(AP)

The Cavaliers swept the Celtics on Sunday for the first Cleveland playoff series victory in five years. Game 4 was a good win for the the Cavs, in the sense that any win is good. But once you set the score aside, there are few positives to take from the performance.

Start with Kevin Love. Love, who seemed inherently lost in Cleveland throughout the regular season, came to life in the playoffs averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have led the team in scoring but it was Love who made the difference against the Celtics.

Love is out for the foreseeable future after Kelly Olynyk dislocated his shoulder.

(Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

The play itself was dirty and unnecessary, despite Olynyk’s claims to the contrary. But the right or wrong of the play doesn’t matter much in the big picture. What does is that pending an MRI, Cleveland will likely face the surging Chicago Bulls without a pivotal piece of their team for at least their next two games, and probably more.

Love’s absence will hurt the Cavaliers, they have a player in J.R. Smith who has filled big shoes before, and will be able to lean on him again as they did in Game 3 against Boston.

Ah.

That would be Smith punching Boston’s Jae Crowder in the face, earning an ejection for his trouble. It isn’t a question of if Smith will be suspended for his stupidity, it’s a question of how long?

Speaking of suspensions, Kendrick Perkins is likely facing one his own as well for this not quite legal pick and ensuing skirmish.

There is a real chance that the Cavaliers open the second round of the playoffs without three players. That’s almost a guarantee for the first game, and there is a scenario where Smith and Love are both out for Game 2 as well. None of these losses on their own would hurt Cleveland all that much, that includes Love despite his caliber. But together, they put the Cavs in a compromising position.

Granted, the team with LeBron and Kyrie Irving on the floor will and should always be favored, but it’s impossible to discount the impact losing two starters can have on a team in the playoffs.

All it takes is one Bulls win to steal home court advantage and flip the entire series before the Cavaliers even have a chance to play at full strength. It isn’t bad in Cleveland yet, but it certainly isn’t good.

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