NBA: Muggsy Bogues gives Heat a fighting chance but puts his money on LA Lakers
Sep 30, 2020
Orlando [USA], September 30 : Former NBA player Muggsy Bogues has given his verdict for the 2020 NBA Finals, and it is not a surprise, the Baltimore native is backing LA Lakers.
"They are a Championship pedigree organization and they have LeBron with AD (Anthony Davis) on his side so their (Lakers') chances are high. Miami will give them a fight, but I can't see them overcoming the Lakers," he made it clear speaking exclusively to Indian media.
Though Bogues doesn't entirely discount the Heat and feels they have the right ammunition going into the Finals.
"I can't believe Miami only lost three games (in Playoffs). This is mind-boggling. They've got a plan. Miami is hungry, the two young kids (Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro) know to shoot and there is Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Miami right now got those guys playing the elite basketball you wish for at this time of year," Bogues said.
Bogues reserved special praise for Butler calling him a people's star.
"Everybody loves the tenacity he brings, the relentlessness he brings. He has given a lot of trouble to LeBron throughout his career and he's not going to stop now," remarked Bogues.
The former player also pointed that veteran Andre Iguodala also brings championship experience to the Heat. The 2015 NBA Finals MVP will be playing in his sixth consecutive NBA Finals, the previous five tickets he got with the Golden State Warriors.
At 5'3", Bogues has the distinction of being the shortest player to play in the NBA but that never bothered him. He was drafted 12th overall by the Washington Bullets in 1987, a team which had the then tallest NBA player Manute Bol (7'7"). But Bogues wouldn't let his size define his legacy.
"I just happened to be small but I knew how to run my team, I knew how to make the guys around me better, at the same time I knew how to score as well. These elements allowed me to play at the highest level," explained Bogues who played for Charlotte Hornets for nine years and holds the franchise records for assists (5,557) and steals (1,067) till date.
Talk about his off-court achievements, Space Jam comes right up there.
"We had no idea that it would turn out to be the iconic classic that people remember and talk about till today," remembered Bogues.
The movie had Michael Jordan in lead with Larry Johnson, Shawn Bradley, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and Bogues as the supporting cast.
But he brought back the conversation to the Finals and said it is going to be a blockbuster.
"LeBron going to the Finals with another team in the Lakers against the team he won his first Championship with. This is a historic moment we are witnessing," concluded Bogues.
