You’d be less likely to believe it was a phenomenal defensive stop against the game’s greatest shooter on an island.
But that’s how Kevin Love – one of the most prolific and versatile scoring forwards of his generation – will be immortalized in Cavaliers and Cleveland lore: denying Stephen Curry from getting a clean look at the rim in the closing moments of the biggest single game in team history and his squad protecting a precious three-point edge.
Long before Love made the biggest defensive stop in team history, he worked his way through a season that wasn’t without its ups and downs. Putting aside those external distractions, Love averaged 16.0 points and a team-high 9.9 boards per contest – 11th best in the NBA this season.
He grabbed double-digit boards on 38 occasions and notched 35 double-doubles, good for 14th in the league. His 8.0 defensive rebounds per contest were good for 9th in the NBA and his 158 three-pointers put him in the NBA’s top 20. The three-time All-Star had eight games of at least 15 points and 15 boards and topped the 20-10 mark on 14 occasions.
He was the only player in the NBA this year to average at least 9.0 rebounds and hit at least 100 three-pointers and the only player in NBA history to have a career average of at least 10.0 boards and have made over 700 triples.
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