Greatness is bubbling over in the Western Conference Finals (Bill Simmons)

[lurker23]

Also titled and subtitled:

The Spurs-Zombies Retro Diary

You have to love a game where either a legendary series would be born or San Antonio would continue an epic run

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7988382/the-spurs-zombies-retro-diary

Definitely worth the read, in my opinion. Bill Simmons continues to gush over the Spurs.

[lefty]

Spurtstalk : " Great read " :tu :cry

[Dex]

3:52 — James Harden just came in, which reminds me … more than once this season, including this game, I've gotten my 4-year-old son to watch Oklahoma City for extended stretches by convincing him that Harden was a werewolf. You do whatever it takes to get your kids to like sports. You just do.

:lol

[timvp]

Fantastic read. Simmons can be annoying at times but he knows more about the NBA than 99.9% of the media.

[foodie2]

Loved it!

[tesseractive]

6:40 — Remarkable lefty runner by Manu. Spurs by eight. I gotta be honest … I don't understand how anyone could say the Spurs are boring when they have two guards who (a) play beautifully together, (b) get better when it matters, and (c) consistently make some of the most incredibly unique baskets in the league. Three times per Spurs game, either Manu or Parker invents a shot or a drive that makes you say, "Wait, have I ever seen that before?" That's boring?

So how many media folks have to proclaim "I don't understand why everyone considers the Spurs boring" before they all just admit that they're not calling the Spurs boring anymore? Is there a magic number of some kind?

[honestfool84]

one of the better articles i've read this post-season... or better summaries, tbh.

[CosmicCowboy]

Naturally, 14 teams passed on him, and naturally, the Spurs scooped him up (via trade), and naturally, they fixed the one questionable part of his game (3-point shooting) because they're the Spurs and they can do anything short of fixing NBC's prime-time lineup. Last year at San Diego State, Leonard made 29 percent of his 3s. In December/January for the Spurs, Leonard made 25 percent of them. In February/March, that jumped to 45 percent. In 10 playoff games, he's taken 31 3s and made 14 of them (45 percent). Does any of this make sense? NO!!!!!!! Of course not. But that's why they're the Spurs.

:lol

[Splits]

So much for flying under the radar....

[CosmicCowboy]

Simmons is greatness. Unabashed Celtics fan (He still hasn't forgiven us for the ping pong drop that gave us Tim Duncan) but he has always respected the Spurs.

[CosmicCowboy]

So much for flying under the radar....

They would have to be a pretty terrible basketball homey not to notice that Spurs 747.

[Seventyniner]

Fantastic read. Limbaugh can be annoying at times but he knows more about politics than 99.9% of the media.

Fixed. :stirpot:

[ViceCity86]

Simmons at his best.

[roycrikside]

Fantastic read. Simmons can be annoying at times but he knows more about the NBA than 99.9% of the media.

Please. Simmons either ignored or dismissed the Spurs the whole year. He never wrote about them or talked about them and he continued to insist that one loss to the Lakers was way more telling and meaningful than the two wins.

In his playoff predictions, he picked the Grizzlies to upset the Spurs in the second round, and he also said the Spurs-Jazz series would go "six games, at least."

He's like every other ESPN mediot, he ignored the team all year, just wrote/talked about Miami/OKC/Lakers/Bulls/Celtics/Clippers. He never watched the Spurs play.

Only when it became clear that the Spurs have a very good chance of representing the West in the Finals did he do a 180 and start gushing about them, and everyone at ESPN has done the same thing because finally their producers came to the conclusion that if you want to have any ratings at all in the Finals, maybe you should start promoting the team that's going to get there instead of ignoring them.

You've gotten more positive Spurs stories from ESPN in the last two weeks than you got in the last four years before then, combined. It's just the WWL covering their... bases.

Also, lest I remind you, Simmons wrote an article saying all four of their titles deserve asterisks.

He's a whore to his corporate masters, nothing more. If they tell him to write an article on why this Spurs team is a fraud, he'll do it tomorrow without blinking.

