Here's where Kevin Love broke his hand. Major blow to the Cavs… pic.twitter.com/vQeyGmxUZS
— Dime on UPROXX (@DimeUPROXX) January 31, 2018
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ road to the NBA finals just got a bit tougher.
Power Forward Kevin Love fractured his left hand in the team’s game against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is reporting that the injury will sideline Love for six to eight weeks.
X-rays on @kevinlove revealed a non-displaced fracture in his left hand fifth metacarpal. He won't return tonight and his status will be updated after additional examination and consultation tomorrow in Cleveland.
— Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG) January 31, 2018
Kevin Love likely out 6-8 weeks
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) January 31, 2018
The NBA playoffs are scheduled to start on April 14, a little more than 10 weeks from Tuesday. If the injury does sideline the All-Star for somewhere between six to eight weeks, he’s looking at returning to the lineup at the end of March.
The Cavaliers currently sit in the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings at 29-19, only a game up on the Miami Heat and two up on the Washington Wizards. The Cavs have not been playing at the championship level we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in recent years. Although many expect the team improve before the playoffs, Love’s injury complicates that process.
The injury also comes at an interesting time for the Cavaliers. Reports out of Cleveland over the past few weeks said the team had a meeting Love’s teammates questioned the legitimacy of an illness.
If Love’s injury does hold him out of the lineup until the later stages of March, that doesn’t leave much time for the team to gel before the start of the playoffs.