This NBA postseason is looking a lot like the 2020 Orlando bubble as the Los Angeles Lakers are set to square off with the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. On the Eastern Conference side of the bracket, the Miami Heat have already punched their ticket to the Conference Finals while the Boston Celtics are one win away from doing so.
After the Lakers won the championship in 2020, many fans tried to claim it didn’t count since games were played in the bubble with no fans due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
While the games were played, fans were clearly enjoying it as it was the purest form of basketball arguably we’ve ever seen. People obviously don’t like the Lakers though, which is why they tried to discredit L.A.’s 17th championship, especially when the organization struggled in the next two years due to injuries.
Things are now back to how they were in 2020, and one person who has taken note of that is former Lakers and current Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso.
After the Lakers beat the defending champion Golden State Warriors to close them out in six games in the second round, Caruso took to Twitter to call out everyone who tries to claim the 2020 bubble didn’t count:
“ BUT THE BUBBLE DIDNT COUNT !” ??
— Alex Caruso (@ACFresh21) May 13, 2023
Caruso was special for the Lakers during that championship run, locking up a number of star players while also fitting in well alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
When it came time for the Lakers to win it all in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Heat, head coach Frank Vogel’s big adjustment was moving Caruso into the starting lineup, where he thrived to close out the series.
Even though Caruso has moved on to the Bulls, he will forever be beloved in L.A. and tweets like these are just one of the many reasons why.
It remains to be seen how this year’s postseason will play out, but the Lakers will be hoping for a repeat of the bubble so they can raise banner No. 18.
Lakers expected to give rings to all players from 2022-23 roster if they win championship
If the Lakers do end up winning the championship, reports indicate that they plan to give rings to all of their players, even if they are no longer on the roster. Included in that is Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Damian Jones, Kendrick Nunn, Davon Reed and Matt Ryan.
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