The Sports Guy's Cynicism

[FromWayDowntown]

From his column entitled "How the West May be Won." Simmons ultimately picks an LAL/PNX meeting in the West Finals, with the Lakers prevailing. His comments on the Spurs (particularly the repeated allusions to a drunken Popovich, his assessment of the X-factor facing the Spurs, his prediction of the Spurs ultimate fate, and his take on the Spurs' biggest mistake in 07-08) in that context seemed like they might start World War III here, so I thought they warranted posting:

5. SAN ANTONIO (48-23)

Scouting report: Same old Spurs -- they looked disinterested for a few months, only they knew and we knew that they'd be there in the end ... the bad news is that their swing guys got old (Bowen and Finley especially), and their perimeter defense is definitely weaker ... the good news is that Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas give them as much depth as they've ever had ... more importantly, Ginobili jumped a level and became a top-four crunch-time guy (see above) ... and if that's not enough, Gregg Popovich went a long way toward erasing the bias against coaches who don't wear ties during games and look a little sloppy ... every time he's yelling at a referee, he looks like some drunk guy at a Martha's Vineyard wedding who's furious that the open bar just closed and eventually has to be restrained by two in-laws.

Biggest strength: Experience, Duncan, Ginobili and Popovich in some order.

Biggest weakness: Other than a (predictable) lack of urgency from time to time, they don't have anyone on the current roster who can defend Chris Paul or Deron Williams. Of course, nearly every contender could say that.

Biggest X-Factor: With $100-plus million in advertising profits at stake if there's a Celtics-Lakers or Celtics-Suns Finals, it will be interesting to see if the Spurs get a single borderline call in May or June. My guess is that somebody on the Suns or Lakers could use a chainsaw and numchucks to stop Duncan in a Game 7 and the refs wouldn't call it. But I'm cynical that way.

Biggest mistake: Not just giving away Luis Scola, but giving him away to a Texas team! Eight months have passed and I still haven't heard an adequate defense from R.C Buford and Popovich for that stinker trade other than "that's the last time we get drunk and make a trade at three in the morning."

Unsung Hero: Ime Udoka gives them someone to defend the Carmelos, Pierces and Bonzis of the NBA universe, as well as someone with his own Bill Brasky-esque fight story and another fun name for Marv to boot. You're damned right that I'm enjoying the Ime Udoka Era.

Best-case opponents: Houston or Los Angeles.

Worst-case opponents: New Orleans or Golden State.

Prediction: The third seed and a controversial demise in round two after the Lakers benefit from a 65-10 free throw advantage in Game 7.

Eventual 2007-08 Legacy: See the previous paragraph.



http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080326

[ClingingMars]

keep on hatin' Simmons, we'll keep on winning.

-Mars

[DAF86]

he's right nobody outside san antonio, argentina and france wants to see the spurs in the playoff. do you guys still think that this month's schedule was just coincidence?

[T Park]

Sadly, he could be right.

[T Park]

I think he is like Spur fan in that hes underestimating Bowen (everyone does it happens) and Finley.

Although his scenario with the Lakers is more than plausible.

[CubanMustGo]

You know what? Other than the drunk crap that's not really a bad assessment, especially from someone like Simmons.

[101A]

NBA = WWF ?

I hope not (but am uneasy about it just the same)

[ambchang]

I don't even think he was hating.

[Sec24Row7]

he's right nobody outside san antonio, argentina and france wants to see the spurs in the playoff. do you guys still think that this month's schedule was just coincidence?


We've won 4 championships...

You would think that they would exponentially fuck us after every exasperating one and get it right at some point...

Conspiracy theories about the spurs getting no calls in the playoffs died when Stern and Jackson suspended Amare and Diaw.

Actually they died a long time before that... but that was the date of the funeral.

They have been laid to rest.

[DarrinS]

Conpare that article to the one he wrote in Oct. 2007

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071025&sportCat=nba

[hater]

I expect about 30% less calls going Spurs favor this playoffs.

[Dex]

It sounds like he's either here nor there for the Spurs, but he's definitely right about the refereeing come playoff time.

Anybody who isn't expecting the Spurs to get dogged by the officials this year is going to be in a few arguments with their television set.

[Obstructed_View]

Conspiracy theories about the spurs getting no calls in the playoffs died when Stern and Jackson suspended Amare and Diaw.

And were revived when Bowen was suspended and Chris Paul and Jerry Stackhouse were not.

