In your opinion, does the 2020 championship carry the same weight as any other championship? Correction: Messed up. Lakers won in 6 games, not 5. Should have been 5, but Danny Green was having a rough time. lol
@@williamcorliss3664 Really weird. Let me know if the issue persists bro. It's possible that YT think you're some kind of bot because you're always leaving the same comment.
No because it was literally a flukey season. Teams almost got 2 off seasons worth of rest, AD who has almost never played 70 games a season was suddenly healthy, there were no fans, no home court advantage, most teams were dealing with some kind of injuries
Of course. If they would count a lockout season as a legit championship, they should have the same energy for this title run. No one questioned Tim's 99 championship even though they played a shorter season than the 2020 season, with a 5-game 1st round series.
Exactly and then who just won the ship the same team that almost made the finals in the bubble... Recent history has been showing that the "bubble" championship is legit...
It's more legitimate than awarding a championship to the team with the best record would've been. (A lot of people have forgotten that that was the alternative if the NBA was unable to resume the 2020 season.) I'm never thrilled when the Lakers win, but they played basketball with the same circumstances as everyone else and they came out on top.
How can you call it "the same for every team" when a Florida team (surprised?) made the Finals while the defending champion does not get to play a single game in Canada???
@@shaft9000I mean you could use that argument I guess but it’s not like it was home court for Miami either lol they were also shut out from families and not on their actual court and regardless Miami didn’t even win so why would the argument be made in the first place
@@shaft9000not to mention that random Florida team proceeded to cause problems in the playoffs the years following meanwhile the raptors did not, if you really thought the 2020 Raptors were gonna make the finals you’re trippin
@@shaft9000 you are so out of your mind lol 😂😂😂😂 what does raptors done after the bubble? Lakers make it in wcf last season.. and you so called "surprise" heat team make it in the 2023 finals.. raptors? Well hahahahahahahahaha 🤦♂️🤦🤦♀️🤷🤷🤷🤷♀️🤷🤷♀️🤷🤷♂️
Anyone but the Lakers, makes it Legit because LeBron is eliminated somewhere along the way and they would've LOVED it. Even if LeBron wins a "legitimate" title with the lakers, it would still be an asterisk for a lot of people, saying "Load management, soft era easy to win etc." That's how stupid his haters are.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams? On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court. The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@nicksamp515 even this video suck this dude is a laker fan and will find any reason to make this okay it is not the people call it a bubble championship for a reason!!!!
The only difference was there was no home court advantages. Every team got rest, everyone got rusty. The playing field was leveled. The Lakers took advantage. If any other team had won, it wouldn’t have been up for debate. Legitimacy wouldn’t have been a thing, but because it’s Lebron…
With as much as I despise LeBron, this championship counts despite the unique circumstances. It's only because of the lengthy break and neutral court with no fans as to why some don't think it counts. Also, the Lakers easily could have won the championship even without the bubble since they were the #1 seed in the West before the pandemic shutdown.
Let's be honest, it's only "illegitimate" because LeBron and the Lakers won. Funny how quickly people forget that the Lakers were the #1 seed BEFORE the shutdown, were slumping at the end of the season, and when Portland won game 1 against the Lakers in the 1st round, Portland was being dubbed "the greatest 8th seed of all-time". I'm not joking, the articles and videos are still up to prove it. And then when the Lakers won the next 4 games, people said it was a cakewalk lol. Same story with the Rockets in the 2nd round. Rockets take game 1, media claims Lakers are frauds, Lakers win the next 4 and they say it was too easy for them. And then everyone was hyping up the Bubble Nuggets. Came back from 3-1 in the first and second rounds, and everyone said they'll do the same with the Lakers. Welp, Lakers won and moved on to the finals, which they beat the Heat. And to make things even more pathetic, you got some former Clippers players on record saying they didn't want that bubble ring and let the Nuggets comeback from 3-1 because "it would ruin our image" lmaooooooo. The so-called "Mickey Mouse ring" counts, and people are discrediting it solely because the LeBron Lakers won it, that's it.
I agree but plz don’t forget Miami were called bubble frauds to for just making the finals we legit didn’t even win but had to defend our team for making the finals lol
A ring is a ring is a ring. Considering the 2023 playoffs/ finals had a final four of Nuggets vs. Lakers and Heat vs. Celtics, and some pretty improbable wins (especially by the Heat) I'd say that 2020 is looking less like a fluke and more like a pattern
the only team that I think really might have had their trajectory changed by the bubble is the clippers (pandemic P and all). However, I'd still say they lose pretty clearly to the Lakers even if they didn't fall to the Nuggets.
A legitimate "season"...shortened. Fair enough, as some seasons were shortened before. BUT ...then it's followed by a "legitimate playoff" (an ad-hoc tournament, in fact) where a Florida team (surprised?) made the Finals while the defending champion does not get to play a single game in Canada. How people overlook this is astonishing.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams? On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court. The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
It's legitimate. No team had home court advantage. But because it's the Lakers and LeBron winning it all, fans will create a heated debate. At the end of the day, all teams had a fair shot, time to move on from it.
Toronto had NO court, though - playing every game in another country is s a huge disadvantage. And it's no wonder how a Florida team got to the Finals... That's two right there, and there is more that earns 2020 SEVERAL asterisks, not just one.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams? On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court. The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@@FrokuBabayylies lies and more lies. you come on here blatantly lying. They open team facilities based on state that loosed up the stay at home order and Texas and Georgia were the first states to do that. Also when they did reopen facilities only individual workouts were allowed not group practices for the very reason of unfair competitive edge. Teams were allowed to practice together til July when they got to the bubble. And no teams bowed out. They only invited the teams that still had mathematical chance of making the playoffs in the final 8 regular season game. Get your facts right man 😂
@@dhollinsMemphis before the shutdown had a 32-34 W/L record and backed out. San Antonio had a chance to making the playoffs as bad their W/L record was at 28-36 with a chance at making the playoffs ahead of the at the time 30-win Blazers. Only furthering my point of how fake and diluted that season was on all fronts. As for the Eastern conf. last I checked the 31-win Orlando Magic & 30-win Brooklyn Nets declined to even participate in the playoffs. EVERY TEAM I named was in playoff contention (if anything showing how laughable the competition was) and yet backed with the exception of the Blazers a team that should have never even been in the playoffs but did. And the Lakers had the privilege of playing them. And speaking of the Lakers, were cleared late-June of 2020 to practice. Every other team wasn't fully cleared to practice until AUGUST of 2020 with the playoffs set to start Oct. of that same year. It's hilarious that in the face of facts, yall will pathetically try to gawk LeBron still LMAO
The lakers were the best team in the west and would’ve ended as the first seed in a normal year, with Miami they have shown that they could make the finals as an 8th seed, i think that by itself legitimizes it
I think each season has its own story. Wether it’s injury, shorten season due to lock out or the bubble year. There’s always a “what if” for every season.
2020 bubble season is legit. Everybody had the same circumstances. Reason the rating was so low at that time because of the politics involved and of course the ongoing pandemic throughout the world meaning the demand for the NBA isnt that high especially within the middle and lower class fans who were greatly affected by the pandemic. Tho I will admit that it was not the most significant chip but it was surely needed to give the 2020 NBA season its rightful conclusion.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams? On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court. The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@@FrokuBabayyok ask your self this . If the lakers went to the championship and lost during the bubble , would that have been a stain on Lebrons legacy ? Wouldn’t Lebron detractors say that he’s 3-7 in the finals ? For that very reason , this was a legit chip
@@bryantrodriguez2969 Based upon a hypothetical that hasn't actually yeah ok buddy... since that's the game were playing. If KD or Kawhi had became 3x champs/3x FMVPs LBJ cum collectors would be making every excuse in the book for why they still aren't anywhere near LeBron's level. Based off of that alone, LBJ is still 3-6 in the finals🤣🤣see how that works
The bubble asterisk would make more sense if the #1 seed didn't win the finals because they could claim "no home field advantage/disadvantage" but when the team that should be affected the most still wins, it was meant to be
Exactly.. If anything it help teams that didn't have homecourt and Clippers had it best advantage cause if got past Denver we know LA basically Lakers town
It makes perfect sense when the team that won was older and it's players historically can't stay healthy. The bubble absolutely helped them and that championship would have had an asterisk for ANY team that won.
