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Cavaliers rule Kevin Love out for Eastern Conference semifinalsCleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (dislocated left shoulder) will miss the team's Eastern Conference semifinals series against either the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks the team announced on Monday.
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Jeff Zillgitt USA TODAY Sports 7 52 p.m. EDT April 27 2015UP NEXT03The Cleveland Cavaliers got bad news when Kevin Love was diagnosed with a dislocated left shoulder. USA TODAY Sports breaks down what the injury could mean for the Cavaliers going forward. USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Love has been ruled out of the Eastern Conference semifinals.(Photo Bob DeChiara USA TODAY Sports)
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (dislocated left shoulder) will miss the team's Eastern Conference semifinals series against either the Chicago Bulls or Milwaukee Bucks the team announced on Monday.
Love sustained the injury on Sunday during Game 4 of Cleveland's series closing victory against the Boston Celtics. Boston's Kelly Olynyk grabbed and had Love's arm locked after a missed shot. After the game Love called it a bush league play and he had no doubt Olynyk did it on purpose.
The team said Love has an acute anterior inferior glenohumeral dislocation with the corresponding ligament/labrum tearing and humeral head bone bruising and is undergoing treatment. The team also said it is exploring additional opinions and treatment options.
The corresponding ligament and labrum tear make the injury much more serious and the recovery time longer. A 4 6 week absence or longer is possible.
USA TODAY
Cavs championship hopes take hit with Kevin Love injury
The average absence for a dislocated shoulder is 27 days according to athletic trainer Jeff Stotts who maintains a comprehensive database of NBA injuries. Some players such as Channing Frye return in 14 days. Cleveland guard Iman Shumpert however missed six weeks with a dislocated shoulder earlier this season.
This is a gigantic setback for the Cavaliers' championship hopes. Love was fantastic in Cleveland's first three games of the Boston series averaging 18.3 points nine rebounds and three assists. He also had made 47.3% of his three pointers. In Game 3 Love had 23 points nine rebounds and three assists.
Before Love's injury LeBron James said I know what type of player he is what type of competitor he is and I know he relishes this opportunity to be a part of this franchise and be part of this postseason.
I think he's a big time player. He's a very cerebral basketball player and in order for us to be the team that we want to be long term Kevin is going to be Kevin which he was (in Game 3).
FOR THE WIN
Kelly Olynyk 'I'd probably get killed if I went to Cleveland' after Love foul
After Love's injury James used the common refrain for team's dealing with injuries.
It's the next man up James said. Next man up and we'll see what happens.
The Cavaliers will have to go deeper into their bench for the start of their conference semifinal series which will begin either Saturday or Monday.
Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith has been suspended for the first two games of the next round following a flagrant foul 2 in which he wildly swung his right arm and hit Boston's Jae Crowder. Cavs backup big man Kendrick Perkins was not suspended but fined $15 000 for the hard screen he set on Crowder which earned Perkins a flagrant foul 1.
If the Cavaliers play the Bulls who are up 3 1 on the Bucks in the next round they face a difficult task against a team with a deep frontcourt Pau Gasol Joakim Noah Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic.
USA TODAY
Wizards cruise into second round with confidence
The Cavaliers lose scoring and rebounding without Love. It's likely forward Tristan Thompson will move into the starting lineup but then that leaves a hole on Cleveland's already short bench.
It no doubt helps to have James and guard Kyrie Irving on the floor and those two will need to produce at an even higher level.
Though the Cavs had a 19 20 start and lost Anderson Varejao to a season ending injury early in the season this is the Cavaliers' first playoffs adversity. Having never played in the playoffs before this season Irving doesn't know about playoff hardship.
James does. During the 2012 playoffs the Miami Heat lost Chris Bosh for nine games with an abdominal injury. He missed four games against the Indiana Pacers series in the conference semifinals and sat out the first five games of the conference finals against the Boston Celtics. The Heat trailed Boston 3 2 but won Game 6 in Boston and Game 7 at home to reach the Finals and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA championship.
That Heat team had more experience than this Cavs team. But James and Irving are capable enough to carry a team to a series victory. Cleveland will find out soon if it has enough to beat its next opponent without Love.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter JeffZillgitt.
GALLERY BEST OF THE NBA FIRST ROUND
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