The Boston Celtics won their 18th NBA championship last season, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most titles in the process. As if that wasn’t bad enough for the Lakers and their fans, NBC Sports Boston, the Celtics’ broadcast partner, also took a shot at them by stating that their 2020 title was a “Disney World Title.”
Boston’s broadcast takes a shot at the Lakers 😅
(Via @NBCSCeltics ) pic.twitter.com/WG5Z1ZHnjs
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 22, 2024
The “Mickey Mouse ring” jokes are never going away, are they? The Lakers, of course, won the 2020 title inside the NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The accomplishment has been discredited by rival fans and even some current and former players, due to the circumstances surrounding it, and that will continue to be the case moving forward.
While some found that graphic to be hilarious, others found it quite ironic, as the Celtics had won 11 of those titles in the 1950s and 1960s when there were 8-10 teams in the league. Whatever the case may be, I suppose you admire the pettiness. This isn’t the first time that NBC Sports Boston has mocked the Lakers’ 2020 Bubble championship either, doing so back in 2021 as well.
Lakers vs. Celtics franchise comparison. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jNbTxp9J2H
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 31, 2021
This graphic even pointed out that the Lakers won five of those titles when they were in Minneapolis, not Los Angeles. It’s something that gets brought up from time to time, with Bill Simmons once stating the Lakers are cheating by counting the five Minnesota titles.
Celtics fans sure do pull out all the stops to discredit the Lakers’ achievements. I don’t think they need to do it anymore, having now edged ahead of them. I’d say there’s a good chance they extend that lead in the coming years too, as they should be title favorites for a while.
The Celtics made quite the statement on opening night, as they demolished the New York Knicks 132-109. The Knicks were supposed to be one of the biggest threats to them this season and they made light work of them.
As for the Lakers, they aren’t considered serious title contenders but did register an impressive 110-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. There were certainly a lot of positives to take from that contest, but I want to see more from the Lakers before I start looking at them as a contender.
Austin Rivers Believes The Bubble Title Only Gets Discredited Because LeBron James Was The One Who Won It
Austin Reaves has a pretty straightforward explanation for why that 2020 triumph gets downplayed. Reaves claimed the Bubble championship gets discredited only because LeBron James won it.
“It’s not a Mickey Mouse ring,” Reaves said. “… I don’t want to say it’s the hardest. I mean everybody had an equal playing field, I think it’s the same as every other year. I just think if Bron doesn’t win it, then nobody says anything. Everybody hates Bron. Actually, everybody loves LeBron, but he gets so much hate.”
I do agree with Reaves to an extent there. LeBron has got more haters than any other player in the NBA and they keep trying to find ways to discredit his accomplishments. The 2020 playoffs being held in the Bubble gave them the perfect excuse to diminish that feat. I don’t view that championship any differently and neither should anyone else.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
