CLEVELAND: From the time Tyronn Lue took over as head coach, one of his top priorities was finding ways to make Kevin Love more comfortable in the Cavs’ system. To that end, Lue acknowledged after Love’s historic night Wednesday that the first play call of every game this year is for Love to get a shot from the post.
It hasn’t always worked out that way. In fact, Love has taken the first shot in only six of the first 13 games. But Lue listened to Love and is doing his best to get him going early. The fruits of that were on display with Love’s 34-point first quarter Wednesday en route to his first 40-point game with the Cavaliers.
“I had a good rhythm, made my first couple shots,” Love said. “And it was on from there.”
This is the most comfortable Love has been on and off the court since arriving in Cleveland. Gone are all the questions about his lack of touches, his fit in the locker room, the silly drama over his absence in candid social media pics and the passive-aggressive jabs between him and LeBron James over MVP candidates.
He is a homeowner now, trading in his posh apartment inside The 9 for a mortgage payment and real estate taxes. He loves his house and he’s looking rather comfortable in this system, too.
James and Kyrie Irving have the ball in their hands most nights and can get their shots whenever they want, but Lue has recognized the importance of involving Love early. He spent most of his first season in Cleveland shouting into the wilderness about how he has played his entire career getting inside touches early and then working his way out to the perimeter. David Blatt grew defensive whenever the topic of Love’s fit in this system was broached, but Lue was proactive in making all the stars align neatly.
“I didn’t do anything magical,” Lue said. “He’s playing great … Just try to get him the ball when he has matchups or just keep him involved, keep him engaged.”
Love was certainly engaged Wednesday, scoring more points in one quarter than any player in NBA history except Klay Thompson, who scored 37 against the Sacramento Kings. Love was so hot from deep that James began seeking him out and, yes, even scratching plays to make sure the ball got back to him.
Lue said he tried running a couple of plays early for James coming out of timeouts, but James declined and wanted to keep running plays that got Love looks at the elbow — again, where he is most comfortable.
“I went over and told him, ‘Whatever you’re doing, wherever you’re at right now, just stay right there. Stay even keel,’ ” James said. “Whatever you’re thinking about right there, just stay there because we’re going to keep coming to you.”
Of course, that only applies to the first quarter. Even on a night he set the franchise record for scoring in a quarter, Love still couldn’t get many looks the rest of the night. That’s how it has been since this Big Three was put together and how it will likely always be provided everyone remains healthy.
Love got one shot in the second quarter and six the rest of the night. Still, it marked just the third time Love has shot the ball so many times in a regular-season game since arriving. Two of them have occurred this year, although the other time was the loss at Indiana when James was resting.
“It’s definitely fun. Especially when you see after the fact, the reactions of my teammates,” Love said. “It’s definitely a lot of fun, but that’s over and done with now. Enjoy Thanksgiving, but know we have another game Friday.”
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ.