1) Kevin Love.
Love is the clear-cut top priority for Brooklyn tonight: he’s averaging over 26 points and 12 rebounds per game, shooting over 38 percent from three-point range, over 50 percent from inside the arc, and over 81 percent from the free throw line.
He’s arguably a top-five player in the NBA with his combination of scoring, rebounding, and passing ability, and Minnesota’s success has hinged on his: in the team’s losses, Love shoots significantly worse, averages fewer assists, and gets to the line far less. In wins, Love averages 9.4 trips to the line per game, but in losses, Love only takes an average of seven free throws.
The team’s losing has worn on Love, who famously spent a recent press conference trying not to disintegrate:
This despondent man draws Paul Pierce as his assignment tonight, an odd matchup for most power forwards already. Love isn’t just a perimeter player, and his ability to abuse inside forces Pierce into a tricky situation. The Nets will likely whip a double-team on Love as soon as he gets the ball inside, because Pierce doesn’t have the length or strength to contest Love inside.
The Nets will try to limit their fouls on Love, force the ball out of his hands, and make someone else on Minnesota’s underperforming squad beat them.
