Miami Heat's Kevin Love Heading Into Game 4 With "Stay Ready" Attitude Against Boston Celtics

Shandel Richardson | Apr 29, 2024

Apr 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defends against Kevin Love - David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat center Kevin Love is a realist.

He knows his days as a superstar are over. Minutes are hard to come by these days, so he understands why his playing time has dipped against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Love is simply staying ready just in case his number is called.

"I think it's on me just to stay ready, whether it's plug minutes or a long stint," Love said. "Or just understanding that this is a team that you have to switch against a lot. Naturally, that plays to a lot of guys' strengths and there's certain lineups that we do that."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has played the younger Nikola Jovic instead of Love this series. Love has only averaged 7.6 minutes, down from nearly 17 in the regular season. Spoelstra said it has nothing to do with Love but the feel of the series.

"This is not an indictment on anybody," Spoelstra said. "Things move fast in a playoff series. It was tough to get a read on anything. We were playing out of that hole for most of three quarters [in Game 3]." 

Love isn't the only one to see a decline in playing time. Duncan Robinson's minutes have also been cut.

"Duncan is not going to make an excuse for it," Spoelstra said. "I'm not going to make an excuse for him. We have our guys. We have enough to get the job done. We understand the challenge and that's what our competitors love about this series. We know we have to play hard and we also have to play well."