[brodiejayParticipant]

Before the upcoming draft begins and the 2009-2010 season is forgotton, David Stern needs to rectify something.

As I watched game 7 of the NBA Finals, I heard the announcer say “The Los Angeles Lakers are the 2010 World Champions.”

I’ve always thought it’s really arrogant that NBA teams proclaim themselves ‘World Champions’ for winning their national competition.

I wrote about it and the Miss Universe contest:

Enjoy- http://bleacherreport.com/articles/409088-why-the-2010-world-champion-lakers-should-be-stripped-of-their-title

Does anyone agree?

Is it American arrogance or just an outdated tradition?

[brodiejayParticipant]

A lot of American NBA fans don’t seem to agree with me.

I have Gregg Popovich on my side though.

[BlueLacesParticipant]

The NBA is where the best players in the world come to play. In my opinion, it’s fair to call the Lakers World Champions.

[Leftovers16Participant]

Really pick any basketball team right now on the face of the earth and the Lakers would beat them this year in a best of 7 basketball game it really doesn’t take more then a nanogram of brain or a single brain cell to know why they are called World Champs

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

The NBA is its own little world and the Lakers are the Champions of it.

Why dont you give Michael Moore a call and he can make a movie about it…World Champions:America’s arrogence, or something else?

[dmo21Participant]

How about the world series for baseball? There are many teams around the world that may be better than major league teams.

[Leftovers16Participant]

I was just gonna make that comparison but the best players also come to the US to play so I wouldn’t argue any team other team beating the damn Yanks lol either

[brodiejayParticipant]

@Leftovers16:

I’m not saying that the Lakers couldn’t beat any team on the face of the Earth.

I’m saying that they WOULD beat any team on the face of the Earth.

I’m just saying that until you actually DO IT, it’s being presumptuous to proclaim yourself world champion.

[brodiejayParticipant]

I found an article in the Boston Herald where Gregg Popovich talks abou the same thing-

“The Spurs coach isn’t disputing any of Bill Russell’s titles, and he isn’t saying the Lakers actually beat the Celts in 2008. But he is a bit perturbed by the use of the word ‘world.’ ‘There are no world champions in the NBA, so anybody that has the flag up that says world champions is not correct,’ said Popovich prior to last night’s 94-73 Spurs win. ‘It’s not appropriate. The world champions, I believe, are the Spanish team right now. USA is the Olympic champion. The Lakers are the NBA champion. It doesn’t make sense for an NBA team to call themselves world champions. I don’t remember anybody playing anybody outside our borders to get that tag. Isn’t that true? I keep waiting for somebody to tell me I’ve missed something.’ When someone mentioned Toronto, Pop said, ‘There’s a team in Canada. That’s true. The world’s bigger than North America. I know sometimes we as arrogant Americans don’t respond to the rest of the world, but it’s true. There’s a big world out there.’”

[SpencerIsHawesome2Participant]

Fuxk the rest of the world, America is #1.

[Leftovers16Participant]

Because teams around the world know they can’t beat the Lakers or else you would hear some dumbass talkn bout how they can beat the Lakers and players and teams aren’t dumb enough to say Lakers don’t deserve the title of World Champs if teams around the world wanted to make a case they wouldve already did and we know why they don’t

[Leftovers16Participant]

Because teams around the world know they can’t beat the Lakers or else you would hear some dumbass talkn bout how they can beat the Lakers and players and teams aren’t dumb enough to say Lakers don’t deserve the title of World Champs if teams around the world wanted to make a case they wouldve already did and we know why they don’t

[kanyedabestParticipant]

shame on the ppl that gave u the clearence to publish this crap… get off this forum, stop watching basketball and go do anal w/ ur boyfriend….fag

[bobbybParticipant]

Obviously there is no club team in the world with a chance. However if Gasol changed his jersey to his Spanish national( 2008 roster) jersey they would give the Lakers a whooping

[NYK2010Participant]

Ha and I thought this was going to be about the refs and was ready to say the Lakers shouldn’t be crowned NBA Champions of 2002. I do agree with the statement that they shouldn’t be crowned World Champions. Don’t give me this hogwash that no other team can beat them when the Celtics were very close. How close was the Spanish team to beating the best USA has to offer.

[loccenupParticipant]

what dumbass wrote this. when players from around the world play here then it makes them the world champs. I hope this non american douchebag shuts upl

[butidonthavemoney]

Brodie brings up a good point. He just phrased the title pretty brutal.

Excellent article, by the way.

[chrisd5Participant]

they cant call it a world championship because they dont play anyone from the rest of the world.

yes the nba may have the best players and teams which would more than likely beat all other teams but until they create an international competition it is simply a national championship. NBA- NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION. nothing saying world there but clearly explains what type of championship it is.

Its like saying english football is the best football league in the world therefore whoever wins is the best team in europe and the world, but they dont because there is a european competition and even that winner say they are european champions.

[chrisd5Participant]

oh and just because the best foreign players play for a team it doesnt make that an international competition. every sport around the world has international players it still remains a league specific to that country. look at real madrid they buy all the best players and have players from all round the world but are still the spanish league. that is no way to quantify an argument if you consider it in the same way as other sports

[chrisd5Participant]

oh and just because the best foreign players play for a team it doesnt make that an international competition. every sport around the world has international players it still remains a league specific to that country. look at real madrid they buy all the best players and have players from all round the world but are still the spanish league. that is no way to quantify an argument if you consider it in the same way as other sports

[Anton123Participant]

I completly agree, it just isn’t right, why not just say NBA champions? When someone wins the Euroleague, they are the Euroleague champions, not the Eurasia champions, even though they probably play better than any team in Asia

[AstroParticipant]

Yes, technically the complaint is valid — the Lakers haven’t played the best European club team for the “world” championship.

