Kevin Love Entered Court Before Fight to Argue Tristan Thompson Ejection
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love said his reason behind leaving the bench during overtime of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday had nothing to do with the on-court scuffle that was occurring.
According to ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Love told her he was instead trying to get in the officials' line of vision to argue against teammate Tristan Thompson being ejected with 2.6 seconds remaining:
Despite that, Love could be subject to a suspension due to NBA rules against players leaving the bench during altercations.
The issue occurred when Thompson shoved the ball into Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green's face out of frustration.
Per ESPN.com's Chris Haynes, both Thompson and Love could be subject to a suspension for their actions.
While Love has had an up-and-down postseason thus far, he was Cleveland's second-most productive player in Game 1 of the Finals behind LeBron James.
Love finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds to supplement the 51 points registered by James. No other player on the team had more than 10 points.
In 18 playoff games overall, Love is averaging 14.3 points and 10.2 rebounds, while shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Although Love made just one of his eight three-point attempts Thursday night, his ability to stretch the floor and draw defenders out to the perimeter is a key part of Cleveland's offensive attack.
Love is also a big reason why the Cavs beat the Warriors 53-38 in the rebounding battle in Game 1.
The Cavaliers fell 124-114 to the Dubs in overtime despite Love's efforts, however, and they can ill afford to be without him in Game 2 as they look to even the series before heading back to Cleveland.
Game 2 of the NBA Finals isn't until Sunday, meaning the NBA will have some time to make a decision regarding Love's status.
