The Los Angeles Clippers fans and players from their 2019-20 roster are still struggling to move on from their playoff debacle in the NBA Bubble. On the latest episode of the Run It Back podcast, veteran Marcus Morris joined a handful of his former teammates who went as far as to claim that the unprecedented circumstances in which the 2020 NBA playoffs were conducted cost them a ring. He said,
Advertisement
“For sure [we’d have won the championship in 2020]. Hands down, we were the best team, we were the most connected team, top to bottom… We were perfect, man. I think guys just got tired of being in there. Tired of not being around their fam[ily], being in an uncomfortable space. It affected us right when we had our shot.”
Morris’ opinion didn’t sit too well with Dwight Howard, who was a part of the Los Angeles Lakers roster that won the title in 2020. He responded to the former Clippers star’s comment on X, formerly Twitter, asking him if his brother, Markieff Morris, also a title-winner in 2020 with the Lakers, concurred with his take.
“Would your brother agree[?]”
Would your brother agree https://t.co/ahmLChYUTU
— Dwight Howard (@DwightHoward) May 25, 2024
The Clippers were the favorites to win the championship when the pandemic-affected season resumed in a bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando. They were even up 3-1 in their second-round series against the Denver Nuggets. However, despite being expected to win the series, they lost three straight games and were astonishingly eliminated from the playoffs.
The Lakers, who were second in the betting odds to win the title behind the Clippers, did not slip up like their crosstown rivals. They beat the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals and the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals to win their 17th championship.
The Clippers’ humiliation, while wildly ridiculed by the NBA community, was initially thought of as nothing more than a singular bout of misfortune. But alas, things have failed to get much better since for the franchise.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George’s constant injuries have prevented the Clippers from fulfilling their potential. With both stars now approaching their mid-30s, their championship window has seemingly shut already.
Given what ensued after the NBA Bubble, several players on that roster have realized that the 2019-20 season was their best shot at winning the title. They blame the extraordinary circumstances to justify the failure. However, they fail to acknowledge that every team and player was subjected to the same difficulties they faced in the bubble.
Paul George and LeBron James’ difference in mental fortitude explains Clippers’ failure
The NBA Bubble forced players to isolate and stay away from their families for as long as their teams were in the playoffs. This was extremely challenging for some players, like Paul George and LeBron James. During an appearance on Serge Ibaka’s cooking show ‘How Hungry Are You?‘, the Clippers star spoke about the difficulties of life in the bubble. He said,
“Then there ain’t nothing else to do there, so you’re surrounded by basketball, there’s no escape, there’s no outlet. We’re stuck in our rooms in the hotel, all we got is our phones, you get on social media, oh it’s a meme here or it’s a joke there. You mix all of that on top of not sleeping, I didn’t know what to do. I was just lost, bro. It was tough.”
While George aired his grievances almost two years after living through the NBA Bubble experience, James shared his while he was right in it. In an interview before the 2020 NBA Finals, James said,
“It’s probably been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done as far as a professional, as far as committing to something and actually making it through. But I knew when I was coming what we were coming here for…”
Despite having similar complaints about life in the NBA Bubble, LeBron James and the Lakers were desperate to win the title, something Paul George and co. clearly lacked.
The players from that Clippers roster will likely continue to ignore the truth. But the difference in mental fortitude of the leaders of the two undeniably decided just how much success they’d see during that postseason.
