Michael Malone Still Trolling the Lakers

After being swept 4-0 by the Denver Nuggets in last year's Western Conference finals, the Los Angeles Lakers have the chance to avenge their disappointment with a statement victory in a rematch on this upcoming season's opening night. The Lakers have made several free agency adjustments, including the signings of Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, and Christian Wood, to improve their roster for the upcoming season. Yet, despite this, the head coach of the reigning champions, Michael Malone, does not seem worried at all.

While many Lakers players Including their new leader Anthony Davis have publicly trash-talked the Nuggets ahead of their season opener, Michael Malone claimed to pay no attention when asked in an interview with Katy Winge.

"It was just a lot of like the talking... We get it, y'all won, but me and LeBron had some conversations like, 'We can't wait.'"

Lakers star Anthony Davis on the Nuggets trash talk this summer 😳 pic.twitter.com/WBpgoYNrif— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 2, 2023

Coach Malone in response to some of the talk coming out of LA: «I don't listen to any of that stuff, I don't know what they're saying.»

Says the Nuggets have tremendous respect for the Los Angeles Lakers. pic.twitter.com/sTlqY2FuMU— Katy Winge (@katywinge) October 4, 2023

Michael Malones Previous Trolling

The serious new look of Michael Malone is not something to be expected, as he was very active in trolling the Lakers after winning the Nuggets their first-ever NBA championship. This was especially evident during the championship victory parade, where he was referenced as being the Lakers' "daddy."

NBA: Nuggets' epic troll job continues as Vic Lombardi calls Michael Malone the Lakers 'daddy' https://t.co/fV4sInbZzS— Alain Keith Cabardo Daguio (@keithdaguio) June 16, 2023

He continued his trolling in the weeks that followed and even made jokes directed solely at the Lakers' franchise star, LeBron James, when he mocked his retirement consideration from the end of last season.

"Speaking of the Lakers, I just want you guys to know, this is breaking news: I'm thinking about retiring."

Nuggets coach Michael Malone trolls LeBron James' retirement rumor after winning NBA championship 😂

(via @PatMcAfeeShow)pic.twitter.com/vmIW6SXGKE— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 15, 2023

Regular Season Matchups

Opening Night will be the first of three matchups between the two teams next season, with their other games scheduled for February 8th and March 2nd. It is also the only time that the Lakers will visit the Mile High City during regular season play, as both of the other games will be hosted by Los Angeles at the Crypto.com Arena.

Sportsbooks are giving the Nuggets the best odds of winning the Western Conference, while only giving the Lakers the fourth-best chance, behind Phoenix and Golden State. This shows that Denver has the better team on paper. However, after splitting their last 10 regular-season matchups at 5-5, including a 2-2 series draw last season, it is hard to predict who will come out on top when the two teams collide during opening night on October 24th.

Below you can watch the full highlights of all four regular season matchups between the Nuggets and lakers from last season.





Credits

The Coldwire