BILL SIMMONS: 24 Lingering Questions from the NBA FINALS

[spursparker9]

http://grantland.com/features/24-lingering-questions-from-the-nba-finals/


I watched every Finals game in San Antonio with Doug Collins from our set behind one of the baskets. He’s an old-school guy who gravitates toward gritty, competitive, relentless players — basically, anyone he would have loved to coach. And when he’s watching games, he’s usually thinking out loud, so he’ll get super-excited about a player from time to time. And as we became buddies over the last eight months, I realized that Doug had something of a hierarchy of praise that went like this.

Level 1: “Coach, that guy is tough.”

Level 2: “Coach, that guy is a BITCH.”

Level 3: “Coach, that guy is a [12-letter word].”5

Level 3 didn’t happen that often (and never in mixed company). And if it happened, he’d usually nudge me and whisper, “Coach, coach, that guy is a [12-letter word].” There was no higher praise from him. During Game 5, Doug blessed Kawhi with Level 1 and Level 2, then something else happened (I think it was one of those big Kawhi 3s) and Doug briefly lost his mind, pounding my arm, breaking Level 3 code and yelping, “Coach, that guy is a [12-letter word]! He is a [TWELVE-LETTER WORD]!!!!!!” That’s right, Kawhi Leonard single-handedly created Level 4 on the Coach Collins Hierarchy of Praise. That was my favorite moment of the 2014 Finals, hands down. I wish everyone loved basketball as much as Doug Collins does.




Q: What was the best crowd-related moment of the 2014 Finals?

Manu’s retro lefty slam in Game 5 nearly caused a riot. I fully expected them to briefly stop the game, Rucker Park–style, so fans could deliriously wander onto the court. Runner-up choices: Spurs fans mocking the “Seven Nation Army” chant in Game 5 (never gets old), and Pop taking out Duncan, then Manu, then Diaw and Parker together in Game 5, just so all of them could get some extra love. Contrast that with …

What was the worst crowd-related moment of the 2014 Finals?

Miami fans hightailing it out of the Game 4 blowout over sticking around and showing their respect and cheering LeBron, Bosh and Wade for four great years. They’ll feel bad if that turned out to be their last home game. (Thinking.) You’re right, they won’t feel bad.

[Spur|n|Austin]

This has also been Simmons' redemption season in my personal like and dislike book - I use to not be able to stand the guy, but he really knows his shit and was the only one I could stand to listen to on any network during this years run.

[Capt Bringdown]

Nice little 2011 draft factoid:


The following players were picked ahead of Leonard: Jan Vesely, Bismack Biyombo, Jimmer Fredette, Alec Burks and both Morris twins.

HA HA

[Guajalote]

My favorite line from the article:

(About not trading Parker when they could have)- "The lessons: Trust your infrastructure, trust continuity, don’t make big trades just to make big trades, and if that’s not enough, count on the fact that you’re the Spurs and you have a steady stream of horseshoes falling out of your ass." :lol

[Seventyniner]

we can unretire all Dwyane Wade fat-guy jokes. Once upon a time, we wondered if he’d become the next Michael Jordan — in 2014, it’s actually happening.

[hitmantb]

Simmons is honestly the best writer in basketball. His articles whether I agree with them or not (and I usually do) are just so incredibly entertaining and he stuffs a ton of little details and jokes in it. Everyone else feel so bland and boring in comparison.

The two Tim Duncan career articles are far and away the best summaries on the Duncan era (we can quibble over minor facts and details but as a whole just so awesome to read):

http://grantland.com/features/tim-duncan-part-1/
http://grantland.com/features/tim-duncan-part-2/

I hope he can add a part 3 when Duncan retires.

[Dex]

You can question Simmon's TV Analyst skills all you want, but the guy is an exceptional writer, and an avid Spurs fan. Hard to not like that.


Q: Can we officially retire all Boris Diaw fat-guy jokes?

