Cleveland Cavaliers: Peak Kevin Love Makes Cleveland Scary Good
Feb 6, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) reacts after guard Kyle Korver (26) makes a three point shot during overtime against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center. Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Washington Wizards 140-135 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
How good is Kevin Love when he is in “peak” form?
He is really good. Like, top-3 Power Forward good. Peak Kevin Love has decided to finally explode off the page when Lebron and Kyrie are both playing. In the past, Love has only blown up when one of those two had injuries, and he could be the first or second fiddle.
If Kevin Love finds a way to contribute like he has the last two games consistently going forward, holy cow. The Cavs will be THE team to beat, regardless of what any Warriors fans have to say.
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What do I mean that the Warriors should be scared, you might ask. I mean a player averaging 31 and 14 with 2 assists and 2 steals while shooting 48% from the field and 50% from three-point land while making 90% of his free throws.
Of course, Love is not going to keep up 31/14/2/2 with a 48/50/90 slash line because no one does that. That’s insane. How does 26/13/5 with a 46/38/82 slash line sound? More realistic?
That’s what Love averaged in his last year in Minnesota, when he was a #1 option with no real good #2 or #3 options. If Kevin Love returns to peak Kevin Love and maintains a 26/13 stat line going forward with something like a 47/40/85 shooting line, then the Cavs will be THE class in the NBA.
Feb 4, 2017; New York, NY, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) is defended by New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Love: The Motor of the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs do not have a Big 4. Love only plays well when LeBron is directly facilitating a huge percentage of his looks.
But Kyrie. But back spasms. I get it. You are not convinced now. Hear me out.
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Health is important and cannot be understated. Kyrie and Love have tons of history with nagging injuries that keep them out for weeks at a time. Let’s just look into our crystal ball and pretend that they both can play at least 90% of the remaining games AND that they are healthy for all the playoff games (not unreasonable). When Love, Bron, and Kyrie can output 94/20/25 like they did against Washington, they are unstoppable.
If Love gets going, he can facilitate Tristan Thompson going off. When Tristan Thompson is scoring in double figures and grabbing 10+ rebounds, the Cavs are a menace. Who cares who the 5th person is. The Cavs options all shoot right around 38% from 3 now.
Think about the dynamic shift. All of a sudden, LeBron is not required to score, so he can do what he does better than anyone in the NBA outside of Chris Paul, facilitate. Kyrie can be Kyrie without having to worry too much about getting those 6-10 assists per night. Love is the motor that keeps the boat going.
Jan 23, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) reacts as time expires during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Cavaliers 124-122. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Love’s Work Frees up Endless Possibilities
Lebron is averaging a career-high in assists this year. LeBron turns into a more of a facilitator, penetrating the lane. Kyrie penetrates and does Kyrie things with pull-up jumpers and crossovers. Love pounds the block or sits behind the 3-point line.
All of the defenders focus on those three, and Thompson feasts on offensive rebounds. The 5th wheel kind of hangs out and waits for, what definitely will be, a completely wide-open 3-point attempt. It’s harmony in motion; the Spurs with more punch. It’s the Warriors with more continuity.
It’s beautiful. I think most people have known this, especially after watching last year’s finals. Kevin Love is the key to taking the ship out for round two. When Love engages (e.g., he’s playing defense), he bullies and rebounds on the defensive end, whips a pass to the other end, and lets LeBron and Kyrie go to work with Thompson waiting for a put back and a shooter salivating in the corner.
How do you stop that? Does Draymond have Love’s long-court passing ability? Can Steph penetrate like Kyrie? Can Durant facilitate like LeBron? Will Klay keep up enough patience to know his role and wait? Griffin constructed the Cavs lineup so that all five players know their roles. It just took almost three full seasons for them to figure it out. Griffin knew all along.
What do you think? Is peak Kevin Love the answer to bringing him a second title?
