MIAMI — It was nearly a decade ago that Kevin Love first heard questions about the aging of the immortal LeBron James.
That was in 2014, when James left the Heat after four consecutive NBA Finals appearances.
“It was fun,” Love said of his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, days after the Heat completed practice at the Kasea Center. “I remember our first practice, the first week of training camp in 2014, I remember James Jones and Mike Miller saying, ‘Oh my gosh, he looks like he’s lost half a step.’ ” I said, ‘ Is this a step? Who else’s footsteps are there? “
At that point, he went on to reach four consecutive NBA Finals and win a championship with the Cavaliers before winning the 2020 NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.
James returns to scenes from his first two NBA championship seasons on Monday when the Lakers make their only trip to South Florida this season.
Based on the 38-year-old James’ recent performance, Love is no longer thinking about the loss, especially after watching his former Cleveland teammate score 35 points, 12 in 42 minutes in an overtime victory last week. rebounds and 7 assists. Los Angeles Clippers.
“Just to see what he did in overtime, taking over that game, he got the high ball from (Austin) Reeves,” Love said. “Even when he takes his shoes off, puts them on, runs all over the court, dunks, there are still some things that defy physics, defy logic, and he’s one of those things.”
James hopes to one day play with his son Bronny, and his career may get even more difficult, which means this may not be the last visit to the arena. One day, James’ Heat No. 6 jersey will hang in the rafters. superior.
“I think as diet and science and exercise science advance, we may see something like him in the future,” Love said, “but so far we’ve never seen anything like him. “He’s just An outlier. “
Like Love, Heat center Thomas Bryant has an inside perspective, having played with teammate James with the Lakers last season.
“It’s awesome,” Bryant said after Sunday’s practice. “As they say, you’re witnessing greatness, you’re actually witnessing great things out there. The thing is, he has his own routine and he sticks to it, like crossing his T’s and dotting his Is, It’s amazing to see this.
“His preparation is second to none. It’s great to see someone of his caliber still hanging on.”
With the Lakers recording a 3-3 record, James still maintained his own standards, averaging 24.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, averaging at least 19 points per game, with three of them scoring more than 24 points.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who helped James win two championships, said James is an example of enduring greatness.
“I’ve said it before, he’s redefining what’s possible for human performance at that age,” Spoelstra said Sunday. “It’s down to his work ethic. I don’t think people talk about him enough, he’s put his life into the game. He doesn’t take it for granted. He doesn’t take his talent for granted.
“He matches his talent with his work ethic, which doesn’t happen often, especially when you’re the most talented guy in the league. It’s so easy to put in half the time, I’d say the average fan won’t even notice. There’s a difference. But if you want to get to that special level, you’ve got to put a lot of work behind the scenes.”
Love to sit on the bench
Love spoke after Sunday’s practice, was replaced in Friday night’s starting lineup by Haywood Highsmith and then did not play in the win over the Washington Wizards.
“I think the word is ‘flow,'” Love said of where he’s at in the 82-game season. “I’m going to have opportunities and positions throughout the season, which makes sense, big time. It’s just that a lot of teams are playing four small and one large, so I think you’ve seen a lot of that.
“I think we’re looking for it. Obviously 1-4 is never the way you want to start, but it’s on all of us to be pros and our numbers have been called and get ready to go.”
Love experienced similar moments in and out of the lineup last season after joining the team through the buyout market in February.
“For a guy like me, it’s probably a game-by-game thing,” he said. “The most important thing for me is communication. If there’s communication and there’s transparency, then I don’t mind. I’ll know how much it costs to stay in shape.”
injury report
Forward Caleb Martin (knee) and guard RJ Hampton (illness) were the only Heat players who did not practice Sunday. . . The Lakers entered the game with a slew of injury reports, including former Heat guard Gabe Vincent (knee). Also missing from the Lakers are Jarred Vanderbilt (heel), Rui Hachimura (concussion), Jalen Hood-Schifino ) (knee) and Taurean Prince (knee).