Last summer, as the Cleveland Cavaliers licked their wounds from the Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors, you couldn’t help but wonder how things would’ve gone if Kevin Love stayed healthy. Sure, Kyrie Irving was lost to injury after Game 1 of the Finals, but Love’s postseason lasted barely four games before Boston Celtics forward Kelly Olynyk dislocated his shoulder. Seen as the final piece of Cleveland’s Big Three, Love’s first playoff experience was cut way too short, leaving fans holding out hope his stay would be longer this postseason.

If he’s going to continue putting up the kind of numbers he showed off today in Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons, Love may help the Cavs go on another deep playoff run. Each member of the Big Three had an impressive day in Cleveland’s series-opening victory against Detroit, but Love was absolutely sensational, scoring 28 points and hauling in 13 rebounds.

The Cavs have to hope this was a sign of things to come, because if it is, we may finally be seeing the player they sold the farm for two seasons ago.

As mentioned, all three of the Cavs’ core players had days to remember. LeBron James was a master of efficiency, scoring 22 points on 52 percent shooting and adding 11 assists. After a cold start, Irving led the team in scoring, netting 31 points and creating more than a few playoff Vines while he was at it.

What makes Love’s performance a little more impressive is how different it looked from what we saw in the regular season.

For the second year in a row, Love’s contributions across 82 games were uneven at best. He’d have games where he looked like the All-Star we remember from his days with the Minnesota Timberwolves, then follow them up with nights when you forgot he was playing. It seemed to be doing a number on his confidence, as he hit an awful shooting slump from long-range late in the year.

Today, though, not only was Love’s shot falling, he was playing with an undeniable hustle we haven’t seen in quite some time. He was diving to the ground for loose balls, while also playing aggressively in the paint whenever he felt he had a mismatch to exploit. Gone was the Love who looked as though he had little faith in himself, replaced with a player who was determined to be a major factor for his team.

One of the biggest surprises, though, was his effort on defense.

Multiple times throughout the game, Love saw himself playing center for Cleveland, a decision you’d think was ripe for backfiring. His defense has been the subject of Twitter abuse throughout the year, and the idea of having him defending a walking double-double in Detroit center Andre Drummond was certainly cause for anxiety.

Surprisingly, not only did Love hold his own at the five spot, he finished the game with a plus/minus rating of +12. The Cavs’ offense also began to flourish when Love was playing center, as it helped spark the final rally which sealed the Game 1 victory.

Obviously it’s just one game, and consistency hasn’t really been Love’s thing this year. Though it’d be frustrating to see him follow up this performance with a dud in Game 2, it wouldn’t be surprising.

However, if this is our first glimpse at what Love can contribute for the Cavs this postseason, it’ll be a huge game-changer. Cleveland knows what it can get from James and Irving, while Love has always been the wild card. That said, if he has more games like today up his sleeve, there’s no telling how far the Cavs can go.