Biggest question of the series should be how J.R. and Tristan are still in the league?
As for Love, and this is coming from a very
non-Kevin Love fan, Love had 22 points and 10 rebounds last night and 21 and 13 in the game before. He missed the opener because he was in "concussion protocol". He's been their most dependable scorer and rebounder behind James nearly all season. This season he averaged 17.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game. Hit 41.5% of his 3's too.
His playoffs numbers? 14.7 pts, 10.2 rb, and 1.5 assists. Shooting 33% on threes, with 1 less attempt per game.
How they utilize him is the usual question. He was
never much of a defender except for being okay defending the pick-and-roll. He plays his best (in the opinion of many) when he plays close to the basket and slips out once and awhile to shoot a 3. His numbers were inflated here because they ran everything through him. Others then deferred to him on shots and he had far more opportunities to get an assist and a rebound.
The best part of his tenure here for me, was his last year. When it looked like he wanted to leave more than anything else. That meant his teammates, particularly Pek, didn't just stand around when there was an uncontested rebound. The look on Love's face when Pek would just step-in and take it was priceless.
"Hey, that was MY rebound!"
No it wasn't.