[SpursRock20]

Please. Simmons either ignored or dismissed the Spurs the whole year. He never wrote about them or talked about them and he continued to insist that one loss to the Lakers was way more telling and meaningful than the two wins.

In his playoff predictions, he picked the Grizzlies to upset the Spurs in the second round, and he also said the Spurs-Jazz series would go "six games, at least."

He's like every other ESPN mediot, he ignored the team all year, just wrote/talked about Miami/OKC/Lakers/Bulls/Celtics/Clippers. He never watched the Spurs play.

Only when it became clear that the Spurs have a very good chance of representing the West in the Finals did he do a 180 and start gushing about them, and everyone at ESPN has done the same thing because finally their producers came to the conclusion that if you want to have any ratings at all in the Finals, maybe you should start promoting the team that's going to get there instead of ignoring them.

You've gotten more positive Spurs stories from ESPN in the last two weeks than you got in the last four years before then, combined. It's just the WWL covering their... bases.

Also, lest I remind you, Simmons wrote an article saying all four of their titles deserve asterisks.

He's a whore to his corporate masters, nothing more. If they tell him to write an article on why this Spurs team is a fraud, he'll do it tomorrow without blinking.

I was fooled then, sounded like a genuine fan of what the Spurs are doing right now.

[timvp]

Please. Simmons either ignored or dismissed the Spurs the whole year.Most Spurs fans have ignored and/or dismissed the Spurs in the last year, tbh.

[Spurminator]

Simmons picked the Grizzlies as the WC Champs before the season started and kept them as his pick as a gag for his Playoff column.

And there's no way he's writing positively about the Spurs because he's being told to. You're right that he and his colleagues didn't watch them enough in the regular season and might have appreciated them more if they had, but he's high enough on the totem pole at ESPN that he can write basically whatever he wants. If he says he loves watching the Spurs right now, it's because he loves watching the Spurs right now.

[Danny.Zhu]

Fantastic piece tbh.

[Danny.Zhu]

Most Spurs fans have ignored and/or dismissed the Spurs in the last year, tbh.

Me too.

[100%duncan]

Boris and his boobs are the next big 3. :lmao

[100%duncan]

Great article.

[Spurtacus]

I'm in 100% agreement with his intentional foul fix.


There's a very easy fix — just tweak the rule so it's like the defensive three-second rule. If officials determine that a player who's not involved in the play was intentionally fouled for the specific reason to put him on the line, it's a technical foul and the player's team keeps possession. We'd never have to watch Hack-A-Shaq again.

[Spurtacus]

I'm in 100% agreement with his intentional foul fix.


There's a very easy fix — just tweak the rule so it's like the defensive three-second rule. If officials determine that a player who's not involved in the play was intentionally fouled for the specific reason to put him on the line, it's a technical foul and the player's team keeps possession. We'd never have to watch Hack-A-Shaq again.

[eyeh8u]

Please. Simmons either ignored or dismissed the Spurs the whole year. He never wrote about them or talked about them and he continued to insist that one loss to the Lakers was way more telling and meaningful than the two wins.

In his playoff predictions, he picked the Grizzlies to upset the Spurs in the second round, and he also said the Spurs-Jazz series would go "six games, at least."

He's like every other ESPN mediot, he ignored the team all year, just wrote/talked about Miami/OKC/Lakers/Bulls/Celtics/Clippers. He never watched the Spurs play.

Only when it became clear that the Spurs have a very good chance of representing the West in the Finals did he do a 180 and start gushing about them, and everyone at ESPN has done the same thing because finally their producers came to the conclusion that if you want to have any ratings at all in the Finals, maybe you should start promoting the team that's going to get there instead of ignoring them.

You've gotten more positive Spurs stories from ESPN in the last two weeks than you got in the last four years before then, combined. It's just the WWL covering their... bases.

Also, lest I remind you, Simmons wrote an article saying all four of their titles deserve asterisks.

