Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 keys to beating Warriors in 2018 NBA Finals

3. Kevin Love must return to All-Star form

His status for Game 1 is currently unknown, but assuming the basketball gods aren’t cruel, Kevin Love is expected to be the second option on offense as the second-best player on the Cavaliers, someone James can trust to get a bucket when called upon.

Behind only LeBron in scoring during these playoffs, Love has done just that, until one looks at his numbers and realize that “second option” should be used very loosely when discussing the five-time All-Star.

In 31 minutes a night, Love has averaged a putrid 13.9 points on 38.8 percent shooting from the field including 34.6 percent from distance — terrible numbers for someone expected to hover around the 20-point plateau and light the opposition up with his shooting.

During this postseason, the Cavs have needed more scoring outlets, and that problem is only exacerbated when facing a Golden State team that can and will put up 120 points against this awful Cleveland defense.

As great as LeBron has proven to be, he won’t be able to score 80 points on four separate occasions, meaning other Cavaliers will have to step up.

Draymond Green has been able to overwhelm Love with his physicality in the past, which doesn’t bode well for the Cavs, especially since Love’s confidence can’t possibly be that high.

While the Warriors already have much more offensive firepower, if Love can’t turn back into the inside-out threat he’s shown in the past, Cleveland definitely won’t be able to compete with Golden State, and things will get worse in a hurry.