Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James has insisted that Kevin Love became the scapegoat of the ‘Big Three’ in the regular season and was unfairly criticised.
READ MORE:
LeBron scores 31 points in Cavs win: (Video) Cleveland finding a way against Celtics.
LeBron unaware of Riley dig: Heat president made remark indirectly aimed at James.
Pat Riley takes indirect shot at LeBron: No smiling faces with hidden agendas this summer.
The Cavs had their issues during the regular season, and it is fair to say that James didn’t make things any easier for the likes of Love and coach David Blatt with his comments to the media.
Given that he has previously been in this position after his switch to the Miami Heat in 2010, the two-time NBA champion conceded that he did understand why Love got the brunt of the criticism but has been left hugely impressed with his performances in the first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics so far.
“When you have a big three, they’ve got to find someone. When I was in Miami, Chris Bosh was that guy at one point. So, I know why. I’ve seen it before,” James said, according to Pro Basketball Talk.
“They’ve got find somebody. And Kevin was the guy they tried to find and tried to tear him down. One thing about him, he’s always stayed positive. I’ve always believed in him. I don’t really get too involved in what everybody say. I know what type of player he is, what type of competitor he is.”
Bosh in fact warned Love that he would find it difficult in his first year in Cleveland to play alongside James, but it appears as though they have overcome their initial teething problems to find a good balance at just the right time.
Nevertheless, it is in stark contract to the general message that the pair have sent throughout the year, insisting that they didn’t need to be best friends to win as there were numerous social media posts which caused controversy and questioned their relationship.
Speculation has linked Love with an exit all year, but if he is able to help the team to a championship this season, then it is more than feasible that he will remain in Cleveland for the foreseeable future.
COMMENTS