Kevin Love Admits It’s Difficult to Play With “GOAT Contender” Lebron James: “We Were Under a Lot of Scrutiny as Well in Cleveland”

Published 01/23/2022, 2:30 PM EST

Like most other NBA stars in the league, LeBron James attracts massive media attention due to his celebrity status. He remains at the center of every franchise that he has played for. The media often lambasts his teammates too because of the teams’ shortcomings. One of LeBron’s former teammates recently commented on the media focus that their team received during LeBron’s stint at the franchise.

NBA star Kevin Love described the treatment that they received from the media while LeBron James was at the Cleveland Cavaliers. Love compared his previous Cavaliers’ situation to the current Lakers’ plight. He observed how the media unfairly expected LeBron’s teams to either make the Finals or win the Championship every year.

Love said, “Everybody expects the Lakers to do great things, especially with having a Big 3. Even with AD being out, they expect big things from him. I’ve played with Bron and we were under a lot of scrutinies as well in Cleveland and we had great expectations. People were saying Finals or championship or bust.”

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He further added, “Every little misstep or lose three in a row or hovering around .500, it’s just a dozen different storylines, it’s a soap opera. People always got to have stuff to talk about 24/7, 365 media presence. If not, you’re not going to get your ratings. It’s just a fact.”

Kevin Love plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, having joined the franchise in 2014. He joined the Cavaliers in the same season that LeBron returned to the franchise for his second spell at Cleveland. He won the 2016 NBA title with the Cavaliers alongside LeBron.

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LeBron James and his second spell at the Cleveland Cavaliers

The media and fans thoroughly scrutinized LeBron James‘ decision to leave the Cavaliers in 2010 to join the Miami Heat. He won two NBA titles at the Heat, after which he left Miami to rejoin the Cavaliers. His return to the Cavaliers earned much fanfare as the fans entrusted him with winning a title for the franchise.

LeBron did exactly that in 2016 when he led the Cavaliers to the NBA title. The Cavaliers faced the Golden State Warriors in the Finals with LeBron dropping 41 points in Games 5 and 6. Game 7 of the 2016 Finals is also popular among NBA fans for, ‘The Block’ by LeBron on a Warriors star. LeBron’s massive performance in the Finals powered the Cavaliers to their first NBA title.

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Shalom Saldanha is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing his journalism degree, he has previously worked as a sports corresspondent for India Shorts/Business Upturn. A Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bucks fan, Shalom primarily got into the sport after discovering that he shared a mutual love for Arsenal with the 'Greek Freak'.

Kevin Love Admits It’s Difficult to Play With “GOAT Contender” Lebron James: “We Were Under a Lot of Scrutiny as Well in Cleveland”

LeBron James and his second spell at the Cleveland Cavaliers

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