Kevin Love just might stay with Cavaliers

Kevin Love seems to have a future in Cleveland.

The aftermath of his redemptive effort in Game 7 of the NBA Finals has been overwhelming positive for the former Timberwolves star.

Cleveland coach Tyronne Lue said "Oh he's going to be here. I mean, without Kevin Love, we wouldn't have gotten to the Finals," during an interview Wednesday morning on ESPN's Mike and Mike.

"Then in Game 7, after hearing all the negative talk, he comes into Game 7, has 14 rebounds, a big stop on Steph Curry at the end of the game. So Kevin Love is going to be here, we want him here, and he's a big part of what we want to do going forward."

The front office will have the final say, but Lue's words were telling.

Critics predicted Love would be traded after the Cavaliers were finished off by Golden State in the finals for the second straight year. Love's lack of toughness, poor defense and inconsistency were common themes throughout the series. He was the easy scapegoat.

The only problem was Love and the Cavs rallied to win three straight games and an NBA title. Love found a way to produce and played a major role in the Game 7 victory at Golden State.

Love was one point shy of a double-double in Sunday's finale with nine points and a team-high 14 rebounds. His plus-minus was a whopping plus-19, meaning the Cavs had a 19-point advantage when Love was on the court. By contrast, LeBron James was plus-4 and Kyrie Irving plus-10.

The biggest moment of Love's Game 7 effort helped secure Cleveland's first major professional sports title in 52 years. Golden State, trailing by three points in the final minute of the game, forced the matchup of Love on Curry beyond the three-point line. After 12 seconds of struggling to create space for a three-pointer, Curry threw up a shot and missed.

Love emerged as the defensive hero during Golden State's biggest possession of the game.

The postgame celebration centered on Love and James embracing one another in the moments after the final buzzer.

A quick recap of the past two years argues that the Cavs' "Big 3" experiment has been a success. They've won back-to-back Eastern Conference championships and have one NBA title. Why mess that up?

Even James, arguably the real decisionmaker in the Cleveland organization, spoke up in support of Love during Wednesday's parade through downtown Cleveland.

"Everything that happened from the concussion to sitting out, to him having his shooting struggles and things of that nature. Everybody was burying him alive throughout the Finals," James said. "And to be able to respond like he did in Game 7, that's what real men do. They respond in the most adverse times. Thank you, Kev."

It sounds like the Cavs are happy with Love now that they've got their championship ring.