LeBron James: Kevin Love's Role vs. Raptors Handled Correctly

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James said Thursday that he believes head coach Tyronn Lue has utilized big man Kevin Love properly during the playoffs.

According to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, James said the following with regard to the conundrum of playing Love at center or power forward:

"Obviously it’s a fine line. We've been very successful with Kev at the 5, but we have to listen to what Kev needs as well. If there's times throughout the postseason or a game where he's feeling a little worn down because he's battling with a lot bigs, then we've got to make the substitution properly. I think Coach Lue has done that, obviously with the start of Game 7, being able to start [Tristan Thompson] at the 5 and allow Kev to play his natural position. We're going to do what's best for the team, but also we also want to do what's best for our All-Star as well. I think the coaching staff has done a great job of that."

Lue said Wednesday the Cavaliers would stick with Love as the starting center during their second-round series with the Toronto Raptors, per McMenamin.

After the Cavs' 113-112 overtime win over Toronto in Game 1, Love said that he feels more comfortable at power forward: "It's been my whole career I've played at the 4. I would say absolutely. Ty sees something different, and I think offensively, once I get myself going, we could use that to our advantage. As of right now, I need to find some easy buckets. They were right there tonight, I just couldn't put them down."

Love struggled offensively at center in Game 1, going 3-of-13 from the field for seven points, although he did grab a team-high 13 rebounds.

Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas had a field day against Love, however, with 21 points and 21 boards.

Thompson started alongside Love in Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers in the first round, and it yielded positive results, with Thompson recording 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Thompson returned to the bench against Toronto and finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes.

Although Love was an All-Star during the regular season, he hasn't played to that level during the playoffs with just 10.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

LeBron has essentially carried Cleveland to this point with little help from his supporting cast, but Love returning to his usual level of play may be needed in order for the Cavs to truly have a shot at their second championship in three years.