After Sunday night's slate of elimination games, Patrick Beverley stormed the set of ESPN to share his hot takes all over the airwaves.
He said a lot of stuff on the network — but In one particular segment; he got into a heated exchange with former NBA guard JJ Redick. When talking about the Lakers, Beverley took a shot at them by describing their 2020 title run as a "bubble championship":
JJ Redick: "[The Lakers] had a treasure trove of young players. They put ‘em all on the table to get Anthony Davis and they won a championship—”
Patrick Beverley interrupts: "Bubble championship."
The exchange goes on for a little while, with Redick explaining how you can put an asterisk beside every championship team and Beverley making the point that there were no fans in the arena during L.A.'s Orlando takeover:
"There were no fans," said Bev. "What about our fans, some of the best fans in the world? You think Milwaukee is walking into Boston in the bubble?"
Out of all the titles in NBA history, the Lakers' win in 2020 may be the most challenged by the critics. Just like Beverley, they argue that the conditions of the playoffs that year created a perfect storm for the Purple and Gold.
As for LeBron James, we already know how he feels about his most recent title win:
"I've been a part of two teams that's won the two hardest championships in NBA league history - the 2016 Cavs coming back from 3-1 versus a 73-9 team... and then what we went through in the bubble," said James. "If you're not in the bubble, you don't quite understand it. ... This is literally out of your whole comfort zone. I didn't see my family for eight and a half weeks. ... It just felt like a horror movie in the bubble and I just believe that I've been a part of two of the hardest championships in league history."
2020 was a difficult time for every player. As the world was raging in its fight against COVID-19, the NBA had to use extreme measures to ensure everyone's health before they could continue the season.
They played with no fans in the arena, off their home court, and under unprecedented conditions. Today, people are mixed about what to make of it all.
Clearly, Patrick Beverley doesn't think it holds much weight. Others might disagree.
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