Former Lakers guard on how LeBron James could've become the G.O.A.T.
Former Lakers guard on how LeBron James could've become the G.O.A.T.
Even though they won the NBA championship under very unusual circumstances, the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers seem to hold a special place in the hearts of the franchise's fans.
The team started to establish itself as the best basketball team in the world early that season and cruised to the best record in the Western Conference. It then convincingly won it all inside the Walt Disney World Bubble and held a 3-1 lead in each playoff series it was involved in.
However, that squad got dismantled shortly afterward, leading to a period of purgatory that lasted until the franchise landed Luka Doncic in that massive trade nearly four months ago.
Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was one of three viable role players who were shipped out for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2021. That was the trade that sunk the Lakers for the duration, and Caldwell-Pope felt that the team had plenty more left in the tank.
During an appearance on "Above the Rim with DH 12," he said it would've won two more rings had it been kept intact.
"That team, we had a lot of moments where everything just clicked for us," Caldwell-Pope said. "Off the court, on the court, inviting to each other's houses, we were just hanging out with each other. Those were my brothers, I spent more time with my team than my family… I think if we kept that team together, we would've run off two more."
In fact, he said that keeping that squad intact would've helped make LeBron James the undisputed greatest of all-time (G.O.A.T.).
"… There would be no more G.O.A.T. talk, that would've put [LeBron] at six,' the guard added.
James won his fourth NBA championship that year, as well as his fourth finals MVP. While an increasing number of people seem to think he's the greatest player in league history, more seem to still believe that honor belongs to Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls legend.
James is a poor 4-6 in the NBA Finals, while Jordan won six rings and never lost in the championship series. However, the 40-year-old could have a great shot at getting his fifth ring next season with Doncic now by his side.
Caldwell-Pope was a key player on that 2020 Lakers team due to his deadly 3-point shooting, disruptive team defense and ability to score in transition. He found his way onto the Denver Nuggets for the 2022-23 season, where he won another championship, and he now plays for a rising Orlando Magic team.
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