Daniel Gibson and LeBron James attempted to clear the air in a phone conversation on Saturday.
View full sizeDays when Daniel Gibson and LeBron James could easily enjoy each other's company have faded, and the two spent some time on Saturday trying to resolve their relationship.MINNEAPOLIS -- Daniel Gibson and LeBron James spoke on Saturday in an effort to mend a friendship strained by the Cavs' loss to the Heat on Thursday.
After James taunted the Cavaliers' bench during the game, Gibson was quoted on Friday as saying that their friendship had soured. He also said things were not as friendly as it appeared to outsiders.
Gibson admitted there was a conversation on Saturday.
"I'd rather not say exactly what it was about," he said before the Cavs played the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. "It was more that we're both competitive people. We both want to win. That's what it's all about."
In Miami, James told reporters, "I talked to Daniel today and it is all good."
Asked if they were still friends, James said, "Yeah."
Asked if he was surprised by the mixed reactions he got from his ex-teammates, James said, "I didn't expect too much, I didn't ask for too much for any of my ex-teammates. It's a basketball game, I was going there to get a win. For the most part, everyone's reception was kind of cold."
Whole lotta Love: Cavs center Ryan Hollins has one great regret; he left UCLA a year before Minnesota forward Kevin Love arrived.
"That probably would have been a championship right there," Hollins said on Saturday.
The two played together last year in Minnesota.
"I know Kevin well," Hollins said of the Wolves forward and the league's leading rebounder (15.1 per game.) "Obviously, this is the best he's played in his career. I'm definitely happy for him. I'm not surprised, coming off that Team USA performance, the experience that he got and the preparation, the steps that he takes into the game really helped him out."
Added Cav guard Ramon Sessions, another former Timberwolf, on Love, "He's playing great basketball. He's a walking double-double."
Byron Scott did not disagree. "Love has been a beast," the coach said.
Sessions has gone from running Kurt Rambis' triangle offense to running Scott's Princeton system.
"This is definitely easier," he said. "The triangle was more pass and cut, feed the ball into the post off a lot of reads. Coach Scott's is an up-tempo offense with the point guard holding the ball most of the time and pushing the ball and coming off pick and rolls. This offense is a better fit for me, no question.
"It's totally different. It's like two different types of basketball. Coach Scott's is more freelance. Coach Rambis is more structured. It definitely takes time to adjust. To be honest, I'm still adjusting to it in a way."
The last word: From Scott, asked for his best story on Rambis from their days together with the Lakers -- "I don't have any good ones that are family friendly. Kurt was a character, let's put it that way. Loved him to death. He was a great teammate. Obviously we had a lot of success, lot of fun together. But he was unique in a lot of ways."