Absolutely! We’re even retiring Rafe Bartholomew’s epic “The real Big Three is Boris Diaw and his boobs” joke. I love having the 2006 Phoenix version of Boris back in the league. Is there anything goofier than looking up at that video screen and seeing that Boris has a 5-6-9 or a 3-9-7 going? I missed watching that guy; there’s just nobody like him. In his place, we can unretire all Dwyane Wade fat-guy jokes. Once upon a time, we wondered if he’d become the next Michael Jordan — in 2014, it’s actually happening.

:lmao

[Jimcs50]

His favorite moment? I guess it was SI's favorite moment as well. :)


Q: OK, so what was your favorite moment of the 2014 Finals?

Those 1.76 seconds in Game 4 when Kawhi got possessed by the spirit of ABA Doctor J, then went for a hellacious dunk over Chris Andersen … I mean, even if Andersen fouled him and screwed up the dunk at the last possible split second, that was nearly my favorite Finals moment anyway. Just breathtaking. I couldn’t believe he went for it. How much fun is Kawhi Leonard???

[Jenks]

Is this our first title that doesn't get an asterisk? Or will Bill add #5 to his list of Spurs' asterisk titles?

[Captivus]

Good read.

[peacemaker885]

Man that was a nice article.

[InRareForm]

enjoyed that a lot.

[Cry Havoc]

Leave it to the San Antonio Spurs. Just one day after celebrating one of the most emotional title clinchers in NBA history, the “Ozymandias” episode of the Duncan-Pop era was rendered irrelevant by America’s first World Cup game. The poor Spurs didn’t even make it through a 24-hour news cycle. So let’s belatedly celebrate them with a column that never uses the word “legacy.” In fact, the legacy of this column is going to be that it never included the word “legacy.”

Q: In recent sports history, how many redemption stories were better than that of the 2014 Spurs?

There are two kinds of sports redemption: The first is an individual battling back from a personal tragedy (think Michael Jordan after his father’s murder), major injury (think Derrick Rose next season) or career-threatening event (think Michael Vick post-jail or Tiger Woods post-Escalade); the second is an entire team recovering from an unforgettably devastating defeat (the 2014 Spurs). Ideally, the team would want to avenge the defeat right away. If it’s against the same opponent, even better. If it’s done convincingly, with all demons being exorcised, even better. There’s no way to rank the redemptive power; you’re either in the group or you’re not.

Read more: http://grantland.com/features/24-lingering-questions-from-the-nba-finals/

---

For those that just want the burn:

Q: How much money did Patty Mills make in the playoffs?

Three times as much as Mario Chalmers lost.

:lol :lol :lol


Overall a nice article from Simmons. He's douchey at times but he's also hilarious. This in particular stood out to me:

Q: What was the best crowd-related moment of the 2014 Finals?

Manu’s retro lefty slam in Game 5 nearly caused a riot. I fully expected them to briefly stop the game, Rucker Park–style, so fans could deliriously wander onto the court.

:lol Classic.

[RD2191]

Repost

[Cry Havoc]

Shit, and I even looked for it. I'll bump the other thread.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236157&p=7442077#post7442077

[Cry Havoc]

Bump.

My favorite bit, other than the Manu dunk:

Q: How much money did Patty Mills make in the playoffs?

Three times as much as Mario Chalmers lost.

[RD2191]

:lol

[Slomo]

When you include Kawhi Leonard’s rookie salary ($1.9 million), the Spurs suddenly had a legitimate competitive advantage. Their best four players earned $32.3 million combined last season … nearly $8 million less than Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, and only $1.85 million more than Kobe Bryant made by himself. That’s insane.

:wow:lol:wow:lol

[vander]

Yeah, amazing kawhi fell that far and then Indy gave him up. Conspiracy

[Mr. Body]

Yeah, amazing kawhi fell that far and then Indy gave him up. Conspiracy

It was actually a really shitty draft. Impressive things worked out the way they did.