@@squanchy2925ok which team was in your opinion the best contender vs the Lakers. If its the Clippers you're argument is in my opinion countless, because kawhi was before also an injury prone guy and i don't know if its true, but it wouldn't shock me if he had played less games after the bubble then AD
we all knew the Lakers would win the championship that season. if anybody other than them won, i did a give a side eye but because it was them…it doesn’t matter. we should just be glad we got basketball during Covid
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams? On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court. The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
It wasn't a foregone conclusion. The Heat would've probably beaten LeBron if they had Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo etc and they still took them to 5 games with Jimmy Butler outplaying LeBron during that series in a couple games. So yeah... asterisk
Again, only LeBron haters would say that's an asterisk. Regardless of it's uniqueness, it's still a fair game for everybody. All teams both experienced disadvantage and advantage, just like a regular playoff setting. If a well-loved superstar/team won the bubble, like the Miami or Denver, very few would question nor put an asterisk on that title.
@@tatinomichin Shaq completely dismissed his early remarks when the bubble season started, only criticized Howard for riding the Lakers glory of winning a ring. Chuck is a known hater of LeBron ever since his Miami days, Tmac and Mchale never quoted anything, maybe haters like you created a statement with a picture of either two to make it "legit".
Idk i think even if Miami won they still would've discredited it. Both teams and stars aren't well liked by a lot of NBA fans. I also don't think home court advantage is as big a deal. Not that it doesn't matter at all but I think the the biggest perk of being a high seed is facing the lowest seeds early which still applied
As a highly competitive person, which most athletes are, how could you even remotely blame losing on circumstances when the team who won was already the 1 seed? That kind of coping only comes from fans. Imagine Kawhi or Giannis saying it was an asterisk title. They never would! And to me, that shows that anyone with a competitive mentality would never stoop to the level of calling a bubble championship as an asterisk. I rarely have strong opinions like this, but I find it pathetic to even consider it as an asterisk.
I think asterisk stuff is stupid. My only criticism was the loss of home court advantage that teams earned. The Bucks for example, went from likely having homecourt throughout the playoffs to being the only squad to have to play both teams from Florida.
Not legit because we know Anthony Davis woulda broke down if he had a 3 month playoff run after an 82 game season as normal. They only had 8 games to play then went into the plastic wrap playoff bubble and never had to play in altitude in Denver, Utah or raucous buildings.
My answer to that is the same answer I give to people flaming the Dodgers title: It was legitimate, because it was the only way you were getting a season that year.
Yes, all teams were affected by the same factor. People seem to mainly critique the Bubble ring because lebron won. Would any other team or player be downplayed for winning? Would people denounce CP3 if that was his only ring? Would the clippers not choke if they had home court? Um, we expect the clippers to choke, that's not abnormal. PG and kawhi both being healthy and not failing would be the surprise. Harden choked in the bubble, not unexpected. Milwaukee went out early in the bubble- after 2023, not a crazy surprise. 76ers losing with embiid and Simmons? Also nothing new. Lakers beat nuggets in the WCF, the next 2 seasons jokic won back to back mvps, so that's not a crazy outlier in hindsight. Lakers beat the heat in the finals. That was essentially the same heat team that made deep playoff runs the next 3 years, who went to the finals in 2023 as the 8th seed, who happened to play that same nuggets team the Lakers had beaten in the bubble, plus 3 years experience and age. Seems consistent to me.
I watched the NHL playoffs during that same time the MLB season and the NFL season all had their struggles with Covid the only asterisk actually justifiable is the dodgers as they played 60 regular season as compared to the normal 162. But even then I don’t every team had to deal with the same problems
Debates like this are what makes it hard for me to love Basketball like I used to. In every other sport, outside of clear and obvious cheating, 2017 Astros for example but even then most people dont debate they were still the best team in the MLB, nobody tries to put asterisks on Rings. In the NBA everything is so heavily skewed towards the GOAT debate that we are put here arguing the legitimacy of a LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP. It all becomes so individual based, people debate it like it's an individual sport when no matter what people try and say, it's a team sport, their are 4 other guys on the court and 8 guys on the bench that matter plus coaching, basketball is the only sport where we try and hold guys from 50+ years ago up above the modern players, in every other sport it is universally agreed upon that modern athletes are better than older guy's. I wish people would stop turning everything into a GOAT debate and just enjoy it as a Team Sport.
Winning anything is better than not winning anything. But the whole situation made it "different" than other seasons. It's almost like other tournament with NBA teams participating. Fans and travels are part of the league and not having them makes it different. People react differently to different situations such as having home fans cheering or opponent fans booing, causing them to perform differently. Injury is part of the game as well and from what I remember, both Lebron and AD had some health issues just before the the shutdown but had the time to recover because of it. and everyone know AD has health issue all the time. Some players were not able to participate as well and if the season had progressed till the end, who knows which team would be in which standing, again, making it "different" than if there was no bubble. Again, I say it does whole certain weight. Winning is better than not winning. But it was "different"
It was only “mid” because Lebron won it. Almost every professional player that took part in that bubble claims that was some of the highest level of basketball there’s been in years.
@@blazedoutlaw6633 Wrong. Theres nothing legitimate about teams inconsistently being cleared to practice months in advance of playoffs given players more rest than others on top of not having to travel and there being no fans. Its fake because it was fake, period
I think it absolutely counts but I’m on the fence as to the significance of it (Lakers fan as a disclaimer). On one hand, a lot of players did speak on how the bubble’s environment affected them a lot mentally, plus it was the fairest form of basketball since everyone had the exact same conditions in terms of no home court, same food, same recreation, same living spaces, no travel fatigue, rest, etc. which makes it harder in that aspect. I don’t agree with people saying it was the hardest championship run for the Lakers however, JxmyHighroller made a great video on how the strength of the teams they faced was certainly below average compared to other title runs. Imo it sort of balances out to be a sort of “middle of the road” championship run relative to others
Looking back, the 2020 Bubble tourney at Disney World was literally the predecessor to the current 'NBA Cup' (now called 'Emirates Cup' or whatever). You could somehow argue they were legit but they are certainly NOT rings or banners you get for winning an NBA Finals. Lebron James has 3 rings. Period.
Keep it up Johnny, love your channel you’re obviously a basketball and nba savant much like myself, curious to know if you ever played ball in highschool, college, etc?
Having five months off before the playoffs certainly helped the Lakers. All that rest was huge for an injury-prone Anthony Davis and aging LeBron. Not to mention, Rajon Rondo - a major contributor to their run - was only available due to the time off (he was injured when the lockdown happened).
Was AD injured before the Bubble? Kawhi and PG are healthy in the Bubble meanwhile both of them are injured when the Bubble Season is gone, you wouldn't know if these players are getting injured in the Bubble or not
AD was healthy the whole year and LeBron was still a top 5 player and lead the league in assists. We rolled through the league after everyone had laughed at our FA pickups ( thanks Kawhi, Uncle Dennis and Jerry West) calling us the "meme team". People shut up about that quick. Everyone was helped by the time off. Especially the Bucks because Giannis was injured when the league shut down.
The thing is most ppl think the clippers would've beat the lakers if it wasn't for the bubble yet they're even more injury prone so it helped them a lot. What other team couldve realistically beat them?
That’s makes it more legitimate tbh no distractions straight hooping and your point is extremely invalid being the lakers with lebron would easily have the best crowd
I think this video brings up a larger issue of putting asterisks on championships. Most asterisks are put on championships for reasons the team that won had no control over - why should their accomplishment be discredited because of it? The Lakers, nor any other team had no control over the circumstances they played under, so why scrutinize the Lakers for winning under those circumstances? Same thing with injuries - unless a player on the team that won the championship went out of there way to injure other players on the opposing team, why hold it against them? Why should I hold it against the Warriors for beating a Cavaliers team that didn’t have Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love? Why should I hold it against the Raptors for beating a Warriors team that didn’t have Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson?
