Richard Jefferson played well in Kevin Love's absence. Now what?
Cleveland Cavaliers veteran forward Richard Jefferson stepped up to fill the void left by the injured Kevin Love for Wednesday night's Game 3 Finals win against the Golden State Warriors. The game was a complete turnaround from Games 1 and 2, as the Cavs trounced the defending champs to keep their season alive (essentially) and cut the series deficit to 2-1.
Jefferson played well (9 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals) in 33 minutes on the floor, but after the game, he quickly shot down any talk that Love's absence was the reason for such a drastic change in Cleveland's play.
"Kevin wanted to be on the court," Jefferson told reporters. "I saw how pissed off he was when he wasn’t able to be cleared in time. We’re in this together. We’ve all picked each other up. You have to go with the next-man-up mentality. He is definitely one of the top players in this league. It’s our job to just hold on until he can get back."
When he'll be back, however, is something yet to be determined, as Love is still in the league's concussion protocol. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue wouldn't say if Love would be back in the starting lineup assuming he's available, but did break down how having Jefferson on the floor with the starters impacts the defensive end.
"Putting Richard Jefferson in the starting lineup, I just think he gave us speed," Lue said. "I thought he gave us the physicality on Harrison Barnes, and that we were able to slide LeBron over to Draymond Green, which helped us out a lot. We were able to switch pick-and-rolls and things like that. So just being able to get up the floor offensively, pushing the ball, pushing the tempo, and RJ's aggressiveness on the defensive end."
With one off-day before Game 4, time is a luxury Love doesn't have, as he must pass the league's return-to-participation protocol, which includes completing several exertion exercises without any concussion-like symptoms, before being cleared to return.
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