After further review, I'm starting to shade LA's 2020 title

[Upperclass]

It was legit. They didn’t have any special performances that saved them sans AD midrange percentages and Avery Bradley didn’t play(wasn’t as washed as he is now).

But it doesn’t help that all of LeBron’s championships happened with peculiar circumstances
2012: Lockout
2013: Ray Allen shot
2016: Injuries and flagrant foul suspension
2020: Disney World of Sports bubble playoffs

This. I was livid when Ray Allen who played for the Spurs hit a 3 and it counted as a Heat 3.

I was also livid when Bogut who played 12 mins a game in 2016 finals got injured. Green missed a game because he kept kicking people which is a basketball play that everyone uses but only Green got tech and flagrants for it. Kevin Love missing games in 2016 finals doesn't count because I just said so.

2020 is the one I am most livid about. Clippers were the favorites and would have won it all if Kawhi who never gets injured didn't get rusty during the 4 month break.

2012 is also not okay because Wade had knee problems which resulted in NBA telling the Heat they only needed to play 66 games whereas OKC Thunder with young stars in their athletic prime had to play a whopping 66 games. How unfair is that?

This is an incredible response

[SonicMcMahon]

When the Lakers won the 2020 title, I said (here on RealGM) that the title was completely legit even if the circumstances were different than normal. Everyone faced the same obstacles, etc, etc. I battled doubters and Bubble Title Haters in a few threads.

However, I'm starting to think that under normal circumstances that the Lakers don't win that title. Thus, I'm personally starting to devalue the title slightly (though the title is never going away and LA should proudly claim it).

I say this because of the health/missed game issue for both Bron and Davis. Bron has now played four seasons in LA and in each season except the Bubble one, he's missed 20+ games. Davis has missed 25+ games in each of the last 4 seasons but the Bubble one.

Thus, to me, it seems like if these two did not get the four month interval, they likely break down physically again and miss out on the #1 seed and possibly aren't healthy for the playoffs, as well. Which, as we saw last year, would be the real issue (IMO; as compared with needing the #1 seed for a crowd-less, home-less Bubble playoffs).

Davis, of course, has always had health issues. Bron, sadly, is just wearing down with age. I saw it with Hakeem (my namesake here) and many others. It happens. But attrition is part of the sport, and in 2019-20 that factor was dramatically reduced in a way that may have almost uniquely aided LA.

Poll above and share your thoughts below.

I think your poll options aren't great. I generally agree with your premise, it's one of the more context-dependent championships (maybe most ever) and that is noteworthy. But I can't bring myself to say the title is illegitimate. Perhaps I'm being finicky, but I might say an asterix or footnote applies.

[Jadoogar]

it's a 'legit' title because everyone had the same circumstance but it's not an impressive title because the Lakers got 4 ish months of rest before the playoffs that doesn't happen in a regular season.

[Tottery]

All the teams there had the same opportunity the Lakers did. It's legit.

[Nate505]

I voted it was legit, only due to the fact that if the Jazz would have somehow won the bubble title I would have had no issue with them parading it around like it was legit.

It is definitely the weirdest season in NBA history though, and it does make you wonder if the Lakers would have won it all in a regular NBA season.

[DS17]

Guys, that season the lakers were at the top of the western conference standings...

[C3H6N6O6]

it's a 'legit' title because everyone had the same circumstance but it's not an impressive title because the Lakers got 4 ish months of rest before the playoffs that doesn't happen in a regular season.

This. I feel the same about Raptors' 2019 ring.
Kawhi played 60 games whereas KD and Klay both played 78 games each leading to their injuries.
Kawhi got 18 game rest which is not fair.

[Crives]

Of course it’s a real title, no asterisk. Every title requires a massive amount of luck, not sure why extra rest for AD+ Lebron combined with opponent injuries would suddenly cause asterick when history is full of luck being required for a title.

With that said, I am not impressed by the title based on how the team was formed. Team full of mercenaries, nothing like the team oriented title for teams like: bucks/mavs/spurs/bulls/piston.

[Joker]

Winning playoff games in an empty gym just isn't the same as winning playoff games in a packed, hostile arena.

The Lakers didn't have their mental poise/toughness tested nearly to the extent that typical champions do, and that'd be true of any team that had won the bubble title, so not just picking on the Lakers.

