MitchB3 wrote:Revived wrote:Rashidi wrote:
Lest we forget the bubble was the most taxing basketball environment in NBA history. But sure, ring doesn't count, according to Johnny Armchair on RGM.
Most taxing with zero fans and zero travel involved and in a freaking Disney gym they play the Cinderella shows at? Yeah I don’t think so.
It remains forever funny that because the Lakers won that chip, everyone is trying to discredit them any way they can. The bubble was the most taxing thing for every player's health, mental health, and even their family. Yeah, they were given the best food, and the best hotels, anyone can ask for, however, can you imagine not being able to go out freely, not being able to "visitors." Not being able to see family until 2nd round of the playoffs; not to mention the same guy who just hit a game-winner, drop a 50-piece, is right next in the evaluator, hotel room. Let's stop this f__kery and acknowledge the truth of the matter.
It doesn’t matter if it was the Lakers, the Globetrotters or some other team that won inside the bubble, it would always have an * next to it. Most teams were able to have family members as they got deeper into the playoffs and during the playoffs, most teams in it are locked in so their not going out clubbing every night anyway even if they were able to “go out freely”. Everything else was provided.
And again, you didn’t address the important of there being zero fans in the building and actually having to travel to other arenas. You know how freaking easier it is to play in an empty gym compared to one with over 15k over people in attendance yelling and screaming at you? Well maybe you don’t and I don’t know it at a professional level but I played high school ball and I can tell you now that playing in those hostile environments is way more pressure than practicing or scrimmaging against other teams in empty gyms. It almost feels like an entirely different sport.
Many players that are looked at as “playoff chokers” would be probably be seen as “playoff heroes” if they were given the opportunity to play in an empty gym without fans screaming obscenities at them.
To give you another example, Shaq shot 95% on FTs in empty gyms during practice. Yet when there were fans watching him and screaming at him, he would be shooting like 40% or whatever his career avg is.
And I haven’t even got into the whole having to travel to other cities for games, sometimes across the country and things like that which every other playoff team had to deal with except the bubble teams.
The bubble never felt like actual playoffs, it was basically just a mini fun scrimmage/tournament.
Lakers fans don’t have to feel so offended by this. They have 16 other titles that are all legit which nobody can discredit.
