Cleveland Cavs' Kevin Love Is All About the Love This Season

Anyone who reads my articles often knows that I like to talk a lot about my hometown near Cleveland, Ohio.

You see, it takes a fighter to live in that area.

Someone who, regardless of upbringing or social class, carries a blue-collar attitude and a penchant for withstanding harsh winters that are full of gray skies, snow into April and, in terms of sports, heartbreak.

So whenever I get a chance to talk with one of the athletes who play for one of Cleveland's local sports teams—as I did this morning with Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love—I get a little extra giddy.

I wanted to see how Love's approaching the expectations and challenges that the young season has brought both him and his teammates. With the pairing of a new Big Three made up of himself, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and living in a new city, has Love adapted enough to be part of the same culture of those who have Cleveland in their hearts?

Having recently donated two new basketball hoops to Scranton Elementary as part of Dick's Sporting Goods' Holiday Hoops event, it appears that K-Love is doing his best to fit in with the community and give some love back to those fans who support him each and every night.

From the adjustments his team has made to improve on the court to his love for his mom's home cooking, Love tossed me some unique responses as if he was tossing one of his staple outlet passes—with a hint at the end that he'll be sticking around Cleveland for longer than just this season.

Bleacher Report: It's still early, but what are your first impressions of Cleveland?

Kevin Love: It has been great. You know, I haven't seen too much of the city yet, because it has taken a little bit of time to move in here, but I'm right downtown, really close to where the Q is and where I work, so it's pretty nice, easy and convenient. I'm a homebody, so as long as I have my Netflix and laptop, I'm good to go. As time goes on, I'm looking forward to getting out and seeing more.

B/R: I know you went to a Red Sox game this summer with your agent. Have you made it to a Browns game yet this season?

KL: No, I haven't. I mean, (Johnny Manziel) has been to a few games, but I haven't been able to get over there yet. I haven't been to Progressive Field yet, either, so I'm just slowly but surely figuring out the city. But the first thing that people told me was that the fans are just crazy out here and they'll support you win, lose or draw, and so far we've seen that. We're packing out Quicken Loans Arena every night, and you can tell that people really love their sports here.

B/R: You segued nicely into that for me. Can you talk about the passion that the fans in northeast Ohio have?

KL: You look around in the arena, and whether it's the first row or the Loudville section in the higher seats, fans are on it every single play. Whether it's a free-throw, long-range outlet pass, a dunk, hitting a three or taking a charge, no matter what it is, the fans are very thirsty and very hungry for a championship. As players, we see how they'll give whatever it takes, and it rubs off onto us.

They really have been like a sixth man. They've just been awesome since Game 1.

B/R: You, Kyrie (Irving) and LeBron (James) are all used to being the go-to guys when games get tight. What has been the biggest challenge in adjusting your roles and playing together?

KL: More than anything, it's just finding the right consistency on how we want to play. We knew that it was going to take some time, and just 15 games in is a small sample size, but since day one we weren't sure if it was going to take us 20, 30 or even 40 games to get used to each other.

I think in a lot of ways we're figuring that out now, just studying a lot of film and going over a lot of different game situations. It's going to take going through the season to figure out, but it's something that we'll be able to do over time.

B/R: You're averaging about 25 points and eight rebounds in your last three games (all wins). Have your teammates started to find the best way for you to be productive in this new offense? What has been the biggest change?

KL: I think it's just getting more comfortable and, as I mentioned, watching a lot of film. I'm getting the ball in my spots, and we've had good spacing these last few games. We're doing a good job spreading out whenever LeBron or Kyrie are going downhill and attacking, getting to the free-throw line, coming off screens.

I just think, for me, I'll continue to figure things out because the ball isn't always in my hands, but as I've always said, I'll do whatever it takes to help this team win, so that's what I'm going to continue to do.

Jason Miller/Associated Press

B/R: You surprised kids at Scranton Elementary yesterday by giving them two new hoops. Can you talk about how you got involved with Dick's and the #HolidayHoops campaign?

KL: I thought it was a great way to spread the love and show how I can make an impact on the community through, really, just a random act of kindness.

Yesterday, we started the mission to give away 100 basketball hoops throughout the holiday season, giving away two to Scranton Elementary, and the kids got to play a little bit and try out some of the gear. It was fun to be a part of that and the school paid it forward to a Boys and Girls Club out in California today, giving them two hoops, and they'll then give another couple of hoops to another organization, so it's cool to see.

Sports and basketball are a great way to bring people together, so yesterday's event was really fun to take part in.

B/R: How important is it to you to be active in the community, especially as someone new to the city?

KL: It's very big. In my first six seasons in Minnesota, I did a lot of NBA Cares and St. Jude's events, and this one with Dick's Sporting Goods was both fun and rewarding to be making a difference in the community.

It hits close to home when you work with kids and bring people together through basketball and sports, so it's just that much more gratifying and fun. It's something that I'll continue to do, and there's no better time to be in the giving mood than the holiday season, so I hope to take part in more Giving Tuesdays throughout my career.

B/R: Going back to your youth, what was the most memorable gift you either gave or received when you were a kid?

KL: (laughs) I used to be part of the Shaquille O'Neal Fan Club, so I would always ask for, like, a Shaq basketball or something. But as I've gotten older, I don't really enjoy accepting gifts; it's not that I don't appreciate them, but I'm just better at [giving] and would rather give them. My earliest memories of some good gifts were those '80s or '90s Superstar cards or that Shaq basketball I mentioned, but as I mentioned, as time has gone on, I would much rather be the one giving the gifts.

B/R: You've been given the chance to play with the best player in the world in LeBron and a rising star in Kyrie, but what's one thing you would put on your Christmas list this year?

KL: This might be a little lame, but since I just saw my family for Thanksgiving, for me, I would say to have my mom come cook again. That's always the best part of the holidays: my mom's food. I sort of joke with that, but being a professional athlete and being across the country from my family, having them come to northeast Ohio for the holidays would probably be best for me. It's always fun.

B/R: As a Clevelander, I need to ask: You're going to save me a heart attack and re-sign with the Cavs long-term, right?

KL: I plan on it, yes. I plan on being here long term. It's too good of a situation, and too many guys are going to be here long term, so I plan on being here, yeah.

B/R: OK, let's do some rapid fire, ready?

KL: (laughing) I'll try to be.

B/R: Celebrity crush?

KL: Oh, man. I don't know if I have one (laughing). Clint Eastwood. No, I'm just playing. I don't know if anyone has ever asked me that before, so I'll have to think and we'll have to come back to that one.

B/R: Favorite thing to do on your day off?

KL: I'd say watching Netflix.

B/R: Guilty pleasure?

KL: My mom's cooking.

B/R: What's the one thing you can't leave your house without?

KL: My cell phone.

B/R: Basketball runs in your blood (Love's dad, Stan, played in the NBA for four years), but if you weren't playing hoops, what would you be doing?

KL: I'll give you the typical pro athlete answer and say that I would be playing another sport, like baseball. I'm going to tell you that I had a cannon growing up and could throw some heat, so, I don't know, maybe a pitcher?

Growing up in the Northwest, we had the great Seattle Mariners teams, and I used to watch Randy Johnson at 6'10" standing on the mound and dominating, and I always said, if I were left-handed, I would probably still be pitching. And seeing what they're making these days, it might not have been the worst move, right?

B/R: OK, man, one last crack at it: Who would your celeb crush be?

KL: You know, someone asked me my favorite actress the other day and I didn't have an answer for that, either, but I'll just stick with the same and say Jennifer Lawrence, I guess.