Love won't be cleared for Game 3, sources say
CLEVELAND — Despite his efforts to convince team officials that he’s well enough to play, Cavaliers forward Kevin Love has been informed that he will not be medically cleared to participate in Wednesday’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that Love, after suffering a concussion in Sunday’s Game 2, has been aggressively lobbying the Cavaliers to clear him to return for Cleveland’s pivotal home game Wednesday night, in which the Eastern Conference champions will be trying to cut into the Golden State Warriors‘ 2-0 series lead.
But Love, sources say, was told that he would not be permitted to return to the lineup after two days of evaluation in the wake of the inadvertent shot to the back of the head he took from Warriors forward Harrison Barnes on Sunday night in Oakland.
Love went through a portion of shootaround Wednesday morning and is officially listed by the Cavaliers as questionable for Game 3,. But sources said he’s been informed that Friday’s Game 4 is the earliest he’ll be considered for a return.
