Love unsure how to satisfy critics: 'It's just never enough'

There are a number of things that make Kevin Love an easy scapegoat for the Cleveland Cavaliers' shortcomings, particularly as they face near-certain doom in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors for the second straight year.

He's a liability in pick-and-roll defense, which the Warriors are uniquely qualified to exploit. The Cavs largely feature him as a spot-up shooter, making him a limited-impact offensive player when his shot isn't dropping. He plays a position that's overstuffed in Cleveland, leading many to speculate he'll be the first to go if the Cavs fall short again this year. He's had what often seems like a frosty relationship with LeBron James since they became teammates two summers ago.

Most recently, and to some, most damningly, Love sat on the sidelines with concussion symptoms in Game 3, when the Cavs blew the Warriors out by 30 points in their only win of the Finals so far. In the other three games (all of which Love's played in), they've been outscored by 59.

The Cavs brought Love off the bench in Game 4, marking the first time since 2010 that he's been used as a reserve. He played 25 mostly strong minutes, scoring 11 points on six shots, snagging five rebounds, and even successfully contesting multiple shots at the rim. For the playoffs, Cleveland has been 6.5 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. Still, the tidier narrative holds that Love returned and the Cavs lost, so that's what many will inevitably latch onto - causality be damned.

Love was asked after Game 4 why he feels public perception is so quick to turn against him when things go south for Cleveland. His response was basically a shrug.

"I don't know how to answer it because, I have a couple bad games last series (against the Toronto Raptors), tough games, and have to come back and do whatever I needed to do to help the team," he said, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

"Still, it's just never enough."

Love, meanwhile, is just trying to go about his business and be a good teammate. He said he was entirely amenable to the switch to the bench, and told head coach Tyronn Lue he'd do whatever was needed. He also shot down the bad-chemistry narratives about the Cavs' locker room.

"It's an easy storyline, and people are going to run with it, and that's always going to be how it is," he said. "But if you ask anybody on that team, including myself, this is the closest unit, closest group I've ever been around.

"I mean, I've been asked to do different things, being here. I've been asked to be the second, third guy - third guy most nights. It hasn't been the easiest transition in the world, but as far as being a part of a family, this unit here, I've never been on a team that's closer than this. So that's why I don't understand when I hear people say I'm a square peg in a round hole or something like that."

The Cavs aren't finished yet, but trying to win three straight against the 73-win Warriors is about as difficult a task as exists in pro basketball. If and when their season ends without a title, again, Love and his teammates may well face a reckoning.