Kevin Love gets defensive in Game 2 win over Raptors

The Cleveland Cavaliers took a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a 108-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors, and the defense of Kevin Love was a big reason why.

Love doesn’t get a lot of credit for his defense.

It’s against the narrative. Coming out of Minnesota, Love was never a proficient rim protector, nor was he laterally quick or physically imposing. Most of those issues carried on when Love came to Cleveland, as for the better part of two seasons, the Cavs have been a better defensive team with him off the floor.

However, after another dominant Cavaliers playoff victory, Love deserves some recognition for the way he has been playing on the defensive end.

As aforementioned, Love hasn’t got the physical tools to ever be named on the NBA All-Defense team. He has admitted this fact throughout his career and when he is paired with someone like Tristan Thompson, who has incredible quickness as a big defender, Love’s defensive shortcomings become amplified.

Love channeled his inner Thompson in Game 2 of the conference finals though, as multiple times he was caught out on a switch against either Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan, the Raptors All-Star duo.

Usually, Lowry and DeRozan would be licking their chops at this match-up. Two attacking guards against a slow and lumbering Love seems like a mismatch no matter what way you look at it.

Like everything else so far this series though, it didn’t go the Raptors way.

Love was able to stay in front of both Raptors guards when the switch occurred in Game 2, forcing them into tough, contested mid-range jump shots. There was no easy lay-ups conceded, and even on the odd occasion where Love got initially beat, the Cavs were sharp and crisp with their defensive rotations to help cover the Raptors attack.

On the game, Lowry shot 4-of-14 from the field and DeRozan went 8-of-18. Cleveland has also focused on keeping the duo off the foul line, another success in Game 2, as Lowry shot two free throws, DeRozan six.

Now, Love doesn’t deserve the full credit for Toronto’s tag team having another poor offensive outing, particularly Lowry. Kyrie Irving was locked in defensively and the Cavaliers forced the Raptors into tough shots, as they shot 35.7 percent during the second and third quarters, when the Cavs put the game to bed.

Individually, Love contested 13 shots in Game 2, the most of any Cavalier, via SportVU Tracking Data. Of those 13 attempts, eight of them were two-pointers, with the other five being from beyond the three-point arc.

This represents another area of Love’s defense that was at a high level all game long. Love’s capability to close out on shooters, such as Patrick Patterson and Luis Scola, was tremendous. Love wasn’t confused with any of Cleveland’s rotations, as he was locked in and prepared to help the helper when necessary.

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Furthermore, Love had a defensive rating of 101.9 in Game 2. While this isn’t an elite number by any means, it shows how Love is making a concerned effort on that end of the floor, and it’s paying off by him making a positive impact defensively.

“We just want to try and protect the paint,” coach Tyronn Lue said post-game, via cavs.com. “That’s why early in the games, we have been going under a lot, to keep DeRozan, Kyle, and those guys out of the paint. We stayed true to our game plan, and then we adjusted in the second half.

“The players are locking in, they’re paying attention to the game plan and what we are trying to do and just doing a great job.”

Love can be ridiculed for not always looking as engaged as he should be defensively. During the regular season, he became a Vine hero, as millions replayed his poor defense time and time again. Some even suggested the Cavaliers are a better team with Love off the floor, which led to talks of him being moved to the bench or being on the trading block.

Those talks have permanently been shelved, as Love is doing enough to justify his defense. While Love will never have the luxury to be a defensive superstar, as his body type and athleticism doesn’t allow that, it doesn’t mean he will always be a negative on that end.

“We want to come out and dominant every single game,” Love said post-game, via cavs.com.

If Love plays with the same focus defensively like he did in Game 2, it will go a long way towards carrying out that sentiment.

How surprised are you by Kevin Love’s defense this series?