Marcus Morris Says Nuggets Only Beat Clippers Because of NBA Bubble
The NBA bubble was one of the crazier experiences in NBA history. Players have openly called out other players for overachieving in an empty arena environment, while others like LeBron James have called it the hardest NBA Championship he's ever won.
There were multiple upsets and unexpected winners, but perhaps the biggest upset was the fact that the LA Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets. Not only did they blow a 3-1 lead, but they were leading by an average of 15 points in all three losses during Games 5-7. Marcus Morris believes that only happened because of the anomaly of the bubble.
"We only lost that s--- because we were in the bubble," Morris said to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "[If] we weren't in the bubble, we'd beat the s--- out of them. Put that on the record. ... Guys are out of their comfort zone. Kudos to Denver."
There is both some truth and some revisionist history to that statement. On one end, it's hard to believe that the Clippers would blow both Games 5 and 7 in an actual home game environment. Players didn't want to be in the bubble, and Paul George was dealing with massive depression in the bubble. Not only that, but players like Anthony Davis saw rises in their shooting percentages that were never seen again since. There were some definite one-off moments in the bubble that can't be denied.
However, at the same time, the 2020 Clippers never did a good job at adjusting. They routinely blew leads in both the regular season and in the playoffs. The team would consistently fail to switch up adjustments until leads were massively blown, and it's a reason why Paul George openly called out Doc Rivers for his lack of adjustments. It's not a coincidence that the team brought it one of the best adjustment coaches in the NBA in Ty Lue. At that point, it's not just a bubble thing anymore.
The fact of the matter is, the 2020 season will always have a feeling of "what if it wasn't in the bubble?"
