“I’m not f*cking with my guy” - Kevin Love takes a playful dig at LeBron James after his poster dunk on him, the ‘King’ asks for forgiveness

LeBron James made a triumphant return to Ohio with a sizzling performance to lead the LA Lakers past his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The four-time MVP’s only regular-season appearance inside an arena that was home to him for many years brought back plenty of memories. He unleashed his full-repertoire of moves, including a highlight reel that reminded everyone of just how good “King James” has been.

One particular play in the second quarter brought the house down when James forcefully darted into the lane to catch a nifty assist from Austin Reaves. The Akron-Ohio native took off just inside the free-throw line to throw down a thunderous slam over former teammate and good friend Kevin Love.

The beloved Cavaliers big man had a hilarious reaction to James’ poster dunk:

“I’m not f*cking with my guy @KingJames for at least the next 48hrs!!!”

James and Love had an incredible four-year run as the cornerstones of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They went to the NBA Finals in each of those times when they were teammates. Their stint was highlighted by the Cavs’ only NBA title in 2016 when they pulled off the biggest upset in pro sports history.

During those years playing at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Kevin Love witnessed more than a handful of LeBron James’ rim-rattling dunks. This was the first time he was on the wrong end of such a highlight reel.

James had big-time remorse after his rim-assault that had the crowd going bananas. Here’s his simple and heartfelt reply to Kevin Love's hilarious needling:

"Forgive me!"

Before the funny exchange, the 18x All-Star weighed in on the dunk in a postgame interview:

“To be completely honest, I hate it had to be him... I hope I'm still invited to the wedding... K Love, I love you. I wish I could take those two points back. We'd still win the game by 9.”

It was all good, though, as Love playfully headlocked James while laughing along the sidelines. The heartwarming scene was very familiar, except this time one was wearing the purple and gold of the enemy.

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LeBron James is now momentarily the NBA’s scoring leader

LeBron James is back as the NBA's scoring leader this season. [Cleveland.com]

After LeBron James’ sizzling 38 points on 17-29 shooting, he’s now just slightly ahead of leading MVP candidate Joel MVP as the league’s leading scorer. The Lakers superstar is now at an even 30 points while Embiid is at 29.8, about a decimal point better than Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The LA Lakers are likely headed for the play-in, something that seemed impossible when the season started. With the team struggling, LeBron James’ assault of the record books, including potentially winning the scoring crown in his 19th year, is making the Lakers’ games more exciting.

Ironically enough, the four-time MVP and Joel Embiid will face off for a mano-a-mano battle on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. “King James” could put a stranglehold on the competition if he continues with his scoring frenzy.