Kevin Love won’t be able to help LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 7 against the Celtics.
Love was placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol and the All-Star forward will miss Sunday’s series finale of the Eastern Conference finals
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The Cavaliers said Love, who inadvertently bashed heads with Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum in the first quarter of Game 6, experienced concussion-like symptoms Saturday before the team’s flight to Boston.
Moments before the Cavs sent a news release updating Love’s status, coach Tyronn Lue held a confusing teleconference during which he said the 29-year-old was still being evaluated and there was a possibility he could play.
However, like everything else in this erratic, convoluted season for Cleveland, things changed quickly.
Now, the Cavs will be without their second-leading scorer and top rebounder as they try to win their fourth straight conference title against a younger team that is 10-0 at home in the playoffs.
Love is averaging 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds in 17 playoff starts
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Celtics coach Brad Stevens believes the Cavaliers are dangerous even without Love.
”We’ll have to prepare our team to play well, regardless of who plays for them,” Stevens said. ”Obviously, they’ll run a little bit less of the Love stuff, and more of the other stuff … probably more opportunities for LeBron, more opportunities for (Kyle) Korver and (J.R.) Smith, more opportunities off those pick and rolls. All of them were very effective for them last night.”
There is statistical data to support that the Cavaliers have been more effective in the series when Love has been out. But while Cleveland may be better defensively
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”You can switch more,” Lue said. ”I think when Jeff (Green) is in there playing that position, it makes you more versatile defensively. But we miss his rebounding. We miss his offensive ability. It kind of all cancels out.”
James scored 46 points in Friday’s victory, his latest jaw-dropping performance in what has been perhaps the greatest postseason of the superstar’s storied career. James is averaging 33.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 8.8 assists and has had seven 40-point games and two-buzzer beaters.
The 33-year-old’s next challenge: finding a way to beat the Celtics, who have played at another level on their home floor.
It’s interesting that as James tries to advance to his eighth straight NBA Finals – a feat accomplished only by legendary Celtics center Bill Russell and three other Boston players – that Love will be in street clothes on Cleveland’s bench and Kyrie Irving will be sitting on Boston’s.
The Cavs relented to Irving’s request and traded him to the Celtics last summer, but the All-Star point guard didn’t play in this postseason after undergoing knee surgery.
At one time, James
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After Love went down Friday, James, who played the final eight minutes on a sore right knee, got help from George Hill (20 points), Green (14 points) and Larry Nance Jr. (10 points) as the Cavaliers fought off elimination for the second time in these playoffs.
Lue said he wasn’t concerned about James, who favored his leg while slowly walking out of Quicken Loans Arena early Saturday after Game 6.
For Love, the concussion is another setback in a tough season. He missed seven weeks with a broken hand and revealed he has had bouts of panic attacks.
Love has suffered at least two other known concussions in his career – one that kept him out of Game 3 in the 2016 NBA Finals. He also missed a game at Charlotte on March 28 with a head injury.
Love missed the majority of Cleveland’s 2015 run to the Finals after separating his shoulder in the first round against Boston.
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Using a cane to walk on his surgically repaired left knee
Cheap Calvin Ridley Jersey , Carson Wentz celebrated a victory with his teammates that many thought the Philadelphia Eagles couldn’t secure without him.
Wentz led them to a division title. Nick Foles is taking them to the Super Bowl.
Losing Wentz in Week 14 after the second-year quarterback had an MVP-caliber season was supposed to be a crippling blow to a team that had already lost nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, playmaking linebacker Jordan Hicks, versatile returner/running back Darren Sproles and special teams ace Chris Maragos.
But the Eagles are one victory away from the franchise’s first NFL title since 1960 thanks to key contributions from several backups.
”It’s the next-man-up mentality,” coach Doug Pederson said Monday. ”It also means that you have some veteran players that keep things together, and good coaching staffs. I think it’s a tribute to the players and everyone involved that they can keep things going even through that adversity.”
Foles led the way with a spectacular performance in a 38-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC championship game . He threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns while joining Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to complete 75 percent of their passes in consecutive playoff games.
”We lean on each other and we play for each other and that’s what’s special about this team,” Foles said. ”There’s never going to be a time when we’re going to turn on each other. We’re always going to be there to support each other and that’s the beautiful thing about the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Even team owner Jeffery Lurie couldn’t have predicted this success.
”It surprised me because of all the injuries,” Lurie said. ”The resiliency among this group is phenomenal.”
Sproles, one of the best returners in league history and a major part of the offense
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The team signed Kenjon Barner to replace him on punts and rookie Corey Clement has stepped up to fill Sproles’ role as a third down specialist.
Maragos tore his right PCL at Carolina on Oct. 12. The unit struggled without him until Bryan Braman re-signed with the team in December.
Peters tore his right ACL and MCL in a Monday night game against the Redskins on Oct. 23. Halapoulivaati Vaitai replaced him in the starting lineup and has improved with more playing time.
Vaitai gained valuable experience as a rookie last year filling in for Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson when he was suspended 10 games.
”Had a lot of confidence in (Vaitai),” Pederson said. ”These are obviously the things we’ve seen in him: his maturity, his growth as a left tackle.”
Hicks ruptured his right Achilles in the same game Peters went down. It was a big loss because Hicks calls the defensive signals and is a playmaker. He has seven interceptions and five fumble recoveries in 31 games.
Joe Walker and Najee Goode replaced him initially before the Eagles signed former Ravens starter Dannell Ellerbe to take his spot. Ellerbe missed the victory over Minnesota because of a hamstring injury and Goode was beat on a touchdown pass in the first quarter.
”I think that’s what makes it more special with these guys,” Pederson said. ”You start losing some of your top players to injury. You just kind of see the fight in the guys and the resiliency in the guys. The guys just keep battling. For us to believe in one another and to be now in this spot, I’m just so happy for those guys, and hat’s off to them.”
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