For as much as Kevin Love has publicly resisted the discussion of free agency this season, it has been on his mind. He has never been completely comfortable in Cleveland, with his role, nor his connection to those around him. Throughout the year, league sources say, one destination grew in possibility as his exit strategy: The Boston Celtics.

Boston has been no sure thing to lure Love, but it had a better shot than most had believed. If Love left the Cavaliers, the Celtics had closed the gap on the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

View photos An MRI will reveal the extent of damage to Kevin Love's shoulder. (Getty Images) More

The Celtics were waiting for July, and the chance to let coach Brad Stevens lay out Love's expanded role in his system. General manager Danny Ainge wanted a chance to sell Love on a vision for surrounding him with complementary talent, on maximizing his popularity as New England's next star.

And so, suddenly, maybe everything changed on Sunday. Kelly Olynyk and Love tangled, Love's left shoulder apparently separated and clearly he's beyond furious. He called the play "bush league," and insisted that Olynyk "did it on purpose."

Within the Celtics, those defending Olynyk privately suggested on Sunday that "he's sort of uncoordinated and awkward" and that played a part in the mishap. Eventually, someone with Boston will probably need to convince Love about that theory too. Love could be lost for Games 1 and 2 of the second-round series against either Chicago or Milwaukee – or longer – based on the results of an MRI exam in Cleveland.

It is only natural that if Love lost something significant in Boston – his season, for instance – embracing a free-agent move to the Celtics could be complicated, if not completely compromised. Love left the Garden with legitimate loathing of the Celtics on Sunday, and how that lasts could shape the future of the Cavaliers and Celtics.

Something else happened, too, on Sunday and maybe it turns out to be a benefit for Cleveland's partnership with Love: The Cavs had his back. They went a little crazy, but they had his back. Kendrick Perkins leveled Jae Crowder on a screen, and J.R. Smith floored Crowder with a hellacious backhand to his face. They tried to hurt the Celtics back, and that doesn't happen much in the NBA anymore.

View photos Cleveland's J.R. Smith was ejected from Game 4 after delivering a flagrant foul. (Getty Images) More

In the playoffs, futures and fortunes can change in a moment. All hell broke loose in Game 4, and it could take weeks and months to understand the fallout.

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