Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 keys to contending in 2017-18

By Drew Zlogar | Sep 28, 2017

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 26: Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Boston Celtics and LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers hug after a game in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2015 NBA Playoffs on April 26, 2015 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images /

3. Love stepping up

This one is pretty simple. Kevin Love is going to have to step up his game this season for the Cavaliers to go to a fourth straight NBA Finals. Without Kyrie Irving, and with Isaiah Thomas out for an extended amount of time, Love is LeBron’s second-best weapon to go to battle with each night.

There are so many memories of Love during his Minnesota Timberwolves days, when he would absolutely torch the stat sheet on a nightly basis. But since being with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he has become more of a finesse big man, shooting a lot of threes (6.5 attempts per game last year).

Kevin Love has shown that he is pretty consistent with his range, shooting 36.9 percent from deep last year. However when you look at the roster, and what others will be bringing to the table, Love will need to up his game, both offensively and defensively.

Looking at his final four years while in Minnesota, Love had averages of 22.7 points and 13.8 rebounds per game. If some way, somehow, Love can tap into that magic, it would be huge for the Cavaliers, who will be competing hard with the improved Boston Celtics all year.

We have seen Kevin Love be at the very top of the list of impact players in this league. Now, without Irving, he will have to up his level of play to be a true No. 2 weapon for the Cavaliers, as they try to continue to own the East.

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