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LAS VEGAS – The Brooklyn Nets failed to get out of the first round of the NBA playoffs and the Los Angeles Lakers couldn’t even make the play-in tournament, but their results weren’t surprising to a two-time champion.
Jordan Farmar, who played with the Lakers for several seasons between two different stints, told Fox News Digital over the weekend ahead of a celebrity golf tournament in Las Vegas he didn’t see the Nets and Lakers as the favorites to make it to the NBA Finals.
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Jordan Farmar of the Lakers reacts after making a three-pointer against the Boston Celtics during the 2008 NBA Finals on June 12, 2008, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
"I didn’t think they were favorites coming in, just looking at the way both those teams are constructed. They have a lot of talent and a lot of big names but not a lot of team chemistry and guys who do the little things and play their roles," Farmar said. "That’s really important when it comes to winning."
Farmar added there is much more parity in the NBA nowadays, making it more difficult for teams to play isolation basketball while teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves and New Orleans Pelicans are getting better as guys buy into their roles.
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"The NBA is getting more and more parity in the league and there are a lot of teams who haven’t been good historically but are really starting to grow and come together. You see teams like Minnesota and New Orleans, young teams that are hungry. They just play the right way. It makes it hard just to play isolation or superstar basketball," Farmar said.
Kobe Bryant of the Lakers celebrates with Jordan Farmar during the 2009 NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic at Staples Center on June 4, 2009, in Los Angeles. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Farmar, who lives in Las Vegas, was getting ready for the inaugural Las Vegas Invitational Celebrity Golf and Poker Tournament hosted by The Greens Golf Association in partnership with Resorts World Las Vegas. He said the first-round of the playoffs was exciting.
"Every playoff series was awesome. It could’ve went either way most of the time and experience prevailed more times than not," he said. "It was really fun to watch and see new guys coming on the scene and making a name for themselves and just figuring out what they’re capable of."
He offered an NBA Finals prediction as well.
"Coming out of the East, even though I’m a Laker, Boston is probably my favorite. And out of the West, Golden State. Phoenix is dealing with some injuries," he told Fox News Digital. "They’re obviously the Western Conference champions coming back, but it’s going to be between Golden State and Phoenix. They’re just clicking well at the right time and who’s healthy."
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry congratulates forward Draymond Green near the end of Game 3 of the team's NBA basketball first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Nuggets Thursday, April 21, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
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Farmar was a first-round pick of the Lakers in 2006. He last played in the NBA in 2016 for the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings. He won two rings while with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.
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