Kevin Love gets revenge on LeBron James in viral moment of the week

Kevin Love got a measure of revenge on LeBron James after a monster dunk.

Kevin Love took on LeBron James last night in a battle of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers. The James-led Lakers got the win over Love and the Cavs but the win wasn’t the only thing that made highlight news overnight, but a monster dunk from James also made the news wire.

James cut down the lane and threw a mammoth-sized dunk down on Love, sending the Cleveland home crowd into a frenzy. James lamented after the game that he had to dunk on his friend Love, but Love wouldn’t go quietly into the good night.

After half-time, Love charged and put his good friend into a joke headlock, pulling James down to the ground in a measure of revenge. It’s a rare moment to see two players who aren’t teammates, be able to share that level of bond with one another despite their different paths.

Kevin Love’s headlock exemplifies his turnaround season with the Cleveland Cavaliers

Heading into the season, Love was viewed as a net-negative on the team. Injured, inconsistent, over-paid, and all-around a malcontent. Yet, something switched in him. All season long he’s been far more reliable, and the lack of minutes has actually prolonged his health, allowing him to play most of the season. He’s happier, lighter, and more motivated than he’s been in a long time.

While it’ll be hard to unseat Tyler Herro for the Sixth-Man of the Year Award, it’s very likely that Love gets quite the consideration for it. His play has been fantastic and he’s never been this fun. At least, not that we’ve seen.

There’s a sense of freedom with this team. Not beholden to any obligations or expectations and that alone has made Love and the Cavs a much more fun, less toxic team.

A lot of that goes to Love stepping up.