The Miami Heat are on the doorstep of death, as they trail the NBA Finals three games to one and will face the Denver Nuggets in a do-or-die Game 5 on Monday.
But for Kevin Love and his wife Kate Bock, Saturday was all about the beginning of a new life, as they experienced the birth of their first child.
Kevin Love, a 15-year NBA veteran, was waived by the upstart Cleveland Cavaliers at midseason, and shortly afterward, he joined the Heat as they prepared for a push toward the playoffs.
At 34 years of age, Love isn’t quite the player he was several years ago with the Cavs or Minnesota Timberwolves. When he was in Minnesota, he was a legitimate scoring threat and rebounding machine who was known for producing games of at least 30 points and 20 rebounds.
But these days, he has contributed to Miami’s surprising run by hitting 3-pointers, grabbing rebounds, drawing charges and occasionally throwing long outlet passes reminiscent of those that were thrown by Hall of Fame center Wes Unseld.
Love is averaging 7.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 18.2 minutes a game while shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc so far in the playoffs. In Game 4 versus Denver, he showed some spark with 12 points, four rebounds and three 3-pointers.
As was the case during the regular season, the Heat simply haven’t been able to score enough points to be very competitive in this series. They’ve been held under 100 points in three of the four games played so far, and this deficiency has made it very difficult for them to mount a serious rally when they have fallen behind.
Miami was able to rally from a sizable deficit to win Game 2 in Colorado, but it got red-hot from downtown. The team hasn’t been able to connect consistently from long distance ever since.