[cjw]

Yeah, amazing kawhi fell that far and then Indy gave him up. Conspiracy

Yeah, but we could have had Paul George instead!

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

Bill Simmons has been my favorite writer since his days writing the Daily Quickie for ESPN pg2. Guy knows his shit, and nobody on ESPN deserves the success more than that guy. He's been on The Spurs' and Duncan's nuts since at least 2003 and the guy is also one of the funniest writers in sports history. If I could hang out with 1 dude and be best friends, I would pick Bill Simmons tbh bffl

[Juggity]

When you include Kawhi Leonard’s rookie salary ($1.9 million), the Spurs suddenly had a legitimate competitive advantage. Their best four players earned $32.3 million combined last season … nearly $8 million less than Joe Johnson and Deron Williams, and only $1.85 million more than Kobe Bryant made by himself. That’s insane.
:wow:lol:wow:lol

I love that the Lakers are paying a crippled Kobe Bryant $30mil/year.

I also love that Kawhi Leonard on his rookie $1mil contract is unquestionably a better player than Kobe is right now for 1/30th of the price. :lol

FTL.

[tesseractive]

This has also been Simmons' redemption season in my personal like and dislike book - I use to not be able to stand the guy, but he really knows his shit and was the only one I could stand to listen to on any network during this years run.
There are definitely guys who know more than Simmons -- e.g. Zach Lowe nationally, and quite a few guys who cover a single team day in and day out and know all the nuances -- but for a guy who's not even full-time NBA, he's definitely knowledgeable.

He's still terrible on TV, IMO. :lol

[SpursWoman]

I've always loved his writing style, but this by far my new favorite Simmons article. :)

[Spur|n|Austin]

There are definitely guys who know more than Simmons -- e.g. Zach Lowe nationally, and quite a few guys who cover a single team day in and day out and know all the nuances -- but for a guy who's not even full-time NBA, he's definitely knowledgeable.

He's still terrible on TV, IMO. :lol

Zach Lowe is pretty awesome, yes.

[davidbowie]

awesome

[EVAY]

What a terrific article!! Thanks so much for posting it.

My favorite: the Manu lefty dunk when the crowd went wild.

He guy has great metaphors to make his writing entertaining, and throws in well-researched facts to support his positions.

I don't care for him much on TV, but he is a terrific writer, I think. Thoroughly enjoyed the article.

[wildbill2u]

Read the whole article at Grantland. It's worth it.

[Jenks]

He's been on The Spurs' and Duncan's nuts since at least 2003
Sorry, definitely not.

I will say, he did come around in the last 2 years. He was salty as fuck that the Spurs "stole" Duncan from his beloved Celtics before then.

This is the most hilariously passive aggressive list I've ever read.
http://grantland.com/features/the-footnote-title/

2003 Spurs get a "footnote" because of Webber's injury (lmao, Webber)
2000 Lakers title completely legit despite Duncan's injury

[baseline bum]

Sorry, definitely not.

I will say, he did come around in the last 2 years. He was salty as fuck that the Spurs "stole" Duncan from his beloved Celtics before then.

This is the most hilariously passive aggressive list I've ever read.
http://grantland.com/features/the-footnote-title/

2003 Spurs get a "footnote" because of Webber's injury (lmao, Webber)
2000 Lakers title completely legit despite Duncan's injury

And that they destroyed his Suns for years

[Steve-O-Matic]

Simmons is such a Boston homer it's not even funny. He can't make a single point without ever incorporating some type of SAL-tics reference.

[313]

Simmons is such a Boston homer it's not even funny. He can't make a single point without ever incorporating some type of SAL-tics reference.

Or red sox

[Mel_13]

One thing about Simmons being such an unabashed Celtics fan is that he also hates the Lakers, which is one of the things I like about him.

[Mugen]

Simmons has always been terrific/entertaining on paper. He's terrible when I have to hear his nasally voice tbh.

