How did Heat’s Kevin Love become an excellent outlet passer? Love explains his unique skill

Pinpoint full-court outlet passes have been a signature aspect of Kevin Love’s skill set for years. But Sunday was a banner day even by the Miami Heat veteran’s high standards.

Love recorded three assists on outlet passes that traveled more than 60 feet during a critical 2:25 span in the third quarter that helped fuel the Heat’s Game 1 win over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The first ended in a Max Strus layup to give the Heat a one-point lead, the second resulted in a Jimmy Butler dunk to push the Heat’s lead up to four points and the final one led to another Butler dunk to extend the Heat’s lead to eight.

It marked just the second time in Love’s 15-year career that he’s finished a game with three assists that traveled at least 60 feet and no other player has done it during the past 10 seasons, according to Second Spectrum. And Love did it in a single quarter Sunday.

“That’s just an incredible skill,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said ahead of Game 2 of the team’s second-round playoff series against the Knicks on Tuesday night in New York. “There aren’t many guys in this association that can throw it 90 feet, much less see the play happen and then on time, on target. That’s an incredible skill set that he has.”

Love, 34, began to form that skill set nearly 30 years ago as a 5-year-old when he was playing with his older brother and other 8-year-olds. Love didn’t have the strength yet to shoot the ball from above his head, so he relied on a shooting motion that resembled a chest pass.

“Back in Portland where I grew up, we weren’t allowed to play organized basketball until we were in third and fourth grade,” said Love, who joined the Heat this season during the mid-February All-Star break after agreeing to a contract buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “So for me, I played up when I was in kindergarten and preschool with my brother. So I had to shoot on a 10-foot basket with a regulation size ball and I wasn’t strong enough to do it yet. So I had to shoot it like that and I was super accurate.”

As Love grew stronger, he started to shoot the ball the traditional way from above his head. He then quickly realized what used to be an accurate shot from his chest could become an accurate chest pass.

“I was like, ‘Oh shoot, I can really find guys up the court,’” Love said. “And then it became just a weapon.”

It helped that Love’s father, Stan Love, showed his son film of Wes Unseld’s exceptional outlet passes. Stan spent two seasons playing alongside Unseld with the Baltimore Bullets and gave Love the middle name of Wesley after Unseld.

Stan also had Love doing exercises designed to strengthen his hands and wrists during his formative years, which helped him build the dexterity to make 70-foot passes look effortless.

“He had me watching Wes Unseld, Bill Walton and guys like that outlet the ball,” Love said of his father. “I used to watch the Boston outlet drill that they used to do, those teams, especially the 1986 team. So outlet passing has always been a big part of my game because when I rebound, I can start the break. And because I’m a shooter, too, it’s great because if we work into it and we throw that ball into Jimmy [Butler], I get to trail and maybe get into a three.”

While many players have benefited from Love’s outlet passes, Love has also been aided by some who have been on the other end of those passes. He spent four seasons as LeBron James’ teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now he’s able to throw it the length of the court to Butler with the Heat.

“Bron being Bron, he could have probably been the best receiver in the NFL,” Love said. “But Jimmy, him being like a two-foot jumper in that type of situation is great for me because if he has a guy over the top of him like he had [Obi] Toppin [on Sunday], Toppin is super athletic. But I can put that ball up and he can go get it, it becomes like a Megatron-type situation. Just throw it up and he’s going to go get it. I just have to make sure I give it a chance and he makes me look good on certain occasions.

“It’s just as much about the receiver as it is the passer. So I rely on my teammates.”