CLEVELAND: On Thursday, President Barack Obama playfully tugged Kevin Love’s chain.
In his speech honoring the NBA champion Cavaliers during their visit to the White House, Obama mentioned the three big plays — The Block, The Shot and The Stop — that finished off the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
But even devoted basketball fan Obama seemed surprised at Love’s ability to shut down Steph Curry.
“Boy — I mean, he was moving,” Obama said of Love, drawing laughter. “I hadn’t seen defense like that.”
If Obama watches the Cavs this season, Love might surprise him again.
In the Cavs’ first 10 games, Love has looked like a different player. No longer content to stand in the corner and wait for the ball, he’s been more aggressive driving to the basket. In the first nine games, he doubled his free-throw attempts from the same span last season. He’s been a beast on the boards.
Off the court, he confidently looks media members in the eyes instead of staring at his feet in the cold tub during postgame interviews.
Perhaps with the bonds forged during a title run, Love seems to have found acceptance.
Tuesday night’s performance in a 121-117 win over the Toronto Raptors at Quicken Loans Arena wasn’t one of his best. But Love still finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds in 35 minutes despite shooting 5-of-16 from the field.
Love had only one assist, but it came with 34 seconds remaining, his feed to LeBron James for a layup giving the Cavs a four-point lead.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue has decided to go to Love early in the first quarter to get him in rhythm, but against the Raptors he made only two of his first eight shots, including 0-for-3 from 3-point range. He also lost two early turnovers while operating inside.
But Love didn’t make a mistake and crawl into a shell. After a second-quarter turnover while trying to back down the Raptors’ Patrick Patterson, Love drove the lane on the next possession and drew a foul.
He finished eight-of-nine from the free-throw line, boosting his season total to 66-of-77. After 10 games in 2015-16, he had made 31-of-40 from the stripe.
To NBA insiders, those free-throw numbers are the most telling about what Love is doing this season.
In the big picture, Love going inside more saves wear and tear on LeBron James’ 31-year-old body. Even with the way James takes care of himself, if Love can keep that up, it could extend the career of four-time NBA MVP James by a year or two.
This season, the Cavs’ concerted effort to get Love the ball in the first quarter doesn’t seem like a desperate move to get whatever they can out of a disconnected three-time All-Star.
“He kind of gets the team going offensively in the first quarter,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey observed before the game. “We’ve got to make sure we know where he is and don’t lose him.”
In his previous two years with the Cavs, Love sometimes lost himself. He didn’t seem ready to be No. 3 in the Big Three with James and Kyrie Irving. This season, he does.
“He’s been a lot more aggressive, attacking the basket off the dribble,” Lue said. “Guys are closing him out, running him off the 3-point line. So he’s doing a great job of beating those guys on the catch, getting to the basket, getting fouled. And also offensive rebounding, getting putbacks and getting fouled around the basket. He’s just being very aggressive and we like it.”
When asked why Love has been a different player, Lue cited his conditioning. Lue said Love took Cavs’ director of high performance Alex Moore with him to Utah after the season to work on his body.
“This year, he’s able to play longer stints without getting tired. I thought the first couple years he would get winded pretty early,” Lue said.
Tough sessions with Moore might help Love feel less intimidated by James and Irving, who perform gravity-defying feats every time they take the court.
Considering their rare skills, Love will always be No. 3 in the Big Three. But this season, he seems more comfortable and confident that he can be an essential part of another championship chase.
If that’s the case, Obama’s next message for Love might need no laugh track.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her blog at www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.