Will Kevin Love be effective at center against the center-less Atlanta Hawks?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - When Tyronn Lue went with Kevin Love at the center position in the opening playoff round, it immediately forced the Detroit Pistons into an uncomfortable style of play.

Andre Drummond, a conventional center, was exposed on the defensive end. He was constantly late closing out on a pick-and-pop Love, and it cost his team dearly. Instead of benching his All-Star center, Stan Van Gundy tried to use him on the likes of Iman Shumpert, who they considered to be a non-scoring threat.

Even though Shumpert couldn't exploit that matchup, he kept the big man out on the perimeter and away from the basket to prevent him from rebounding and blocking shots.

In this second-round series against the Atlanta Hawks that tips off Monday at 7 p.m. on TNT at The Q, can the Cleveland Cavaliers still be effective by using Love at the five-spot?

The Hawks have two players in Al Horford and Paul Millsap who have transitioned to stretch bigs over the years, and they're more versatile than Drummond on the defensive end.

"He's pretty much playing the five now because he's guarding Horford," Lue said of Love. "So, he's playing the five now. But as far as with Tristan [Thompson] off the floor and 'Bron [James] playing, it could happen. We definitely play well that way and something we're going to use. Just have to see how it goes."

With Tiago Splitter out with a hip injury, the Hawks don't possess a true center. Love in the middle appears to be a team mainstay, but it will be interesting to see if the tactic remains a game-changer.

"He was huge for us in that series," the Cavs' James Jones said. "There's no reason not to believe he won't continue to play at this level."

Timofey Mozgov and Channing Frye were limited to 14 minutes and 29 minutes respectively in the first round. If Mozgov were to see ample action, you would have thought it would have been against Drummond, an actual true center. But that's not how it played out.

And Frye's limited action has also been somewhat of a mystery. Lue suggested that he'd feel them both out early in Game 1.

"Just kind of see how it goes first game," Lue said. "Try to get both of those guys out there in the first game and see who gives the best and most favorable matchup and kind of go from there. Last year, Timo did a great job in this series, the way we played him. Pick-and-roll coverages, things like that, he really helped us out. We're going to give him a shot, give him a chance, and see how it goes. Depends how the flow of the game goes."

Lue said his biggest concern in this series is Atlanta's pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop game and the way other guys cut and move behind that action.

The problems the Cavaliers presented to the Pistons will be the problems they'll have to deal with against the Hawks. How they fare in defending those sets will determine how much Love plays the five and how much Mozgov and Frye play at all.

It will be a series of who can impose their will, their system.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.