He's a whore to his corporate masters, nothing more. If they tell him to write an article on why this Spurs team is a fraud, he'll do it tomorrow without blinking.

QFT

he only "respected" the spurs because they were the only thing keeping the lakers from tying and passing the celtics' championship count in the 00's , and he gushes over the spurs now because he doesnt want big bad miami to win a ring by "cheating" only after his celtics cheated a couple years before.

[Sean Cagney]

Fantastic read. Simmons can be annoying at times but he knows more about the NBA than 99.9% of the media.

Oh yeah he really does... He pissed me off some with the foot note thing on the titles, but dude gives praise alot and he knows his sh*t.

[mike20spurs]

I get so excited thinking about the legacy the "2012 San Antonio Spurs" could possibly leave behind. Simply amazing season. 6 games to go!

[mudyez]

Simmons is greatness. Unabashed Celtics fan (He still hasn't forgiven us for the ping pong drop that gave us Tim Duncan) but he has always respected the Spurs.

This!

sincerely,
one of BS's biggest fans!

p.s.: Its just plain wrong that Bill dismissed the Spurs the whole season. He gave us a lot of respect the last few years!

[therealtruth]

Oh yeah he really does... He pissed me off some with the foot note thing on the titles, but dude gives praise alot and he knows his sh*t.

He gave a footnote on every title. He wasn't singling out the Spurs.

[ElNono]

The whole Perkins hologram shit really cracked me up :lol

[will_spurs]

If he says he loves watching the Spurs right now, it's because he loves watching the Spurs right now.

Anybody who says they don't love watching the Spurs right now simply doesn't enjoy watching basketball, and if they are a pro writer they should quit their job.

That doesn't absolve him of all his wrongs, though. He's a big market fan at heart, loving Boston and hating the Lakers (at least we have one thing in common) and his 2nd team is the Clippers.

He has one thing going for him: he writes well an is very witty, therefore this article was enjoyable. He's also knowledgeable and it shows.

But I still think this article is mostly an act. Most sports writers are currently in grave danger of getting caught with their pants around their ankles, and are backpedaling as fast as possible.

Make no mistake, this is the same guy (with all his ESPN buddies) who declared that the Spurs were old and boring without even watching one Spurs game this season, who think Paul and Westbrook are so much better than Parker, who thinks Duncan and Manu are toast, etc.

[crc21209]

Pretty awesome article. :tu You can tell that he means what he writes, and he uses his eyes and sees whats going on right now, unlike some of the other media members who still continue to ignore the Spurs....

[KenziE]

Subtle ways to know when you're watching a well-coached team: During timeout huddles, everyone is locked in (even the bench guys); the players spend a ton of time talking with their arms wrapped around each other;


so TRUE

[Kuestmaster]

Perkins Hologram and Scotty del Nebrooks :lol

[ambchang]

Simmons had been a huge passive Spurs hater the last few years. He can't stop talking about the 97 pickan thinking the Celtics SHOULD have it despite the lottery process, kept talking about the Nash Suns getting hosed by the refsan and has been a secret Lakers admirer despite his self-proclaimed Celtics fan for life front (read his columns, very pro-Lakers).

Now he is doing this? He can go die for all I care. What's worse than a phony is a phony-hypocrite.

[pikkiwoki]

Why "Zombies"?

[ambchang]

The Sonics.

[Killakobe81]

Simmons had been a huge passive Spurs hater the last few years. He can't stop talking about the 97 pickan thinking the Celtics SHOULD have it despite the lottery process, kept talking about the Nash Suns getting hosed by the refsan and has been a secret Lakers admirer despite his self-proclaimed Celtics fan for life front (read his columns, very pro-Lakers).

Now he is doing this? He can go die for all I care. What's worse than a phony is a phony-hypocrite.

