The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing an uphill climb in South Beach against the Miami Heat and the unfortunate twists keep on piling up for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Miami put up a defensive clinic on the visitors right from the opening tip. They invaded their airspace and loved playing the role of rude hosts to the Cavs. To compound Cleveland’s woes, the team saw one of their top guys head to the locker room in the first half.
Earlier in the game — in fact, after only a minute into it — Kevin Love had his tooth knocked loose by a wayward elbow. Love returned to action but was eventually ruled out of the game after halftime.
With his chipper noticeably displaced, Love was diagnosed with a subluxed tooth by the Cavs’ medical team. Love’s presence was barely felt in this game, playing only seven minutes of action and only scoring a solitary point.
With Love out, Jeff Green will have to carry more responsibilities for the Cavs as the game goes on. From a personal standpoint for Love, the night would have been momentous for him as he’s only one double-double away from recording 400 of such for his entire career. He would have been a cinch to collect another if not for this unfortunate turn of events.
The Cavs have gone on a mini-streak since the return of the All-Star power forward, which goes to show how valuable he really is to the team. Prior to tonight’s contest, the Cavs have failed to register a win in Miami over the last eight years.