Cleveland Cavaliers have Terry Talkin' Kevin Love's role and that speech by LeBron James -- Terry Pluto (photos)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s not just about the stats.

That’s what you have to remember when evaluating Kevin Love.

Consider Game 7 of the NBA Finals, the Cavs 93-89 victory over the Golden State Warriors to win the title. Love had a modest nine points on 3-of-9 shooting.

In his Parade Day speech, LeBron James talked about Love having a concussion in Game 2 to “shooting struggles” for the entire series.

“And everyone burying him alive throughout The Finals … to respond in Game 7 like he did, that’s what real men do,” said James. “We talk about The Shot (Kyrie Irving’s 3-pointer). We talk about The Block (James blocking Andre Iguodola’s layup). But The Stop, that was on a two-time MVP, by the way.”

The Stop was the 1-on-1 defense played by Love on Golden State’s Steph Curry in the final seconds of the game, forcing Curry to take far too long to put up a very ugly 3-pointer that banged off the rim.

In that game, Love was the Cavs leading rebounder with 14.

In the 30 minutes that Love played, the Cavs outscored the Warriors by 19 points. By far, that was the best plus/minus of any player in the game.

The Cavs other crucial victory in the series was 112-97 in Game 5 at Golden State. The Cavs were down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Love’s stat line was ugly: 2 points, 3 rebounds, 4 fouls in 33 minutes.

But with Love on the court, the Cavs outscored Golden State by 18 points. Only Irving (plus-20) was better.

The point is the Cavs often play well with Love on the court, even when it seems Love is not producing. That’s because the 6-foot-10 Love forces a big man to cover him.

He mentioned that in some of the games, he was “standing in the corner.” That was true. His 3-point shooting demanded the defense pay attention to him. That keeps the middle open for players such as James and Irving to drive to the rim.

Early in The Finals, I ran into Cavs general manager David Griffin. We had a casual discussion, not for a story. But before I even asked about Love, Griffin mentioned how Love “is very valuable” to the Cavs — and there is no intent to trade him.

Golden State has small, quicker players — a tough matchup for Love. Griffin added Love would have been very effective against Oklahoma City, if the Cavs had faced the Thunder.

On ESPN’s Mike & Mike, Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said Love “is going to be here … without Kevin, we would not have gotten to The Finals.”

WHY LOVE MATTERS

1. Early in the season when Irving was still coming back from a fractured kneecap, the Cavs were the Big Two with James and Love. In those 26 games with no Irving before January 1, the Cavs were 18-8. Love averaged 17.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and shot .434 from the field.

2. In the regular season overall, Love averaged 16.0 points, 9.9 rebounds and shot .419. The obvious point is Love will be more productive when he sees the ball more often and when he’s needed more to score. He is a key player in case James or Irving do miss some games to injuries in the future.

3. In the first three rounds of the playoffs against Detroit, Atlanta and Toronto, Love averaged 17.8 points and 10.2 rebounds. That’s big-time production in postseason games.

4. In the Eastern Conference, Love is more effective. The teams tend to play at a slower pace. They use taller players. They are a better matchup for Love.

5. The same is true of Channing Frye. The 6-foot-11 veteran was especially effective against Atlanta and Toronto. He averaged 11.2 points and shot 63 percent (58 percent on 3-pointers) in those two series. He didn’t even play in the last three games against the Warriors. In The Finals, he was on the court for only 33 minutes, scoring two points.

6. A huge factor when looking at Love and Frye is to take the long view. It’s not just about The Finals. It’s about the 82-game regular season. It’s about the three rounds in the Eastern Conference. It’s about having players who can score so James doesn’t have to carry a huge load during the regular season or early in the playoffs.

7. Coming to the Cavaliers was a tough adjustment for Love, and not simply because he ceased to be the focal point of the offense. Playing in Minnesota, he was on a losing team. He was not pushed to defend. He usually took the most shots in a game. He averaged 26 points and 12.5 rebounds in his last season with the Timberwolves.

8. On a bad team, others had to learn to play with Love and work to make him better. On the Cavs, Love has had to figure out how to play with James and Irving — and help their games.

9. In the Washington Post, Neil Greenberg wrote an essay about three teams where Love would be a better fit. His three were Boston, Phoenix and Portland. I agree. Love’s stats would probably sparkle in all three places. Portland and Boston are playoff teams, and he’d make them better. But are any of those teams ready to compete for a title, even with Love? I doubt it.

10. It was great to see Love wandering around with his championship belts and smoking victory cigars. Coming to the Cavs and becoming a teammate of James taught him what it takes to win at an elite level — and the sacrifice involved. It’s a lesson that he’ll always remember and take with him regardless of where he plays the rest of his career. He never would have learned it staying in Minnesota or playing for another bad team.

ABOUT LEBRON JAMES

I received at least 50 emails from fans upset about his profanity during the victory parade. I was disappointed, too, especially because this was a family event.

James was back to his usually classy self at Thursday’s rally in Akron, so context is needed.

The profanity at Wednesday’s parade was one of the few slip-ups in his more than 15 years in the public eye.

He became a national celebrity at the age of 16 when appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I never recall him using any real profanity in a press conference in all those years — and he’s probably done more than 2,000 press conferences in his life.

The 2,000 number could be low. During the season, he does two each day — before and after games. He also talks nearly every day after practice.

I’ve often asked myself how I’d act if I came into about $100 million at the age of 18. That’s what happened when James was drafted No. 1 by the Cavs in 2003, and signed several lucrative endorsement contracts. I doubt I’d have handled things nearly as well as he has over the years.

There was a time in my life when I used all those words thinking I was being funny. Yes, it was in private … but it’s still was wrong because I now know I needlessly offended some people.

His dedication to the community and youth is sincere. He spends a lot of time and money on the various charitable projects of his LeBron James Family Foundation.

His foundation has a program where more than 2,000 students will receive full college scholarships, assuming they attend class, keep their grades, etc.

It’s a major commitment.

As for the content of Wednesday’s speech, it was remarkable in terms of how James expressed his feelings about his teammates. He continually praised them, raised them up and told some fascinating stories in the process.

This is not to excuse his profanity at the parade. But I bet he never does it again.

And when it comes to James, keep your eye on the big picture — because it’s impressive. 

HEAR ME TALK CAVS

And I will also talk other sports at the Medina Buckeye Library on Wednesday, June 29. The program is FREE. It starts at 6 pm.

You can register online. Or call 330-725-4415.

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Cleveland Cavaliers have Terry Talkin" Kevin Love"s role and that speech by LeBron James -- Terry Pluto (photos)