Gtfo. Man, I don't know where to begin. Some of you are like the ugly fat girl from HS who loses the weight, gets a makeover and is now video Vixen hot, but STILL have the ugly sister syndrome. Simmons says your team is the best passing one he has seen since his Old Celts teams AND also compares you to two of histories favorites the 77 Blazers and the Holzman Knick teams. He also says a 5th title (which btw I know ambchang hates using rings), places Manu and Parker over Dumars and Isiah (I disagree but its close) and Duncan over Kobe (I agree because team accomplishments DO matter in a players legacy ranking it just does and most NBA followers get that). But I know plenty will hate on all of that because he thought you were boring in the past? Maybe the Spurs were to some, you guys were in the lowest rated NBA FINALS ... but now you are the best team in the world, playing an exciting team orientated style ... embrace the love Spur fan! How many times have fans here bitched about the lack of media attention your beloved Spurs get ... But now that you do he is a hypocrite? Some of you just love playing the victim. Enjoy your team this may be the best team since the 2001 Lakers, no lie.

[Maddog]

So much for flying under the radar....


They would have to be a pretty terrible basketball homey not to notice that Spurs 747.

I must admit it's making me uncomfortable.
Too much praise sets one up for disappointment.
Maybe I'm a natural half empty glass kind of guy.

[ambchang]

Gtfo. Man, I don't know where to begin. Some of you are like the ugly fat girl from HS who loses the weight, gets a makeover and is now video Vixen hot, but STILL have the ugly sister syndrome. Simmons says your team is the best passing one he has seen since his Old Celts teams AND also compares you to two of histories favorites the 77 Blazers and the Holzman Knick teams. He also says a 5th title (which btw I know ambchang hates using rings), places Manu and Parker over Dumars and Isiah (I disagree but its close) and Duncan over Kobe (I agree because team accomplishments DO matter in a players legacy ranking it just does and most NBA followers get that). But I know plenty will hate on all of that because he thought you were boring in the past? Maybe the Spurs were to some, you guys were in the lowest rated NBA FINALS ... but now you are the best team in the world, playing an exciting team orientated style ... embrace the love Spur fan! How many times have fans here bitched about the lack of media attention your beloved Spurs get ... But now that you do he is a hypocrite? Some of you just love playing the victim. Enjoy your team this may be the best team since the 2001 Lakers, no lie.

So he was a phony, great. He bashed the Spurs continuously early 2012, and is now doing a 180, and I should embrace him? Give me a break. Stick to his guns, or admit he didn't know what he was talking about early in the year, and own up to it. Don't go gushing over it like he has been doing it all along, and act like all the bashing never happened.

The Spurs are playing great now, kicking myself for not having the time to catch all the games, but I am definitely enjoying the ride.

BTW, Duncan is already > Kobe, with or without the fifth ring, and Parker and Ginobili will never be > Isiah and Dumars, no matter how many rings they win (I am talking strictly NBA).

Isiah is one of the top 4 PG ever (Magic, Big O, Stockton, Isiah, with 2-4 interchangeable). Parker is not likely to ever be a top 4 PG (he still has to leapfrog Payton, Kidd, Clyde, and a whole bunch of others, and has never even been the best PG in the league for a year), and Manu just doesn't have the longevity of Dumars. Don't get me wrong, I love Parker and Ginobili, but they are no Thomas and Dumars, who are the best backcourt the league has ever seen (that I can think of right now).

[sammy]

Great article! Love this gem from the article:

12:00 remaining (fourth quarter) — Pop through gritted teeth after answering his 200th What's working so well for you guys out there?–type question of the past month: "Usually when you get a lead, it's a combination of getting stops at one end and keeping the pace at the other."

Translation: WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME DO THIS? WHY DO I HAVE TO TALK TO THIS MORON WHO'S WEARING A PEACH SUIT? I'M TRYING TO WIN A PLAYOFF GAME! I'M IN CHARGE OF A TEAM THAT HAS A CHANCE TO BE ONE OF THE BETTER TEAMS EVER! LEAVE ME ALONE! GET THIS PEACH IMBECILE AWAY FROM ME! NEXT TIME I WILL STAB PEACH IMBECILE IN THE JUGULAR WITH A PENCIL!!!!

