The NBA Finals will begin on Thursday night from Oracle Arena in Oakland with the fourth installment of the Cavs-Warriors rivalry.
Both teams entered the Finals with some injury uncertainty regarding key players, with Andre Iguodala missing the last four games of the Western Conference Finals with a knee injury and Kevin Love sitting out Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals with a concussion suffered one game prior.
The Warriors confirmed Iguodala will at least miss Game 1, but the Cavs got good news on Thursday when Love cleared the league’s concussion protocol, making him available for Thursday night’s game.
STATUS UPDATE: @kevinlove has completed the NBA’s Concussion Return to Play Program and will be available to play tonight in #NBAFinals Game 1.https://t.co/Mi7Xicsh8k
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 31, 2018
Tyronn Lue said on Wednesday that if Love plays he would start, not come off of the bench. Against Golden State, one would assume the Cavaliers will trot out what became their regular postseason starting lineup of George Hill, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson.
It’s possible Lue will shake that up, but in any case, it’s great news for the Cavs that Love is available for Game 1 and the rest of the series as they desperately need some offensive production from someone other than LeBron. Love is their best bet to get that and his presence changes the Cavs’ offensive dynamic significantly, especially if he is in form and hitting shots.
