Following their disappointing start to the season, the Milwaukee Bucks have completely turned things around by slowly improving the chemistry of their tandem. They have clawed their way into the top 5 in the Eastern Conference after a 2-8 start, and along the way, they became the NBA Cup champions.
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This fightback has given their team a completely different mindset. Bobby Portis exuded that confidence during a guest appearance on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back.
Portis said that their camaraderie isn’t restricted to strictly players. The players of the Wisconsin side will not hesitate to go to war for the team’s coaches as well.
In other words, the Bucks star admitted that the team is excited for their matchup against the Lakers to exact revenge for their assistant coach and former Lakers head coach, Darvin Ham.
“I mean it’s going to be a fun game to play in… Obviously for Coach Ham it’s a big moment for him. I think our guys will be fired up for him to go and get a [win]. On the other side, they’ll [Lakers] be fired up to not let their coach beat them,” he said.
“For Coach Ham, (playing the Lakers) is a big moment for him. I think our guys will be fired up for him.” – @BPortistime
Bobby Portis is excited for the “hardworking” Bucks to face the “Hollywood” Lakers
https://t.co/dyQfYCloyi pic.twitter.com/rVhsiiaaqj
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 24, 2024
The Bucks and Lakers’ first matchup of the season is still months away, i.e. on March 13, 2025. However, Portis’ comments following the NBA Cup win may have potentially ignited a rivalry between the two teams. He called the Bucks’ NBA Cup team “hardworking” while calling last year’s NBA Cup champions, the Lakers, “Hollywood”.
He didn’t even hesitate to double down on his comments. This energy from Portis showed just how positive the atmosphere is in the Bucks’ locker room. Will the Bucks be able to sustain their run? Time will tell.
Portis is looking forward to going head-to-head against the Lakers. His motivation comes in the form of defending Ham’s honor after his disgraceful firing from the Lakers organization. Ham spent two full seasons with the Lakers before the team terminated his contract earlier this year.
Portis believes that the game to be highly competitive and a must-watch on television when the time comes.
Darvin Ham’s history as the Lakers head coach
Ham accomplished some impressive feats with the Lakers in his two-year stint. In his first season at the helm, he led the team to the Western Conference Finals as a Play-In team. The Lakers went on to lose in a competitive four-game sweep to the eventual NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. The problems began in his second season.
At first, the Lakers seemed to have expanded on their successful 2023 postseason run. They won the inaugural NBA in-season Tournament and their chemistry looked amazing.
However, their season soon fell apart. The Lakers finished the season as the seventh seed for the consecutive year. In addition, they lost to the Nuggets once again, this time, in the first round.
Ham received tremendous criticism for his poor in-game adjustments and lack of effective substitutions. As a result, the Lakers fired him ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season and hired JJ Redick as his replacement.
Ham believes he was made the scapegoat for the Lakers’ problems, which will make the matchup against the Bucks all the more worth watching.
