Kevin Love Team USA’s Unsung Hero?
While everyone understandably laughs incredulously at Kobe Bryant’s 3-point onslaught and LeBron James’ first Olympic triple-double, there’s another guy who deserves a share of the spotlight after Team USA’s 119-86 win over Australia on Wednesday.
His name? Kevin Love.
Still think he doesn’t deserve a spot on Team USA?
When Blake Griffin, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard got scratched for the Olympics squad, a pocket of Americans worried about the prospects of having no real backup center on Team USA. It was Tyson Chandler and … Love. And even then, it seemed skepticism of Love’s Olympic qualifications remained.
But nowadays, chances are Kevin Durant won’t be the only one showering Love with praise on Twitter. In Wednesday’s win over Australia, Love tallied a solid double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action.
Whenever the Americans missed a shot, you could bet that Love was in position to gobble it up and restart the possession. All in all, Love tallied eight offensive boards in the quarterfinal matchup. Australia’s offensive rebound total? Eight. Same as that guy, Love.
The Americans need a player like the Timberwolves big man — someone willing to do the dirty work underneath the rim and who extends possessions for bonus points. Those eight misses Love retrieved? They ended up yielding nine extra points for Team USA. A little goes a long way.
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