[SpurPadre]

Nice little 2011 draft factoid:



HA HA

http://archive.sltrib.com/images/2011/0313/yhoop_031311~11.jpg

LOL, Jimmer.

[spurs1990]

Simmons is the polar opposite of that prick SI writer Rick Reilly. His last appearance on Sportsnation he went on his usual 'Spurs are boring' trip.

I would like to know what his smug self thinks now after his Miami team was clipped.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I've been reading Simmons for 14 years now, and I think he's the best sportswriter in the world (whether I agree with his arguments or not, he takes interesting angles, makes connections most others miss, and writes with humour and insight).

Read this from just before the playoffs: http://grantland.com/features/nba-finals-game-6-heat-spurs/

Superb piece.

[KaiRMD1]

The ol' sport has been pretty impressive for a while now. Although the best thing on espn is Jeff Van Gundy hands down, his frank attitude is the best

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

Sorry, definitely not.
I will say, he did come around in the last 2 years. He was salty as fuck that the Spurs "stole" Duncan from his beloved Celtics before then.


You sound like a salty Spurs homer.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070509
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070607



Duncan's prowess has been a sore subject with my dad and me since the 1997 lottery, when our beloved Celtics had a 36% chance to land the No. 1 pick, and San Antonio plucked it away. Helplessly, we've watched him carry the Spurs to three titles, a number that could have been five if not for Derek Fisher's miracle shot in 2004 and Manu Ginobili's stupid foul of Dirk Nowitzki last season. No Celtics fan can assess Duncan's career for more than .21 seconds without remembering he could have been ours. With the franchise facing another make-or-break Ping-Pong moment on May 22, it's safe to say that not getting Duncan set the Celtics back 10 years.

7 years ago^

[100%duncan]

WOW WHAT AN ARTICLE :tu

[scanry]

I've been reading Simmons for 14 years now, and I think he's the best sportswriter in the world (whether I agree with his arguments or not, he takes interesting angles, makes connections most others miss, and writes with humour and insight).

Read this from just before the playoffs: http://grantland.com/features/nba-finals-game-6-heat-spurs/

Superb piece.

You must not have read Jack Mccallum, David Halbestam or Johnny Ludden then.

[Sean Cagney]

:wow:lol:wow:lol

YEP, but to LA fans Kobes contract was justified and he earned it! Despite being how old he is coming off that major injury he fully earned it!

[Vito Corleone]

YEP, but to LA fans Kobes contract was justified and he earned it! Despite being how old he is coming off that major injury he fully earned it!

Hope he keeps earning it for the next 4 or 5 seasons with 10% raises.

[Jenks]

You sound like a salty Spurs homer.

Wait, lmfao
The best thing you could find over 10 years to prove that Simmons wasn't salty that the Spurs "stole" Duncan from the Celtics, was a quote where he said "it's safe to say that not getting Duncan set the Celtics back 10 years."

Right...

Fuck, just skimming one of the two articles you linked, he says the Spurs are fun to watch but not likable.

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

Wait, lmfao
The best thing you could find over 10 years to prove that Simmons wasn't salty that the Spurs "stole" Duncan from the Celtics, was a quote where he said "it's safe to say that not getting Duncan set the Celtics back 10 years."

Right...

Fuck, just skimming one of the two articles you linked, he says the Spurs are fun to watch but not likable.

Did you not read the whole thing? Like the last paragraph where he says Duncan has been better than Kobe, Nash, Shaq, etc. and will be remembered as such when all is said and done? Are you stupid or just lazy?

[Jenks]

Did you not read the whole thing? Like the last paragraph where he says Duncan has been better than Kobe, Nash, Shaq, etc. and will be remembered as such when all is said and done? Are you stupid or just lazy?Him stating facts has nothing to do with if he disliked the team. He did, for a very long time. It's cool that you can ignore 10 years of passive aggressive faggotry though - or maybe you're too stupid to pick up on it?

