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NBA FINALS: CAVALIERS vs WARRIORS

June 7, 2018

Kevin Love

Cleveland, Ohio: Practice Day

KEVIN LOVE: I'm going to let you know, nothing's changed from 12 hours ago (Laughter). So if there are no questions. Fine by me.

Q. Your numbers in that first half were really good rebounding. Did Golden State do something to make it more difficult in that second half?
KEVIN LOVE: No, I think more than anything just I was spacing. I find myself floating a little bit sometimes. That's just due to most of the time in the third quarter, or a lot of the times, we find ourselves a little stagnant ball watching or just not moving the ball from side to side.

I think that's been one of the things for us throughout this season and seasons past, where we come out in the third quarter and that tends to happen.

So I think, more than anything, at least for me, what I can do is keep in the same mindset and continue to be aggressive.

Q. Since you know that, is it more difficult to do than to say for Game 4?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, I mean, the Warriors, you really have to continue to put your foot on the gas. You can't let up. So I think it was not just myself, but everybody. I think it's a mentality. Just continue to stay aggressive, get that ball from side to side. We've always been better when we've played with pace. I think that allows LeBron to do what he does best, and that's get downhill and attack and play in the open court in transition.

Q. Obviously, you come out in Game 4 and you're going to try your hardest. But is there any sense of resignation where two out of three of these games you guys could have won and you did everything you could in those games and yet the Warriors just find a way?
KEVIN LOVE: Right. Well, I think that's why they're such a great team. But we've given ourselves a chance. I know that we'll come out in Game 4 and really compete. We're not going to give in.

As you mentioned, and I mentioned last night, too, just the margin for error is very slim against the Warriors. I mentioned last night, you almost have to be perfect. There were a lot of things last night that we did well, but there were a couple of blown coverages, a couple of missed shots and timely shots that didn't go our way that led to them winning the game. So there's been Game 1, Game 3. I know that Game 2 got away from us a little bit. But those are games that we're right there.

Q. It's obviously been a different sort of season for you guys. Ty Lue was talking about that a little bit, about the difference between coaching guys he's been around for a while and incorporating some new guys. So I'm just wondering in your experience what it's like to play for Ty, and what you saw from him when you were trying to phase in those new pieces?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, for me there's been a big comfort level with Ty. I've always had a trust with him as well personally. He's had to deal with a lot. I mean, incorporating a bunch of new players, a roster overhaul and being head coach of the Cavaliers.

I've always said we thrive under chaos. We have some sort of sense of that. But he's taken everything in stride. I know he had a little bit of his health issues this year, but he's faced that head on and has been able to overcome all those.

Q. Did you talk to him about the health issues while he was going through it? Can you tell us anything about those conversations?
KEVIN LOVE: I was pretty happy and empathetic to be able to talk with him about some of the things that he's gone through off the court. Being able to admit that he's been facing some anxiety, and everything that's come out about -- at least with DeMar (DeRozan) and guys like Kelly Oubre and myself that deal with that sort of thing off the court, I'm extremely happy that he was able to face that and admit that.

It's one of those things where I know that his health -- he went through some stuff this year, but I would have never known that he was dealing with anxiety like that. He's taken everything in stride. He's grown a lot, I think, since he's been here. It's not just players that are able to grow and get through certain things and tough parts of their lives, but coaches, too. I think it's pretty cool.

Q. This season's not over, it could go four more games. But if you were going to look back at what you guys have done this year, what makes you feel good about 2017-2018 for the Cavs?
KEVIN LOVE: I think we were able to persevere. I know it seems like every time I get up here or talk to you we always talk about how many seasons it feels like it's been this year. But just I think the perseverance, just being able to get through whatever has been thrown at us -- I know that could be said for every single year, but I think this year was definitely the most trying for a number of those reasons that you guys saw throughout.

Q. LeBron has been through it all in 15 years, and I know he always tells you guys "follow my lead." What has he shared about this type of situation either right now or last year when you were in the same predicament?
KEVIN LOVE: I know I said earlier, he never takes his foot off the gas. He continues to be a leader. He continues to be LeBron. A lot of times he is very vocal about it, and sometimes he just leads by example. But he's the type of guy that he wakes up every day, punches the clock, puts in his time and we follow everything that he does.