[MoSpur]

Our perimeter guys are old.

[himat]

I think LA is a bigger threat than Golden State and New Orleans combined...

[ManuTastic]

I want to avoid NO in the first round, like poison.
I WANT Phx in the 1st round, I'm salivating just thinking about that one. Bring 'em on. Not because they'd be easy, but because we hate them and they hate us right back. Esp. w/ Shaq "Don't Fucking Help Me Up" Fu.

[Warlord23]

This makes me more confident about the Spurs' chances. Simmons is the walking kiss of death. IIRC whoever he picks to win is almost certain to lose.

[himat]

Is New Orleans really that good?

[dbreiden83080]

Biggest X-Factor: With $100-plus million in advertising profits at stake if there's a Celtics-Lakers or Celtics-Suns Finals, it will be interesting to see if the Spurs get a single borderline call in May or June. My guess is that somebody on the Suns or Lakers could use a chainsaw and numchucks to stop Duncan in a Game 7 and the refs wouldn't call it. But I'm cynical that way.


Oh yeah i am sure Stern just loves reading trash like this. Yes we are not about who deserves to be there just who will get us the best ratings. Well i guess he had better rig the NBA playoffs for good since only about 4 teams in the whole damn league will get the NBA good ratings. His golden boy Lebron did not get him ratings and the Suns being popular is overated, i have seen no proof of this.

[ancestron]

Aren't the Spurs one of the most popular teams overseas, and in Argentina? Surely the NBA generates a pretty good deal of revenue off the overseas and south american market when the spurs are successful. no?

[CubanMustGo]

Aren't the Spurs one of the most popular teams overseas, and in Argentina? Surely the NBA generates a pretty good deal of revenue off the overseas and south american market when the spurs are successful. no?

I would imagine that the TV rights in those markets don't add up to much $, and that's where the NBA gets a whole lot of its money.

[MaNuMaNiAc]

Aren't the Spurs one of the most popular teams overseas, and in Argentina? Surely the NBA generates a pretty good deal of revenue off the overseas and south american market when the spurs are successful. no?
I imagine they would if they started marketing the NBA down here. At the moment, we get crappy NBA coverage, with the exception of DirectTV having two measly LP channels.

[Phenomanul]

If the Spurs can't guard Deron Williams how is it they beat the Jazz to the tune of 5-1 in last season's playoffs?

[dbreiden83080]

Aren't the Spurs one of the most popular teams overseas, and in Argentina? Surely the NBA generates a pretty good deal of revenue off the overseas and south american market when the spurs are successful. no?

I am sure they do but everyone has a heart attack when the ratings are not good in the states. I have made this point before though, the NBA in general is getting bad ratings, that is a fact. Finals ratings in general have not been the same since Jordan and the Bulls hung it up. When the Lakers were in the finals they had strong ratings but to say it is just about the Spurs not bringing in ratings is wrong. Ratings for Mavs/Heat were only slightly better in 2006 than Spurs/Pistons in 2005. Most people said before the finals started last year that ratings would be good because the Golden Boy of the league King James is in the finals. They were awful and again everyone just blamed the Spurs, which makes no sense if Lebron is so popular they would have watched at least game 1. All star game ratings have been down each of the last 4 years and they were the lowest in history this past year. This is a product that is having more and more touble selling itself as the years go bye. Based on what i have seen. Lakers/Celts will deliver ratings and maybe one other matchup but i don't see say Suns/Pistons or Hornets/Pistons or any one of about 10 finals matchups being a ratings blockbuster for the NBA.

[dbreiden83080]

with the whole NBA ref scandal I doubt Stern would try to favor any team once the playoffs start!

He would never try to do that period. Think about it in this day and age with the media all over everything, what are the odds Stern could favor a team to make it to the finals for ratings and keep it quiet???

[FromWayDowntown]

If the Spurs can't guard Deron Williams how is it they beat the Jazz to the tune of 5-1 in last season's playoffs?

5-1?

[Phenomanul]

5-1?

Ooops... that should be 4-1

As I typed I was thinking "the Spurs beat them in 5 games"

[dbreiden83080]

exactly..and let's say hypothetically he decided to do it..for whatever reason, the refs would be able to black mail him for the rest of their lives to keep quiet! And It would also ruin the NBA!

Yep and the last thing the NBA needs coming off the off-season scandal with that idiot Referee is any kind of hint of conspiracy come playoff time. The best teams need to make it to the finals, period.

