Love Starting to Find His Rhythm (Again) in Blowout Win against Lakers

Photo by David Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

It's been a funny season for Kevin Love.

There are games where he looks like a four-time All-Star, like tonight where he scored 31 points in a 120-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

There are games where he looks like a shell of himself with screams "overrated" and "just another big", like this past Friday where he scored a measly five points in a loss to the Indiana Pacers.

Too many times has followed up great games with stinkers, leaving people wondering if he was worth giving up Andrew Wiggins. But even when he does play bad, he has been able to follow up those down games with performances that remove any doubt of the trade that brought him in.

With 53 games played on the season, we've seen no sort of consistency out Love. Just when you think he gets it going, he falls back into abyss of bad basketball that feels like he'll never get out of; missing open shots, failing to score around the rim and unable to find minutes when the game is on the line.

Of course, Love's numbers aren't necessarily terrible (he's averaging a double-double, something only 15 guys can claim to have) and he's done things outside of scoring that have made him effective. But his scoring numbers are the cause for concern.

Tonight was another game where Love "silenced the haters", but this one had a much different feel than his previous games like this one. Of course, he scored over 30 points for the first time, but is more of how he got those points than the total in general that is a good sign going forward.

First, he finally did some damage outside of the first quarter, where he scored 27 of 32 points in the second and third quarter. That right there is a positive in itself, as normally it's a strong start that slowly dwindles down as the game goes on.

It's easy to get things going when you hit 7-of-8 three-pointers, but based on the location of those shots, it's no surprise he was able to connect from behind the arc. Love has always been a very good three-point shooter, but he's been at his best when he's above the free throw line extended, which was where he took all eight of his three-point attempts from.

Tonight was a good step in Love finding his comfort zone, and more importantly having LeBron James and Kyrie Irving setting him up to where he can succeed in the offense, which was the case tonight.

We have seen this before, but there's some hope that this is the Love we will see going forward, starting and ending with how he's fitting into the offense, as was showcased in tonight's game.

Three Things:

1. Hey there Big 3, glad you guys could all play well together.

Love playing well was obviously a big part of tonight's game, but he was just one-third of the success of the Cavaliers tonight. James nearly had a triple-double and the inefficient ball-hog Irving had 28 points on 14 shots, while also handing out 10 assists. Not too much there is to dive into at this point, other than when all three of these guys are clicking, there is no one (NOT EVEN YOU ATLANTA) that can beat Cleveland.

2. Acquisitions playing well!

Although J.R. Smith's impact on offense was minimal tonight (two points on 1-of-4 shooting), everything he has done in the last two weeks has given him leeway to have nights like this. As for Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov, they did exactly what they were brought into to do, which was play defense. Shumpert defended the perimeter to the tune of of four steals, while Mozgov protected the paint, disrupting shots and blocking four shots in the process. If you weren't satisfied with the way all three of these guys have played since the Cavaliers acquired them, well then there's the door.

3. At what point do we appreciate Tristan Thompson?

Look, I realize that he isn't worth what he's probably going to get over the summer, but I'm not too worried about. Being best friends with James and having the same agent as him certainly has its perks, and getting paid is bigger than all of them. Anyways, Thompson has a unique skill that is nearly impossible to find in the game today: offensive rebounding. He's one of the best in the league at it and is an advantage the Cavaliers have used to their advantage all season. Even when he's not grabbing rebounds, he's drawing falls after the shot to keep the possession alive. With as good as their offense is, second chances provided by Thompson make them even that more dangerous.

Statline of the Night:

Kevin Love: 32 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 11-of-18 shooting.

I think we've went in depth enough of his performance, but it's worth repeating that this is a step in the right direction for Love.

What's Next:

Feb. 11, at home against the Miami Heat, 8 p.m.