Bill Simmons needles the Spurs... "99 an asterisk year, '03 team was bad

[InRareForm]

https://m.soundcloud.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast

Basically says everyone was out of shape that year. A definite asterisk

Then goes on to say 2003 spurs team was one of the worst supporting casts of all title teams.

[poeticism707]

https://m.soundcloud.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast

Basically says everyone was out of shape that year. A definite asterisk

Then goes on to say 2003 spurs team was one of the worst supporting casts of all title teams.

So Simmons, if your beloved Celtics won, would it still would be a *?

Of course not, it would be a "triumph".

GTFO Homer boy.

[Robz4000]

https://m.soundcloud.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast

Basically says everyone was out of shape that year. A definite asterisk

Then goes on to say 2003 spurs team was one of the worst supporting casts of all title teams.

He's right about the 2003 team tbh, that championship was all Duncan. Top 3-5 player of all time doing Top 3-5 player of all time things.

[TheGoldStandard]

That 99 team was a solid team but that year was much like the 94-95 season where Jordan walked away.. Teams were either too young or too old to compete with Timmy Legend.

[coachmac87]

The guest was terrible and he brought the hate tbh..Simmons just tagged along. That guy honestly didn't know shit..he thought the 03' team played the Cavs lol

[coachmac87]

And anybody that says and puts an asterisk on 99'..Ok that's cool as long as you put it next to LeBron in 12' and oh btw that means he truly only has 1 ring..and he can't be in the GOAT conversation with only 1 ring.

[DarrinS]

'03 Duncan was a beast

[Spurs 4 The Win]

https://m.soundcloud.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast

Basically says everyone was out of shape that year. A definite asterisk

Then goes on to say 2003 spurs team was one of the worst supporting casts of all title teams.

Who fuckin cares

[daslicer]

Simmons is a trolling and seems like he's desperate for attention.

[baseline bum]

Simmons is a trolling and seems like he's desperate for attention.

He's a Celtic fan bitter their tank for Duncan failed and a SSOL fan bitter their playoff runs failed at the hands of the Spurs.

[TXstbobcat]

Who gives a shit about what Bill Smmon's opinion is on anything.

[DMC]

That 99 team was a solid team but that year was much like the 94-95 season where Jordan walked away.. Teams were either too young or too old to compete with Timmy Legend.
A lot like this year.

[DMC]

Simmons is a trolling and seems like he's desperate for attention.
Money depleted since ESPN dumped him.

[tholdren]

Who fuckin cares

[Keepin' it real]

Who fuckin cares

Many people.

[ViceCity86]

Curious how 2003 Spurs would fare in current NBA.Part of me thinks they can win or come up woefully short.

[Kawhitstorm]

-jTBbrQgTEk

[Kawhitstorm]

Curious how 2003 Spurs would fare in current NBA.Part of me thinks they can win or come up woefully short.

Pre-2004 rules favored postup players b/c of illegal defense (couldn't double w/o the ball) thus it would be difficult to have an offense dependent on dumping the ball to one player every time down the floor. That's the reason why Shaq became a point center when he moved to Miami.

[james evans]

would 2003 had been bad if Paul Pierce not chocked at the freethrow line against the Nets and they somehow had made the finals?

[Kawhitstorm]

would 2003 had been bad if Paul Pierce not chocked at the freethrow line against the Nets and they somehow had made the finals?

But Antoine Walker was out of shape.:lol

[TheGreatYacht]

Celtics won most of their championships when math professors were basketball players

[Atl Spur]

Spurs fans need to get this in their spirit......validation comes from within!!!! We (our team) has accomplished more than any other sports franchise in the modern era and yet we act so thin skin when someone refuse to acknowledge the obvious. Learn to smile at those haters and keep it moving. Their life and lack of success (their team wise) should be punishment enough for their indiscretions. When your the leader you must lead......period!!

[CGD]

I'm ok with the 99 asterisk if he also gives lebron and Wade one for 2012.

The 2003 argument is bogus though. In that case you need to give nearly every champ from the western conference finals an asterisk ever since Jordan retired. The east has been a joke.

[Kawhitstorm]

if he also gives lebron and Wade one for 2012..

Kawhi didn't even have a full training camp as a rookie that season.:lol

[Proxy]

Thought that the 03 team being a shit supporting cast was the general consensus... reasoning for it being TD's signature year.

[dbreiden83080]

03 was TD carrying them to the title..

[dbreiden83080]

That was an embarrassing interview and Simmons is supposed to be a good NBA guy. His guest says, they have like 4 1/4 championships and Simmons agrees. Lebron has a title in a strike shortened year. Do we knock that down a notch too? If the Bulls had won that title in 99 nobody would have said shit about it..

[K...]

I said before, the best way to rebut an asterisks is to repeat.

We didn't do that, and worse it preceded a 3peat.

because of that, case could be made, that if they played a whole season, the LAkers might have been closer to the 3 peat lakers, who clearly were better than better subsequent spurs teams.

Its not a good argument. But it was a laker fan who invented it.

[Sean Cagney]

In all fairness Simmons usually gives major props to the Spurs and writes good stuff about them too.

I will say this though, SA would be out of shape in 99 as well so where is the advantage when they all play the same amount of games? I don't see it.

[703 Spurz]

Time to cancel the championships because a guy says something bad about the team.

[Spurtacular]

Who was going to be better in 99? I think the Spurs were destined to win in 99. Putting an asterisk is disingenuous, imo.

[dbreiden83080]

Who was going to be better in 99? I think the Spurs were destined to win in 99. Putting an asterisk is disingenuous, imo.

Nobody. Had the Bulls returned in 1999 I believe the Spurs would have beat them. The bulls had struggled in 1998 in the playoffs against the Pacers and in the finals against the jazz. Jordan was still Jordan for the most part, but Pippen was all beat up and not nearly as effective by then. That's Spurs team had an incredible defense and Duncan who was going to dominate any big put in front of him in that series.

[Sean Cagney]

Oh yes another thing, the banners still hang no matter what any bitter hater says about those titles. They got a ring and trophy and its in the record books... Get over it.

[cjw]

Just like those titles his Celtics won when there were a handful of teams in a world that was still pretty segregated. First title team below:

http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/media/celtics/Champs_56_57.jpg

[Sean Cagney]

Reading this from 03 from him, he said Kidd the best player and they would win in 6... Timmy then happened..

http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/030604