[temujin]

Excellent article.

I agree with the X factor and OV has a point in the suspension of Bowen/NOT suspension of Stackhouse. That looks SO different from Crawford being eliminated from playoffs after ejecting Duncan for laughing on the bench.

I think Stern would like to see some new faces in the finals. As for non US markets, games are at impossible hours with irrelevant commercials. Very dificult to sell to non-aficionados.

[The Truth #6]

For Stern to be able to control his refs to force an outcome is unrealistic. What is slightly more realistic is that the refs can't be controlled at all and have their own personal agendas and problems. Vanity, mob connections, senility, stupidity, blindness to name a few.

[wildbill2u]

Fact of life: Aging superstars no longer get superstar protection.

Anyone think Shaq still gets the refs to look the other way when he bulls THROUGH somebody?

The league, through the refs, turns to the new superstars to pump up ratings and the money. Been there, seen that!

[Tek_XX]

The league worked way to hard to get LA and Boston good again. They're not going to blow it by giving the Spurs an even chance to win a game.

[dbreiden83080]

The league worked way to hard to get LA and Boston good again. They're not going to blow it by giving the Spurs an even chance to win a game.

The league didn't do a thing, the GM's for those teams did.

[mikejones99]

just like last year when they all sucked on dal n phx dick, Spurs are still the best

[temujin]

The league worked way to hard to get LA and Boston good again. They're not going to blow it by giving the Spurs an even chance to win a game.

Celtics have Garnett and Pistons Billups.

Lakers have Gasol (has yet to win a playoff OR any relevant game in his entire career).
Spurs have Manu.

Pistons and Spurs won't go down without a fight.

[DAF86]

with the whole NBA ref scandal I doubt Stern would try to favor any team once the playoffs start!

he's not going to tell the refs hey you gotta help this team or ruin that other team but he can make you play the toughest month (in terms of amount of games played, quality of the teams you face, quantity of back to back games, and number of games you play as a visitor) a team has ever had to deal with in the history of the NBA.
and isn't a coincidence that the spurs had to face this in march, the month that everybody knows our guys use to get into championship form.
i don't think that the NBA fixes games (i wouldn't be watching it if that were the case) but i do think that some teams have some privileges.

(sorry for the grammatical and spelling mistakes)

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Prediction: The third seed and a controversial demise in round two after the Lakers benefit from a 65-10 free throw advantage in Game 7.

I'm amazed he actually thinks we'd get 10 free throws in a game 7 against LA.

[Princess Pimp]

It doesn't matter who you play ...your demise is expected early this year.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I'm amazed he actually thinks we'd get 10 free throws in a game 7 against LA.


:lol I was thinking the same thing.




He actually doesn't knock the Spurs in that article beyond saying that the league has it in for us. That's his primary reasoning as to why we won't repeat. Considering the no-calls I've seen on the defending NBA champions and their biggest star player this year I'd say he's not far off.

[Dave McNulla]

i just don't see the whole ref thing going down.

[diego]

so? this is par for the course with the lakers.

its also what makes beating them so sweet.

so long as half the roleplayers are coming through for each game, spurs will play some damn good basketball, and that should be enough to take down these new inexperienced teams. no team in the west is as stable as ours, many have made dramatic changes...

in a 7 game series we can learn the hornets and use their youth against them. chandler and bonzi are boneheads and paul is very emotional. besides udoka and bonner, all the spurs are "wily vet" types.

the lakers have jackson and kobe, but we still have a team designed to beat their triangle. gasol+bynun isnt near shaq, and odom is going to make plays for us (the NBA should suspend him for smoking pot before the playoffs, that might help the lakers more than anything else!) bowen will do his part.

in a sense the jazz worry me the most. they have better rebounding and deron + boozer are so consistent. but i think sloan burns his guys out before the playoffs even start, and we killed them last year.

also, if you think of the west contenders coaches, pop has beaten all of them in the playoffs before. avery is the only one he hasnt and hes the least likely opponent for us.

[1Parker1]

He makes a great point. I think there are going to be a lot of things that have to go favorably in the Spurs way for them to make it out of the West alone. And once they get to the Finals, it's no cakewalk either...Boston and Pistons both have owned the season series against the Spurs this year.

There are so many tough teams in the West, for an old team like the Spurs, going through 3 straight tough matches is going to be tough.

[SequSpur]

He forgot Finals MVP Tony Parker.......

