Morey: "Bubble championship will forever be marked by asterisk"

76Shots · Post #1 » by **76Shots** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:26 pm

I'm not a fan of Morey and don't agree with his position on the bubble championship; however, it's pretty brazen of him to make such a statement given his position and standing in the league. Also, he clearly contradicts himself with the first and last sentences of his statement.

"Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required. Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship. Perhaps the lasting legacy of the NBA bubble is that the NBA should be proud of its leadership at both the beginning and end of the pandemic, even though the champion will forever be marked by an asterisk."

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/sixers-daryl-morey-gives-lakers-145649163.html

bonita_the_frog · Post #2 » by **bonita_the_frog** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:29 pm

But Morey never said he gave the bubble ring an asterisk.
He said "everyone i speak to around the league" says it.
Don't forget, its impossible for ONE person to create an asterisk.
Asterisk only happens if the majority or enough people create the doubt...
So Morey is seeing the community has created that doubt, not Morey himself.

LuDux1 · Post #3 » by **LuDux1** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:29 pm

Watch on YouTube

sp6r=underrated · Post #4 » by **sp6r=underrated** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:29 pm

1. Astericks are stupid.
2. Lakers under Phil went out of their way to asterick the 99 season.

Shock Defeat · Post #5 » by **Shock Defeat** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:30 pm

He is right.

1. No fans
2. Lakers held illegal practices during COVID
3. The rest time allowed LeBron and AD to get healthy, this would have never happened if not for the long break. AD and LeBron would have been worn down, like they always are every time they had to play a full 82 game season + Playoffs

It's simply not the same. Had there been no COVID, the Lakers would not have won a title that year.

Airmiess · Post #6 » by **Airmiess** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:30 pm

If there was ever a time to appropriately use an asterisk I would think it would be for that championship.

DonaldSanders · Post #7 » by **DonaldSanders** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:35 pm

I hate this discourse, the Lakers won and people who don't like the Lakers just push this stupid, tired narrative. And all of you know if your team won you'd 180 and defend the title as legit.

Post #8 » by **tsherkin** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:35 pm

The idea of putting an asterisk on a title is sort of ridiculous to begin with. The things people complain about are there in basically any title run you care to look at, which renders the very concept pointless and petty at best.

The Master · Post #9 » by **The Master** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:42 pm

This asterisk discourse is so dumb

yitur · Post #10 » by **yitur** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:43 pm

DonaldSanders wrote:I hate this discourse, the Lakers won and people who don't like the Lakers just push this stupid, tired narrative. And all of you know if your team won you'd 180 and defend the title as legit.

The discourse was about how Portland was the best 8th seed ever, especially after they won the 1st game. Then Rockets' smallball experiment was a solution against the Lakers smash mouth basketball. Then there were the Clippers who chocked the most amazing 3-1 lead like ever and acted like it was because they did not want to be there.

The funniest part is LeBron and Davis got rest to heal talk. First of all at the time when the league got postponed, the injured player was Giannis. Lakers were the 2nd best team in the NBA record wise, and with Giannis' injury could've easily be the 1st and coasted the last month. Lakers did not needed the 4 month break, Bucks did.

AleksandarN · Post #11 » by **AleksandarN** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:46 pm

I hate on the lakers all of the time but that season pre bubble. The Lakers were far and above the best team in the league record wise. Didn’t they start off like 20 and 3 to begin the year or something

DonaldSanders · Post #12 » by **DonaldSanders** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:47 pm

yitur wrote:The discourse was about how Portland was the best 8th seed ever, especially after they won the 1st game. Then Rockets' smallball experiment was a solution against the Lakers smash mouth basketball. Then there were the Clippers who chocked the most amazing 3-1 lead like ever and acted like it was because they did not want to be there.

The funniest part is LeBron and Davis got rest to heal talk. First of all at the time when the league got postponed, the injured player was Giannis. Lakers were the 2nd best team in the NBA record wise, and with Giannis' injury could've easily be the 1st and coasted the last month. Lakers did not needed the 4 month break, Bucks did.

