Love finds 'sense of normalcy' amid unusual practice circumstances

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Kevin Love was among the first NBA players to return to their team's practice facility since the league shut down nearly two months ago.

While the circumstances were far from normal, the Cleveland Cavaliers star was just happy to be back in familiar surroundings.

"I feel like anybody who needs an escape or in everyday life is looking for any type of normalcy back doing something they love," Love said Friday, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. "For me, I played 25-ish years of organized basketball and this is the longest I've ever gone without touching (a basketball). And it's something I really, really enjoy doing.

"So for me, it definitely was a big dopamine hit, and it just felt great to get in there and sweat outside of doing my workouts at home or getting on a treadmill. Going out there and having some sense of normalcy and getting on the court and actually shooting was pretty uplifting."

The Cavs were among a few teams to reopen their practice facility for voluntary individual workouts. Teammates Larry Nance, Cedi Osman, and Ante Zizic joined Love at the Cleveland Clinic Courts.

The four players remained at least 12 feet away from each other as they worked on separate half courts. A mask and gloves were also required for any assistant coaches working with a player.

"It's just going to change the way - at least for the foreseeable future - of not only how we interact but how we live in our daily lives. So for me, was it weird? Yeah," Love said. "I had (Cavs assistant coach) Dan Geriot at my basket and having him rebound and pass me the ball with a mask and gloves on. It's just odd."