“Put Me in Any Asylum”: Mike Greenberg Hits Back at Darvin Ham’s Alleged Jab at ESPN Narrative

The Los Angeles Lakers secured a 110-106 victory against the New Orleans Pelicans last night. It was a significant win, leading the team to their second consecutive playoffs; which many speculated to haven’t been the case in the first round of the play-ins for the Lakers. ESPN’s Mike Greenberg, one among the lot, reacted in the aftermath, which many perceived as a jab at ESPN’s narrative by Darvin Ham.

During a recent episode of Repair Man, Greenberg supposedly gave a reply to comments made by Ham in his post-game press conference. A reporter mentioned a narrative suggesting the Lakers would be better off losing the game to avoid facing the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Because Denver Nuggets have an impressive 8-game winning streak against the Lakers. Including a victory in last year’s Western Conference Finals. Ham lightheartedly responded to the source of the narrative stating, “insane asylum sources” and later acknowledged the Nuggets’ Championship aspirations and expressed confidence in the Lakers’ team.

Mike Greenberg took exception to the dismissal of analysts like him and said “You know what, I think the Lakers have an excellent chance to win, which is why I’ve been saying what I’ve been saying for the last few days, Put me in any asylum you want to put me in, and look, I respect it, they can’t think that way, that’s why they do what they do, and I do what I do, I totally get it.” Greenberg later appreciated Lakers’ performance against Pelicans by stating “I respect the way they came out, they played great last night, they’ll take their shot at it”

Denver Nuggets, the defending champions, have been one of the better teams for the season. Tying 57-25 with the OKC Thunder, the Nuggets entered the playoffs second seeded and complete dominant. For the Lakers, who had a wavering trajectory throughout the season following in-season tournament victory, the path has stood a testament to the skills, well enough to tackle the top seed.

Lakers defying the odds

The road to Playoffs for Lakers wasn’t easy. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have constantly found themselves on the injury reports throughout the season. Until a few days ahead of the play-ins, the team found itself lingering around the 9th and 10th seed, courtesy of often incomplete team, lacking execution in shooting, and a few speculative stumbles in coaching decisions. However, AD reveals it was communication that helped the team land a position that once seemed far. “We’re just playing hard defensively. We’re talking, we’re communicating with each other. We’re protecting each other,” Davis said.

Now with the two star players’ presence and a reliable force in guard Gabe Vincent, the Lakers hold no room for error as they face the Nuggets roster brimming with high basketball IQ. “So, we have to play mistake-free basketball. Make it tough on them,” LeBron iterates. The Nuggets swept the Lakers 4-0 in WC Finals last year and the latter cannot hold a more fierce reason for triumph as they entre the Nuggets’ den on Saturday.