:lmao:rollin:rollin:rollin:rollin:lmao:lmao:rollin :rollin:rollin

[Obstructed_View]

My kids are now excited at the idea of watching the Spurs beat the wolfman. They might actually watch part of the game with me now.

[Legacy]

Eh, I think it's human nature for large numbers of Spurs fans to not care about what 'hypocrites' have to say--especially now that we're rollin'. Kinda' like when someone is a "loser" in HS, and then all of a sudden that "loser" becomes an uber-famous SUPERSTAR when they 'grow up'.

... So what does one do when all those HS bullies and naysayers come back and want to be your best friend after all the hard-earned success and victories? ... They tell them to "go eat shit," of course... It's one of the oldest stories in the book. "The Last Laugh." :p:

[Legacy]

My kids are now excited at the idea of watching the Spurs beat the wolfman. They might actually watch part of the game with me now.


YES!! :lol

[LongtimeSpursFan]

Gtfo. Man, I don't know where to begin. Some of you are like the ugly fat girl from HS who loses the weight, gets a makeover and is now video Vixen hot, but STILL have the ugly sister syndrome. Simmons says your team is the best passing one he has seen since his Old Celts teams AND also compares you to two of histories favorites the 77 Blazers and the Holzman Knick teams. He also says a 5th title (which btw I know ambchang hates using rings), places Manu and Parker over Dumars and Isiah (I disagree but its close) and Duncan over Kobe (I agree because team accomplishments DO matter in a players legacy ranking it just does and most NBA followers get that). But I know plenty will hate on all of that because he thought you were boring in the past? Maybe the Spurs were to some, you guys were in the lowest rated NBA FINALS ... but now you are the best team in the world, playing an exciting team orientated style ... embrace the love Spur fan! How many times have fans here bitched about the lack of media attention your beloved Spurs get ... But now that you do he is a hypocrite? Some of you just love playing the victim. Enjoy your team this may be the best team since the 2001 Lakers, no lie.

Word. Time changes everything and heals all wounds. Lets move on and enjoy what we are witnessing.

[Dr. John R. Brinkley]

Simmons loves team basketball. His bestselling book was all about that, calling it the "secret" or something like that. He recognizes greatness when he sees it because he's seen it before with his 80s Celtics.

Spurs fans are all caught up in getting a 5th title. The more knowledgeable of the media recognize SA has a team for the ages right now and are commenting on that, and yes, it's a surprise to them because it's probably a surprise to even the team that they are playing this well. Remember in the Summer when the Spurs' own point guard said the team was "done". Everyone thought that.

For me the best part was saying the Spurs have the best backcourt of all time. That's incredible praise. Great article.

[will_spurs]

Parker is not likely to ever be a top 4 PG (he still has to leapfrog Payton, Kidd, Clyde, and a whole bunch of others, and has never even been the best PG in the league for a year), and Manu just doesn't have the longevity of Dumars.

Actually Tony has been the best PG this year by far, only you and some others don't recognize it because you get suckered in by ESPN highlights and box scores. Tony shit on Paul, who beat him to the All-NBA 1st team, and is now doing the same with Westbrook, who was the co-guard on the 2nd team.

Parker is barely 30 and he already has as many playoff games as Payton or Kidd had over their whole career (including a 20-game bonus by finally getting their only ring after 35).

Parker has never been the main option on the Spurs except for 2 years, and in those 2 years he got selected to All-Star, All-NBA and was quite high in the MVP voting.

People would consider Parker more if he was playing for an average team, à la Chris Paul or D-Will. This is beyond stupid.

[Spur|n|Austin]

The whole Perkins hologram shit really cracked me up :lol

Yes, this and the part about getting his kid to watch OKC games by convincing him Harden is a werewolf had me laughing out loud. Great read!

