The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics on the road in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals despite not having Kevin Love, and they may have to begin the NBA Finals the same way.
Love, who suffered a concussion in Game 6 against Boston, remained in the NBA’s concussion protocol as of Tuesday. With Game 1 of the NBA Finals taking place on Thursday, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters he is unsure if Love will be available.
Ty Lue says that Kevin Love is still in the concussion protocol and he’s “not sure” if he’ll be available for Game 1.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 29, 2018
It would obviously be a major blow to Cleveland if Love is unable to play, especially now that they are facing an offensive powerhouse like Golden State. The Cavs were able to get away with only scoring 87 points on the road against the Celtics on Sunday, but they will almost certainly need significantly more than that to top the Warriors.
The Warriors may be missing one of their key players to start the Finals as well, but they are a much deeper team than the Cavs. Love’s status is a major storyline in the series.
