NBA Rumors: Kevin Love Runs Out of Steam in Cavs’ Game 3 Loss to Raptors
Everybody thinks that the Raptors will be easily swept by the Cavs' advance when they took Games 1 and 2 in the Eastern Conference finals. What's even more intriguing was that Kevin Love ran out of steam on the hardcourt with his dismal performance in the game- 3 points (1-9 FG, 1-4 3Pt), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 29 minutes- last Saturday when the Raptors took the glory with a 99-84 win.
"It's a long series," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said as quoted by Greenfield Reporter. "It's not over with yet, but everybody thought we were going to get swept. I think that fuels us and if that's what it takes, so be it."
Kyrie Irving was no good either with just 13 points, 1 assists, and 3 turnovers. Love and Irving should have been the players least expected by the Cavs to let the team down. The duo has made such a remarkable team-up that allowed LeBron James and the rest of the team to sail past other Eastern Conference title contenders except for Game 3.
In the north, Toronto was in a celebratory mood after the Raptors ended the Cavaliers winning streak in Game 3. From their side, DeMar DeRozan posted 32 points while soon-to-be free agent Bismack Biyombo made a playoff record with his 26 rebounds.
When Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving slacked off that night, the Big Three gel that kept Cavs a winning team seemed to have fallen apart. LeBron James was a like a lone castaway man on island without help although he did total 24 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and two steals to keep Game 3 from turning into a humiliating defeat at the hands of the underdogs. What did James say about Love's and Irving's disappointing Game 3 performance?
"They know our schemes. They know what we want. They know what we need. And that doesn't change, regardless of their performance tonight," said James as quoted by ESPN. "We need them to come back next game and play, give more effort, more energy, be more consistent and trust in themselves and in our scheme, and we'll be fine."
Cleveland's seemingly unstoppable streak in the first two rounds of the playoffs make winning look so easy until Toronto showed that adversity, losses, and some bad nights are just part of what it takes to win championship titles. As some analysts put it, it is resilience that makes a team formidable.
"We just had a bad night. I mean, give them credit. They played well. They played like a team with their back against the wall...They beat us to the ball. You've got to give them credit for coming home, playing hard, feeding off their home crowd, and we've just got to play harder," said Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue as per Washington Post.
