Nothing bonds a team like winning a championship together. The highs and lows of a gruelling NBA season followed by the pure ecstasy of lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy is something that stays with the players forever, even after they go their separate ways. Of course, no one understands this feeling better than the 2016 Cavs squad.

Even though most of the players on that historic team have either hung up their boots or moved to a different franchise, there is still that championship bond connecting them. It was evident tonight when two members of that squad, Kevin Love and JR Smith, reunited at Madison Square Garden after the Pacers vs Knicks game. Unbothered by the cameras, the two Cavs legends shared a long emotional hug, jumping all over the court in excitement.

Soon after the clip of the tearjerking reunion went viral, it caught their former teammate and good friend LeBron James’ attention. He shared the emotional video on his Instagram story, with a heartfelt four-word message for his two brothers, “My dogs right there!!”

Of course, LeBron was the leader of that 2016 squad, and he has a similar reaction every time he meets someone from that roster. In fact, that’s the case with most players on that team. During a recent regular season broadcast, Richard Jefferson revealed that there is still an active group chat of the Cavs championship team, “These are my brothers, man. I love them to death. And I think people understand when you accomplish something great, you are tied forever. Our text chain is still going. It’s me, him (Love), Bron, Channing Frye, Tristan.”

Love also confirmed that the core players stay in touch even nine years after their historic title run, “We have a group chat that we speak to every single day.” Maybe, this tight bond is what helped them defeat the mighty Warriors in the first place.

LeBron James claims Warriors were the “better team” in 2016 but Cavs believed they were destined to win

When Stephen Curry and Co. took a 3-1 lead in the Finals, no one expected the Cavs to muscle a comeback. After all, the Warriors had won 73 games that season, and were arguably the greatest team in history. No chance they would lose three games in a row at the biggest stage, right? Well, LeBron held the belief that they could bounce back, even though he knew they were not the better team.

During a recent episode of Mind The Game podcast, he made the shocking confession to Steve Nash, “I mean they were the better team. I just think we just, it’s the momentum wave, we hit a momentum pop. And s—, it’s nothing they could do about it.” Even the Cavs players started believing they were destined to win the series once they won Game 5, as LeBron said, “Once what happened in Game 5 happened, my guys believed that what I was saying was f—— coming true. Y’all get me back to Game 6, we’ll come back here for Game 7.” Sure enough, LBJ made that prediction a reality by beating the Warriors in seven and getting the Cavs their maiden title.

That’s why the championship means so much to the 2016 team and they continue to be great friends. Love detailed their bond in a recent interview, “You say the word ‘brotherhood’? You win together, that’s what it creates, especially in the fashion that we did it. Against a team that was, I mean, really a dynasty, coming back from 3-1. And what it meant to the city after 52 years of not having a major sports championship. It’s tough to put into words what that means to all of us. And we’re coming up on ten years now. It’s just crazy to think. It’s incredibly meaningful, something I think about, I think, every single day.” Sure enough, it was great to see JR and Love turning back the clock tonight at MSG. Do you agree?