LeBron James is no longer in town, and Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love feels like he can breathe much easier now. The Cavs power forward admitted in a Q&A with Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated that some of the pressure he felt from the past four years has now been taken off.

You may also likeArticle continues below
Cavs’ Jarrett Allen duplicates rare Kevin Love feat as Cleveland goes up 2-0 vs. Magic
Donovan Mitchell’s powerful message proves Cavs has moved on from 2023 playoff disappointment
Donovan Mitchell’s blunt take on Cavs’ epic Game 1 win vs. Magic
Darius Garland’s immediate reaction to Cavs’ Game 1 win over Magic

“But for us this year, we went from being the No. 1 team in the East making it to the Finals every year, to now a team that’s going to claw and scratch and fight for everything that we get. That’s obviously a different mindset. I guess some of that pressure is off, but we also still have pressure to prove ourselves, and prove our worth in this league.”

The Cavs were constantly in the pressure cooker with LeBron James, who took his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, leading the charge. LeBron carried a lot of drama with him, mainly because a there was a ton of pressure his shoulders as well – and this carried over to the rest of the squad.

Love always had that pressure to perform at a high level every night as the second or third option playing alongside the best player in the world. If he didn’t, he’d be a letdown for LeBron.

Obviously, with LeBron now in Lakerland, the high expectations are no longer with the wine and gold. Nobody sees the Cavs as title contenders anymore. In a way, LeBron’s departure gives Love and the Cavs a sigh of relief in the sense that they can be more free now.

Perhaps one telling sign that they feel more freedom right now is they have committed to revamp their offense to a much faster pace this season. With LeBron, they seemed to be adjusting to his playing style. Right now, head coach Tyronn Lue can have his own stamp on how he wants to run the offense.

Love, however, did not dismiss the pressure entirely. This is a new kind of pressure for him, now that he is the undisputed leader of this squad, which looks to prove it can still stay competitive despite the departure of the best player in the world.