I think the Lakers benefitted from rest, but everyone did. It's not like one team got extra rest. The Lakers are one of the most disliked franchises and LeBron has a lot of people who don't like him, hence a loud crowd who grasp at straws to discredit a very strong team.

I mean go back and look at that roster, it's a great team.

Childs · Post #13 » by **Childs** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:48 pm

I think Jordan's chips with the Bulls were asterisk championships. So were Kobes. In fact, instead of Larry O B, just have one giant golden asterisk from now on for the championship team.

Yank3525 · Post #14 » by **Yank3525** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:51 pm

He is right, but I still enjoyed it so whatever.

Post #15 » by **Froob** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 6:58 pm

DonaldSanders wrote:I hate this discourse, the Lakers won and people who don't like the Lakers just push this stupid, tired narrative. And all of you know if your team won you'd 180 and defend the title as legit.

Well yeah, we don't like that they won so it doesn't count.

Post #16 » by **MoneyTalks41890** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 7:04 pm

If you actually look at what he says, it’s pretty clear that this is not his position. He says that others hold this view.

Optms · Post #17 » by **Optms** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 7:10 pm

Funny how outside fans asterisk the bubble title but never, in my nearly 20 years on RealGM, have I ever seen people given Duncan's '99 lock out season title the same asterisk.

bonita_the_frog · Post #18 » by **bonita_the_frog** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 7:15 pm

MoneyTalks41890 wrote:If you actually look at what he says, it’s pretty clear that this is not his position. He says that others hold this view.

Exactly, my reading skills helped me notice this straight away, whereas most other folks never learn how to read properly... not that there's anything wrong with that.

Charlie Sollers · Post #19 » by **Charlie Sollers** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 7:19 pm

Shock Defeat wrote:He is right.

1. No fans
2. Lakers held illegal practices during COVID
3. The rest time allowed LeBron and AD to get healthy, this would have never happened if not for the long break. AD and LeBron would have been worn down, like they always are every time they had to play a full 82 game season + Playoffs

It's simply not the same. Had there been no COVID, the Lakers would not have won a title that year.

100% right. Somehow the Lakers had a huge advantage being under different conditions to other teams.

ConSarnit · Post #20 » by **ConSarnit** » Wed Jul 30, 2025 7:21 pm

DonaldSanders wrote:
yitur wrote:The discourse was about how Portland was the best 8th seed ever, especially after they won the 1st game. Then Rockets' smallball experiment was a solution against the Lakers smash mouth basketball. Then there were the Clippers who chocked the most amazing 3-1 lead like ever and acted like it was because they did not want to be there.

The funniest part is LeBron and Davis got rest to heal talk. First of all at the time when the league got postponed, the injured player was Giannis. Lakers were the 2nd best team in the NBA record wise, and with Giannis' injury could've easily be the 1st and coasted the last month. Lakers did not needed the 4 month break, Bucks did.

I think the Lakers benefitted from rest, but everyone did. It's not like one team got extra rest. The Lakers are one of the most disliked franchises and LeBron has a lot of people who don't like him, hence a loud crowd who grasp at straws to discredit a very strong team.

I mean go back and look at that roster, it's a great team.

My argument is the Lakers benefited from rest the most. The bubble was effectively the perfect environment for an older player like LeBron and an injury prone player like AD. Who benefits more from having a 3 month break in the season, then playing the bubble with no back to backs or travel? A 25 year old or a 35 year old? Clearly the 35 year old. Part of succeeding in the NBA is overcoming the grind that puts wear and tear more heavily on older players. The bubble heavily mitigated that wear and tear.

I don’t say this to necessarily discredit the Lakers title but the bubble was an ideal environment for older or injury prone players to succeed in. We have not seen LeBron be able to repeat that type of performance since as he has always worn down as the playoffs go on. It’s not the Lakers fault they had that type of team but if you were to draw up a schedule to help an older team you’d draw up the bubble.

Given LeBron’s age and AD’s injury history I don’t know if the Lakers could have won the title in 2020 if they were forced to play a normal season. Maybe. But if you told me LeBron would get a 3 month break mid-season I would have increased their title odds.

The bubble allowed older teams to close the gap by removing the normal stress of a full NBA season.