DENVER, CO – MARCH 9: Head Coach Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the game against the Denver Nuggets on March 9, 2018 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
We thought we’d have some fun today with the silly Lakers reaction to Jamal Murray and the Nuggets.
When I searched for an image of Luke Walton, nearly every shot is of him in this exact pose. Hands on hips, looking befuddled. The Lakers coach has made much noise about his disdain for Jamal Murray and the “respect” shown to Walton and the Lakers.
I detailed, after the game, how much “respect” this version of the Lakers actually deserves versus the ancient history version their fan base seems to think is relevant.
Lakers fans are quick to point out the Nuggets pedigree, that they haven’t won a championship, that the Lakers have won however many they’ve won (the last being nearly a decade ago, when Lonzo and Jamal were in middle school.) I like to counter that two ways:
First, in a city with 18.68 million people, one of the most-visited, largest, most diverse cities on the planet, their professional sports franchises have managed what can only be described as a dismal showing with regards to Champions. I think the Dodgers won one in 1988. The Kings won back-to-back rings a few years ago. The Raiders, one in 1984. The Lakers have won a bunch, though none since 2010 and that team had Kobe in his prime.
For Denver (2.8 million), the Avalanche have won two Stanley Cups, the Broncos three Super Bowls and eight AFC Championships.
And let’s be fair, if the Nuggets had Kareem, Worthy and Magic, they’d have a fistful of rings, too. Nothing uniquely Laker about lucking out in the draft.
With all of this in mind and enjoying teasing my Laker friends, I want to match up the two teams, position-by-position and see who would win, cage-match style: