Even the ongoing heat of NBA postseason action is something much more simple than basketball.
Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love showed this as veterans from both leagues shared one of the game’s most moving moments recently.
Prior to Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round Series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, Thompson and Love held each other warmly for a while near the midcourt at the Caseya Center.
Love has been inactive for most of the month for Miami, whom the team captain Bam Adebayo pointed out as “personal reasons.” It turns out he cared for and mourned the death of his beloved father, Stan Love.
Thompson and Love had an emotional conversation. NBA fans felt a genuine connection between the pair.
It is well known that Thompson and Love are lifelong brothers on and off the court.
Both were key players during Cavaliers’ LeBron James’ homecoming run, helping the franchise reach their fourth consecutive NBA Finals appearance, including a historic title victory in 2016.
Love hammered his case as a Cavaliers legend before finally joining the Heat in the 2022-23 midseason.
Despite not being a teammate anymore, the two remained firmly connected and kept in touch.
And in this painful passage of his beloved father, a 76-year-old former NBA player, Thompson informs his former teammate that he is there if he wants someone to lean on him.
“At the end of the day, it’s my brother. So (expletive) basketball, (expletive) games. It’s bigger than everything. It’s always going to be,” Thompson told Cleveland.com.
“K-Love is a family. We know what it’s like losing a parent. It’s definitely difficult.”
Thompson endured a heartbreaking experience two years ago when his mother Andrea passed away from a heart attack. And in those times of difficult healing processes, love was there and supported him.
He and the Cavs stamped their entries into the second round of the NBA playoffs by completely dismantling the heat in a 138-83 Game 4 victory to secure a sweep of the series, but Thompson’s thoughts and prayers are always there for love.
“I told him, ‘You’ve got a guardian angel to watch over you and your beautiful family,'” Thompson added. “I told him I was here for him whatever he needed. If he wanted to spit out, scream and cry together, I’m here. I’m here anytime.
“I told him that his father is proud of him. He watches over him every day. He has done so much to help his family change everyone’s lives for the generations that come.”