Indeed. You can put endless asterisk on every championships in the history of the sport. Hell, if LeBron was on the Lakers 3 peat and the same circumstance happened, it would be endlessly debated even today, but since it's Kobe and Shaq, it's swept under the rug. It's just that unique setting of the playoffs happens to be one of the best postseason performances from LeBron and killed the narrative that he could only win in the east, plus he won without a so-called superteam, so that's why it's attacked for it's legitimacy instead to discredit it.
Sure, I just hate when people say "it was the hardest championship in NBA history" lmao because that's just silly. It's just Lebron fans trying to hype him/his legacy up.
The Bubble was Basketball in its pure form. No crowd, just dudes playing ball to see who was the best. Lebron and Jimmy Butler were the only ones who were really about it in the Bubble tournament.
This what Im saying. Most players from countless different teams had a breakout season. It was pure hoops and tapping into potential. There's a good bit amount of players that are still getting paid and living off the performance from the bubble.
I’ve never understood the argument that 2020 is illegitimate, especially for LeBron. I’m about as anti-LeBron as one gets, but this is the most impressive title of his, to me, because this was the least amount of help he’s had on a championship run. Level playing field all-around and no real advantage for anyone.
Having five months off before the playoffs was a huge help for an injury-prone Anthony Davis and aging LeBron. Plus, Rajon Rondo - a major contributor to their run - was injured when the lockdown happened and was only available due to the time off. LA was also fortunate that two of Miami's key guys got hurt at the start of the FInals series.
The only reason the title would be illegitimate is if the reports are true that the lakers was practicing prior to the bubble. That was an advantage gained that other teams didn’t. Otherwise since it was all on a level playing field, no asterisk.
@@prlysisthank you for mentioning that thing about the heat they were already a 5rh seed comin in but then two of their top guys go down leaving a young Tyler herro and a bunch of role players imo that should have been the story from the bubble not the Lakers getting served a wounded opponent in the finals and doin what they were supposed to Jimmy Butler leading a squad of young guys and role player and without 2 of his stars sill managed to get 2 games of a mostly healthy Lakers team
Honestly, due to the settings of the bubble, games felt like casual workouts, rather than playoff matches. If we as fans felt it, you can only imagine the psychological relief of the players then. I think it was a casual environment, and a lot of players played without pressure, or stress, letting them perform much better, additionally to the rest they had. A championship is a championship, it definitely counts, but by difficulty of acquisition, it is dirt cheap.
if anything the Lakers were disadvantaged. They essentially lost the home court advantage they wouldve had for being the first seed in every round they were in.
People just love to shit on LeBron's finals record. I understand he choke in 2011, but LeBron didnt have a chance to win in 2007, 2017 and 2018 because he was facing a dynasty. In 2015, his two best teammates were injured, and in 2014, Wade wasnt 100 percent, and San Antonio was just a better team that year. If 2020 have an asterisk because people have biased arguments that you cant prove, then the 1988 and 2002 Championships have an asterisk too, with some good reasons behind it. But people dont talk bad about Magic, Kareem, Kobe and Shaq rings, just LeBron because that is marketable.
ABSOLUTELY LEGIT IT TOOK MORE MENTAL STRENGH MAYBE EVEN HARDER THAN A STANDARD SEASON.ALL WERE EQUAL AND IF IT WAS MY TITLE I WOULD TREAT IT AS A SPECIAL UNIQUE CHAMPIONSHIP
The 1999 San Antonio Spurs championship is way more legitimate than this bubble championship because people at least played in their normal arenas under a shortened schedule... But you don't have people suffering from depression and all of that because of the mind games and all of the bureaucracy about the pandemic...
It wasn't the same as previous seasons due to no traveling or homecrowd adv but it was a level playing field. Everyone got time off, everybody was rested, no distractions. It counts but because Bron won everybody gotta complain. The top 4 teams for the bubble were the top 4 teams last season. This was no fluke.
if LeBron was on the Lakers 3 peat and the same circumstance happened, it would be endlessly debated even today, but since it's Kobe and Shaq, it's swept under the rug. These people can claim that "we'll have the same energy if others won that season" and that's the biggest BS ever. They could say it casually coz they can't do nothin about it since LeBron already won, but it would be VERY DIFFERENT if others won, especially if the likes of Miami and Denver, who are basically dark horses with well-loved stars won that "bubble ring"
I said that it should have an asterisk beside it when they announced how they were going to finish the season. I have since changed my mind. A championship is a championship
It was the year I had the most time to both watch games and also work on my game (individually, for I had fuck all to do anyway working twice a week with the “light lockdown” we had here in Australia, where I live)
Game 1 of the NBA Finals (Heat-Lakers) averaged a 4.1 rating and 7.41 million viewers on ABC, comfortably the lowest rated and least-watched NBA Finals game on record (dates back to 1988). The previous lows were a 5.2 and 8.06 million for Nets-Spurs Game 2 in 2003. [Related: NBA Finals ratings history.
For the 2020 NBA Finals, the ratings dropped to a historic low, with one of the games drawing only 5.9 million viewers. The average viewers figure over 6 games was 7.5 million, which is a 51% decline from the previous year.
It was 100% legitimate to everybody in the media until they saw that LeBron had a good chance to win it. Its literally proof of people saying the lakers would lose to each of the teams in the first 3 rounds and once they won they had a million excuses. And at the end of the day its BASKETBALL. Lakers were the best team that year even before covid
If the season continued without stoppage, I think you would have had completely different teams make it through due to health and injury that suddenly didn’t have the impact they would have.
The loss of home court advantage was a big factor and so was the rest but as my Nono said, someone's gotta win and someone's gotta lose and to my eyes, the results were fair and square. I wanted the Heat to after my Raptors were kicked out despite a miracle shot from O.G Anunoby in game six against the Celtics. I was also rooting for a Lakers/Clippers west finals but it already looked in jeopardy when you heard about the controversy regarding the team in the regular season, something with Montress Harrell, Pat Bev and a strip club lol.
Bro. U should do a video on "Should they bring back the Old timers game at the all star break." Could u imagine Seeing MJ, Dominic, Ewing, Magic,Worthy, Shaq etc etc etc.. i BET THAT WOULD BE THE BEST ALL-STAR GAME EVER.!!
It def. was legitimate. As you said, all the players and teams faced similar circumstances and some practiced throughout while some didn't. It was not my favorite playoffs or final, but I still see it as legit. Good video, Jonny :)
Lakers were on their way to the 1 seed and lost home court and still won....you can argue teams got to rest but no one got more rest than anyone else. People get injured during the playoffs. Those championships dont have asterisks. This is virtually the same principle
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams? On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court. The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@@FrokuBabayy sounds like a bunch of excuses. How many playoff teams backed out? Any of the top seeds? When exactly were the Lakers cleared compared to other teams? Did other teams not get cleared through no fault of their own? I'd love to hear your expert knowledge of the inner workings of the NBA leading to the bubble. Or just keep talking shit trying to give your life purpose
@@Lloyd00 Memphis before the shutdown had a 32-34 W/L record and backed out. San Antonio had a chance to making the playoffs as bad their W/L record was at 28-36 with a chance at making the playoffs ahead of the at the time 30-win Blazers. Only furthering my point of how fake and diluted that season was on all fronts. As for the Eastern conf. last I checked the 31-win Orlando Magic & 30-win Brooklyn Nets declined to even participate in the playoffs. EVERY TEAM I named was in playoff contention (if anything showing how laughable the competition was) and yet backed with the exception of the Blazers a team that should have never even been in the playoffs but did. And the Lakers had the privilege of playing them. And speaking of the Lakers, were cleared late-June of 2020 to practice. Every other team wasn't fully cleared to practice until AUGUST of 2020 with the playoffs set to start Oct. of that same year. It's hilarious that in the face of facts, yall will pathetically try to gawk LeBron still LMAO
People would count it if LeBron and the Lakers hadn't won it. Lakers fatigue and more people changing their feelings on LeBron every year has people refusing to accept it as legitimate. But if the Clippers or Nuggets won it everyone would absolutely count it as a title
Those games were legit, but they still deserve an asterisk. Home court, travel routine & doing your own physical & mental training means something in the NBA.
