Love takes part in Cavs’ shootaround, could play in Game 4

On defense, James took on the Warriors’ best playmaker, Draymond Green, in Game 3.

Love will come off the bench in Game 4 of The NBA Finals on Friday night, Cavaliers announcer Fred McLeod reports. Prior to game three, the team announced Love out hours before tip-off.

Earlier, he took part in the team’s morning shootaround, a sign he had made progress from his concussion.

While Love’s return is positive news, it does appear that his role on the team may be adjusted to begin Game 4. He was diagnosed with a concussion and has been slowly working his way back since.

The Cavs barely missed Love in Game 3 as reserve Richard Jefferson provided a spark, James flourished at both ends and Cleveland played with a defensive intensity that inexplicably isn’t always present. The decision worked well as the Cavs scored the game’s first nine points and Jefferson, who has come off the bench all season, finished with nine points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes.

“I haven’t been told”, Jefferson said.

“Whatever the situation dictates, I’m going to be ready to go”, said Jefferson, who went to two NBA Finals with the Nets in 2002 and 2003 – this makes him only the third player ever, with Sam Cassell and Elden Campbell – to play in Finals 13 years apart. So, I’m a whatever. “I think what’s more important is his (Love’s) health and we hope he’s able to play”.

But while he fights for those three wins which would bring Cleveland its first pro championship since 1964, Jefferson has the respect and admiration of teammates and opponents. While playing Love with Kyrie Irving, LeBron and Thompson has been incredibly successful against every other team, having James play power forward changed things significantly on both ends of the floor. “It’s called being a professional”.

“It was that I-hate-that-I’m-going-through-this moment, I-feel-like-I’m-letting-you-guys-down moment without him actually even saying it”, James said.

When Cleveland fans are done celebrating the 30-point romp, they’re going to be faced with a hard question: What do you do with Kevin Love? Nearly everyone thought his absence was going to be an issue for Cleveland, but it was the opposite. If you’re up a couple touchdowns versus Aaron Rodgers, you just know that like, you can’t relax.

But go ahead and read that back to yourself: The Warriors ran over the league using pace and shooting, but the Cavs, when they deigned to break from trot to gallop, played their game almost as well as the defending champs. It was easy to laugh about Lue suggesting after a Game 1 drubbing at the hands of the Golden State Warriors last week that the Cavaliers simply needed to pick up the pace. They’re never too far away from the lead or never too far away from when they’re down to get back into the game.