However, does anyone here doubt that they would beat them handily? I surely don’t.

Look at the All-Euroleague First Team —

Milos Teodosic,
Olympiacos

Juan C. Navarro,
Regal Barcelona

Linas Kleiza,
Olympiacos

Viktor Khryapa,
CSKA Moscow

Aleks Maric,
Partizan

Some of these guys had a shot at the NBA and were no better than role players.

You put an All-Star Euroleague team up against the Lakers and they still lose in 7.

So on substance, if not technicality, “world champion” is defensible.

[chrisd5Participant]

eventhough they could beat them until they do its an invalid title. if it was a single game title match anything can happen. with different style of play enforcement on international rules (as this is the standard around the world for everyone but nba) it would be very interesting game. If spain can beat america then there is always a chance of an upset so therefore proving it is not simply symantics but a fact they cant call it a world championship. if the team with the most talent always won then it wouldnt be a very interesting league and no upsets would occur.

[AstroParticipant]

..if the international refs decide to hand the game over to the Europeans (like the soccer judge), they might win? Yeah, you’re probably right.

However your point about Spain beating the US is rather weak. Some of the best Spanish players are in the NBA and do NOT play for a Spanish club team. I’ve mentioned nothing about Olympics or national teams because the world is definitely more competitive in those arenas.

[loccenupParticipant]

what about Toronto, are they in America

[brodiejayParticipant]

Thank you chrisd5, anton123, and butidonthavemoney.

I’m glad you get it.

I never said the Lakers should be stripped of their NBA Championship

I said they should be ‘stripped’ of their “World Champions” title. I used a brutal title because I knew it would get a reaction like the ones we see here.

And to everyone who responded without actually reading the article, I’ll summarise-

No I don’t think any other team in the world could beat the Lakers.

Yes the Lakers are the best team in the world.

Yes the NBA is the best league in the world by a huge margin.

[brodiejayParticipant]

@loccenup

I mentioned Toronto in the article.

The Raptors are why I said that each year, the NBA Champions have every right to call themselves North American Champions.

Toronto is in Canada.

Canada is in North America.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

But, I digress, do you not have better things to worry about? I mean, it is not like the Lakers are the first NBA franchise to crown themselves as “World Champions”, it is just a title that premier leagues end up giving themselves. It is more of a name than a claim, albeit maybe a total ridiculous and ignorant one, but man, get over it. I am sure the champions of the Euro League aren’t pissed off when they hear the Lakers referred too as “World Champions.” As a matter of fact, they used to play each other every year, and as I recall, the NBA team always won. Yes, Maccabi Tel Aviv beat the Raptors, but the Raptors have never been the world champion. Also, the NBA claims players, probably the best players from countries all over the world. Miss World and Miss Universe are competitions that just have ridiculous names, they are not trying to insult Kleeborp from Magillatron 5, man. Just chill out and enjoy the draft, and just hope that a franchise you maybe do not despise because of its supposed arrogance wins the next NBA title.

[chrisd5Participant]

if you would prefer a more relevant example of talent not predermining an outcome look at gs knock of dallas, or any other lower ranked team beating a higher seed, the team with the better ranking has better talent and won more games yet still lose the series, if that doesnt show an underdog can win i dont know what will. if the lakers got beat by an underdog in an international team then they wouldnt be world champions if they did i would say yes they are, but until they play a match its impossible to say they are world champions because an underdog always has a chance. toronto is 1 team from North America they need teams from spain germany italy asia and every country to justify that. 1 team isnt a representation of the world

[chrisd5Participant]

lol man you must be kidding me… the nba is tainted by refs gambling on matches, doddgy calls, conspiracy theories and a new forum after each match claiming the refs screwed one team over another. its a fact that refs miss calls, but if it was an american ref a european ref and international ref using the FIBA rules then there should be no problem noone can be bias. yes that was a fair goal scored in the world cup which sucks but it aint cus they are american its cus bad calls happen loads teams get goals disallowed, i know i see it all the time it aint discrimination its called human error

[chrisd5Participant]

i really dont care if they call themselves world champions most people in europe dont care either all im saying is its an unjust title and was defending the points of the OP but its a fact it is said every year and wont change lol

[brodiejayParticipant]

@ chrisd5

Agreed.

I don’t actually care either. I don’t wake up in cold sweats during the night worried about how FC Barcelona or some 4th-Division Estonian team of middle-aged, overweight drunks is going to feel about how they were robbed of the “World Champs” title.

I just thought it would be an interesting article that would generate some ‘lively’ discussion.

It seems like that mission has been accomplished.

I appreciate you agreeing with me though!

Anyone else think the title is unjust (bearing in mind that no one is disputing that the Lakers would beat any other team in the world)?

[xRage09Participant]

How can anyone really say that the Lakers can beat anyone in the world when there was at least 3 teams on the east coast that could contend with the Lakers? Does that mean that the Celtics, Magic and Cavs can beat anyone outside of our borders?

The Lakers are NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, and even then it’s only for this year. Did they win the title two years ago? No, but does that mean that the ’08 Celtics could beat anyone outside of our borders? No. Some of the best players in he NBA come from foreign countries and could easily strengthen their respective countries.

[apb540Participant]

“World Fuckin Champions!!”

[llperez]

I thought this was gonna be a diss on my lakers. I was about to go out swinging. I think the "world Champ" title is irrelevant. I really dont think the NBA put much thought into it when they named it that way back and enough people probably dont care to change it. And the NBA does have the best players in the world, so its not a complete stretch. Im kinda doubting there is some club team somewhere in europe with a better squad.

[brodiejayParticipant]

Well said Sir.

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