@@ejkboxing it makes it even harder for the Lakers actually , they were rolling before the break , they lost their momentum along with the homecourt advantage
I personally believe that players play harder without people watching and yelling for every and any type of single bad / slightly negative thing for them😅💀
I think it was one of the costliest championship. Every team that went deep in the bubble championship had an early exit in the next playoffs because they had a much shorter off season after the bubble.
I actually wanted the Lakers to win. The main reason I have an ** is because multiple players came out and said no one really wanted to play. Players also opted out which made it weird, and because of the point that was made in the video about momentum ...there was a break in momentum. There was a different champion than there would have been if regular season wasn't cut short. That's a fact. The break changed EVERYTHING.
TORONTO RAPTORS did not get to play a single Bubble or playoff game _in their own country._ And Is it ANY surprise that a Florida team got to the Finals?
The Lakers lost the homecourt advatage and their momentum ... coming into the bubble , they struggled a lot , LeBron struggled too .... they came to turn it all around without their 1st seed advantage ... totally deserve . Respect for the video and the objectiveness even though its obvious that you dislike LeBron ... well done keeping it real ... hard work pays off on the videos
Let’s keep it a stack. People only want to discredit it because of WHO it is that won. Those same people would have deemed it credible had the Heat, Nuggets, Clippers, or anyone else had won.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams? On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court. The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
Looking at the rosters of the contending teams id say the lakers definitely werent one of the teams who would have had trouble playing in front of fans so whats ur point?
The championship counts, but it’s extremely weak; weak run and competition. Part of the difficulty in a normal season & playoffs is also built on a grueling season, then the playoffs are even more amped up. Lebron absolutely got his chip, but where I see a small issue is that particular season/Championship was made possible because it kept Anthony Davis fully healthy, and he was the best player than entire year. But they earned it and a bubble playoffs was the only good option compared to any alternative (take what we can get). My biggest issue is when I hear things about players’ mental health and what not during that time; nba players are multimillionaires still treated like royally while the rest of the world had much more serious problems (and life threatening in a variety of ways).
Another great video from Arnett. Baffles me to think that rival NBA fans can dismiss this chip whilst we ignore the fact that the majority of the Celtics championships in Bill Russell's days had fewer teams involved that the 19/20 seasons and was in a league without a salary cap. Terrific teams - no doubt about it, but no way would that team ever have the ability to be essembled in today's game and as fans we should look at those championships with less validity that the bubble chip.
As a clippers fan, I know the pain of the bubble all too well. Personally, I think those Lakers were a very special team like an anti small ball team that could use size to kill you in the paint but also outshoot you and shut down your 3 ball. Lebron was just one step out of his prime, AD was relatively consistent and free of injury, Howard was a great rebounder and determined to redeem himself , and that team was loaded with 3 and d guys like rondo, kcp, green, and caruso. Maybe without the bubble, Pandemic P doesn't happen, we don't choke against the nuggets, and we give the Lakers the fight of our lives. But I still think we likely lose in a closely contested series to the Lakers. Lakers have homecourt advantage and in a close situation I just don't trust Doc to outcoach Frank.
Imo the 2020 ring is the most legitimate ring of LeBron's career, even if it comes with an asterisk of "The Heat were missing 3 of their best players" because he also lost a Finals without his 2 best players so it evens out for me.
Definitely not a favorite matchup or series of mine, but it for sure is legitimate. They all played in the same conditions. What is the argument? That they were less motivated? No crowds? What kind of excuse is that? These are the best players in the world. It's on them to perform.
I barely remember this season except for the Clippers blowing that lead A ring is a ring bubble or no bubble and remember the alternative was whoever had the best record 😂
In your opinion, does the 2020 championship carry the same weight as any other championship?
Correction: Messed up. Lakers won in 6 games, not 5. Should have been 5, but Danny Green was having a rough time. lol
no it doesn't. lakers only won because of kobe's death. besides it was played in the bubble and there were no real fans .
For some reason I can't comment like usual but I just wanna help the video
@@williamcorliss3664 Really weird. Let me know if the issue persists bro. It's possible that YT think you're some kind of bot because you're always leaving the same comment.
No because it was literally a flukey season. Teams almost got 2 off seasons worth of rest, AD who has almost never played 70 games a season was suddenly healthy, there were no fans, no home court advantage, most teams were dealing with some kind of injuries
Of course. If they would count a lockout season as a legit championship, they should have the same energy for this title run. No one questioned Tim's 99 championship even though they played a shorter season than the 2020 season, with a 5-game 1st round series.
Jimmys run was proven even more legitimate in the years following the bubble as well.
Indubitably so.
Exactly and then who just won the ship the same team that almost made the finals in the bubble... Recent history has been showing that the "bubble" championship is legit...
The same for Nuggets and Celtics.
@@gawdsage5229if that is the case then how is it that all the teams got back to a finals but the team that actually won the bubble hasn't?
@@johndavis9321because they don’t have that same team anymore ? Y’all be on here saying nothing
It's more legitimate than awarding a championship to the team with the best record would've been. (A lot of people have forgotten that that was the alternative if the NBA was unable to resume the 2020 season.) I'm never thrilled when the Lakers win, but they played basketball with the same circumstances as everyone else and they came out on top.
How can you call it "the same for every team" when a Florida team (surprised?) made the Finals while the defending champion does not get to play a single game in Canada???
@@shaft9000I mean you could use that argument I guess but it’s not like it was home court for Miami either lol they were also shut out from families and not on their actual court and regardless Miami didn’t even win so why would the argument be made in the first place
@@shaft9000not to mention that random Florida team proceeded to cause problems in the playoffs the years following meanwhile the raptors did not, if you really thought the 2020 Raptors were gonna make the finals you’re trippin
@@shaft9000 Fuckin' lol, the raptors were done after Kawhi left. Wtf do you think they were gonna do?
@@shaft9000 you are so out of your mind lol 😂😂😂😂 what does raptors done after the bubble? Lakers make it in wcf last season.. and you so called "surprise" heat team make it in the 2023 finals.. raptors? Well hahahahahahahahaha 🤦♂️🤦🤦♀️🤷🤷🤷🤷♀️🤷🤷♀️🤷🤷♂️
If Miami had won...it would count against Bron
☺️☺️ your damn right about that!
Anyone but the Lakers, makes it Legit because LeBron is eliminated somewhere along the way and they would've LOVED it. Even if LeBron wins a "legitimate" title with the lakers, it would still be an asterisk for a lot of people, saying "Load management, soft era easy to win etc." That's how stupid his haters are.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams?
On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court.
The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@nicksamp515 even this video suck this dude is a laker fan and will find any reason to make this okay it is not the people call it a bubble championship for a reason!!!!
LeBron is a victim 😭
If Lebron lost, his fans and laker fans would've swore up and down that it didn't count.
Nope that sounds like projection from toxic Lebron haters
@@1vaultdweller Only to toxic lebron glazers. Truth hurts
So to you, did it count or not? Fuck imaginary hypotheticals.
@MrChrisswaggin Of course it counts mf a ring is a ring. Unfortunately lebron fans wouldn't think the same way if he lost
@@305dagoat4 okay it counts cool. I don’t care what “lebron fans” would think. You said it counts, so I’m good. Peace.
The only difference was there was no home court advantages. Every team got rest, everyone got rusty. The playing field was leveled. The Lakers took advantage. If any other team had won, it wouldn’t have been up for debate. Legitimacy wouldn’t have been a thing, but because it’s Lebron…
True . These people need to learn to distinguish between the NBA player & the person behind .
Agreed, this is the point where anti-LeBron people get in their feelings instead of bringing up logical points imo.
If you watched, their was biased arbitrating that still continues today
Just like he said if lebron won lebron haters aren’t happy if lebron lost lebron fans aren’t happy. It goes both ways
Cap. It want a regular season at all it was a special championship not a regular one. That's why we don't care that the Lakers won.
With as much as I despise LeBron, this championship counts despite the unique circumstances. It's only because of the lengthy break and neutral court with no fans as to why some don't think it counts. Also, the Lakers easily could have won the championship even without the bubble since they were the #1 seed in the West before the pandemic shutdown.
