Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue watched his team struggle in the second half of Thursday night’s 104-103 win over the Orlando Magic, wondering what could be done to remedy this reoccurring issue. The Cavs were leading by 20 points at halftime, but just as it was in their last three games, something was amiss in the third quarter.
During his post-game media availability on Thursday night, coach Lue was asked what sort of solution he might have for the Cavs’ second half struggles as of late.
“Post the basketball,” coach Lue told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin of his preferred solution when the Cavs go through dry spells.
As most Cavs fans know, Love is a player who’s mostly known for his prowess at power forward, but he’s been playing at the center position through much of this season due to injuries in the team’s lineup.
“I know Kevin is playing the 5 and sometimes he has 5s guarding him, but we still got to be able to get him touches and involve him in the game,” coach Lue said. “I thought tonight he was great defensively, but we didn’t use him as much as we should have. But he still played through the game, and I thought he was great. But even in those offensive lulls, we got to still post him against 5s and just see what he can do down there.”
Love finished Thursday night’s game with 12 points on 3-10 shooting from the field (1-6 from beyond the arc), 11 rebounds, and 2 assists in his 31 minutes of playing time. The former UCLA stand-out had just four shot attempts in the second half. Maybe coach Lue is onto something when he talks about getting Kevin involved more.
In lieu of his 3-10 mark from the field against the Magic, Love, no doubt upset with himself, made his way back to the court after the game was over to practice his shot.
The Cavs will wrap up their three-game home-stand on Saturday with a match-up against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST with ABC having live broadcast coverage.
