Kyrie Irving is no longer around to help carry the load, which means Kevin Love has been thrust into the main sidekick role for LeBron James.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers head into Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, James highlighted how important Love will be to avoiding a first-round exit.

“He’s a huge part of our success, or our non-success,” James said.

“If we want to have any success, either in a Game 7 or move on to the next round, Kev has to be a big part of that.”

Love has so far struggled in the first round, averaging 11.0 points on just 32.4 per cent shooting overall and 37.0 per cent shooting from long range.