At the peak of Kevin Love’s Minnesota Timberwolves career, he was an all-around offensive monster, capable of scoring effectively in the low post just as well as from the three-point line. Like Chris Bosh before him, Love’s addition as the third piece of a LeBron-led Big Three in Cleveland meant that his role was always going to be reduced. Add the increased emphasis on three-point shooting in the NBA today, and Love’s evolution into a three-point specialist has been eminently logical. The only problem is that it seems to have come at the cost of his all-around game.
In the 16 playoff games of Love’s career — all in the last two seasons with Cleveland — Love is shooting an abhorrent 32 percent from inside the three-point line. Among players with at least 100 attempts since the 1979-80 season, he sits dead last. He’s a shade worse than Jacque Vaughn, Sasha Vujacic and O.J. Mayo — not the type of names you’d normally hear in a sentence with Love, but like the power forward, all with considerably better three-point percentages.
Thirty-two percent from inside the arc is a bad number for a guard, and for a big man it’s nigh-unforgivable. Even so, pulling a bigger defender out to the three-point line is an invaluable part of the Cavaliers’ game plan, so if Love is effective from three, he’s effective on offense. The problem over the last two Cavs losses has been that he hasn’t been effective from deep either — he’s 3-for-11 in Canada. Those hoping for a bounce back have to be worried at the knee injury Love sustained near the end of the third quarter of Game 4 when he stepped on a referee’s foot.
Love says he’s good to go for Game 5, but if his legs aren’t fully healthy to give him the lift he’s accustomed to on his shots, he’ll be a liability out there, and it’s not as if his defense will keep him on the floor. Don’t be surprised if we see an abundance of Channing Frye in Cleveland.
