Dudley: Lakers were laughing after Clippers blew 3-1 lead

Many picked the Los Angeles Clippers to reach the NBA Finals this season, but the team was sent home after losing to the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

On the latest episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," Los Angeles Lakers veteran Jared Dudley said he and his teammates were laughing after seeing their crosstown rivals blow a 3-1 lead in that series.

"We were laughing. We were laughing, in the sense like, 'I can't believe it," Dudley said. "I picked them to win Game 7. There was no way I thought they were going to lose. Our whole mind was, we gotta beat the Clippers. We want the Clippers. They wanted us. It was the trash-talking that happened.

"Pat Bev 'check ball' during the pandemic, 'Playoff P' talking about he the best - him and Kawhi. Kawhi with the commercials, the crown, we're seeing all these billboards up here. So when we go to practice every day, there's a Kawhi billboard."

Dudley added that he was disappointed the Lakers and Clippers didn't end up meeting in the playoffs.

"We were looking forward to that matchup," he said. "But you know what? It was just crazy. You see George hit the side of the backboard, Kawhi not having that.

"But those boys, they didn't want to be in the bubble. They didn't want to be there and I don't blame them for certain times, but the world needed to see the Lakers and Clippers, and it was unfortunate we didn't get to see that."