Let's be honest, it's only "illegitimate" because LeBron and the Lakers won. Funny how quickly people forget that the Lakers were the #1 seed BEFORE the shutdown, were slumping at the end of the season, and when Portland won game 1 against the Lakers in the 1st round, Portland was being dubbed "the greatest 8th seed of all-time". I'm not joking, the articles and videos are still up to prove it. And then when the Lakers won the next 4 games, people said it was a cakewalk lol. Same story with the Rockets in the 2nd round. Rockets take game 1, media claims Lakers are frauds, Lakers win the next 4 and they say it was too easy for them. And then everyone was hyping up the Bubble Nuggets. Came back from 3-1 in the first and second rounds, and everyone said they'll do the same with the Lakers. Welp, Lakers won and moved on to the finals, which they beat the Heat.
And to make things even more pathetic, you got some former Clippers players on record saying they didn't want that bubble ring and let the Nuggets comeback from 3-1 because "it would ruin our image" lmaooooooo. The so-called "Mickey Mouse ring" counts, and people are discrediting it solely because the LeBron Lakers won it, that's it.
LeBron is a victim 😭
@@KaineTremaine I bet you dream of LeBron being inside of you
salty ass paper clips players 😂 smh
Try watching the video, nitwit. He clearly mentioned that in the video.
I agree but plz don’t forget Miami were called bubble frauds to for just making the finals we legit didn’t even win but had to defend our team for making the finals lol
Whatever your stand on the Lakers’s chip that year, The bubble certainly had some of the best post season games over the last 3 decades.
A ring is a ring is a ring. Considering the 2023 playoffs/ finals had a final four of Nuggets vs. Lakers and Heat vs. Celtics, and some pretty improbable wins (especially by the Heat) I'd say that 2020 is looking less like a fluke and more like a pattern
the only team that I think really might have had their trajectory changed by the bubble is the clippers (pandemic P and all). However, I'd still say they lose pretty clearly to the Lakers even if they didn't fall to the Nuggets.
Absolutely counts. Unfortunate that the season was flipped the way it was but everyone had a = playing field and some thrived while others didn’t.
Right thats what I said the Pandemic was beyond everyone control not the Lakers fault
A legitimate "season"...shortened. Fair enough, as some seasons were shortened before.
BUT
...then it's followed by a "legitimate playoff" (an ad-hoc tournament, in fact) where a Florida team (surprised?) made the Finals while the defending champion does not get to play a single game in Canada.
How people overlook this is astonishing.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams?
On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court.
The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@@FrokuBabayy you typed all of that just to be wrong
@@mr.longjohn0014 And yet you can't disprove it 🥱
It's legitimate. No team had home court advantage. But because it's the Lakers and LeBron winning it all, fans will create a heated debate. At the end of the day, all teams had a fair shot, time to move on from it.
Toronto had NO court, though - playing every game in another country is s a huge disadvantage.
And it's no wonder how a Florida team got to the Finals...
That's two right there, and there is more that earns 2020 SEVERAL asterisks, not just one.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams?
On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court.
The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@@FrokuBabayylies lies and more lies. you come on here blatantly lying. They open team facilities based on state that loosed up the stay at home order and Texas and Georgia were the first states to do that. Also when they did reopen facilities only individual workouts were allowed not group practices for the very reason of unfair competitive edge. Teams were allowed to practice together til July when they got to the bubble. And no teams bowed out. They only invited the teams that still had mathematical chance of making the playoffs in the final 8 regular season game. Get your facts right man 😂
@@dhollinsMemphis before the shutdown had a 32-34 W/L record and backed out. San Antonio had a chance to making the playoffs as bad their W/L record was at 28-36 with a chance at making the playoffs ahead of the at the time 30-win Blazers. Only furthering my point of how fake and diluted that season was on all fronts.
As for the Eastern conf. last I checked the 31-win Orlando Magic & 30-win Brooklyn Nets declined to even participate in the playoffs. EVERY TEAM I named was in playoff contention (if anything showing how laughable the competition was) and yet backed with the exception of the Blazers a team that should have never even been in the playoffs but did. And the Lakers had the privilege of playing them.
And speaking of the Lakers, were cleared late-June of 2020 to practice. Every other team wasn't fully cleared to practice until AUGUST of 2020 with the playoffs set to start Oct. of that same year. It's hilarious that in the face of facts, yall will pathetically try to gawk LeBron still LMAO
The lakers were the best team in the west and would’ve ended as the first seed in a normal year, with Miami they have shown that they could make the finals as an 8th seed, i think that by itself legitimizes it
If Miami or any other team other than LA would’ve won, that ‘bubble don’t count’ topic probably would’ve never been brought up. It was during Covid!
I think each season has its own story. Wether it’s injury, shorten season due to lock out or the bubble year. There’s always a “what if” for every season.
For real, injuries alone change things up every season.
2020 bubble season is legit. Everybody had the same circumstances. Reason the rating was so low at that time because of the politics involved and of course the ongoing pandemic throughout the world meaning the demand for the NBA isnt that high especially within the middle and lower class fans who were greatly affected by the pandemic. Tho I will admit that it was not the most significant chip but it was surely needed to give the 2020 NBA season its rightful conclusion.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams?
On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court.
The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@@FrokuBabayyok ask your self this . If the lakers went to the championship and lost during the bubble , would that have been a stain on Lebrons legacy ? Wouldn’t Lebron detractors say that he’s 3-7 in the finals ? For that very reason , this was a legit chip
@@bryantrodriguez2969 Based upon a hypothetical that hasn't actually yeah ok buddy... since that's the game were playing.
If KD or Kawhi had became 3x champs/3x FMVPs LBJ cum collectors would be making every excuse in the book for why they still aren't anywhere near LeBron's level. Based off of that alone, LBJ is still 3-6 in the finals🤣🤣see how that works
The bubble asterisk would make more sense if the #1 seed didn't win the finals because they could claim "no home field advantage/disadvantage" but when the team that should be affected the most still wins, it was meant to be
Exactly.. If anything it help teams that didn't have homecourt and Clippers had it best advantage cause if got past Denver we know LA basically Lakers town
exactly and if Jimmy didnt make the finals last year as a 8th seed
It makes perfect sense when the team that won was older and it's players historically can't stay healthy. The bubble absolutely helped them and that championship would have had an asterisk for ANY team that won.
the lakers did it for KOBE.... among many reasons...
@@squanchy2925ok which team was in your opinion the best contender vs the Lakers. If its the Clippers you're argument is in my opinion countless, because kawhi was before also an injury prone guy and i don't know if its true, but it wouldn't shock me if he had played less games after the bubble then AD
we all knew the Lakers would win the championship that season. if anybody other than them won, i did a give a side eye but because it was them…it doesn’t matter. we should just be glad we got basketball during Covid
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams?
On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court.
The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
It wasn't a foregone conclusion. The Heat would've probably beaten LeBron if they had Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo etc and they still took them to 5 games with Jimmy Butler outplaying LeBron during that series in a couple games. So yeah... asterisk
@@FrokuBabayy Salty little boy, keep crying hater
My thing is that the Lakers had been the #1 seed in the west, and looked like contenders long before covid happened.
but only because they got AD. They bought their roster and went to 6 games against a depleted 5th seed
@@vulcanraven9701 awwwwwww, so they let a 5th seed out the east?
I always found it funny that people discredited something LITERALLY NO ONE in the word had any control over 😂
You sure about that last part?
You preached it 3 years ago, Jonny
It’s always made me laugh how so many NBA fans count the bubble ring out. Definitely think it’s biased LeBron haters.
Again, only LeBron haters would say that's an asterisk. Regardless of it's uniqueness, it's still a fair game for everybody. All teams both experienced disadvantage and advantage, just like a regular playoff setting. If a well-loved superstar/team won the bubble, like the Miami or Denver, very few would question nor put an asterisk on that title.
Shaq, Chuck, McKale, TMac and more HOF's said it has an asterisk and they dont hate Lexcuse. No point here...
@@tatinomichin Shaq completely dismissed his early remarks when the bubble season started, only criticized Howard for riding the Lakers glory of winning a ring. Chuck is a known hater of LeBron ever since his Miami days, Tmac and Mchale never quoted anything, maybe haters like you created a statement with a picture of either two to make it "legit".
