CLEVELAND, Ohio -- During Game 2 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love took a blow to the head, forcing him to exit early and miss Game 3 with a concussion. That's when Richard Jefferson stepped in, provided a nice lift, helped blow out the Golden State Warriors and didn't let Love reclaim his starting spot until Game 7.

It wasn't about Jefferson being a better player. No one would've argued that. It was more about the Cavs needing to play a different style to match the Warriors, one that required what Jefferson brought -- length, athleticism, defensive versatility -- more so than what Love did for long stretches.

There were flashbacks to that when Love collided with Boston Celtics rookie Jayson Tatum around the seven-minute mark of the first quarter during Friday's 109-99 win in yet another elimination game.

This time, mystifying Jeff Green played the role of Jefferson, filling Love's void.

"That's what we're supposed to do," Green said after pouring in 14 points. "It's the next man up and we have to do whatever it takes to win a game and when he went down the next man had to step up."

Let's make a few things clear: Love has not been diagnosed with a concussion nor was he placed in the league's protocol in the first few hours after the game so there's still a chance he can play in Game 7. The Cavs aren't better off in the long term without their second All-Star, a piece that's integral in their offensive approach most nights and has maybe become underrated playing in Cleveland.

They are, however, forced to be a different team without him. And in this particular matchup against the young Celtics, different may be exactly what the Cavs need.

That seemed to be the case when Green took over. This series demands someone with his skill set -- quickness, length, athleticism and versatility. He was able to bring the ball up the court and push the pace. He also attacked the Celtics off the dribble when the Cavs needed an offensive jolt.

Green's not as gifted, but if Love isn't knocking down outside shots consistently or scoring efficiently in the post, which he hasn't in the first five games, his flaws become tougher to ignore.

In Game 6, Love was off to another frustrating start, missing all three of his shots and providing very little on defense. Then came the injury.

In this series, one that's incredibly similar to Round One against Indiana, Love is averaging 12.5 points on 37.5 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from 3-point range. He's also averaging as many turnovers (2.3) as assists and the Cavs are being outscored by 7.4 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor.

That individual net rating is the second worst on the team against the Celtics, in front of just Rodney Hood -- who was booted from the rotation because of his continued struggles. Some matchups are just more difficult for Love than others. He's also been miscast as a second scoring option, forced into the role after Kyrie Irving demanded a trade last summer.

With Love in the locker room, the Cavs were able to switch at every position -- a 1-5 defensive scheme they adore -- without worrying about anyone getting exploited.

"I think when Jeff is in there playing that position, it makes you more versatile defensively," Lue said. "But we miss (Kevin's) rebounding. We miss his offensive ability. It kind of all cancels out. But we did start switching more. I thought we did a good job with that.

"I thought we did a good job with our double teams when they had mismatches in the post. We timed it perfect and we got some 24-second violations, a couple turnovers. It looked good. We've got to continue to keep getting better at it. But I thought for the first time using it in this series, I thought the guys did a good job with it."

Al Horford no longer had a target to attack and stumbled to a six-point night on just 2-of-8 from the field in 37 unproductive minutes. Aron Baynes, the burly center who provided Boston a nice counterpunch when the Cavs put Tristan Thompson in the starting lineup, couldn't stay on the court for long stretches alongside Horford.

Without Baynes anchoring the defense, playing 10 fewer minutes than Game 5, LeBron James and other Cavaliers were able to get into the paint more frequently.

The Cavs also pounded the downsized Celtics on the boards, winning the overall battle by 13 and finishing with 11 more second-chance points.

It was offensive rebounds -- grabbing 40 percent of their missed shots -- and James that steered the Cavs to a win Friday night.

Larry Nance Jr., one of the beneficiaries of Love's short night, pulled down a team-high four offensive boards. It was clear that his quickness, leaping ability and energy were problematic for the Celtics. It's the third straight game he's made an impact, earning Lue's trust after getting just four minutes of mop-up duty in the series opener. Nance played a series-high 22 minutes in the Game 6 win.

"It's all about the fight, all about the toughness," Nance said. "Every possession matters. Whether it's after timeout, the first possession of the game or the first possession of the quarter. One play can change the whole game and you've just got to be keyed in on all our coverages and all the plays we're running. The playoffs is a different animal."

It's fair to wonder whether Nance, who was out there the entire fourth quarter and has developed incredible chemistry with James, would have gotten the same amount of playing time with Love healthy.

Would Green have started the second quarter alongside James, part of a defensive-minded group that went on a 20-4 surge to completely change the game?

Would James have attacked the defense relentlessly or deferred to Love, hunting mismatches and forcing the ball to him in the post -- a tactic that hasn't been nearly as effective as they anticipated?

Would Lue have tried to rest James more, believing Love would anchor the offense in those moments, and making the Cavs vulnerable to a Boston push?

These questions are tough to answer. They're all hypothetical. But what we do know is Love exited early in the first quarter and the Cavs outscored the Celtics by 14 points in the 43 minutes after that.

That's a testament to Nance, Green, James and George Hill -- the four players that stepped up and reached double figures. That's been the Cleveland way this season, overcoming countless obstacles and nonstop injuries.

But it also raises plenty of questions going into Game 7 -- even if Love can play.