Following Monday night’s series-clinching win over the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love spoke to reporters with regards to playing alongside LeBron James. Love, who has been James’ teammate since joining the Cavs in 2014, says he has learned a lot about sacrifice from the King.
“In playing with him, I’ve learned a lot,” Love recently told reporters. “I’ve been taught what it means to sacrifice.”
Prior to his stint with the Cavs, Love played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he became the team’s face and No. 1 option. However, now that he’s paired with James in Cleveland, Love has taken on a supporting role for the first time in his career.
Love has been a fine addition for the Cavs, though his performances are often overshadowed by James’ — something that can be said for any player — on either side of the floor.
In his 59 games played for the Cavs during their 2017-18 regular season campaign, Love racked up averages of 17.6 points on 45.8 percent shooting from the field (41.5 percent from beyond the arc; tied for 19th), 9.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 28.0 minutes per game.
Without a doubt, there are times when Love doesn’t get enough credit. There have also been times when he’s been labeled as Cleveland’s scapegoat — a fact he’s come to terms with, deserving or not.
“I know that when we have success I might not get the credit and when we do lose or have a bad string of games that I might get the blame, but that comes with the territory,” he said. “… Hopefully at the end of my career, they’ll look and say ‘Wow, Kevin did a lot for Cleveland and the city and brought a championship here’ – and hopefully multiple championships.”
Love struggled in the first round of the playoffs. However, he’s bounced back in a big way. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin asked the five-time All-Star to comment on this resurgence following Monday’s game.
“Can you just describe what you’ve found in your game as of late?” McMenamin asked Love.
“I just think it came from me being me,” Love replied with a smile. “I said after Game 2 that I didn’t forget how to play basketball. I was just ultra-aggressive. I found myself missing missing little chippies — missing shots that were uncharacteristic for me to miss. But I continued to be aggressive, continued to put in the work every single day. So, for me, it was just — more than anything — just being myself.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWa_5xJ7SkQ