Super Team. Fake tournament
@@KaineTremainesuper team??? 😂😂😂
@dhollins You can read. Congrats 👍🏼
It definitely counts. But we act like it doesnt cuz it's the only way we can make fun of such unfortunate situation
Idk i think even if Miami won they still would've discredited it. Both teams and stars aren't well liked by a lot of NBA fans. I also don't think home court advantage is as big a deal. Not that it doesn't matter at all but I think the the biggest perk of being a high seed is facing the lowest seeds early which still applied
There isn’t a single ring that couldn’t have an asterisk by it whether it be because of injuries, refs, or super teams
As a highly competitive person, which most athletes are, how could you even remotely blame losing on circumstances when the team who won was already the 1 seed? That kind of coping only comes from fans. Imagine Kawhi or Giannis saying it was an asterisk title. They never would! And to me, that shows that anyone with a competitive mentality would never stoop to the level of calling a bubble championship as an asterisk. I rarely have strong opinions like this, but I find it pathetic to even consider it as an asterisk.
I think asterisk stuff is stupid. My only criticism was the loss of home court advantage that teams earned. The Bucks for example, went from likely having homecourt throughout the playoffs to being the only squad to have to play both teams from Florida.
True, but the Lakers were the 1 seed, so they lost home court as well.
Not legit because we know Anthony Davis woulda broke down if he had a 3 month playoff run after an 82 game season as normal.
They only had 8 games to play then went into the plastic wrap playoff bubble and never had to play in altitude in Denver, Utah or raucous buildings.
Facts
My answer to that is the same answer I give to people flaming the Dodgers title: It was legitimate, because it was the only way you were getting a season that year.
Lmfao yall be happy af about that bubble ring ig
Yes, all teams were affected by the same factor. People seem to mainly critique the Bubble ring because lebron won. Would any other team or player be downplayed for winning? Would people denounce CP3 if that was his only ring?
Would the clippers not choke if they had home court? Um, we expect the clippers to choke, that's not abnormal. PG and kawhi both being healthy and not failing would be the surprise.
Harden choked in the bubble, not unexpected. Milwaukee went out early in the bubble- after 2023, not a crazy surprise.
76ers losing with embiid and Simmons? Also nothing new.
Lakers beat nuggets in the WCF, the next 2 seasons jokic won back to back mvps, so that's not a crazy outlier in hindsight.
Lakers beat the heat in the finals. That was essentially the same heat team that made deep playoff runs the next 3 years, who went to the finals in 2023 as the 8th seed, who happened to play that same nuggets team the Lakers had beaten in the bubble, plus 3 years experience and age. Seems consistent to me.
I watched the NHL playoffs during that same time the MLB season and the NFL season all had their struggles with Covid the only asterisk actually justifiable is the dodgers as they played 60 regular season as compared to the normal 162. But even then I don’t every team had to deal with the same problems
Skip bayless: bubble doesnt count
Also skip bayless: look what brady did in a pandemic year
People just be hating Bron
Bubble was good though, Bam Adebayo's Iconic Block on Tatum, Jamal Murray's Iconic Layup over Gobert, Clippers blew 3-1.
Debates like this are what makes it hard for me to love Basketball like I used to. In every other sport, outside of clear and obvious cheating, 2017 Astros for example but even then most people dont debate they were still the best team in the MLB, nobody tries to put asterisks on Rings. In the NBA everything is so heavily skewed towards the GOAT debate that we are put here arguing the legitimacy of a LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP. It all becomes so individual based, people debate it like it's an individual sport when no matter what people try and say, it's a team sport, their are 4 other guys on the court and 8 guys on the bench that matter plus coaching, basketball is the only sport where we try and hold guys from 50+ years ago up above the modern players, in every other sport it is universally agreed upon that modern athletes are better than older guy's. I wish people would stop turning everything into a GOAT debate and just enjoy it as a Team Sport.
Winning anything is better than not winning anything.
But the whole situation made it "different" than other seasons.
It's almost like other tournament with NBA teams participating.
Fans and travels are part of the league and not having them makes it different. People react differently to different situations such as having home fans cheering or opponent fans booing, causing them to perform differently.
Injury is part of the game as well and from what I remember, both Lebron and AD had some health issues just before the the shutdown but had the time to recover because of it. and everyone know AD has health issue all the time.
Some players were not able to participate as well and if the season had progressed till the end, who knows which team would be in which standing, again, making it "different" than if there was no bubble.
Again, I say it does whole certain weight. Winning is better than not winning. But it was "different"
It counts, but it was mid. Never knew how much crowds meant to me until that playoff
Yeah it definitely counts but it ain't one of the greatest title runs.
@@rogelioatempa1115as a Lakers fan I'm proud talking about it than 2002 tho.
It was only “mid” because Lebron won it. Almost every professional player that took part in that bubble claims that was some of the highest level of basketball there’s been in years.
@@blazedoutlaw6633 Wrong. Theres nothing legitimate about teams inconsistently being cleared to practice months in advance of playoffs given players more rest than others on top of not having to travel and there being no fans.
Its fake because it was fake, period
I hate everyone saying it was rigged because Kobe died. I hate every single one of you...
sheep
I think it absolutely counts but I’m on the fence as to the significance of it (Lakers fan as a disclaimer). On one hand, a lot of players did speak on how the bubble’s environment affected them a lot mentally, plus it was the fairest form of basketball since everyone had the exact same conditions in terms of no home court, same food, same recreation, same living spaces, no travel fatigue, rest, etc. which makes it harder in that aspect. I don’t agree with people saying it was the hardest championship run for the Lakers however, JxmyHighroller made a great video on how the strength of the teams they faced was certainly below average compared to other title runs. Imo it sort of balances out to be a sort of “middle of the road” championship run relative to others
This. But every championship runs into this. You can only beat the teams in front of you.
Looking back, the 2020 Bubble tourney at Disney World was literally the predecessor to the current 'NBA Cup' (now called 'Emirates Cup' or whatever).
You could somehow argue they were legit but they are certainly NOT rings or banners you get for winning an NBA Finals.
Lebron James has 3 rings. Period.
Keep it up Johnny, love your channel you’re obviously a basketball and nba savant much like myself, curious to know if you ever played ball in highschool, college, etc?
Jordan rested for 2 years so his 1996 championship is an asterisk?
By "rested," you mean MJ played professional baseball for 1.5 years while mourning his recently murdered father?
@@prlysis ahahahaha
Playing professional baseball for 1.5 yrs is resting to you? If at first you don't succeed, troll troll again
Having five months off before the playoffs certainly helped the Lakers. All that rest was huge for an injury-prone Anthony Davis and aging LeBron. Not to mention, Rajon Rondo - a major contributor to their run - was only available due to the time off (he was injured when the lockdown happened).
Was AD injured before the Bubble? Kawhi and PG are healthy in the Bubble meanwhile both of them are injured when the Bubble Season is gone, you wouldn't know if these players are getting injured in the Bubble or not
it helped every team , lower seeds lost no homecourt advantage and no mommentum ... the Lakers Lost both though
AD was healthy the whole year and LeBron was still a top 5 player and lead the league in assists. We rolled through the league after everyone had laughed at our FA pickups ( thanks Kawhi, Uncle Dennis and Jerry West) calling us the "meme team". People shut up about that quick. Everyone was helped by the time off. Especially the Bucks because Giannis was injured when the league shut down.
The thing is most ppl think the clippers would've beat the lakers if it wasn't for the bubble yet they're even more injury prone so it helped them a lot. What other team couldve realistically beat them?
Help the lakers. They were already the top seed in the west 😂
No one respects this championship no matter who would have won it
The no crowd is the biggest problem for me no matter who won, momentum can shift real quick with a crowd if your at home
That’s makes it more legitimate tbh no distractions straight hooping and your point is extremely invalid being the lakers with lebron would easily have the best crowd
@@qdakid7776is it easier to give a presentation alone in your room or infront of thousands of people? The bubble was basically a ymca pickup game.
