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Shaq and the rest of the NBA on TNT crew suggest Advil will solve Kevin Love's concussion issues

Jack Baer
·Staff writer

Concussions and long-term brain damage remain some of the most serious issues in sports, but don’t tell that to the four talking heads of NBA on TNT.

Kevin Love is out for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics and that is probably going to hurt the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are 1-4 at Game 7 site TD Garden between the regular season and the playoffs. When the topic came up in the pregame show of Game 6 of the Western Conference finals, Shaquille O’Neal threw out what he would do in Love’s situation, possibly as a joke.

NBA on TNT crew’s prescription for Kevin Love: “Take an Advil”

Via Deadspin:

The only people in this situation who need an Advil are the ones with headaches after hearing that. There’s a fair amount of the four talking over each other, but from what we can hear, the transcript comes out to:

O’Neal: “Ain’t nothing holding me from no Game 7. I’m going straight to Walgreen’s, getting some Advil.
Barkley: “And some Icy Hot! I’m with you on those things. I’m not missing a Game 7.”
Johnson: “I thought you said you were a doctor.”
O’Neal: “I am a doctor.”
Johnson: “You’ve got a concussion, take an Advil.”
O’Neal: “That’s right. I’m ready to go to work.”

An Advil is probably not solving this. (AP Photo)
An Advil is probably not solving this. (AP Photo)

What’s important about Kevin Love being in the concussion protocol

Shaq and the other three might only be joking, but either way, it’s a damaging approach toward a topic that deserves serious conversation and sympathy for anyone who deals with it. Love didn’t make the decision to miss Game 7, his doctors and NBA policy did in the interest of making sure this concussion is only a short-term issue, even if it’s inconveniently timed.

Treatment like this is nothing new for Love, who was accused by teammates of faking an illness earlier this year and has also opened up about his mental health issues.

Of course, the NBA on TNT crew also weren’t alone in thinking Love’s issues are immaterial, as another professional basketball opinion-haver also chimed in.

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