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

Him stating facts has nothing to do with if he disliked the team. He did, for a very long time. It's cool that you can ignore 10 years of passive aggressive faggotry though - or maybe you're too stupid to pick up on it?

lol guess you are just a fucking moron.

[Jenks]

lol guess you are just a fucking moron.
Enjoy a lifetime of people making fun of you without you realizing it.

FYI he picked the Spurs 20th in his league pass ratings.

This year.

[BillMc]

Simmons has always been terrific/entertaining on paper. He's terrible when I have to hear his nasally voice tbh.

Truer words have never been spoken. He's an entertaining writer and a terrible radio/tv host.

[anakha]

Enjoy a lifetime of people making fun of you without you realizing it.

FYI he picked the Spurs 20th in his league pass ratings.

This year.

That was an article co-written with Zach Lowe and the point was that they felt the Spurs are not compelling must-see TV on their own - they need a good opponent for the game to be considered must-watch.

I don't really see how this equates to Simmons not liking the Spurs.

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

That was an article co-written with Zach Lowe and the point was that they felt the Spurs are not compelling must-see TV on their own - they need a good opponent for the game to be considered must-watch.

I don't really see how this equates to Simmons not liking the Spurs.

Because if you're a Spurs homer that can't take any negative comments about the team, you'll be a whiny bitch like Jenks

[Jenks]

That was an article co-written with Zach Lowe and the point was that they felt the Spurs are not compelling must-see TV on their own - they need a good opponent for the game to be considered must-watch.

I don't really see how this equates to Simmons not liking the Spurs.
Yeah the article he linked where Simmons said the Spurs aren't likable is probably better evidence.

And yes in that article co written by Zach Lowe, Zach Lowe couldn't believe Bill Simmons ranked the Spurs that low.

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

We get it Jenks, Bill Simmons fucked your mom and never called her again. Get over it

[anakha]

Yeah the article he linked where Simmons said the Spurs aren't likable is probably better evidence.

And yes in that article co written by Zach Lowe, Zach Lowe couldn't believe Bill Simmons ranked the Spurs that low.

Are you referring to this?


Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Not true. Maybe they aren't that likable, and maybe the flopping and eye-rolling and constant bitching isn't defensible ... but if you can't rally around Duncan's all-around brilliance, Parker's uncanny ability to score in the paint, Ginobili's penchant for rising to the moment, their superb role players and the obvious affection these guys have for each other (as well as their coach), then I don't know what to tell you.

He's not actually saying the Spurs aren't likable, just that he could understand if others feel that way. Your skimming might not have gotten that part clearly.

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

lol don't bother pointing out where this guy is incapable of reading comprehension and coming to logical conclusions. He's one of those guys that probably thinks he's always right and will argue semantics with your for hours rather than just admit he was wrong. Bag of douche

[Jenks]

He's not actually saying the Spurs aren't likable, just that he could understand if others feel that way.
That's not how that reads, at all. "Maybe X, but Y" doesn't mean "other people might believe X but I don't believe it."
Is English your primary language?

Also I like how you pinned the Spurs low league pass rating on Zach Lowe, then no response after I pointed out Zach Lowe couldn't believe Simmons ranked them that low.

Bill: Full disclosure: I infuriated you by giving them such a low League Pass score. You nearly quit Grantland before we talked you into staying.

[anakha]

That's not how that reads, at all. "Maybe X, but Y" doesn't mean "other people might believe X but I don't believe it."
Is English your primary language?

And 'Maybe X' does not mean X either.

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

That's not how that reads, at all. "Maybe X, but Y" doesn't mean "other people might believe X but I don't believe it."
Is English your primary language?

He should ask you the same thing:

Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Do you know what a MYTH is you fucking mongoloid?

[anakha]

BTW, I like how you threw in the jab there. Really mature of you.

[Jenks]

He should ask you the same thing:

Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Myth No. 4: The Spurs aren't fun to watch.

