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Does the arrival of Kevin Love make the Miami Heat a threat for the Cleveland Cavaliers?

By Chad Porto

Dec 13, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat guard Max Strus (31) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) in the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat guard Max Strus (31) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) in the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is joining the Miami Heat

The Cleveland Cavaliers said goodbye to a franchise icon in Kevin Love on Saturday and by early Sunday morning, Love had agreed to join the Miami Heat. Love will instantly join a squad desperate for three-point shooting and rebounding off the bench. His addition will be greatly needed.

The Heat are one of the few teams that not only has a need for his position but his skillsets, so it looks like a huge get for the Heat. If they can land Russell Westbrook if and when he gets bought out, the Heat may leap up the rankings so to speak, and become a real force in the East.

They’ve been up and down all year, and Love’s arrival may help steady them. If they get Westbrook, even more so. But, if it’s just Love, is he enough to get the Heat into the top four of the East and maybe even challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Can the Miami Heat knock the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the Top 4 with Kevin Love?

Right now the Cavaliers are the 4th seed in the East, and the last team getting home-court advantage for the opening round of the playoffs. The Heat are 7th, and the top team in the NBA Play-In Tournament for the Eastern Conference. The goal of any team is to get a home-court advantage in the first round, if not the top seed.

So can Love arrive in Miami and help the Heat go from 7th to 4th? It’s possible, but only if they use him well. Love needs a lot of touches to get his rhythm down, and while the Heat are among the worst shooting squads in the East. They’re 9th in the league in three-point attempts but 30th in the league in three-point shooting.

Love should help the Heat in that regard, but they’ll need to get him more touches than a lot of guys, and if he’s not the fourth most-used player, the Heat is spending money on a guy that they won’t get the most out of.

If the Heat let Love eat, then he’ll be able to help them out. But will they be able to overtake the Cavs? That seems like a long shot.

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