NBA Finals: No Guarantee Kevin Love Plays In Game Three
By Ryan Rosko
The good news is that Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love is not doubtful for game three of the NBA Finals. The bad news is that it is still unclear whether he will play.
According to Marc Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated, Cleveland Cavaliers PF/C Kevin Love is now listed as questionable for game three. Love left game two of the NBA Finals early and did not return to the game after being elbowed by Golden State’s Harrison Barnes. Love was diagnosed with a concussion.
Through the first two games of the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been a shell of themselves as they are now in a 2-0 deficit. Love missed the Cavs practice Tuesday morning as he instead was being evaluated by the team’s doctors.
Being that it is the day before the next game of the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers are not going to announce anything until they have to prior to Wednesday’s game. That said, Love’s availability likely will not be known to the public until just before the game starts tomorrow.
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Love has been above average in the playoffs, but he still has struggled at times, just like multiple other Cleveland players. Still, Love or no Love in game three, everyone can improve their level of play. It is win or go home time. So far in the 2016 NBA Finals, Love has a +/- of -8 while averaging 11 points and 8 rebounds.
If there is any cause for concern, then Cleveland should hold out Love. Yes, it is the NBA Finals, but unless Love is 100% cleared, then Love should not play.
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What the Cavs have been doing needs to change. There are multiple situations and game plans that the team could rely on heading into the next game. Still, the question remains — Is a complete change in what they are doing necessary?
From what they have shown, the answer is yes and it is very obvious. Heading into the NBA Finals, there was complete support for Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue. Such a level of support should still be the case, but he deserves the criticism. A large part of his (and the team’s) success is due to the “Big Three”.
Now that the Cavs are back home, they should get back into this series. If not, many questions will come up more often surrounding the team. I hope to see Love out there for game three. He is not going to be the difference maker for Cleveland, but he is capable of being an X-factor.
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The only problem with that becoming a reality is the other issues, specifically offensively that is holding back the Cavs. Will we see a new Cavs team in the NBA Finals Wednesday? That would be ideal but time will tell.