The NBA is no stranger to heated rivalries, but the budding feud between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers is quickly becoming one of the league’s most captivating storylines. What started as a thrilling Western Conference Finals matchup has evolved into a war of words that shows no signs of cooling off.
Contentious Conference Finals
The seeds of this rivalry were planted in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. The Nuggets drew first blood, taking Game 1 in a high-scoring affair. Lakers coach Darvin Ham made a key adjustment in the second half, putting Rui Hachimura on Nuggets star Nikola Jokic. The move gave the Lakers a boost of confidence heading into Game 2, despite the loss.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was not impressed. He downplayed the Hachimura adjustment, insisting his team had seen similar tactics before. Malone went on to criticize the narrative that the Lakers had seized momentum, boldly stating:
“I’ll bet you every red penny I have that Darvin Ham would rather be up 1-0 than down 0-1.”
Malone’s Pointed Remarks
Malone continued to take shots at the Lakers’ adjustments after Game 2, where Jokic recorded a dominant triple-double in another Nuggets win. The Denver coach felt his star wasn’t getting enough credit, with the conversation still centered on the Lakers.
“So you put that in your pipe, you smoke it, you come back and you know what, we’re going to go up 2-0.”
– Michael Malone
The Nuggets would go on to sweep the Lakers, with Malone rubbing salt in the wound. He quipped that anyone talking about the Lakers making the Finals could keep dreaming, as they had “gone fishing” while Denver was still playing.
Championship Celebrations and Callouts
Denver’s trash talk reached new heights during their championship celebrations. Malone joked about “retiring” in response to LeBron James’ comments about considering retirement. At the Nuggets’ parade, the team’s TV host even proclaimed Malone as the “Lakers’ daddy.”
Lakers coach Darvin Ham finally fired back on a podcast appearance, making it clear the rivalry was far from over:
“This s— ain’t over. God bless his soul.”
– Darvin Ham on Michael Malone
Motivation for the Lakers
As the 2023-24 season approached, Lakers players admitted the Nuggets’ barbs had struck a nerve. Anthony Davis called it motivational, revealing he and LeBron James were eager to face Denver again. Teammate Austin Reaves echoed the sentiment, saying the trash talk added “a little bit of motivation” for their opening night matchup.
Malone attempted to downplay the chatter, insisting he had tremendous respect for the Lakers. But the damage was done. With both teams reloading their rosters in the offseason, all eyes will be on their first meeting of the new campaign.
This Nuggets-Lakers rivalry has all the ingredients of a classic NBA feud: star power, contentious playoff battles, and no shortage of bulletin board material. As the Western Conference heavyweights prepare to collide once more, fans can only wait to see who will have the last word – on and off the court.
