Doctors removed ”loose bodies” from his left knee Feb. 14 and have told the All-Star he will need six weeks to recover. Love expects to have the stitches taken out this weekend, and he believes he’s on schedule to return in late March.

”There’s definitely enough time to where I can get into a good rhythm,” Love said Friday following practice in his first comments since the operation.

Love isn’t sure when he initially sustained the injury, which kept him out of last weekend’s All-Star game.

”It’s disheartening,” he said. ”Obviously I wanted to be there, I wanted to play in the game, but I thought for myself, for the team and everybody’s best interests, it was good for me to get that week. It definitely did buy me some time where there wasn’t games where I was able to recover, not miss games and I put in a week of recovery before I got back.”

Love anticipates having two weeks to get ready before the postseason starts.

”I’ll go through all the protocol,” he said. ”I’ll be back here on the floor, getting the stitches out, before that getting the swelling down. It’s all just part of going through it.”

Love is averaging 20 points and 11.1 rebounds in his third season with Cleveland, which hosts Chicago on Saturday night.

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Love didn’t have any contact during Wednesday’s practice, the Cavs’ first since returning from a six-game road trip. Coach Tyronn Lue said Love participated in the first half of the workout.

During the portion open to media, Love moved well while taking part in a shooting drill. He has missed four games this season, two with a knee issue and one while recovering from food poisoning.

Love sat out the second half of Monday night’s 126-91 loss at Golden State. Afterward, he said he didn’t expect to miss any games.

He’s averaging 20.7 points and 10.8 rebounds for the Cavs, who went 3-3 on their trip but haven’t played well lately.

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Coach Tyronn Lue says both stars would play Friday night in the opener of a six-game road trip.

Love missed a loss to Chicago on Wednesday and was limited in the previous game after suffering from food poisoning on New Year’s Day. Irving has sat out the last three games while battling right hamstring tightness.

The Cavs are trying to complete a trade for Atlanta’s Kyle Korver, but he won’t play even if it’s finalized Friday. Lue says only those at the morning shootaround would play in the game.

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Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith is missing his second straight game because of a hyperextended left knee.

Love took shots on the court about an hour before tipoff and went through pregame warmups. Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said Love’s back ”locked up” on him during Wednesday’s win in New York.

Smith injured his knee Monday in Toronto and sat out Wednesday’s game. An MRI did not reveal structural damage in Smith’s knee and Lue said it’s more likely he will return Saturday when Cleveland hosts Charlotte.

Love is having a strong third season with Cleveland, averaging 21.4 points and shooting 42 percent on 3-pointers while starting all 21 games.

Lue said reserve forward Channing Frye has been excused from the next two games to attend his father’s funeral. Frye also missed time earlier this season following the death of his mother.

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Love did not take part in the morning shootaround because of lower back spasms. Smith hyperextended his left knee Monday in Toronto and sat out Wednesday’s win in New York. Smith was on the floor taking shots following the shootaround. Both players are listed as questionable. An MRI did not reveal structural damage in Smith’s knee.

Love is having a strong third season with Cleveland, averaging 21.4 points and shooting 42 percent on 3-pointers while starting all 20 games.

The Cavs say reserve forward Channing Frye has been excused from the next two games for personal reasons. He recently missed time following the deaths of his parents.

After playing the Heat, the Cavs host Charlotte on Saturday night.

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Love fell three points shy of the league record for points in any quarter, set by Golden State’s Klay Thompson, who scored 37 in the third on Jan. 23, 2015.

Love, who set a team record for points in a period, made 11 of 14 field goal attempts, including 8 of 10 on 3-pointers. He made his first six shots, including five 3-pointers.

He missed his only shot of the second quarter, playing about the final 6 minutes of the period. The Cavaliers led 81-60 at halftime.

Love scored a career-high 51 points while playing for Minnesota on March 23, 2012. His season high in points was 27.

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Knocked from his first playoffs in the opening round by injury, Love spoke Sunday for the first time since undergoing an operation to repair the extensive damage caused when Boston’s Kelly Olynyk pulled on his arm and yanked it from the socket. Love is pleased with the progress of his recovery and he intends to be ready for the start of next season.

In Cleveland. Not New York, Los Angeles or anywhere else.

Love can opt out of the one year remaining on his contract by June 30 and either negotiate for a new deal with the Cavs or test the market as an unrestricted free agent. And has been the case all season, the three-time All-Star, whose future has been the subject of speculation almost since the day he was traded to the Cavaliers, indicated he has no plans to leave.

”I expect to be suiting up by Game 1 of next year,” he said.

For the Cavs?

”Yes, sir,” he said.

Noticeably thinner after losing 15 pounds during his recovery, Love said not being on the floor with his teammates has been emotionally difficult. After six seasons in Minnesota, he was finally in the playoffs and appearing to hit his stride after a season in which his role transformed, when Olynyk’s aggressive play ended Love’s season in Game 4.

Following that game, Love said he felt Olynyk, who was suspended for the first game next season, had tried to intentionally hurt him. He feels differently now.

”I initially was very emotional about the play,” he said. ”I think everybody thinks, `Oh, he’s going to be able to come back, pop it right in,’ but at the time when it happened, I kind of knew. And about a week went by, I reached out to Kelly, sent him a text and said, `Hey, it’s all good. It was a tough play.’ And we just move on from there.”

He’s had no choice. After the Cavs swept the Celtics, they advanced without Love and not missed a beat. Cleveland eliminated Chicago in six games and rolled over Atlanta in four to make the finals for the first time since 2007. Love’s role has been as a spectator, watching from the bench during home games and on TV when Cleveland hit the road.

It’s been hard and humbling.

”I had really wanted this, wanted to be a part of this run,” said Love, relaxed and comfortable during his 15-minute interview. ”So, it’s something that I look at as an opportunity. I think all injuries are. I’m super happy for these guys, proud of these guys. And there’s times where I’ve felt down because of my shoulder, and they’ve been here to pick me back up. And that’s kind of how it’s been the whole year.”

Love has been cleared to travel for the finals and will be with his teammates for Games 1 and 2 at Golden State, where the Cavs will have to take on the league’s best team and their rowdy fans.

”I can’t necessarily clap, but I can scream,” he said, smiling.

Love said he didn’t get a good night’s sleep for a month after surgery, and he’s been steadily increasing his exercise load during his recovery ”to get that heart rate up.”

Love’s been touched by the outpouring of support he’s gotten from Cleveland fans, who have given him loud ovations whenever he’s been shown on the giant scoreboard during games. He’s been relegated to the row behind the Cavs bench so not to expose the shoulder to any possible contact.

However, during the Cavs’ on-court celebration after sweeping the Hawks, one of Love’s teammates nearly undid all his rehab.

”The first moment I walk out there – the teammate will remain nameless – I go up and give him a big hug and say, `Congratulations!’ And he takes his arm and goes, ”Oh yeah, man,” and just hits me right on the shoulder,” said Love, now able to laugh it off. ”Some of the front-office staff out there with me kind of had to grab me and say, `Are you OK?’ I had one of those moments where I was like I might have to go back to the locker room.”

”I just tried to take deep breaths, calm myself and got home and iced as quickly as I could.”

NOTES: Cavs coach David Blatt said G Kyrie Irving took part in ”most parts” of practice. Irving sat out two games in the Eastern Conference finals with left knee tendinitis. … Blatt received a congratulatory phone call last week in making the finals from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ”He said all of Israel is behind the Cavaliers,” Blatt said. ”That was great.” Blatt coached in Israel before joining the Cavs and his family still lives there.

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