Thanks to transcendent performances from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving - who became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to score 40 points in the same game - the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors on the road in Game 5 despite the other member of their Big Three being all but invisible.
Kevin Love shot 1-of-5, missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc, didn't get to the free-throw line, grabbed just three rebounds (none at the offensive end), and finished with more fouls (four) than points and assists combined (three).
With Draymond Green returning for the Warriors in Game 6, and James and Irving unlikely to repeat their historic Game 5 production, the Cavs will need more than that from Love if they're to send the Finals back to Golden State for a Game 7.
"We definitely need Kev to play better," James told reporters Wednesday. "We want him to play better, but we don't want to add no more stress on him or added pressure. We just want him to go out and play, just let it hang out. ...
"I think he's looking forward to the challenge. I think he's looking forward to the moment. We definitely need him. He's too big of a piece to our puzzle."
As to what, specifically, Love needs to do differently in order to make more of an impact, James said aggressiveness is the name of the game.
"Just need him to be aggressive. You know, from the defensive side of the floor and the offensive side of the floor, go out and make an impact on the game, no matter if he's not scoring, no matter if at times he feels like he's not getting touches. We all just need to continue to be aggressive."
Love was in a bit of a tricky spot in Game 5. With Irving and James dominating the game (and the ball), effectively taking turns going one-on-one with pullups and drives, there wasn't a whole lot Love could do to assert himself without upsetting his teammates' rhythm.
"Yeah, it just felt like it was one of those nights where you just kind of roll out the ball for them and get out of the way," Love said. "They were spectacular all night, both scoring 41. Kyrie shooting above 70 percent, LeBron really filled up the stat sheet in every way. So it was great to be a part of, and you had to find different ways to affect the game that might not show up on the stat sheet."
Particularly with Andrew Bogut's third-quarter injury opening up driving lanes for Cleveland, Love instead saw fit to act as a decoy, spotting up as a shooting threat in the corner to pull the remaining Warriors bigs away from the rim.
"I know it's funny to say, but run in the corner, let those guys do their thing, and on the defensive end try to apply myself as much as I could," he said.
Bogut is done for the series, but Green's presence is going to help the Warriors divert a lot more of those drives in Game 6. For the Cavs to stave off defeat once more, they may need Love's contributions to show up on the stat sheet this time.
