'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQI/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAM5TFP/EACIQAAEDAgYDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECBAUAEQMSEyIkQUJ00v/aAAgBAQABPwBuyh0Y3IlXYSAb6TTcD150EQ1hmdSV/XR91//EABYRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEAEf/aAAgBAgEBPwBMv//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR/9oACAEDAQE/AK//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Back in February, Kevin Love signed with the Miami Heat after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Love isn't the big-time star that he once used to be, but he's still a solid role player for the Heat, who are currently battling the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 NBA Finals.
The former All-Star forward averaged 7.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in 21 regular-season contests with Miami. He's putting up 6.9 points and 5.8 rebounds during this year's playoffs.
🏈 Get in the game with our NFL Playoff Predictor. Blend games & predictions, shape playoff outcomes! 🏆
Heat guard Duncan Robinson recently spoke about Love's impact on the team (via The Old Man and the Three):
"Kevin coming, I think he totally changed the whole dynamic of our locker room. Just his character, his levity. What he brought in terms of just connecting people, having a sense of humor."
Heat coach Spoelstra kept Love out of the final two games of the Eastern Conference Finals series versus the Boston Celtics. Yet, his mentorship didn't go unnoticed by Robinson:
"You know when you have a guy who’s played in four NBA Finals, won a championship, get pulled from a rotation in the middle of a series. And his immediate reaction is uplifting the guy that’s replacing him. I mean, that alone set the tone down the line for everybody else. It’s stuff like that that doesn’t get recognized and talked about enough."
Looking back at Kevin Love's career
Following a "one-and-done" season at UCLA, Love was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies fifth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft and immediately traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He would play six seasons for the Wolves, blossoming into a nightly 20-point and 20-rebound threat.
During the summer of 2014, he was traded to the Cavaliers for Andrew Wiggins, who was the top pick in that year's draft. He instantly formed a "Big Three" with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving as the Cavs reached the NBA Finals four times, winning once (2016 against the Golden State Warriors).
Love is now in his fifth NBA Finals. While he didn't play during the Heat's Game 1 loss to Denver, he could see action in Game 2. The team could clearly use his size and shooting touch.
He has shot it well throughtout the postseason, hitting 37 percent of his three-point attempts. Miami struggled mightily during Game 1, as Caleb Martin and Max Strus combined for a forgettable 1-of-17 from the field.
