How will Cleveland Cavaliers adjust in Game 7 without Kevin Love?

* Tonight on ESPN: Game 7, Cavaliers vs. Celtics (8:30 ET)

BOSTON – No Love for LeBron in Boston.

So what else is new?

OK, so this time there is a difference. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are back facing not merely an unwelcoming attitude but a personnel crisis.

Kevin Love, All-Star forward and the Cavs’ generally acceded second-best player since Kyrie Irving switched sides in this heated Eastern Conference rivalry, was placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol Saturday and has been ruled out of Game 7 of the East finals Sunday night at TD Garden (8:30 ET, ESPN).

On paper, stripping away Cleveland’s top rebounder (9.8 per game) and second-leading scorer (12.5) from an elimination game would seem to deal a severe blow to his team’s shot at winning and reaching a fourth consecutive NBA Finals.

On parquet, maybe not so much.

Love shot 37.5 percent overall and made only seven of his 26 3-point attempts in the series’ first six games. Per NBA.com/stats, he had a net rating of minus-7.4, the amount by which Cleveland has been outscored by Boston per 100 possessions.

From the timeout that followed Love’s head-to-head collision with Boston forward Jayson Tatum to the game’s end three-and-a-half quarters later, the Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 103-89.

Comments

Kilauea Volcano Update, The Latest: Some Hawaii residents leave as Kilauea spews ash

Kilauea Volcano Update, The Latest: Some Hawaii residents leave as Kilauea spews ash HONOLULU (AP) — The Latest on the summit eruption of Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island (all times local): 8:30 a.m. The summit explosion of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano created booming sounds in the nearby town of Pahoa and resident Toby Hazel says she's had enough and is preparing to leave town. Hazel said Thursday that it was "time to go" after the volcano sent an ash plume high into the sky following two weeks of lava eruptions from fissures that emerged on the flanks of the volcano. In Hilo 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the volcano, Pua'ena Ahn says he has experienced labored breathing, itchy, watery eyes and some skin irritation as ash plumes intensified in recent days. Hawaii County officials say the volcano's summit exploded at 4:17 a.m. Some schools are closed following the explosion but there have been no additional evacuations. About 2,000 p...

NBA star Sterling Brown Tasered in arrest | Police apology as video shows

NBA star Sterling Brown Tasered in arrest | Police apology as video shows An NBA player has received an apology from the Milwaukee police chief after his arrest over an alleged parking violation in January escalated into the use of a stun gun. Sterling Brown, a Milwaukee Bucks player, said the incident was "an attempt at police intimidation" and that it "shouldn't happen to anybody". Police chief Alfonso Morales said some officers had been disciplined over the incident as the force released body-camera footage which showed how an interaction over an illegally parked car rapidly escalated. It began at around 2am on 26 January in a Walgreens car park when Brown walked out of the store to find an officer standing by his car asking him for his driver's licence. The video shows Brown telling an officer not to touch him as he approaches the passenger door of his car. "Back up! Back up!" the officer yells. "For what? I ain't d...

Former Playboy centerfold falls to death with son after checking into New York hotel

Former Playboy centerfold falls to death with son after checking into New York hotel A woman and her 7-year-old son fell to their deaths at a Manhattan hotel Friday morning, police said. Investigators have yet to determine whether it was a murder-suicide or an accident. Police officials told the Associated Press the dead were Stephanie Adams, 46, and her son, Vincent. Adams, a former Playboy model and author, had been locked in a custody battle with her estranged husband, her former attorney, Raoul Felder, told The Washington Post on Friday. A spokesman for the New York Police Department declined to confirm the identity of the woman and the child. Felder said Adams had been his client for 20 years but had ended his services in the past couple of months. Employees at his law office have been in tears since hearing the news, he added. [ DUI suspect smiles for mug shot hours after crash that left a woman dead ] Many of the employees knew Adams a...

Sports Highlights

Search This Blog