On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers without Anthony Davis, turning a 14-point second quarter deficit into a 29-point thrashing.
One person who took note of the Lakers dominance was Kevin Love. The disgruntled Cavs star has seen LeBron James at his best as a teammate and has won a title with the Lakers superstar so he may know better than most what the Lakers are capable of. After the loss, Love had this to say about the Lakers, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin:
“It was different because it’s been so long and we’ve been through so many battles with each other,” Love told ESPN.
“I’m not going to say it felt normal, but I feel like we were both out there competing and playing hard, but seeing him play with that team is obviously different. Especially, even I didn’t get to see him with AD [Anthony Davis] and it still feels like they could do something special.”
Love and the Cavs are trending towards a divorce with both sides wanting a trade to happen by the February deadline so some may see this as Love angling for a move to LA where he played his college ball. That (and the strong unlikelihood that it would happen), aside, it still feels notable that James’ teammate from his iconic 2016 championship sees the Lakers as “special.”
Of course, the Lakers have the second best record in the league and are widely viewed as a top three favorite to win the title alongside the Bucks and Clippers. So, it’s not exactly a hot take to say they could do something special. Still, hearing rave reviews from opponents can at least make fans feel warm and fuzzy inside.
