Kevin Love on Cavaliers Facing Adversity: 'We're a Resilient Team'

The Cleveland Cavaliers prolonged their season Friday with a 137-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, and Kevin Love pointed to his squad's resiliency.

"We never count ourselves out," he said when asked why the Cavaliers appear to thrive in the face of adversity, per Sports Illustrated:

That resiliency was on full display in last year's Finals when Cleveland overcame a 3-1 deficit against a Warriors team that won an NBA-record 73 games during the regular season. The Cavaliers received some help with Draymond Green's Game 5 suspension, Andrew Bogut's injury and Stephen Curry's lingering health concerns, but they still achieved the nearly impossible.

Now they have to overcome the same deficit after Friday's win, only this time Kevin Durant is playing alongside Curry, Green and Klay Thompson.

One place to start the comeback during Monday's Game 5 in Oracle Arena—where the Warriors haven't lost this postseason—is the beginning of the game. Cleveland poured in 49 points in the first quarter and 86 points in the first half of Friday's contest, both records for an NBA Finals game.

While Golden State made surges of its own in the second half, the Cavaliers had already set the tone and never trailed after the opening quarter.

It will take more offensive brilliance and the resiliency Love mentioned to win the next three for the Cavaliers, but they can take solace knowing they are familiar with 3-1 deficits at this stage.