Lou Williams says the 2019-20 season could've turned out differently for the Los Angeles Clippers had the COVID-19 pandemic and the NBA bubble never happened.
The former NBA guard reflected on his time in the bubble on a recent episode of Trae Young's "From The Point Podcast," saying he thinks the Clippers would've won a championship if the season continued on like normal.
"I think we win the championship if COVID doesn't happen. ... It was a struggle to get us to the bubble to begin with; we didn't even wanna go," Williams said. "So I think, just mentally, we came into it without the right mindset to finish the job. We didn't even wanna be there."
Williams, who retired in June after a 17-year career, added that some players started to question how much significance the title would hold that season because it was won in the bubble.
"I think I was in the bubble - 97 days was how long I was there, and I think about Day 67, I was like, 'Let's get the f--- out of here.' So I think mentally, we wasn't in it for the long game," he explained. "We didn't really see the pot of gold at the end of it. We were starting to hear the rumblings, like, 'Ahh, nobody's gonna respect this chip' and all of that, so I think we kind of just took our foot off the gas."
The 2019-20 season was suspended by the NBA on March 11, 2020. The season resumed on July 30, with 22 teams playing inside the bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
The Clippers went 5-3 in the bubble seeding games, earning the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference standings. They were later eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals in seven games by the Denver Nuggets after blowing a 3-1 series lead.