Do you know what a MYTH is you fucking mongoloid?
Do you know what a response is? Holy fuck you're retarded.
His response was that they are fun to watch, they're just not likable. Learn to read, dipshit. Tip: the myth ends with the bolded text ;)

[anakha]

Also I like how you pinned the Spurs low league pass rating on Zach Lowe, then no response after I pointed out Zach Lowe couldn't believe Simmons ranked them that low.
[/FONT][/B]

Good Lord, your comprehension is atrocious.

I referenced Zach Lowe simply to clarify that that article was not written by Simmons alone. Did I say anywhere that the Spurs' score was due to Lowe?

[anakha]

I guess the logical conclusion here is that Jenks hates Bill Simmons and can't read for shit. :lol

[Mel_13]

Well this thread has certainly gone off the rails.

[anakha]

MY only regret was that I wasted my time responding to this fucking moron gnsf.

[Jenks]

Good Lord, your comprehension is atrocious.

I referenced Zach Lowe simply to clarify that that article was not written by Simmons alone. Did I say anywhere that the Spurs' score was due to Lowe?
Good lord you're an idiot

That was an article co-written with Zach Lowe and the point was that they felt the Spurs are not compelling must-see TV on their own - they need a good opponent for the game to be considered must-watch.

I don't really see how this equates to Simmons not liking the Spurs.


Really?
That's what you got out of it, and it's my reading comprehension that's lacking?


Bill: Full disclosure: I infuriated you by giving them such a low League Pass score. You nearly quit Grantland before we talked you into staying.

Zach: Come on: If you like basketball, actual good basketball, you can’t beat this team. Great unis and court, too. You’ll miss Timmy and Manu when they’re gone. You ranked Sacramento seven spots above the Spurs. How can you feel good about yourself after that?

Yup, your reading comprehension, A+++
Maybe hire a new translator and then come back, and we'll continue.

[anakha]

Yup, still can't read for shit. :lmao

[Jenks]

Yup, still can't read for shit. :lmao
No response and emoticon, gg :lmao

[TacoCabanaFajitas]

Yup, still can't read for shit. :lmao

He's just one of those guys lol. His basketball takes are shit anyways and he doesn't contribute jackshit to the board, ignore him from now on

[anakha]

Whatever helps your reading-impaired ass sleep at night. :lmao

[Jenks]

Whatever helps your reading-impaired ass sleep at night. :lmaoShot down every time, finishes with emoticons. So fucking owned :lmao

Do you agree with Simmons that all 4 of the Spurs previous titles should have asterisks? Was the Webber injury in 2003 more relevant than Duncan's in 2000? I'm sure there were hidden meanings in there, too :lol

[anakha]

Can't read for shit, misunderstands arguments on the internet, thinks he won. :lmao

[Jenks]

Can't read for shit, misunderstands arguments on the internet, thinks he won. :lmao



they felt the Spurs are not compelling must-see TV on their own - they need a good opponent for the game to be considered must-watch.

I don't really see how this equates to Simmons not liking the Spurs.


Bill: Full disclosure: I infuriated you by giving them such a low League Pass score. You nearly quit Grantland before we talked you into staying.

Zach: Come on: If you like basketball, actual good basketball, you can’t beat this team. Great unis and court, too. You’ll miss Timmy and Manu when they’re gone. You ranked Sacramento seven spots above the Spurs. How can you feel good about yourself after that?

:lmao

[anakha]

Can't read for shit, misunderstands arguments on the internet, thinks he won. :lmao

[Jenks]

Oh and before you post nothing again, here's the actual last word. No comment on Bill Simmons' 4 asterisks?

Now I'll leave you to quoting shit you said long after you made a complete ass of yourself :lol

[anakha]

:lol still thinks he won
:lol skimming
:lol completely misunderstanding
:lol irrelevant asterisk argument
:lol accusing other people of not knowing English when his own comprehension is worse than a high schooler's

[Jenks]

Cute emoticons, still no response :)