The Los Angeles Lakers were a team that defied the odds last season, starting 2-10 and making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. While the standard for L.A. is only championships, last season should be viewed as a success.
However, in a rematch of the 2020 Western Conference Finals with the Denver Nuggets, which was an L.A. gentlemen’s sweep, Denver’s chemistry showed throughout and showed the Lakers still had some work to do in gaining that chemistry.
While it was a competitive series, L.A. got swept and the Nuggets would go on to win their first championship in franchise history, defeating the Miami Heat in five games. Even though they beat the Heat in the NBA Finals, a lot of their attention was still pointed towards the Lakers after the series with head coach Michael Malone taking multiple jabs at the Lakers and even LeBron James.
With the new season here and the Lakers scheduled to play the Nuggets on Opening Night, players were naturally asked about Malone and the Nuggets’ smack talk at Media Day. Anthony Davis, most notably, said that the Nuggets’ words have given him and James motivation going into this season.
Those comments by Davis and other Lakers players were then brought to the attention of Malone, who says his team has moved on, via Nuggets reporter Katy Winge:
“Yeah, no, I can’t speak for anybody in L.A. I can speak for the 17 players on our team, 18 now and our group. If they are still worried about us, that’s on them. This is a new season, new challenge and it was a hell of a series against them, even though it was a 4-0, sweep. But, all of those games seemed like they went down to the wire and as I said after that Game 4, we have tremendous respect for that team. I have tremendous respect for Darvin Ham, as a coach and the job he did, but I don’t listen any of that stuff. I don’t know what they’re saying and if we’re on their mind, I guess that’s on them.”
Malone showed some respect for the Lakers but also threw in some subtle jabs, firing back to L.A.’s recent comments from players and coaches. While this definitely seems to be building into a potential rivalry, Malone believes there isn’t one:
“Yeah, it’s not a rivalry. I mean, you can’t play a team in the Western Conference Finals twice in the last couple of years and think it is a rivalry. That’s something that takes, when I think of rivalries, I think of Boston, L.A. I think of the Knicks and Miami Heat back in the day. I don’t welcome it or not welcome it, I’m on 2023-24. I’m not living four months ago.”
The shots have been fired back and will further add to the theatrics of when the Nuggets and Lakers meet on Opening Night. L.A. gets to be the opponent of another champion’s Ring Night for the second season in a row, but this time hopes to spoil it.
It has almost been seven years since the Lakers won on Opening Night, dating back all the way to Oct. 26, 2016, when they defeated the Houston Rockets at home.
Jeanie Buss not concerned about talk from Nuggets
While Lakers players are motivated by the stuff the Nuggets said, one person who wasn’t bothered by it is Jeanie Buss.
The Lakers governor understands that the Nuggets won it all and have every right to say whatever they want, although it’s now a new season so the slate is wiped clean for both teams.
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