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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers played host to the team LeBron James led to a title back in 2016 on Monday night, with two of his close friends and former teammates trying to get the best of the three-time NBA champion. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers, James and company proved to be too much handle as they put up an incredible 81 points in the second half to shut the door on any chance of an upset at the Staples Center.
Following the loss to the Lakers, Kevin Love spoke to the media and talked about reconnecting with his former superstar teammate. Love enjoys playing against the future Hall of Famer and admits he'll be a close friend for the rest of his life.
“[He said] just to keep playing hard, keep my mind, keep my body right,” Love said on what LeBron told him after the game. “Just all the things that he typically says. But that's a brotherhood; that's a bond that can never be broken. You saw Tristan and myself up there with him. That's something that we'll always remember and kind of take to our grave. He's my brother for life, and it is very cool playing against him.”
The veteran forward also talked about how LeBron's game has evolved over the years. Love still marvels at James' brilliance when it comes to playing the game basketball.
“I think he just continues to let the game come to him and just has such a good pace about him, especially with [the Lakers],” Love said of James. “I think, depending on the personnel, depending on who's out there and who he's playing with, he can dictate how he's going to play but at the same time still be himself. He's just such a brilliant mind when it comes to playing this game.”
Along with Love, Tristan Thompson got a chance to go head-to-head with his former teammate and also enjoyed the experience. Although these two play completely different styles and wouldn't normally guard one another, it happened on Monday with James coming out on top, scoring a game-high 31 points.
“He made some 3s to get himself going, but [in the] first quarter he did a good job of getting his teammates involved and got their confidence going,” Thompson said of guarding James. “I just accepted the challenge. It's always fun playing against the best player of our generation, arguably one of the best players of all time. I love it.”
Clearly, Thompson and Love have nothing but respect for James. The two Cavs stars hold him in high regard and for good reason considering the fact they both have a championship ring in their trophy cases and a hefty bank account as a result of playing alongside the superstar forward.
Although these franchises are going in different directions and that's mainly due to LeBron deciding to sign with the Lakers in 2018, it's refreshing to see a situation like this in which there seems to be nothing but respect.
