Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love underwent shoulder surgery and is projected to remain on the sidelines for the next four to six months, which will force him to end his first NBA Playoffs stint.
Love, who played in the postseason for the first time in his seven-year career, gave an update on his surgery. The All-Star forward said that he suffered a tough break, but he is remaining optimistic and did not forget to thank fans who sent well wishes for him since Sunday.
"Tough break but I woke up feeling great this morning. Thank you everyone for the love and support," Love wrote on his official Instagram account with a photo of him on a hospital bed with a sling.
A photo posted by @kevinlove on Apr 30, 2015 at 4:38am PDT
Love's shoulder popped out when he got entangled with Boston Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk in the opening quarter of Game 4 of their best-of-seven series on Sunday in Boston. Love underwent MRI, which revealed an acute anterior inferior glenohumeral dislocation with torn labrum and ligament.
After the game, Love blasted Olynyk for the play that led to the injury. The former UCLA standout said he has no doubt in mind Olynyk did it on purpose, but Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge came into the defense of their second-year forward.
"I think that that's a little bit over the top," Ainge said. "It's understandable in the heat of the battle. I feel bad for Kevin Love because he's waited a long time to get where their team is right now, and now he doesn't get a chance to play. But I certainly don't think that Kelly did it on purpose."
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Love will miss the remainder of the postseason after averaging 14.3 points to go along with 7.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt said Love will be a big lost for the team, especially in their upcoming second-round series against the Chicago Bulls, but the first-year NBA head coach said they are ready to maintain their level of play even without their starting power forward.
"Really sad that we're going to be missing Kev for the playoffs," Blatt told reporters. "Obviously he's a big part of our team. I'm sad for him because he was playing so well and so excited about his first playoff series, but at the same time, I'm very determined for us to maintain our level and to continue to be ambitious about our goals."
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