En route to their first championship in franchise history, the Denver Nuggets had to defeat some pretty powerful teams. Among the strongest of this group includes the Los Angeles Lakers, who were swept at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the crew. While the series itself was pretty straightforward, things got heated afterward when Malone and several others within the organization smack-talked the Lakers for the series loss.
Despite some heat over his comments, Malone doubled down on his campaign against the Lakers:
“I don’t get it and I really don’t spend any time worrying about. One thing I learned from my mother and father years ago is that you have to stay true to yourself. Nikola is a superstar but he’s never changed, he’s true to himself. And I’m gonna be me, support my guys, defend my guys, ride with my guys. through the ups and the downs, the wins and the losses. That’s the only people I care about, is the 17 players in that locker room, my family, and all of those fans back in Denver.”
“I don’t get it and I really don’t spend any time worrying about”.
Nuggets head coach, Michael Malone, shares his thoughts on people having an issue with his smack talk.
Hear more from Nuggets camp: https://t.co/XWDtRPGPGX pic.twitter.com/934ZinJc2s
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) October 14, 2023
The Lakers aren’t accustomed to being on the wrong end of trash talk, so it was surreal for them to get upstaged by the Nuggets, who had never achieved that kind of success before. By the time of Denver’s Finals win, they didn’t hold back on the celebrations and Malone was not shy about throwing some stones at the competition.
The Lakers Want Revenge For Last Year’s Defeat
Heading into the 2023 Conference Finals, many experts and fans picked the Lakers to win based on experience, star power, and the presence of LeBron James. Of course, what actually happened was a complete show of domination from the Nuggets, who didn’t let a single game slip against the Purple and Gold.
What happened next, however, is something the Lakers will not forget anytime soon. Over the next few weeks, the Nuggets coach really rubbed it in their faces as he reminded everyone what happened in the series.
“Oh, I wondered where this went,” Malone said. “This is a collector’s item. I look pretty happy there. What happened that night? Do you remember? Something about a broom and a sweep? I don’t know.”
In the following series, Malone was quick to shoot down anyone who was even still talking about the Lakers.
“If anybody is still talking about the Lakers in the NBA Finals, that’s on them. They’ve gone fishing. We’re still playing,” said Michael.
Needless to say, the Nuggets have given the Lakers plenty of motivation this season and if they happen to meet up against in the postseason, they may not find it so easy to come out victorious.
The Nuggets Are Poised To Defend Their Title
The Western Conference did not get any easier this past summer. With the current potential of teams like the Suns, Clippers, Thunder, and Grizzlies, there is no question that the West will be stacked and Denver will have no room for error if they want to stay on top of the food chain.
Unfortunately, after losing Bruce Brown as a free agent, the Nuggets lost a significant rotation piece who played big minutes for them against the Lakers. The hope is that Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Michael Porter Jr. will be enough to get the job done but after all the trash talk that’s come out of Denver recently, teams will be ready to give them everything they’ve got.
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