The Lakers reached the same destination as other champion teams, but they didn't take the same journey. How many playoff teams/players have we seen crack under playoff pressure? Bubble teams got to avoid those arena crowd tests.

[Stalwart]

I am just following your lead.

You're just being ridiculous

I am following your lead in being ridiculous.

Ok. Im done responding to you. Have a nice day.

[Jadoogar]

it's a 'legit' title because everyone had the same circumstance but it's not an impressive title because the Lakers got 4 ish months of rest before the playoffs that doesn't happen in a regular season.

This. I feel the same about Raptors' 2019 ring.
Kawhi played 60 games whereas KD and Klay both played 78 games each leading to their injuries.
Kawhi got 18 game rest which is not fair.

i mean the playoffs weren't just one series. Raptors still had to beat fully healthy sixers and bucks teams.

[nikster]

Totally legit. They won 4 playoffs series to get that championship. They didn't cheat.

Let's stop this bullsh*t.

The road to the title doesn't change the fact that they struggled against an injured Miami Heat Team. If the coin was on the other side the same people calling bullsh*t would say the samething about Jimmy Butler beating a Lebron James led team that was missing two key members of it's roster.

The 2020 Miami Heat team were in fact missing 2 of it's key players. This will forever be why I don't look at the 2020 title as anything celebrate. Heck Lebron fans should understand this considering they themselves bring up Kevin Love and Kyries being hurt in 2015 every chance the conversation of that years Finals is going on. So yeah. Let's not be hypocrites.

Bucks went to game 7 against Nets missing Irving/Harden. Raptors had Klay and Durant down in the finals. Green suspension and Bogut injury in 2016. You already brought up 2015......

You think any of those teams have anything to celebrate?

[nikster]

I think what's lost in all this is that the Lakers biggest challenger to the title (and IIRC the title favourite) was lead by an injury prone superstar infamous for load management who also benefited from the rest. They couldn't capitalize, Lakers did

[Joao Saraiva]

They won and they were #1 and never even had HCA. How is that not legit?

The stars just got older, injured, the cast got worse... it happens to a lot of teams that win tittles.

All champions are legit. You can say some luck was there in some cases more than others but that's part of the game.

Are we gonna say...
Kawih's title with the Raptors was not legit cause the Warriors got injured?
Giannis ring is not legit cause there were a ton of injuries in the post season?
That 15 GSW didn't deserve the ring cause of injuries on Love and Kyrie?
That 16 Cavs are not legit cause Green got suspended 1 game or Zaza got injured?

I can go on and on.

I can even say the Bulls in the 98 finals were not legit cause Eisley's 3 didn't count while it should and Ron Harpers' shot after the buzzer counted, and that caused a 5 point swing. But who can guarantee the rest of the game is different?

Haters gonna hate. All champions I've seen were legit.

[Edrees]

I consider it worth two titles. It's way more impressive than any other title won. In fact I'd place an asterisk next to it saying "This title worth more than the others"

[trueballer7]

They won it fair and square but it wasnt an NBA championship and everybody knows that, I doubt any of the players or coaches has given it any thought since. You ll never hear, if we ran this play or had made that shot. They ll just say, if it wasnt played there. At some point you ve got to give it its proper name, Disneyland Covid Cup 2020. Lakers will forever be the sole winners of that.

[Shock Defeat]

They won a title and then failed miserably every other year. This shows to me that the ring was fairly flukey and suspect.

[C3H6N6O6]

They won a title and then failed miserably every other year. This shows to me that the ring was fairly flukey and suspect.

This. I think the same about 2011 Mavericks. Winning the title, then 7th seed and then 10th seed.

[Syd-TK3]

Mickey mouse clubhouse

[audiosway]

People may not like it. I'm not by any means a Lakers fan. I'm not a LeBron fan either. But, injuries happen just as players can have runs where they are completely healthy. You play the team in front of you. If you beat that team you win. There are no excuses. The Lakers beat the teams in front of them and were the last team standing.

Timing is everything. Just because you put together a great roster on paper doesn't mean you will win. All teams had an equal playing field. The situation worked out for the Lakers. It happens. End of story. It takes a lot of things going right for you to win even if you have a great roster.