Cleveland Cavaliers: What we learned vs. the Indiana Pacers in Game 3

Kevin Love needs to step up.

This has been a really tough series for Love. He missed the end of Game 2 because of a thumb injury and there isn’t a mismatch he can exploit inside. With that said, the Cavs need more out of him.

Love has been forced to be the second option this series and he hasn’t stepped up. The Cavs need him to provide instant offense when their shots aren’t falling which is what he did in the first half of this game.

Love was excellent in the first half even though the rest of the team wasn’t shooting great from distance. He put up 16 points in the first half and was six of 11 from the field. Love did a good job of forcing the action and staying aggressive.

That all went away in the second half as he put up just three points on two shot attempts. To put that in perspective, every Cavalier who played besides Nance and Clarkson attempted the same or more shots that half. That’s not acceptable from your second scoring option.

It’s unfair to blame the second half downfall completely on Love. The coaching staff didn’t do him any favors and his teammates didn’t try to force the ball to him. With that said, Love does need to do a better job of forcing the action and getting into spots on the floor where he can score.

This team doesn’t need Kevin Love the floor spacer. They don’t need him to create driving lanes for Kyrie and LeBron anymore. They need him to be the scorer he’s been for parts of this season and his entire career in Minnesota. The frustrating thing is that we know he can be that player this series. Love proved that in the first half.

Myles Turner has done an excellent job of defending Love inside but that isn’t a good enough excuse. The Cavs can’t afford to have their second scoring option disappear like he did in the second half.