Darvin Ham Responds to 'Lakers' Daddy' Mike Malone: 'This S--t Ain't Over'

Darvin Ham is keeping the receipts.

During an appearance on the #thisleague UNCUT podcast with NBA reporters Marc Stein and Chris Haynes (h/t Jeff Smith of Sports Illustrated), the Los Angeles Lakers coach responded to a potential new nickname for Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone.

"Oh, wow. You're gonna bring up Money Mike, man? The Lakers' daddy? That's what they call him now? The Lakers' daddy?" Ham said.

"God bless his soul," he continued. "This s--t ain't over. God bless his soul."

The comments were in reference to Nuggets broadcaster Vic Lombardi calling Malone the "Lakers' daddy" during Denver's championship celebration:

Ham can say what he wants, but to the victors go the spoils.

Denver swept the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and proceeded to win its first championship in franchise history. The second-round matchup against the Phoenix Suns was the only time the champions lost more than one game in a series, and they still handled Kevin Durant and Co. in six contests.

The Lakers are not a franchise that believes in moral victories given their history of success, but at least three of the Western Conference Finals games were decided by single digits with the final one coming down to the last possession.

That is more than the Miami Heat can say considering three of their four losses were by double figures in the NBA Finals.

There was no doubt the Nuggets were a deserving champion, and it also comes as no surprise they were celebrating the win over the Lakers in particular. After all, this is the first time Denver won the Larry O'Brien Trophy. By comparison, Los Angeles has 17 championships as one of the most iconic franchises in professional sports.

Denver was the favorite, but it was still something of an underdog story when going on franchise histories. The Lakers seemingly always win those playoff matchups, but things changed this year.

Now the Nuggets get to brag the entire offseason. They earned the right to do so and sit atop the NBA throne.

But the Lakers are clearly taking notes for next time.