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Love: Step-overs are 'looked at as a form of disrespect'

Jason Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Even though his teammate LeBron James stepped over Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love doesn't necessarily condone The King's actions, whether they were intentional or not.

"It's tough to say. You don't see it too much, but, yeah, I think it is looked at as a form of disrespect," Love told reporters Sunday when asked whether the move was viewed by players as insulting. "But I don't know. It's seldom seen. That's tough to answer. I don't know."

Green was issued a flagrant-1 foul by the league Sunday for striking James in his groin as the four-time league MVP stepped over him, later calling his actions "disrespectful." Because he exceeded the postseason limit for flagrant foul points, Green received a one-game suspension and will not be in uniform for Game 5 on Monday.

The step-over is usually a means of adding insult to injury for the opposition after a highlight-reel play or clutch basket. Love - who didn't single out what James did, but rather judged the controversial act as a whole - feels that in today's era, it's difficult to get away with doing it because there's so many ways for the basketball world to catch your every move.

"I mean, it's different than when maybe say my dad played in the '70s when there weren't so many cameras around and there weren't so many different replays and so many angles where you can get away with stuff," Love said. "But now you do something whether you hit the guy, step over them, and there's retaliation and that sort of thing. You don't really see there is any room for that sort of thing, but at the same time those things happen."

Physicality is a natural part of the game, but when it comes to Green's low blow on James, Love definitely feels that crosses the line.

"But when it comes to maybe getting hit in your manhood, it kind of changes things. So I don't think there's any place in the game for that," Love said. "But playing physical and hitting guys and checking guys and getting thrown on the floor, that sort of thing, that's just all part of it."

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