@@axshman6914 lol lakers would have had the advantage
I think this video brings up a larger issue of putting asterisks on championships. Most asterisks are put on championships for reasons the team that won had no control over - why should their accomplishment be discredited because of it? The Lakers, nor any other team had no control over the circumstances they played under, so why scrutinize the Lakers for winning under those circumstances? Same thing with injuries - unless a player on the team that won the championship went out of there way to injure other players on the opposing team, why hold it against them? Why should I hold it against the Warriors for beating a Cavaliers team that didn’t have Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love? Why should I hold it against the Raptors for beating a Warriors team that didn’t have Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson?
Indeed. You can put endless asterisk on every championships in the history of the sport. Hell, if LeBron was on the Lakers 3 peat and the same circumstance happened, it would be endlessly debated even today, but since it's Kobe and Shaq, it's swept under the rug. It's just that unique setting of the playoffs happens to be one of the best postseason performances from LeBron and killed the narrative that he could only win in the east, plus he won without a so-called superteam, so that's why it's attacked for it's legitimacy instead to discredit it.
@@nicksamp515Bro glazing hard in every reply! 😂
I hope NBA fans start learning to distinguish between the NBA player and the person behind .
These idiots don't watch NBA games
Rigged and bullcrap rings just aligns perfectly with Lebron James!
Sure, I just hate when people say "it was the hardest championship in NBA history" lmao because that's just silly. It's just Lebron fans trying to hype him/his legacy up.
When did NBA had to go through an another global pandemic?
The Bubble was Basketball in its pure form. No crowd, just dudes playing ball to see who was the best.
Lebron and Jimmy Butler were the only ones who were really about it in the Bubble tournament.
AD was a monster in the finals. No people all the rest, he started out great. I'd argue AD benefits the most
This what Im saying. Most players from countless different teams had a breakout season. It was pure hoops and tapping into potential. There's a good bit amount of players that are still getting paid and living off the performance from the bubble.
it was lebron AND AD vs just jimmy butler
The only reason this is even a debate is because Lebron James is involved.
*And the Lakers.
I’ve never understood the argument that 2020 is illegitimate, especially for LeBron. I’m about as anti-LeBron as one gets, but this is the most impressive title of his, to me, because this was the least amount of help he’s had on a championship run. Level playing field all-around and no real advantage for anyone.
Aging team in a very short season has an advantage
Having five months off before the playoffs was a huge help for an injury-prone Anthony Davis and aging LeBron. Plus, Rajon Rondo - a major contributor to their run - was injured when the lockdown happened and was only available due to the time off. LA was also fortunate that two of Miami's key guys got hurt at the start of the FInals series.
The only reason the title would be illegitimate is if the reports are true that the lakers was practicing prior to the bubble. That was an advantage gained that other teams didn’t. Otherwise since it was all on a level playing field, no asterisk.
@@prlysisthank you for mentioning that thing about the heat they were already a 5rh seed comin in but then two of their top guys go down leaving a young Tyler herro and a bunch of role players imo that should have been the story from the bubble not the Lakers getting served a wounded opponent in the finals and doin what they were supposed to Jimmy Butler leading a squad of young guys and role player and without 2 of his stars sill managed to get 2 games of a mostly healthy Lakers team
@@phomjachanaI did hear that the Lakers were staging illegal practices at brons house and yes if true it would taint I'm already questionable chip
That bubble season is the most asterisk worthy thing of anything in human history. Absolutely pathetic excuse to get Bron a ring.
Honestly, due to the settings of the bubble, games felt like casual workouts, rather than playoff matches. If we as fans felt it, you can only imagine the psychological relief of the players then. I think it was a casual environment, and a lot of players played without pressure, or stress, letting them perform much better, additionally to the rest they had. A championship is a championship, it definitely counts, but by difficulty of acquisition, it is dirt cheap.
if anything the Lakers were disadvantaged. They essentially lost the home court advantage they wouldve had for being the first seed in every round they were in.
Great production.
Even better commentary! The fact, as a Lakers fan, you point out that Kings series as one that should have an asterisk is honorable.
People just love to shit on LeBron's finals record. I understand he choke in 2011, but LeBron didnt have a chance to win in 2007, 2017 and 2018 because he was facing a dynasty. In 2015, his two best teammates were injured, and in 2014, Wade wasnt 100 percent, and San Antonio was just a better team that year. If 2020 have an asterisk because people have biased arguments that you cant prove, then the 1988 and 2002 Championships have an asterisk too, with some good reasons behind it. But people dont talk bad about Magic, Kareem, Kobe and Shaq rings, just LeBron because that is marketable.
You preachin brudda.......🎉
LeBron super teams weren't Stacked enough 😭
@KaineTremaine Name the last time a team won without multiple all stars or without all time greats....
@vaughnrussell5772 2021.. 2019.. 2023. I could keep going..
- Drop your excuses
@KaineTremaine dude those teams have multiple all stars on them. The last team was 94.....
ABSOLUTELY LEGIT IT TOOK MORE MENTAL STRENGH MAYBE EVEN HARDER THAN A STANDARD SEASON.ALL WERE EQUAL AND IF IT WAS MY TITLE I WOULD TREAT IT AS A SPECIAL UNIQUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Of course it counts! We saw one of the basketball 🏀 games during the bubble 🫧
At 8:58, I thought you'd suddenly switched to a video game. Had to rewind. Wow. Brain implosion.
The 1999 San Antonio Spurs championship is way more legitimate than this bubble championship because people at least played in their normal arenas under a shortened schedule... But you don't have people suffering from depression and all of that because of the mind games and all of the bureaucracy about the pandemic...
It wasn't the same as previous seasons due to no traveling or homecrowd adv but it was a level playing field. Everyone got time off, everybody was rested, no distractions. It counts but because Bron won everybody gotta complain.
The top 4 teams for the bubble were the top 4 teams last season. This was no fluke.
if LeBron was on the Lakers 3 peat and the same circumstance happened, it would be endlessly debated even today, but since it's Kobe and Shaq, it's swept under the rug. These people can claim that "we'll have the same energy if others won that season" and that's the biggest BS ever. They could say it casually coz they can't do nothin about it since LeBron already won, but it would be VERY DIFFERENT if others won, especially if the likes of Miami and Denver, who are basically dark horses with well-loved stars won that "bubble ring"
I said that it should have an asterisk beside it when they announced how they were going to finish the season. I have since changed my mind. A championship is a championship
That "TF?" edit 😂😂😂😂
It was the year I had the most time to both watch games and also work on my game (individually, for I had fuck all to do anyway working twice a week with the “light lockdown” we had here in Australia, where I live)
Game 1 of the NBA Finals (Heat-Lakers) averaged a 4.1 rating and 7.41 million viewers on ABC, comfortably the lowest rated and least-watched NBA Finals game on record (dates back to 1988). The previous lows were a 5.2 and 8.06 million for Nets-Spurs Game 2 in 2003. [Related: NBA Finals ratings history.
For the 2020 NBA Finals, the ratings dropped to a historic low, with one of the games drawing only 5.9 million viewers. The average viewers figure over 6 games was 7.5 million, which is a 51% decline from the previous year.
It was 100% legitimate to everybody in the media until they saw that LeBron had a good chance to win it.
Its literally proof of people saying the lakers would lose to each of the teams in the first 3 rounds and once they won they had a million excuses.
And at the end of the day its BASKETBALL. Lakers were the best team that year even before covid
if the 1999 lockout season counts the 2020 season counts
If the season continued without stoppage, I think you would have had completely different teams make it through due to health and injury that suddenly didn’t have the impact they would have.
The loss of home court advantage was a big factor and so was the rest but as my Nono said, someone's gotta win and someone's gotta lose and to my eyes, the results were fair and square.
I wanted the Heat to after my Raptors were kicked out despite a miracle shot from O.G Anunoby in game six against the Celtics. I was also rooting for a Lakers/Clippers west finals but it already looked in jeopardy when you heard about the controversy regarding the team in the regular season, something with Montress Harrell, Pat Bev and a strip club lol.
Bro. U should do a video on "Should they bring back the Old timers game at the all star break." Could u imagine Seeing MJ, Dominic, Ewing, Magic,Worthy, Shaq etc etc etc.. i BET THAT WOULD BE THE BEST ALL-STAR GAME EVER.!!
