"People was fresh bruh": Damian Lillard claims Lakers' 'Bubble' championship was a 'hard' win as teams were in peak condition
While some critics feel the NBA Bubble was easy, Damian Lillard sees it a different way. The All-Star guard actually feels that it was more difficult than normal times for multiple reasons.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was finished in a bubble at Disney World. LeBron James and the LA Lakers went on to win the title, which many have discredited due to the circumstances. That championship has been labeled a "Mickey Mouse trophy" by most critics.
During a recent radio appearance, Damian Lillard gave his thoughts on why playing in the bubble was harder than what most think. He feels the competition was better because players were fresh from not having to do the constant traveling they normally did.
"Everybody was fresh," Lillard said. "That's the most on point I've felt in the league."
"I feel like it would have been hard to win that because people was fresh bruh."
How did Damian Lillard perform in the NBA Bubble?
Damian Lillard brought up some valid points in his argument about the bubble. Staying in one place certainly gave players an edge they aren't used to having. On top of that, with being stuck there, they only had to focus on basketball.
The Portland Trail Blazers star said he felt his best in the bubble, and his numbers back that up. During the 12 games he appeared in, Lillard had multiple big-time scoring outings.
Of those 12 games, Lillard scored 30 points or more in seven of them. He also had a three-game stretch where he scored at least 40 points. Lillard's biggest outing came against the Dallas Mavericks when he torched them for 61 points.
One game prior, Lillard and the Blazers were sqauring off against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. The All-Star guard went for 51 points and seven assists in a three-point victory for Portland.
Thanks to these stellar scoring barrages, the Trail Blazers earned themselves a playoff spot. Their run was short lived as they faced the eventual champions in round one.
Lillard dropped 34 points, five rebounds and five assists in a Game 1 win. From there, the LA Lakers dominated the rest of the series. Lillard posted 34 points and seven assists in Game 3, but it wasn't enough to steal another win. In the end, LeBron James and company continued to win the series in five games.