Despite reports that Kevin Love could possibly play in Game 3 Wednesday night, the power forward has reportedly been told he won’t be cleared until Game 4 at the earliest.
ESPN’s Marc Stein has the latest on this story.
ESPN sources say Love has been lobbying hard for clearance to play Game 3 but has been told Friday's Game 4 is the soonest he'll be cleared
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 8, 2016
The Cleveland Cavaliers, down 2-0 against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, need all hands on deck to stop the bleeding.
When he’s on, Love is a force to be reckoned with on the perimeter, where he has been deadly throughout the postseason except for his first game and a half during the Finals. Despite his outstanding play throughout the playoffs, he is typically horrid going up against the Warriors. He converted just nine out of 24 shot attempts in the first couple of games this series.
Since he will apparently not be ready to play tonight, it should be expected that Channing Frye will be leaned on heavily to replace his minutes and production. Thankfully, Frye has a similar skill set and can drain outside shots with some regularity.
In the end, however, it might not matter if Love plays or not. The Cavs appear completely overmatched against the loaded Warriors. A win on Wednesday could potentially turn the series around, but right now things don’t look good on that front.