It is the same shoulder Love had surgically repaired last spring. Any shoulder injury with Love should be a concern.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves to fans as he leaves the game in the final seconds of the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Monday, Feb. 8, 2016. On the shot, Kobe Bryant appeared to make contact with Love’s left arm.
At the time, Bryant was 28 and considered by most to be the game’s best player, but he was disgruntled in Los Angeles then because the Lakers hadn’t stocked the team with championship-contention talent around him after the trade of Shaquille O’Neal years earlier.
To hear Kevin Love describe it, the shoulder injury he suffered Wednesday night when he was bumped by Kobe Bryant was painful and felt as if it might be serious. It’s just a matter of continuing to work and get into rhythm where he can start doing that on a consistent basis.
Kobe Bryant was a killer. Irving had 27 points in 26 minutes at that point, while James had 26 in 30.
Bryant’s four-point play cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 104-95.
Bryant, playing his final season for the Lakers, visits James’ once-and-again Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Rookie guard D’Angelo Russell scored 15 points off the bench. Get your Cam Newton takes in while they’re still hot. Two years later, he won his first MVP of the league, but he had three years remaining on his deal with the Cavs at the time. He had three rings and would win his first Most Valuable Player award the following season.
Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 35 points and LeBron James 29 for the Cavaliers, who head into the All-Star break with one of their “Big 3” injured. “To see him go down is devastating”, he said. It’s going to be fun for me to be around.
“It was just a lot of mutual respect”, James said of the embrace. “I just missed that thing completely. Frankly, until that time, so was Bryant”.
Kobe Bryant for LeBron James would have been a pretty significant trade. Bryant insists, however, the two have always had a better relationship than what was perceived.
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“We’ve been close. We talk on the phone probably more than people know”, he said. “I just think now it’s a little different, being that this is toward the end”.
