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Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is listed as questionable for Wednesday' s Game 3 of the NBA Finals, the team announced Tuesday. Love missed practice on Tuesday and remains under the NBA concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in Sunday' s Game 2 against the Golden State Warriors.
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Love must clear the protocol before he can return and his status isn' t expected to be firmed up until Wednesday.
However, forward LeBron James didn't sound all that sure that Love will be on the floor.
"It's going to be the next man up. We're down 0-2, and we can't afford to look and say, 'Wow, Kev's not playing. What are we going to do?'" James told reporters. "It's next man up, because it's a must-win for us.
"So obviously his health is very important, but in the situation we're in now, we've got to stay confident. And whoever Coach decides to give the nod to has got to be ready to go, and everybody else has to step up."
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue didn't offer much way of info per Love's status.
"He flew back with the team," Lue said in reference to the injury happening during Game 2 in Oakland. "He's feeling better, but right now he's just in the concussion protocol, and we won't know until tomorrow.
"And what will I do if he doesn't play? I'm not going to tell you today, I'm sorry. That's fair, right? OK."
When the Cleveland players began practice around 11 a.m. ET, Love remained behind in the locker room.
Love sustained a concussion in Game 2 when Warriors forward Harrison Barnes inadvertently flattened him with his elbow as they fought for a rebound.
Although Love remained in the game after the incident in the second quarter and later made a 3-pointer, he took himself out of the game in the second half when he became disoriented.
Tests disclosed the concussion and Love was placed under the NBA's concussion protocol, meaning he must pass specific tests before he is allowed to play again.
Losing Love, a three-time NBA All-Star, would be a huge blow to the Cavaliers, who trail the defending champion Warriors, 2-0, as the series moves to Cleveland for two games.
The Warriors beat the Cavaliers in last year's NBA Finals, 4-2, when Love did not play because of a shoulder injury.
If Love misses the game, Channing Frye will likely play a larger role. Little-used Timofey Mozgov also could find himself receiving a heavy dose of minutes.
"You know, Timo has to be ready, Lue said. "There is a chance and an opportunity for him to play. We've talked about that as a staff. You just have to be ready to play, and we'll see what happens from there."