It def. was legitimate. As you said, all the players and teams faced similar circumstances and some practiced throughout while some didn't. It was not my favorite playoffs or final, but I still see it as legit.
Good video, Jonny :)
Lakers were on their way to the 1 seed and lost home court and still won....you can argue teams got to rest but no one got more rest than anyone else. People get injured during the playoffs. Those championships dont have asterisks. This is virtually the same principle
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams?
On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court.
The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
@@FrokuBabayy sounds like a bunch of excuses. How many playoff teams backed out? Any of the top seeds? When exactly were the Lakers cleared compared to other teams? Did other teams not get cleared through no fault of their own? I'd love to hear your expert knowledge of the inner workings of the NBA leading to the bubble. Or just keep talking shit trying to give your life purpose
@@Lloyd00 Memphis before the shutdown had a 32-34 W/L record and backed out. San Antonio had a chance to making the playoffs as bad their W/L record was at 28-36 with a chance at making the playoffs ahead of the at the time 30-win Blazers. Only furthering my point of how fake and diluted that season was on all fronts.
As for the Eastern conf. last I checked the 31-win Orlando Magic & 30-win Brooklyn Nets declined to even participate in the playoffs. EVERY TEAM I named was in playoff contention (if anything showing how laughable the competition was) and yet backed with the exception of the Blazers a team that should have never even been in the playoffs but did. And the Lakers had the privilege of playing them.
And speaking of the Lakers, were cleared late-June of 2020 to practice. Every other team wasn't fully cleared to practice until AUGUST of 2020 with the playoffs set to start Oct. of that same year. It's hilarious that in the face of facts, yall will pathetically try to gawk LeBron still LMAO
People would count it if LeBron and the Lakers hadn't won it. Lakers fatigue and more people changing their feelings on LeBron every year has people refusing to accept it as legitimate. But if the Clippers or Nuggets won it everyone would absolutely count it as a title
Those games were legit, but they still deserve an asterisk. Home court, travel routine & doing your own physical & mental training means something in the NBA.
Every team was doing it tho
@@3nim3nimabl3 Regardless. It's still not the same.
@@ejkboxing it makes it even harder for the Lakers actually , they were rolling before the break , they lost their momentum along with the homecourt advantage
@@ivblizzard3616 Some team had to win it. It was probably hard (not harder), but it wasn't won the same way as every other NBA championship. *
Did anyone have a competitive advantage yes or no?
I personally believe that players play harder without people watching and yelling for every and any type of single bad / slightly negative thing for them😅💀
It doesn't weight as much as other titles but it still counts as something. The NBA is an entertaining business and that's all it is
The Mickey Mouse ring.
I think it was one of the costliest championship. Every team that went deep in the bubble championship had an early exit in the next playoffs because they had a much shorter off season after the bubble.
I actually wanted the Lakers to win. The main reason I have an ** is because multiple players came out and said no one really wanted to play. Players also opted out which made it weird, and because of the point that was made in the video about momentum ...there was a break in momentum. There was a different champion than there would have been if regular season wasn't cut short. That's a fact. The break changed EVERYTHING.
TORONTO RAPTORS did not get to play a single Bubble or playoff game _in their own country._
And Is it ANY surprise that a Florida team got to the Finals?
the raptors had 0 shot winning anything that year either way. stop spamming
The Lakers lost the homecourt advatage and their momentum ... coming into the bubble , they struggled a lot , LeBron struggled too .... they came to turn it all around without their 1st seed advantage ... totally deserve . Respect for the video and the objectiveness even though its obvious that you dislike LeBron ... well done keeping it real ... hard work pays off on the videos
It was fair and shouldn’t have an asterisk.
Let’s keep it a stack. People only want to discredit it because of WHO it is that won. Those same people would have deemed it credible had the Heat, Nuggets, Clippers, or anyone else had won.
The lack of logic used in this ballsucking comment section is why there's so much push-back on this bubble wrapped Larry o Brien trophy. Actually stop think for yourself on why everybody having to go through the same circumstances means anything when it already known ahead of time that aspects pertaining to injury, age, momentum etc. was going to give certain teams advantages while removing advantages from other teams?
On top of the fact that due to the league being shut down certain teams BACKED OUT of the league entirely allowing teams like the 39-win Blazers into the playoffs😂😂. The way teams were cleared to play was whether they passed covid testing and other protocols. Guess who the VERY 1st team cleared to practice was?? LEBRONS LAKERS. Aka while guys were getting 3 months to prepare, LeBron's Lakers had already been cleared months in ADVANCE. This is quite literally the largest reason as to why the bubble didn't mean sh!t for anyone's legacy because it was a manufactured concept on the spot with so many moving parts that diluted the legitimacy of the ring itself and the same goes for the teams that lost. And that's not even talking about there being no traveling or home-court.
The fact of the matter is if it was any other player that won the 2020 championship, ballsuckers would be attacking the winning team w/ the exact same points and fervor like they do for any & every player whose embarrassed LeBron over the years (Jokic, Curry, KD, Duncan etc.)
After the Bubble Season
- Nuggets won a championship
- Heat went ECF and Finals
- Jazz always been a fraud despite getting the #1 seed
I think having 20,000 fans instead of 100 people makes a difference in pressure. Some players thrive under that pressure and others choke.😊
Looking at the rosters of the contending teams id say the lakers definitely werent one of the teams who would have had trouble playing in front of fans so whats ur point?
The championship counts, but it’s extremely weak; weak run and competition. Part of the difficulty in a normal season & playoffs is also built on a grueling season, then the playoffs are even more amped up. Lebron absolutely got his chip, but where I see a small issue is that particular season/Championship was made possible because it kept Anthony Davis fully healthy, and he was the best player than entire year. But they earned it and a bubble playoffs was the only good option compared to any alternative (take what we can get). My biggest issue is when I hear things about players’ mental health and what not during that time; nba players are multimillionaires still treated like royally while the rest of the world had much more serious problems (and life threatening in a variety of ways).
Another great video from Arnett.
Baffles me to think that rival NBA fans can dismiss this chip whilst we ignore the fact that the majority of the Celtics championships in Bill Russell's days had fewer teams involved that the 19/20 seasons and was in a league without a salary cap.
Terrific teams - no doubt about it, but no way would that team ever have the ability to be essembled in today's game and as fans we should look at those championships with less validity that the bubble chip.
AS IF BRON HAD AN ADVANTAGE PLAYING IN THE BUBBLE
Legit yes, but not as impressive
Exactly 👍🏽
It counts, no asterisk. Play with what’s available at the time.
Mature and without hate
Very good content for an old hooper like me
Thx
No asterisk on the 2006 (?) finals? Mavs vs heat i think it was where the refs gave wade a million free throws.
As a clippers fan, I know the pain of the bubble all too well. Personally, I think those Lakers were a very special team like an anti small ball team that could use size to kill you in the paint but also outshoot you and shut down your 3 ball. Lebron was just one step out of his prime, AD was relatively consistent and free of injury, Howard was a great rebounder and determined to redeem himself , and that team was loaded with 3 and d guys like rondo, kcp, green, and caruso.
Maybe without the bubble, Pandemic P doesn't happen, we don't choke against the nuggets, and we give the Lakers the fight of our lives. But I still think we likely lose in a closely contested series to the Lakers. Lakers have homecourt advantage and in a close situation I just don't trust Doc to outcoach Frank.
I call this the "Mickey Mouse Ring" Or "Disney World Champions"
Imo the 2020 ring is the most legitimate ring of LeBron's career, even if it comes with an asterisk of "The Heat were missing 3 of their best players" because he also lost a Finals without his 2 best players so it evens out for me.
Another series that I might put an asterisk on would be the 1988 NBA finals when the pistons probably should have won
Definitely not a favorite matchup or series of mine, but it for sure is legitimate. They all played in the same conditions. What is the argument? That they were less motivated? No crowds? What kind of excuse is that? These are the best players in the world. It's on them to perform.
I barely remember this season except for the Clippers blowing that lead
A ring is a ring bubble or no bubble and remember the alternative was whoever had the best record 😂