"Michael Jordan would never approve of this" - NBA fans clown ESPN for correlating LA Lakers' IST title to Celtics Finals championship

Fans had things to say after ESPN correlated the LA Lakers' In-Season Tournament title to the Boston Celtics' NBA championship. The Celtics have silenced the doubters after winning the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. However, ESPN still had to get the Lakers involved in one of their social media posts.

Boston made sure not to take an extra flight to Dallas as they ended the series in five games. On Monday, Jaylen Brown took home Finals MVP honors for his leadership, averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

While the NBA community congratulated the Celtics for their efforts, ESPN had a different approach. They posted a photo of the current Boston squad with the Larry O'Brien trophy at the bottom half of the image. The top half was completed with the 2023-24 Lakers team that won the inaugural In-Season Tournament against the Indiana Pacers.

Fans who saw the post weren't having it and they clowned the broadcasting company on social media. Here are some of what the fans had to say about ESPN's post.

"Jordan would never approve of this," one fan said.

"Yall setting the Lakers up with this one," another fan mentioned.

"U weird for dis, delete now," a Lakers fan account replied.

More fans piled in to call out ESPN.

"Yall set the lakers up," a fan said.

"Posting the lakers in season tournament is nasty work and u know it," another fan said.

"Losing in the conference finals is 100x more impressive than winning an in season tourney," a fan didn't hold back in his thoughts about the Lakers' IST trophy.

Given that the IST title is a new feature in the league, comparing it to the NBA title isn't fair.

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The LA Lakers are not favorites to win the title next season

The 2023-24 season concluded on Monday with a new champion being crowned. As the offseason begins, experts are already predicting which team will make a strong push for the championship in the 2024-25 season. Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp named the Celtics as the favorites to win and defend their title next year.

The Denver Nuggets are the second-most favored team to win, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves. This year's Finals runner-up, the Mavericks, is placed fourth. The LA Lakers, on the other hand, are ranked 14th as the title favorites for next season.

Experts favor 13 other teams to win the title over the Lakers. The team has a lot to change, especially in the coaching department.