Kevin Love at center proved to be a massive headache for the Detroit Pistons in Game 1 of their first round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not only did he draw Andre Drummond out of the paint, he was also unstoppable on the block when guarded by the opponent’s power forwards.
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In what was easily his best playoff performance, Love finished the night with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and four long distance makes. But entering Game 2, the Pistons will be more intent on making life more uncomfortable for the Cavaliers power forward.
In a recent article for MLive.com by David Mayo, Pistons forward Marcus Morris expressed his rough intentions towards Kevin Love in their next matchup.
“He had a good game the first game. We definitely took it a little disrespectful. So I think we’re definitely going to push up a little harder on him, maybe foul him a little harder, things like that.”
“I think he was just too comfortable. His confidence was too high. We’ve definitely got to get him out of that rhythm early.”
It wasn’t just Morris but also Tobias Harris, as the latter often found himself trying to wrestle Love out of a favorable post position.
“He’s a strong player but a lot of it’s just making his catches tough for him, pushing him out and just trying to make him make a tough shot. He got into a rhythm early on, got a lot of open looks, and was able to make a lot of three-balls, especially off of missed rebounds that we weren’t able to get. That’s something they capitalized on as a team and that’s something that we discussed as a team that we have to be better at coming into Game 2.”
For some reasons, the East’s best stretch big man has loved (no pun intended) his matchup against Detroit. In three regular season games, he averaged 24 points, 7.3 rebounds, and three assists. That trend has continued in the playoffs, and there’s a good chance that there are more prolific nights in store for Kevin Love.
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Let’s not forget that Love used to thrive in physical battles down low, so if the Pistons opt to rough him up, expect for him to welcome the challenge.