What was turning into a very promising season for the Los Angeles Lakers ended with a whimper when they were swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.
In retrospect, there was no real shame in getting swept by the Nuggets. They were clearly the better team and went on to win the NBA championship by brushing past the Miami Heat in the finals.
Dating to the conference finals, Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has seemed salty at what he saw as the outsized media attention focused on L.A. rather than his team.
On Wednesday, two days after his team was awarded the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Malone decided to throw shade at LeBron James by joking he was thinking of retiring (h/t Silver Screen and Roll).
"Speaking of the Lakers, I just want you guys to know, this is breaking news: I'm thinking about retiring."
Nuggets coach Michael Malone trolls LeBron James' retirement rumor after winning NBA championship 😂
(via @PatMcAfeeShow)pic.twitter.com/vmIW6SXGKE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 15, 2023
Of course, just after the Lakers were swept, James passive-aggressively suggested he would consider retirement this offseason, which dominated a good part of the headlines for the next few days.
Then came Thursday’s championship parade, during which Malone was introduced as the “Lakers’ daddy.”
"He came into this world as the son of a coach, but in these playoffs, he became the Lakers daddy!"@VicLombardi while talking about Michael Malone at the Nuggets championship rally 😂pic.twitter.com/h28iR5kLHq
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 15, 2023
The Nuggets are a very, very good and impressive team, but they’re not unbeatable. A few tweaks and additions by the Lakers, along with some good health and fortune, could result in them getting revenge on Malone next year.
