Miami Heat's Kevin Love In Unfamiliar Territory After Round 1 NBA Playoffs Exit

Anthony Pasciolla | May 6, 2024

Apr 14, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Kevin Love (42) warms-up up before the start; Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Miami Heat big man Kevin Love missed the NBA Finals after making the playoffs for the first time in his 16-year professional career.

The Heat's first-round loss to the Boston Celtics marks the first non-Finals appearance in Love's half-dozen postseason visits. The first came in 2015 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, followed by three consecutive alongside superstar LeBron James. Not to mention, the five-time All-Star was part of arguably the greatest comeback in league history, the 2016 Finals. Then, a four-year drought was snapped with the Heat last year, where they were defeated by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Love has an underwhelming record of 1-4 in the Finals, largely due to facing the Golden State Warriors numerous times.

His time with the Minnesota Timberwolves was the most individually successful, but the team did not reach the playoffs a single time in his six seasons. Fans met the statistic with mixed reactions; some pointed to the disappointing record while others believe this contributes to a Hall of Fame case.

Love could contemplate retirement at 35 years old, but remains a meaningful contributor to the Heat's rotation if he decides against hanging it up. He averaged 8.8 points and 6.1 rebounds on 44 percent shooting and 34.4 percent shooting from three-point range in the 2024 season.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Inside the Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla.

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