[gambit1990]

Skipping ahead a little: I watched this entire game thinking, Durant can score anytime he wants. Durant ended up with 31 points on 17 shots; Westbrook ended up with 27 points on 24 shots. If you can tell me how this makes sense, I'll give you $200.

:lol

this thunder team will be a lot better once westbrook manages to wisen up and knows when to pass the fucking ball.

[Kidd K]

So how many media folks have to proclaim "I don't understand why everyone considers the Spurs boring" before they all just admit that they're not calling the Spurs boring anymore? Is there a magic number of some kind?

The question is, will it be over or under 9,000? I take the over.

[ambchang]

Actually Tony has been the best PG this year by far, only you and some others don't recognize it because you get suckered in by ESPN highlights and box scores. Tony shit on Paul, who beat him to the All-NBA 1st team, and is now doing the same with Westbrook, who was the co-guard on the 2nd team.

Parker is barely 30 and he already has as many playoff games as Payton or Kidd had over their whole career (including a 20-game bonus by finally getting their only ring after 35).

Parker has never been the main option on the Spurs except for 2 years, and in those 2 years he got selected to All-Star, All-NBA and was quite high in the MVP voting.

People would consider Parker more if he was playing for an average team, à la Chris Paul or D-Will. This is beyond stupid.

A. I don't watch ESPN. I find their takes to be ridiculously bad.
B. Parker is in the conversation of being the best PG this year (I should have noted that he has never been the clear-cut best PG). But to say that he is the best by far is stretching it. Paul, Rondo, Rose (when healthy), Westbrooke are all in the conversation. I personally would say Paul is the best this year, with Parker a close second.
C. H2H matchups in the playoffs are great, but it doesn't say who is best and who is not. Teammates, defensive strategies, and streakiness factor in. BTW, Paul was hurt vs. Parker.
D. Not sure how # of playoff games factor into the debate.
E. Parker not being the top option on his team for all by 2 years should count AGAINST his bid to being a top 4 PG ever.
F. People would consider Parker a LOT less if he played for an average team. Yes, saying that he will get more accolades for playing for worse team is indeed beyond stupid.

For interest's sake, who do you see Parker unseating in the top 4 PG? Magic, Isiah, Big O, or Stockton.

Also love to hear your take how Parker will be better than Payton and Kidd without resorting to something around team accomplishments.

[tesseractive]

B. Parker is in the conversation of being the best PG this year (I should have noted that he has never been the clear-cut best PG). But to say that he is the best by far is stretching it. Paul, Rondo, Rose (when healthy), Westbrooke are all in the conversation. I personally would say Paul is the best this year, with Parker a close second.
I agree. Paul completely turned that team around.


F. People would consider Parker a LOT less if he played for an average team. Yes, saying that he will get more accolades for playing for worse team is indeed beyond stupid.
Open question. If he were on a team where he could have a higher usage rate, there's a good chance his numbers would be noticeably better, and he would get more season-to-season recognition -- All-Star teams, All-NBA nods -- from that. It's not a lock -- who really knows with counterfactuals? -- but it's certainly possible.

For interest's sake, who do you see Parker unseating in the top 4 PG? Magic, Isiah, Big O, or Stockton.[/QUOTE]
If he leads the team to a title this year and plays at this year's level for several more years, I think you could have a debate about Stockton. If he does that and also leads the team to another title before retirement, I'd put him past Stockton and you could have a debate about Isiah.

If his career ended today, no way does he pass any of them.

[TheCerebral1]

"They turned a team featuring LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in their primes into an underdog for an NBA Finals. If you can't get excited for that matchup, then you don't have a pulse. Thank you and please drive through."

I love his stuff and it's so much fun to read glowing retorts on a team that I have loved my entire life. When all the hoopla around the Trimangled mess in South Beach arrives in San Antonio...all I can hope for is dagger three's and Lebron looking at Duncan cursing under his breath. This is the best Spurs team that I've ever seen.