After dropping Game 1 of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets, the Miami Heat stormed back with a vengeance and claimed Game 2 by a final score of 111-108. While there were several alterations and adjustments made to Erik Spoelstra's club's approach Sunday evening, one of the more highlighted changes was the decision to reinsert veteran Kevin Love into the starting rotation.
After being completely out of the rotation over the last three games, the veteran big man was thrust into the first five lineup for the Heat. Though his counting stats may not have been anything to write home about, during his post-game media session All-Star center Bam Adebayo heaped praise upon his seasoned teammate, noting that his presence alone has an overall positive impact on Miami.
“I mean, [Kevin Love] will impact even when he's not in the game. You'll come to the bench, he's always talking to you, telling you what he sees. K-Love's been here, what, five times? Four times? So he's been seeing everything but the wind at this point. The biggest thing for us is I'm glad he's on our team. He gives us that extra energy, that extra spark. Whatever we need, he's all hands on deck,” Bam Adebayo said.
Love may have only played 22 minutes on the night, but he certainly did enough to make his presence felt. The big man would go on to finish with a stat line of 6 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals and boasted the game's second-best plus-minus rating of +18.
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