In the summer of 2019, Anthony Davis joined LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers, while Paul George and Kawhi Leonard went to the Los Angeles Clippers. It led many to expect a showdown between the two teams in the Western Conference finals the following spring.
Once the novel coronavirus pandemic hit critical mass and the NBA was forced to complete its season in the Walt Disney World Resort bubble, the Clippers mysteriously blew a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals to the Denver Nuggets, depriving fans of that showdown.
George, Leonard and crew had been the overwhelming favorites to win the championship at the beginning of the season, making that collapse all the more shocking.
Patrick Beverley, who was a member of that Clippers team, recently said it would’ve won it all had the pandemic never happened.
Kyle Kuzma, a key member of that year’s Lakers squad, retorted that the players on the Clippers didn’t want to report to the bubble in the first place (h/t Lakers Daily).
Yeah cause they didn’t want to be there lol
— kuz (@kylekuzma) March 29, 2023
The Lakers, of course, went on to easily dispatch the Nuggets in the conference title series and put away the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals to claim their 17th title.
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