Daryl Morey Says Lakers' 2020 NBA Bubble Title 'Will Forever Be Marked by an Asterisk'

Nearly five years to the day the NBA resumed its season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles Lakers' victory in the Finals is still being debated by prominent people within the league.

Speaking to The Athletic's Joe Vardon, Daryl Morey explained why he believes the Lakers' title "will forever be marked by an asterisk" given the discourse around the Association:

"Had the Rockets won the title, I absolutely would have celebrated it as legitimate, knowing the immense effort and resilience required. Yet, everyone I speak to around the league privately agrees that it doesn’t truly hold up as a genuine championship. Perhaps the lasting legacy of the NBA bubble is that the NBA should be proud of its leadership at both the beginning and end of the pandemic, even though the champion will forever be marked by an asterisk."

Morey, who was in his final season as general manager of the Houston Rockets at that point, did at least acknowledge he would have celebrated if they had won in the bubble.

It's unclear why Morey says people around the NBA don't consider it a legitimate championship. There have been theories thrown around by people involved as to what made it so different.

Damian Lillard said he found games to be "way easier" in the bubble because there was no travel required and "everything was laid out" in such a way that it caused no distractions.

Another factor that made the bubble playoffs different than a normal postseason was the environment. Stats showed players shot better from three-point range and the free-throw line.

"I feel like it’s a hooper’s gym," Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker told Paolo Uggetti of The Ringer in August 2020 about the court setup. "It’s easier to shoot in here with [better] depth perception. I love the setup that they have for us. There’s not much more that comes with it beyond the game of basketball."

Even factoring these things in, though, every team benefited from playing in that environment. There is nothing to suggest the Lakers had some magic formula that pushed them over the top, other than having a good team and injury luck on their side.

The Milwaukee Bucks finished the 2019-20 regular season with the league's best record (56-17), but they lost in the second round to the Miami Heat in part because Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for most of Game 4 and all of Game 5.

Los Angeles, the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, marched through the playoffs with a 16-5 record, including a victory over Morey's Rockets in the second round.

The Lakers beat the Heat in five games in the Finals to win the franchise's 17th NBA championship.