The Cleveland Cavaliers has just blanked the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs and LeBron James and his Cavs come barging into the second round unblemished.
They are expected to meet the Chicago Bulls and Derrick Rose in the next round even though the Windy City basketball squad has yet to dispose the Milwaukee Bucks as of this writing, extending their series to a fifth game. But everyone expects to see the Bulls through.
The shut-out win over the Boston Celtics however came with a price for the Cavaliers as prized power-forward Kevin Love has been injured in his shoulder. Love is set to undergo an MRI for doctors to determine the damage on his shoulder. And more importantly, whether he could play to his form come the second round or not.
Important spot
Kevin Love is very important for the Cavaliers rotation when they face the Bulls in the second round. His spot is one of the areas where the Bulls are strongest since they have Pau Gasol on it alternating with Joakim Noah.
Not having Love while the Cavs faced the Bulls in an expected procrastinated series would put Cleveland in a great disadvantage.
While LeBron James is still the most dominating player in the Cavaliers lineup, his off-guard spot can actually be compensated by the prolific output of Jimmy Butler. Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving could cross themselves out in the point guard position although it seems likely that Rose will surely get the better of the upstart Irving, who has just gotten to the playoffs only this year.
It is expected that the second round battle in the playoffs between the Bulls and the Cavaliers would determine who shall most likely represent the East in the NBA Finals without necessarily undermining the deep talent of the Atlanta Hawks.
Thinking free agency
While Kevin Love did play well during the series with the Boston Celtics, many were still thinking that he was playing below expectations compared to the time when he was still with the Minnesota Timberwolves where he can really light up the scoreboards in a flash.
It has been widely rumored that Kevin Love was thinking about the upcoming free agency during the series with the Celtics because apparently, Boston appears to be interested in getting his services via the free agency, notes Yahoo! News
In addition to the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant are also interested in luring Kevin Love to their fold, saying that it would be a homecoming for the forward since he also played and graduated from UCLA.
Word also has it that the Boston Celtics are just waiting for July before they make their moves on Kevin Love. Love refuses to talk and discuss about the free agency, saying that he would rather focus on the playoffs, it is also obvious that he is not a perfect fit in the Cavaliers. And the only thing that would stop Love from jumping into the free agency pool and joining another team this summer is a championship ring.