Report: Kevin Love Won't Be Suspended After Leaving Cavs Bench at End of Game 1

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love will not be suspended for Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Finals after the All-Star forward was on the court during an altercation near the end of Game 1, according to Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports.

As the clock wound down in Golden State's 124-114 overtime victory, players from both sides came face-to-face in the paint near the Warriors' basket. The confrontation followed the ejection of Cleveland center Tristan Thompson moments before, and Thompson delayed his exit to the locker room to be right in the middle of the skirmish.

The situation quickly de-escalated, but Love—who was not checked into the game—was on the court at the time the altercation began, seemingly in anticipation of the final buzzer. He promptly made his way back to the bench rather than get involved. 

After dropping Game 1 in heartbreaking fashion, losing Love to suspension for Game 2 would have been a devastating blow. 

Love (21 points and 13 rebounds) was the Cavaliers' second-leading scorer in Game 1 and their leading rebounder. No Cavs player other than Love and LeBron James (51 points) scored more than 10 points in the series opener.

In other words, somebody (or multiple somebodies) was going to have fill the void had Love been suspended.

The Cavs essentially won a pair of do-or-die games without Love in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, that was against the Kyrie Irving-less, Gordon Hayward-less Celtics; these are the defending champs, featuring two former league MVPs as well as two other All-Stars.

Cleveland has already had to go up against Golden State in the Finals without Love. Back in 2015, he missed the first chapter of this rivalry after suffering a shoulder injury against Boston during the first round. With Love and ultimately Irving out, the Warriors won that series in six games. Love also missed Game 3 of the 2016 Finals with a concussion. 

Game 2 tips off at Oracle Arena on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.