“Going against Frank\u2019s teams in Indiana, when we had our battles and I was in Miami, you understood how well those teams were coached. It starts with the head coach, and the players are an extension. So I had that memory, battling those Indiana teams. For me, I\u2019ve always been a coachable player throughout my whole life. I\u2019ve played for multiple coaches, and I\u2019ve always been a coachable player. Most importantly, he\u2019s the head coach. The head coach should have the respect from all his players.”<\/p>LeBron James on Frank Vogel<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nAnd Vogel has had that respect from every player on the Lakers' roster all season long. He's also turned the Lakers into a defensive powerhouse. In 2018-2019 under Luke Walton, LA had the 20th-ranked defense in the NBA. In 2019-2020, they were ranked third during the regular season and have been the best defensive team in the postseason. Frank Vogel himself never wants any credit but, as previously mentioned, he certainly deserves a ton of it as the Lakers inch closer to their first title in a decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So imagine if Larry Bird had to decided to renew the contract of Frank Vogel in 2016. He would never have taken the job with the Magic, which also means he doesn't get fired by the Magic, meaning that when the Lakers decided to replace Luke Walton, Vogel might not have been available. Sure, another coach might have been able to lead the Lakers to a title but maybe not. It takes a special kind of coach to lead superstars and Frank Vogel is that kind of coach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While it might sound a little crazy, Lakers fans owe Larry Bird a big “thank you” for setting off that chain of events that landed Frank Vogel in Hollywood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All stats courtesy of Basketball Reference<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a roundabout way, Larry Bird could be partly responsible for helping the Los Angeles Lakers win their 17th NBA championship. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":1246072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4814,4850,62310,4817],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
If the LA Lakers Win the 2020 NBA Finals, They Owe a Big Thank You To Larry Bird<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n