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With Kevin Love out, will Cavs drop top seed, play LeBron too much?

Kevin Love is expected to miss six weeks. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

The struggling defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers took another hit to their talented lineup Tuesday, when ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that All-Star forward Kevin Love will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

The initial timetable has Love missing the next six weeks, which would keep him out most of the remainder of the regular season. While the Cavaliers should be at full strength by the playoffs, with starting shooting guard J.R. Smith due back in mid-March, how much will they miss the two starters before they return? Does it open the door for the Boston Celtics or another team to pass them for the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs?