Cavaliers Could've Used Kevin Love In Series Against Knicks

Kevin Love is giving the Miami Heat valuable playoff minutes after a buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

We all know the saying; coulda, shoulda, woulda. It looks like keeping Kevin Love around would've been the right move after all. 

The writing was on the wall after the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated by the New York Knicks in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. 

The Knicks were more physical than the Cavaliers and outrebounded them when it mattered. The Cavs also struggled to get anything going on offense as they were held to under 100 points four times in the series. Madison Square Garden also proved to be a hostile environment for a Cleveland core with limited playoff experience. 

If only they had a veteran who could've helped rebound, space the floor, and knock down some threes. Someone such as Kevin Love.

Love and the Cavaliers went their separate ways in February after the trade deadline. He had fallen out of the rotation after suffering an injury and the team was playing well without him.

The 15-year veteran desired to be in a position where he would get playing time which wasn't going to be the case in Cleveland. This led to a buyout between the two and Love signing a deal with the Miami Heat.

Love played 21 regular-season games with the Heat where he averaged 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 20 minutes a game. However, he's showing his true value with how he's playing for Miami in the playoffs. Love played in five games in their first-round upset over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Miami's new opponent is the Knicks and he has continued to play strong. The Heat stole Game 1 in New York and Love was a massive part of this. He dropped nine points and grabbed five rebounds while showing off his signature outlet pass.

Kevin Love's outlet passing has been huge for MIA in the 3Q!

They've taken the lead on ABC. pic.twitter.com/kGUqpfLz1a

— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2023

Even if Love was still with the Cavs, it's not a guarantee that they would've won the series. Cleveland still had plenty of other issues on the offensive end that one veteran couldn't have fixed on their own.

But it's hard to not deny how much Love was missed in that series.

As a Cavs fan, it's difficult to watch Love play well against the Knicks while wearing another jersey. He was in Cleveland's grasp during the entire rebuild but was absent during the culmination of it all. 

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