a Cavalier, his skillset and versatility on the court has been overlooked. The attention has been on how Love fits out with the Cavs, his disappearing act in fourth quarters, his poor jump shooting, inability to defend and even the uproar caused when he is left out of team Instagram posts.
Some of that talk was validated, such as Love’s defensive shortcomings and some was pure nonsense, such as the social media noise. Despite all of this though, Love discovered what was lost within the melodrama and showed out in the game one win over the Pistons.
Love finished with 28 points and 13 rebounds, a stat line that reflects his days with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he was one of the leagues best power forwards. Love shot 10-of-22 from the field and hit 4-of-8 three-pointers, walking that fine line between staying aggressiveness and providing the Cavs with the floor spacing they need.
“Just being aggressive,” coach Tyronn Lue said about Love’s performance, via cavs.com. “I thought he took his shots when he had them. He made some big shots for us. When we put Kevin at the five, his a tough cover for [Andre] Drummond to get out to Kevin, when he is picking and popping.”
Two KPI’s that has helped determine Love’s performances with Cleveland has been whether or not the Cavs get him involved in the opening quarter and then if he can make an impact in the final quarter of close games.
Love did both when the Cavs needed him the most. Not in a regular season game in late March, but in the playoffs, where he shined in the spotlight that was ripped away from him a year ago.
In the first period against the Pistons, Love had five points and one rebound. He went 2-of-4 from the field and 1-of-2 from beyond the three-point line. Now, these numbers aren’t huge and don’t jump off the stat sheet. They also don’t reflect the 15-point first quarters Love had been putting up as the regular season came to a close.
However, the numbers don’t tell the full story. Love was able to establish himself in the post and behind the arc during the opening quarter. Plus, when LeBron James goes 5-of-7 in the first quarter, Love doesn’t need to score in bunches. He just needs to make an impact and get himself comfortable and that’s what he was able to achieve in game one.
“I think Kev [Love], at every part of the game, throughout the first through to the fourth quarter made an impact on the game, both in the interior, starting with his physicality on his post ups and him demanding the ball and us getting it to him and him coming through,” James said post-game, via the Cavs official Facebook page. “Then him being able to move to the outside and making big shots in crunch time.”
James would go on to talk about a play that truly encapsulates Love’s performance in game one.
With Cleveland clinging onto a 91-90 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the game, Love attempted to drive to the basket, only to get stripped by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. It was primed to be a turnover, until Love hustled and dug the ball out of a sea of Pistons. The ball then went to James, who drove and kicked it out to an open Love in the corner.
Bang, three-pointer, four-point Cleveland lead.
This was just one play during Love’s final quarter, where he had six points, draining two massive triples, which showed how vital he is to the Cavs. To fully gauge Love’s impact in the final term, one needs to turn to the defensive end.
With Lue keeping Tristan Thompson on the bench, Detroit’s Reggie Jackson twice was guarded by Love on a pick and roll switch. It had all the makings of an easy Pistons basket, as Love’s slow feet and lack of lateral quickness makes him struggle to defend guards on the perimeter.
The first play, with the Cavs leading 100-96 with 1:54 left, Love stayed in front of Jackson, where the whole left side of the floor was spread for Jackson to take him to the rim. Instead, Love forced Jackson into an awkward predicament, which led to him passing out of a lay-up to Marcus Morris, who missed the three.
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After a James basket, the same situation occurred during the Pistons very next offensive possession. This time, Love first forced Jackson to pick up his dribble. Then, after he got the ball back, Love didn’t bite on any of Jackson’s pump fakes. Jackson couldn’t get to the rim and it resulted in a fade-away jumper over the outstretched arms of Love. Even if the shot went it, the shot clock expired before the ball left Jackson’s hands.
Two consecutive possessions, two consecutive lock-down defensive efforts from Love. In the playoffs. Against one of the most savvy guards in the league at attacking downhill.
This is the Love the Cavaliers need.
Game one against the Pistons was probably Love’s most complete game as a Cavalier and it helped silence any doubts about how important he is to Cleveland finally winning that elusive championship.
Now, it is up to Love to continue to play with the intensity, effort and effectiveness he did in game one throughout the entire playoffs.
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