Jared Dudley, Los Angeles Lakers laughing at LA Clippers was deserved

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 29: Jared Dudley #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers uses the Hyperice Hypervolt during the third quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round against the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 29, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 29: Jared Dudley #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers uses the Hyperice Hypervolt during the third quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round against the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 29, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Jared Dudley and the Lakers deserved to laugh at the LA Clippers.

Jared Dudley might be right up there as public enemy number one for fans of the LA Clippers. All season, he had words about the team after he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. Following their championship run, Dudely explained on The Bill Simmons Podcast that he and his teammates couldn’t help but laugh when the Clippers blew their 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets.

You know what? They should have. The LA Clippers deserved it.

I’m not a big Dudley guy myself but I do understand where he’s coming from, especially when you look at the full quote:

"We were laughing. We were laughing. In a sense like, ‘I can’t believe it.’ I picked them to win Game 7; there’s no way I thought they were gonna lose. Our whole mind was we gotta beat the Clippers. We want the Clippers; they wanted us."

That really doesn’t sound like he’s putting the team down, especially considering he had picked the team to win game seven after badmouthing them most of the year.

In fact, it sounds like there is a bit of respect there from both him and the Lakers. They knew how talented this team was and that all the talk about the championship running through Los Angeles was likely true.

When the Clippers started their collapse for the Nuggets, the laugh was more in disbelief than anything. There is still no way that a team with as much top to bottom talent as the Clippers had should have lost, especially in the way that they did. It was a historic collapse and we are already seeing repercussions from it with Doc Rivers being let go.

Dudley and the Lakers are completely in the right here. They should laugh. Not only did their cross hallway rival get taken out but on paper, at least, their path became easier. The Lakers beat whoever was in front of them and earned their franchise’s seventeenth title.

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The LA Clippers will have their chance to redeem themselves next season. Until then, they will have to take flack from the media and fans alike. Hopefully, all this talk about their failures is the fuel they need.