Recently, Lou Williams was on Trae Young’s podcast, From The Point where he discussed a variety of topics, including his time with the Los Angeles Clippers. In his 17 years in the NBA, Williams found his most success with the Clips, playing with them from 2017 to 2021. During that time, he won two Sixth Man of the Year awards. But, speaking to Trae, he elaborated more on the 2019-2020 season.
Advertisement
A season he believes the Clippers could have won an NBA Championship in. However, as he revealed, the team didn’t take it as seriously, simply because of the Bubble. The infamous construction that the NBA came up with in order to deal with COVID-19, led to an NBA Finals that to this day many people disregard.
Lou Williams claims the Los Angeles Clippers could have won the 2020 NBA Championship
The 2019-20 season was one of the more unorthodox seasons in NBA history. Forced to stop the season in March due to COVID-19, the NBA resumed the season a few months later in a closed Bubble. Located in Disney World, Orlando, the Bubble was specifically designed to play out the rest of the season as well as the Playoffs.
One of the teams that were the favorites to win it all heading into the Bubble was the Los Angeles Clippers. Led by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the team seemed unstoppable on paper. However, when it came down to it, the Clippers were nothing short of disappointing, as they fell in the Western Conference Semi-Finals to the Denver Nuggets.
Fast forward three years, and Lou Williams, who was on the Clippers’ roster believes the team could have won the chip that season. Speaking to Trae Young on his podcast, Williams claimed that the team’s heart just wasn’t in it. “We didn’t even want to be there [in the bubble],” said Williams.
Lou Williams says Clippers would have won the championship if Covid stoppage never happens
“I think we win the championship if covid doesn’t happen… I think I was in the bubble 97 days…[by] day 67, I was like ‘let’s get the F*** out of here’”
(Via FromThePointPodcast) pic.twitter.com/AxFSSrz0EC
— BASKETBALL ON (@BasketballOnX) October 31, 2023
The Clippers ended up blowing a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets. An embarrassing loss to say the least. Now, years later, former players like Lemon Pepper Lou cannot help but look back on the Bubble with disappointment.
The LA Clippers have struggled to impress since the 2019-20 season
After the 2019-20 season, things went downhill for the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite making it to the Playoffs in two of the three seasons, they failed to make it all the way to the Finals. There happen to be a variety of reasons behind this. From coaching to injuries, the Clippers have struggled to impress, even with a stacked roster.
Now, heading into the 2023-24 season, they are once again favorites to make it all the way. Having just traded for James Harden, the team now has a core of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and the Beard. With that in mind, this season will be viewed as “championship or bust”. Whether or not they live up to these expectations, only time will tell.