The best post season player in the history of the NBA.

Wake the fuck up.

[honestfool84]

He forgot Finals MVP Tony Parker.......

The best post season player in the history of the NBA.

Wake the fuck up.


the best post season player in the history of the NBA?

i think that's taking it a little too far..

[SequSpur]

the best post season player in the history of the NBA?

i think that's taking it a little too far..

Watch your 2007 DVD and get back to me.

[DAF86]

the best post season player in the history of the NBA?

i think that's taking it a little too far..

he was clearly joking or at least that's what i want to bealive. he seems like an inteligent guy

[SequSpur]

he was clearly joking or at least that's what i want to bealive. he seems like an inteligent guy

http://www.clap.name/images/blog/tony_parker.jpg

[DAF86]

http://www.clap.name/images/blog/tony_parker.jpg

yeah... so what? i'm not saying that parker sucks like a lot of stupid fans here but he surely isn't the best playoff player ever.
remember the 2005 finals?

[SequSpur]

yeah... so what? i'm not saying that parker sucks like a lot of stupid fans here but he surely isn't the best playoff player ever.
remember the 2005 finals?


2005 was a long time ago.

2007, Tony Parker destroyed everyone. He is going to do it again. You watch.

[DAF86]

2005 was a long time ago.

2007, Tony Parker destroyed everyone. He is going to do it again. You watch.

i hope so if he plays like last season the trophy is ours 'cause tim and manu will be there the question mark right now is TP.

[inconvertible]

Sadly, he could be right.


he will be right....not one borderline call........now that is cynical, but oh so true....we need to shout this from the roof tops so the league won't pull no bullshit in the playoffs.

[ChumpDumper]

Nobody listened when the league cheated in our favor....

[JPB]

I'm not buying the favoritism argument.

On the short term, you can get better ratings and dividents, but in the long term, Stern, NBA has no interest biasing the outcome of a season because it discredits the league.

it can quickly become an vicious circle in a way that you'd have to try control every season to keep the Jazz, raptors, Grizzlies (who knows in one or two decades) or other small markets from the finals?

Fans can see if something is wrong, and no matter who's been favoured don't like that.

Stern knows he has to let BB speaks and wait and hope spurs era will come soon to an end.

[ShoogarBear]

Conpare that article to the one he wrote in Oct. 2007

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/071025&sportCat=nba


Spurs over the Bulls in five

[GSH]

... (1)the good news is that Damon Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas give them as much depth as they've ever had ... (2) more importantly, Ginobili jumped a level and became a top-four crunch-time guy (see above) ... (3) every time he's yelling at a referee, he looks like some drunk guy at a Martha's Vineyard wedding who's furious that the open bar just closed and eventually has to be restrained by two in-laws.


Simmons is full of shit for a bunch of reasons. I'll give 3 quick ones:

1. If you are making a case about the Spurs' depth, you don't leave Ime Udoka off the list.
2. Ginobili didn't "jump a level". He's always been a top-four crunch-time guy.
3. Bill Simmons has never been to a Martha's Vineyard wedding.

[easjer]

Nobody listened when the league cheated in our favor....


I'm genuinely curious as to whether or not you are serious, because I'm not sure. When was this?




As to the refs - I do not think Stern et al are fixing games or instructing (blatantly or otherwise) refs to do so. I do think he and most people feel the best case scenario for the NBA and for ratings would be Boston/LA or Boston/PHX.

I agree that the Spurs will get fewer calls and not receive the benefit of most questionable calls. But really, is that surprisingly different than previous years? As always, you can never assume that you will get a call or should get a call. If you play well, calls don't matter. Don't make questionable plays and you shouldn't need to worry about questionable calls. Make your baskets, defend well, and cheap fouls won't matter.

I like the way Pop has been preparing the team to deal with this and that the whining/complaining/surprise has been cut out and that they are refocusing that energy into their play. That's the only way they can win, is by playing better and ignoring the officials.

[Ocotillo]

Biggest strength: Experience, Duncan, Ginobili and Popovich in some order.


Interesting that last years Finals MVP is not a strength.

[ChumpDumper]

I'm genuinely curious as to whether or not you are serious, because I'm not sure.Then my work here is done.

[easjer]

Then my work here is done.


:lol

Asshole.

[batboy]

Interesting that last years Finals MVP is not a strength.

I've never known Simmons to be particularly high on point guards, which is kind of refreshing considering every other national columnist very much is.