The Los Angeles Lakers just tied the Boston Celtics with 17 NBA Championships and even though they were one of the biggest favorites to go the distance since the offseason, some of them still think like people were counting them out from the beginning.
Some Lakers players have tried to turn the narrative into a bit of a Cinderella story, including Alex Caruso, who recently said that a lot of people didn’t think they could actually win the ring:
“I don’t think a lot of people thought we could do it. A lot of people picked some other teams in the West. A couple teams in the East. Said we didn’t have enough role players. Said LeBron was too old,” Caruso said, as quoted by Ryan Ward.
Alex Caruso on winning the title: "I don't think a lot of people thought we could do it. A lot of people picked some other teams in the West. A couple teams in the East. Said we didn't have enough role players. Said LeBron was too old."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) October 12, 2020
Maybe oddsmakers and some fans had the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers slightly above them in terms of the strongest teams in the NBA but c’mon, a team with Anthony Davis and LeBron James will always be a title favorite, so that underdog narrative may not apply.
What’s important is that that feeling of being disrespected drove the Lakers forward and clearly motivated them to be at their best when it mattered the most.
Now, even though some bonafide critics and doubters will still put an asterisk next to this huge accomplishment, no one can deny that Frank Vogel’s team was the best team all season long and they capped the year in a high note with that much-awaited 17th banner.
