Two years later, the title acquired by the Lakers in the Orlando bubble continues to be debated, including among players in the big league. A legendary coach notably destroyed the Purples and Golds on this subject, recently. Suffice to say that the fans did not appreciate it at all.
2019-20 was perhaps the most exceptional season in NBA history, given that it was the first marked by the coronavirus pandemic. Regular season interrupted for almost two months, then the resumption from the summer to finally end in September. In the end, it was the Lakers who emerged as champions, thus paying tribute to Kobe Bryant who had died a few months earlier. Except that even today, many people deny the value of this title.
Indeed, the coronation of the Purples and Golds is regularly considered given an asterisk, because of the exceptional circumstances around the Orlando bubble. It is not only the fans who think this way, but also great figures of the orange ball across the Atlantic. George Karl is one of them, the legendary coach having recently taken the floor to set fire to the playoffs of this campaign. According to him, they had nothing to do with the post-season of usual.
George Karl destroys the Lakers title in the bubble
Can we please stop talking about the ‘20 Bubble like it was the same event as all other NBA playoffs??
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) July 26, 2022
Can we please stop talking about the bubble in 2020 as if it’s the same event as every other NBA playoff??
Decidedly, the Californians may have climbed to the roof of the world that year, they are not likely to be unanimous one day. The facts are there, however: it was already necessary to manage to lift the title, and no one else was able to do so. Unsurprisingly, Angelinos fans did not appreciate the tactician’s remark at all. The responses were therefore wild, some tackling him for the fact that he had never won a title in several decades on the benches of the league:
I bet you wouldn’t say that if you were the champion that year. That bubble ring is worth more than anything you’ve EVER done.
— Diamond Dugg Is Paid (@duggz_money) July 27, 2022
I bet you wouldn’t say that if you had been the champion that year. That ring in the bubble is worth more than anything you’ve EVER made.
Being the only championship team that wasn’t given home court for being a #1 seed somehow means less?
— Parks (@dparks24) July 26, 2022
Being the only champion team that didn’t have a home advantage despite being a No. 1 seed doesn’t mean anything?
George Karl firmly believes that the 2019-20 title should not be put on the same level as the others, because of the special circumstances. Still, in the end, it was the Lakers who finished on the throne, unlike the other candidates.
