Klay jokes he beaned Love because he knew he'd be a Cav

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Before Klay Thompson and Kevin Love battled in four straight NBA Finals, the two basketball stars locked horns on the Little League fields of Portland, Ore.

During the Warriors' recent preseason trip to Portland, Thompson visited a few places that defined his childhood. One was a baseball diamond that Thompson revealed is where he once beaned a young Love in the back because he knew they were destined to be NBA rivals as members of the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Love responded to the video, confirming that Thompson came in high and tight.

Love and Thompson also played on the same Lake Oswego Little League team in 2001.

That Thompson-Love Lake Oswego All-Star team won the state title and nearly earned a berth in the Little League World Series.

Ahead of the Warriors' 2016 NBA Finals date with the Cavs, Love described Thompson's demeanor on the diamond.

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"He was very stoic, knew he belonged and kind of had a quiet confidence about him," Love said.

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Of course, the other connection between Thompson and Love is that the two nearly were traded for each other in 2014.

But the Warriors made the wise move to keep Thompson in the Bay Area, setting the stage for Golden State's dynastic run that saw them beat Love, LeBron James and the Cavs in three of four NBA Finals bouts.

It seems young Klay always knew where their paths were headed. Or, perhaps Little Leaguers just have really poor command sometimes. Yeah, that's probably it.

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