Kevin Love ruled out of conference semis, could miss 4-6 weeks

The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially ruled star power forward Kevin Love out for the team's impending second-round playoff series.

Love sustained the injury while locking arms with Boston Celtics sophomore Kelly Olynyk in a play that the Cavs big man described as "bush league" during Game 4 of Cleveland's first-round series sweep.

While there was initially some hope that the extent of the damage wasn't too serious and that Love might return within two weeks, the ligament and labrum tearing complicates things, possibly bumping his recovery timetable to the four-to-six week range, according to USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt. 

The optimistic end of that timetable would see Love return near the end of the conference finals, while the pessimistic end could see him making it back only for the tail end of the NBA Finals or missing the rest of the postseason. 

The Cavs can't be worrying over that yet; they have a second-round series to think about. Their next opponent has yet to be determined, and the longer the Milwaukee Bucks can drag out their first-round series with the Chicago Bulls, the better for Cleveland. 

The Bulls looked to be cruising into the second round after jumping out to a 3-0 series lead, but after failing to close things out at home on Monday, they're suddenly headed back to Milwaukee for a Game 6. Still, the Bucks will need to complete the first 0-3 rally in NBA history to prevent the Bulls from opening the second round in Cleveland this weekend.

Love's ability to pull 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah away from the basket was thought to be an integral component of a potential Cavs-Bulls matchup. 

With Love's floor-stretching ability now a non-factor, and starting shooting guard J.R. Smith set to miss two games due to suspension, the Cavs may be hard-pressed to reach the Eastern Conference finals.

The earliest possible date a third-round series for Cleveland could begin is May 17, so if the Cavs do find a way to knock off the Bulls or Bucks, Love would have had at least three weeks of recovery time.

Love's individual numbers took a hit in his first season with the Cavs, as he filled a complementary role behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, but the 26-year-old remains an All-Star-caliber talent capable of changing a game and a series.

While his relationship with James was the subject of scrutiny all season, he received praise from the four-time MVP after a 23-point, nine-rebound performance in Game 3, with James calling Love's play in his postseason debut "unbelievable."