Dwight Howard invited DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook to his ‘Above The Rim’ podcast. The three former Lakers spoke about their 2019-20 NBA championship team, claiming that they were the best team in the NBA, and the Lakers should have kept them together. Whereas Cousins claimed the team chemistry was on another level.
Dwight Howard: “We [the 2020 Lakers] were the best team. The only thing I’m mad about is they didn’t keep all of us together.”
DeMarcus Cousins: “Our team chemistry was through the roof. We had so much fun together.”
Dwight Howard: “We [the 2020 Lakers] were the best team. The only thing I’m mad about is they didn’t keep all of us together.”
DeMarcus Cousins: “Our team chemistry was through the roof. We had so much fun together.”
(via Above The Rim with DH 12 / YT)pic.twitter.com/JgaFaNomuc
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 5, 2024
Dwight Howard turned out to be the most crucial player out of the three mentioned above, as he became a key piece during the Lakers’ playoff run. His presence and defense of Nikola Jokic during the 2020 Western Conference Finals played a massive role in their advancing to the NBA Finals.
Quinn Cook got very few minutes on a nightly basis with the Lakers. But he was one of the few players on the roster along with LeBron James, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo that had experience with winning an NBA championship, having won with the Warriors before.
As for Cousins, his comments about the team chemistry are slightly confusing. While he did sign for the Lakers in the summer of 2019, he tore his ACL in August and never played a game for them in the build-up to their championship run.
And as such, he wouldn’t have been in the locker room to experience what the team chemistry was like. The Lakers still gave Boogie a ring, as his injury allowed them to sign Markieff Morris after waiving him.
The 2020 Lakers Benefitted From Circumstances
There has been a debate about the success of the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers. They won the NBA championship in the Orlando bubble after the COVID-19 restrictions forced the NBA to play at a neutral location with no fans. Many feel that the Lakers benefitted greatly from this.
The LA Clippers who were the co-favorites to win the NBA championship along with the Lakers, suffered massively in the bubble, as many of the players didn’t want to be there. It was recently revealed that Paul George was ready to fight Montrezl Harrell in the bubble, showing just how poor their team chemistry was at the end.
The Lakers had the same disadvantages that all other teams faced, such as the lack of fan support and the opportunity to play on home court, which they had secured by finishing first in the Western Conference. But they were able to overcome the adversity to win the NBA championship.
The Lakers were able to do what other teams in the NBA just weren’t able to – overcome the adversity that they faced in the bubble to win the NBA championship. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were the leaders of the squad, as they helped the Lakers secure their 17th NBA championship in franchise history.
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