So it's tough to be in this situation. It's not the situation we want to be in, but last year we came out and won Game 4 on our home floor. So we're hoping to do the same.

Q. In 2016 you guys were down 3-1, won three straight games. Is there anything that you can draw from that experience that might help you have a little bit more confidence in this series and try to do the supposedly impossible?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, I know it's clichÃ©, but you've got to take it one game at a time. I think that's what we did in that series. We were able to get Game 3. Obviously, we lost Game 4 on our home floor, but we were able to win the next three.

For us, that margin of error is very small. We know that if we keep our coverages tight; we foul when we need to; we switch when we're supposed to; we don't let them slip to the rim, get those easy buckets that are deflating; and then on the offensive end in the third quarter we don't get stagnant and play a full 48 minutes of moving the ball and playing our game, we'll give ourselves a chance and we feel like we can win.

Q. I just want to go back to mental health for a second. For you, what tactics do you use in times of adversity like this to quiet your mind so that maybe you don't slip into thinking too far into the future or thinking back into the past?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, I think as far as basketball goes, it's always been my safe place. Every time I've stepped onto the floor, I've felt free. It's kind of a way to get away from those stresses.

It's away from the court where I feel like your mind can play tricks on you. If you try to quiet your mind too much, it's like trying to fall asleep at night. You start thinking of the stupid things you've done the last 10 years of your life. All sort of negative thoughts creep in.

Just be around good people, positive energy. A lot of people do different things to manage their stress and anxiety and depression. I have my own coping mechanisms as well. I think everybody's different.

Q. Is meditation a part of that at all?
KEVIN LOVE: Meditation is huge, yeah. My uncle had done TM (transcendental meditation) now for 40 or 50 years. That's something he's tried to get me into. There are certain apps that you can use, too, or listen to different white noise type of things.

I know this is maybe boring for some of you guys, but I love this stuff. It's something I really look to and hopefully I can make an impact, especially this summer moving forward.

Q. In this league there's always somebody plotting to form the next super team to deal with the current one, whether it was you and LeBron and Kyrie Irving teaming up, LeBron going to Miami, Kevin Durant going to Golden State. And now this summer there will be the next wave. How do you view that dynamic as a player? Is that sort of disquieting? Do you look at it as an opportunity for players to have the chance to move around and team up? How does that strike you?
KEVIN LOVE: I don't know. I guess I've never really had to answer that question. I think if you have a chance to win in this league, you have to go for it.

I can remember when I had missed the playoffs six straight years. I kind of decided that I wanted to win and ended up being in a bunch of trade scenarios and ended up here and winning in 2016. Teamed up with LeBron and Kyrie and all those guys that won in the 2016 team. Now you see (Daryl) Morey talking about it with the Rockets and them trying to team up and do what they can to become -- what did he say the other day? That he's a 10 of 10 on obsessed with beating the Warriors? That Rockets team -- like they always say, they're built to try to beat them, and they went to seven games in the Western Conference Finals.

I think you'll see a lot of that around the league. That's always going to be the talk because, I mean, somebody has to try to dethrone these guys and work their way to that.

We're not out of this series. We've got another game tomorrow. We need to fight. But I think to your point, at least in the offseason, I think you'll see a number of guys, a lot of movement. That's going to continue to happen until there is some sort of parity.

Q. As you well know, your name comes up in the summer about trades. I think you have two years left on your deal. Hard to say what's going to happen here this summer. Do you expect to be back next season, or how do you view your future coming here in Cleveland?
KEVIN LOVE: Yeah, I mean, I'd hope so. I've always said that. I always wanted to be here. Always wanted to win here. But as you know, it's probably going to come up. It always does. It's also good to be wanted. But at the same time, it's going to be interesting to see what happens. We just don't know.

There's been so much overhaul and so many things that have happened this year, particularly with our team, that you just don't know when July comes and free agency hits. There could be something interesting that comes up for this team.

Knowing that it's a business, I know that's clichÃ© to say, Take it in stride. But that's just what I've had to do. Keep my mouth shut and go about my business and work and be ready and be prepared for this team next year.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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