"Love" the shorts.



Love for Love

I do not know if the Kevin McHale of our generation is an accurate analogy, but it works for me. Kevin Love has assumed the role when he first came into the league. His strengths were he was tough, hard-nosed, and un-athletic. Since McHale’s days the league has had many of these guys, but thankfully the shorts have gotten longer. Images of Will Purdue, Brian Reeves, Shawn Bradley and Greg Ostertag are running through my mind thinking about the stereotype.

Yet Wednesday night Love set a new NBA record. In 52 straight games Love has scored at least 10 points and rebounds. This is just an unbelievable record to me, almost on the same level as DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak. Night in and out, Love is the only star on the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves team (they are the first team eliminated from playoff contention, not Cleveland). However, each night he is able to gobble up boards and points. And he is not sliding by in obtaining these stats; 36 of the 52 games Love grabbed more than 15 boards, seven of the games he had a 20/20. Think these stats are not impressive? Nine of his first 16 games (not included in the streak) he had a double-double, including a 31-point and rebound performance against the Knicks. That feat had not been done since 1982 (Moses Malone).

Love is breaking the stereotype. He is giving suburban kids hope that they can make it to the NBA (I sometimes forget that Love is 6’10). No longer can we call him a great player simply because he is white. Love has crossed over this year into a top 10 player. Since entering the league in 2008, Love has improved his stats from 11 points and nine rebounds as a rookie, to 20 points and 15 rebounds per games this year.

Even though he isn’t on my team, I find myself rooting for him. You don’t hear reports of him crying, or you don’t see him all over TV promoting this and that. Love’s only focus right now is improving basketball for the Timberwolves and I like it. Congratulations to KLOVE on breaking a great record.