- Lakers owner Jeanie Buss didn’t take offense to Nuggets head coach Michael Malone’s remarks
- Malone has taken shots at the Lakers ever since the teams faced off in the Western Conference Finals
- Buss thinks Malone was just trying to motivate his team
The Denver Nuggets finally won their first-ever NBA title this past season and did so in dominant fashion, going 16-4 in the playoffs. Despite their excellence, the Nuggets didn’t feel they were getting the respect they deserved, especially when they faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone wasn’t too happy about that and has been going at the Lakers ever since. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was asked about Malone’s trash talk during an interview with Sportskeeda, and she isn’t taking any offense.
“(laughs). It’s just that. I know the emotions they were feeling,” Buss said. “[Former Lakers coach] Pat Riley was notorious for putting something out there to motivate his team. If that’s what the coach [Michael Malone] was trying to do, I completely understand it. We’ve experienced those emotions many times in this organization. There was no offense. No harm, no foul as Chick [Hearn] would say. Good luck to them.”
Pat Riley was someone who would routinely stir the pot to get his team going and Buss saw that first-hand in the 1980s. All that talking from Malone certainly seemed to inspire his team too and you’d think he’s going to keep at it, so the Lakers better brace themselves for some more trash talk.
LeBron James And Darvin Ham Had Strong Reactions To Malone’s Comments
While Buss took the high road here, it’s safe to say not everyone is quite as unbothered about Malone’s comments. LeBron James put out a cryptic post on Instagram in which he seemingly called out Malone for all the talking. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham also took shots at him and made it clear that this wasn’t over.
It is going to be really fascinating if these teams get to face off in the playoffs next season. There is a little bit of bad blood brewing between them, and the tensions would be at an all-time high. If the Lakers win that rematch, you better believe Malone will never hear the end of it.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
