Michael Malone On The Los Angeles Lakers: “If They Are Still Worried About Us, That’s On Them”
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets have been at odds since their 2023 Western Conference Finals. It wasn’t just the 4-0 sweep that ignited the competition, but also the back-and-forth banter between the two teams.
Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was particularly vocal, constantly taking shots at the Lakers from the NBA playoffs all the way to their victory parade. This led to reactions from Lakers members like Darvin Ham and LeBron James.
Following Ham and LeBron, Anthony Davis recently added to the narrative by expressing his anticipation to face the Nuggets this 2023-24 NBA season. However, when these remarks were brought up to Malone in an interview, the 52-year-old coach simply suggested that any lingering concerns the Lakers might have about the Nuggets are solely their issue.
Per ESPN:
“Oh, they’re talking about us? That was what, four months ago?” Malone said after practice at the Nuggets’ training camp at UC San Diego. “I can’t speak for anybody in L.A. But if they’re still worried about us, that’s on them.”
“This is a new season, a new challenge, and it was a hell of a series against them. I know it was a 4-0 sweep, but all those games seemed like they went down to the wire. We have tremendous respect for that team. I have tremendous respect for Darvin Ham as a coach and the job that he did. But yeah, I don’t listen to any of that stuff. I don’t know what they’re saying, and if we’re on their minds, then I guess that’s on them.”
