After posting historically huge numbers through the first six years of his brilliant young career in Minnesota, Kevin Love came to Cleveland still missing the one thing that every NBA player really desires – a realistic shot at the Larry O’Brien Trophy. In those half-dozen years with the Wolves, Love made three All-Star appearances and posted numbers on par with guys named Barkley, Bird and Olajuwon. But until he arrived in Cleveland as part of a blockbuster three-team trade this past August, he hadn’t played on a team with a chance to win it all. Love’s monster numbers took a dip this year, but he was still one of the most effective forwards in the East. He led the Cavaliers with 38 double-doubles (good for 10th in the NBA) and had 15 games of at least 20 points and 10 boards – grabbing double-digit rebounds 40 times this year. "A lot of guys had to sacrifice for the betterment of the team." And despite a different, yet still-impactful offensive role with the Wine and Gold, Love posted some huge performances this year – including a 28-point, 19-rebound effort in Philly, a 32-point, 10-board effort against the Lakers at The Q and a 22-point, 10-rebound effort in big late-season over the Grizzlies. Love – along with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving – helps form the highest-scoring trio in the NBA. But two-thirds of that triumvirate will be making their first foray in the Association’s second season – which tips off for the Cavs this Sunday at The Q. So, before the rubber hits the road and the Cavaliers return to the postseason after a four-year sabbatical, Cavs.com sat down with Kevin Love to talk about his first season in Cleveland, how he’s dealt with the media and his thoughts about what to expect against Boston …

How are you feeling physically heading into your first posteason?

Kevin Love: Physically, I feel a lot better. I think those two games in March that I took off in South Florida really helped my body. I had one game where I had a little mishap with the back, but I really truly believe that’s because my body had centered itself out.

Now, I feel great. I feel as if I’m ready for this long run, hopefully, as far as we can go. And, like I always mention, I hope we can win our last game.

But I think Boston is a team you have to respect. And really, any team in the playoffs you have to respect because they’re all there for a reason. And you have to treat every game like it’s a Game 7.

How would you describe your mental state going into the postseason? Nervous? Curious?

Love: I think ‘anxious’ is the right word. Because that’s kind of a combination of excitement and nerves.

For me, I’m just so excited to play in my first playoffs. I know that we’re considered one of the favorites. And it’s gonna be a lot of fun to see that energy – just walking into that arena and the aura around the arena that first time.

I remember what it was like for the first game – obviously LeBron coming back, (the team) signed me over the summer, Kyrie had re-signed and we had this fully-infused, different lineup than fans had seen in the past few years.

So it’s going to be something great for (the fans). It’s just something that I’m just really anxious and excited for. I’m ready to step on the floor and get those first few minutes out, get that second wind, and go from there.

Butterflies?

Love: Of course! And I think the same could be said of Kyrie and Tristan and Delly.

But I think you need to just tell yourself to breathe, tell yourself that you’ve been doing this a long time and then just go out there and play basketball.

How do you see your role in the upcoming series with Boston – expanded or similar to what it was during the season?

Love: It’s all about matchups, so it’s gonna be what the other team is taking away.

I assume that they’re going to try to stop LeBron – which is obviously easier said than done. And Kyrie in the pick-and-roll is just so hard to guard. But if they were to trap him, some other guy is going to have to step up and make the next play.

We’re fortunate enough to have an unbelievable offensive repertoire and threat and talent throughout our entire lineup, so I think (my role will be) a lot of the same. But if we’re going to need paint-touches and post-ups, you might see me in there a little bit more. We’ll have to wait and see.

How did the regular season play out in terms of your expectations going in?

Love: Up and down, I think. I think there’ve been a lot of highlights and some other things that, obviously, throughout our entire team – and myself included – that we wish would have gone a different way.

But we ended up in the second seed in the East and we clinched our Division. And now we have a really good shot at making something special happen right here. And this is where it really counts.

So I’d say a lot of the expectations were met. And, in a lot of ways, I tend to look at it as an optimist – that the glass is always half-full.

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Did you have fun playing ball this year?

Love: Yeah! I think it was a fun season. As I mentioned, we met a lot of expectations. A lot of guys had to sacrifice for the betterment of the team. I think once we made that trade for Mozzie and J.R. and Shump, that made it even more fun.

I think there were times – coming from Minnesota – where during the season for me, we’d be in a fight for a playoff spot and fight for that eighth seed (in the West). And you saw the fight this year between the Pelicans and Thunder. So to be part of something special here in Cleveland where, ultimately, you want to hoist that Larry O’Brien trophy – I think that’s huge.

Where you surprised by the level of media scrutiny?

Love: Nah, it’s about what I expected.

It’s just something where you just have to learn to quiet the noise and stay away from social media – because some of it is gonna be stuff that’s not necessarily true, some of it is not quite true and some of it – sometimes a large, large percentage of it – is just straight B.S.

The thing that really hit me this year was how many things you can make a non-story out of. So, I think that caught me off guard. Because I’d be listening to the TV or somebody would be texting me or maybe you’re just sitting in the cold tub and all of a sudden you look up and you’re thinking: ‘How is this a story?!’

It’s not just stuff about me. But it’s just funny because you have to step back and realize that there are 24-hour news services and drama and making people miserable is usually what people want.

For all the impressive numbers and moments you had this season, where does taking that fourth-quarter charge in the Lakers game rank?

Love: That was a good moment just because I was not feeling so great at the time. And I ended up having to sit out the next game.

My body just didn’t feel right and I was still able to get out there and make something happen. So I think that kind of set the tone for everybody else on the team, knowing that there were other guys in that similar situation that would do the same thing. And at the time we were sitting close to .500 and really needed that game. We needed something like that.

How would you characterize the chemistry on this team and the relationships and bonds that have been forged throughout the season?

Love: Great. I mean, obviously there’s different times throughout the season where you have four games in five nights or you’re 60 games in where you’re tired and somebody might complain or something like that. And that’s where some of the things that were non-stories came from that were just not true. So, I’d say my relationship with the guys is pretty damn good.

LeBron and I have a great relationship. But by me saying that we’re ‘not best friends’ – man, that stirred up the whole pot!

People believed that was the biggest thing ever. But the fact is: I’m not one of his closest friends. We’re friends. And we see each other every day – we hang out, we laugh, we get locked in (pregame) together, we win games together, we have our own handshake. But we’re teammates, too. So there’s going to be some back-and-forth between us – just like there was with me and Kyrie, just like there was with Kyrie and LeBron. We have to hold each other accountable and get on each other.

But these are things that go into the game of basketball on every level. But when you’re under a microscope like we are, that’s just the way it goes.

Last thing: What are your thoughts of Cleveland overall?

Love: Great, great fans. And that was the first thing I was told. Great fans. Great food.

For me, I live downtown, so being next to The Q is convenient. We have an unbelievable practice facility. I have great teammates, great coaches. The training staff is outstanding.

And it’s springtime now, transitioning into summer. And in a couple months, I think I’m really gonna start to get a feel for what it’s all about here.