“We started to hear the rumblings that nobody is going to respect this chip so we kind of just took our foot off the gas”

This is a braindead take for all the reasons that everyone pointed out, but let me add one more:

rumblings that nobody is going to respect this chip

There were no rumblings! Remember what it felt like during those bubble playoffs? Remember that crazy Nuggets Jazz series when Murray and Mitchell popped off and Jokic destroyed Gobert in that game seven? Remember Luka putting up ridiculous stat lines against the Clippers? Remember Westbrook and Harden falling apart vs the Lakers, and that 7-game coaching battle between Brad Stevens and Nick Nurse? Remember Jimmy putting the whole team on his back in game 5 of the Finals?

Everyone who actually watched the 2020 playoffs knows damn well that the players, media, and fans took it seriously. Probably even more so because we were balls deep in the pandemic and had nothing else to do. This whole “bubble doesn’t count” narrative started like two years later. Just stop it.

NBA jerseys are in such a bad place, they’re all one single color with bland writing on the chest.

They’re all so incredibly boring, I don’t understand who thought it was a good idea to make every jersey as boring as possible.