Kevin Love To Play In Game 1 Of NBA Finals

CLEVELAND, OH — Kevin Love has been cleared to play in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. The forward finished the league's concussion protocol and will suit up for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their fourth straight Finals match-up against the Golden State Warriors, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

Love is averaging 13.9 points per game and 10 rebounds per game in the 2018 playoffs so far. He's shooting 34 percent from behind the arc and 38 percent from the field, according to Basketball Reference. He is the second All-Star on Cleveland, besides LeBron James. He is also one of only two players averaging at least 10 points per game in the playoffs (James, obviously, being the other).

While Love's presence may boost Cleveland's chances of winning the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers will still be massive underdogs heading into their fourth NBA Finals match-up with the Warriors. Love has also occasionally been a defensive liability for Cleveland, particularly when playing Golden State.

With three of the league's best shooters in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, the pick-and-roll game deployed by Steve Kerr will frequently look to get Love covering one of those three scorers. In 2016, that strategy backfired when Kevin was able to lock down the then-MVP, Curry, and help seal a title win for Cleveland.

In other instances, Love has been less successful guarding wing players.

Ultimately, Love's presence may help Cleveland's chances of pulling off the miraculous upset, but the Cavaliers' other role players, George Hill, Kyle Korver, JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, Jordan Clarkson and others will need to improve their performances.

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