Bill Simmons: 33 Most Intriguing People of the 2009-10 NBA season

[Baseline]

* -- Phil Jackson

How about last year's Lakers le with a *

Manu was out, so the Spurs were done.
Garnett was out, so the Celtics were done.
Both of those teams would have beaten LA.

Cleveland's coach has no idea on offense, so Cleveland had no shot
Jameer Nelson was hurt yet tried to play in the Finals and played at 40%. Still, Orlando gave two games, if not three, to LA as gifts.

Last year's Laker team was lucky, not good.

[Trimble87]

Bill Simmons is a great writer and an all around likable guy. Great read.

And you know what else? It's fun to have teams that you hate. I hate Sasha Vujacic's hair. I hate the fact that women like Luke Walton. I hate their uniforms. I hate when Pau Gasol gets excited and does that thing where he barks with his hands at his sides as his ugly beard drips sweat over everyone. I hate not being able to hate Derek Fisher. I love being able to hate Kobe, who has brought me more hateable joy than anyone else this decade. (But damn, is that guy good. I do respect him.) I hate Laker fans who show up for Clipper games and only start making noise when the Lakers go up double-digits. I hate the fact that D.J. Mbenga has a publicist. I could go on and on.

[Interrohater]

Gee, a lot of fellatio going on around here.

[Stringer_Bell]

Dejuan Blair is not as intriguing as Baron Davis, Chris Cohan, and Khloe Kardashian?

[Leetonidas]

Duncan has nothing.

Yeah...that 1999 team was something else in the playoffs. 15-2 is pretty damn good, and they were one of the best defensive teams ever. Young Tim and slightly post-prime Robinson and Elliott, Elie, Avery, etc...that team was awesome.

[Leetonidas]

double post

[phxspurfan]

Yeah...that 1999 team was something else in the playoffs. 15-2 is pretty damn good, and they were one of the best defensive teams ever. Young Tim and slightly post-prime Robinson and Elliott, Elie, Avery, etc...that team was awesome.

I'm sorry but Elie and Avery were garbage. Avery made like 1 good shot and is way overrated around here. Elie was like Anthony Mason, Otis Thorpe and all the other token loud-mouthed frontcourt enforcers every championship or good playoff team has had.

Basically like all the other 'great' role players homers talk about when reminiscing about how their team went (or almost went) all the way that one season. Like Rick Fox, Dennis Scott, Corliss Williamson, Bobby Jackson, etc. All these guys were good, no doubt, but in no way do they make a great team 'the best.'

I lived in San Francisco at the time the Spurs won their 1st le and I'll tell you that a much smaller portion of America was watching when the Spurs won it all. Basically fewer people kept up that year because of the lockout and, although we knew the Twin Towers were good, the Spurs' le that year was basically the commercial break between us exhaling from the "Go John Stockton, win one for the underdogs" Jazz-Bulls years and the 'F the Lakers' dominant years.

[Mr. Body]

Asterisk aside, how much of the Spurs' dominance in '99 can be attributed to the talent on the team and how much can be attributed to the fact the rest of the league was lagging behind due to not having practiced or gotten in physical condition?

A lot of it. Fine team, great memories, but highly overrated by some around here. Definitely a champion, though.

[Spurtacus]

Lets hope Bill is right.

[Findog]

Asterisk aside, how much of the Spurs' dominance in '99 can be attributed to the talent on the team and how much can be attributed to the fact the rest of the league was lagging behind due to not having practiced or gotten in physical condition?

Bingo. It was a terrible season.

[FromWayDowntown]

I think one problem with thinking that this Spurs team will end up being the sort of juggernaut that Simmons suggests is that Pop has made it quite clear that the regular season goal is (and has been for years) to win what you can while monitoring minutes and coaxing players through the season. With that strategy in mind, Pop has been able to win division le after division le, despite affirmatively giving away plausibly-winnable games along the way -- anyone remember that game in Denver last February?

It's hard to leave everyone believing that you're a juggernaut if you're willing to give away games that would inflate your win total.

And I don't know that the strength of the West or the top of the East will really allow anyone to breeze through the playoffs in juggernaut-type fashion.

[hater]

I think one problem with thinking that this Spurs team will end up being the sort of juggernaut that Simmons suggests is that Pop has made it quite clear that the regular season goal is (and has been for years) to win what you can while monitoring minutes and coaxing players through the season. With that strategy in mind, Pop has been able to win division le after division le, despite affirmatively giving away plausibly-winnable games along the way -- anyone remember that game in Denver last February?

It's hard to leave everyone believing that you're a juggernaut if you're willing to give away games that would inflate your win total.

And I don't know that the strength of the West or the top of the East will really allow anyone to breeze through the playoffs in juggernaut-type fashion.

I don't think he mentioned the regular season specifically did he? He probably meants stomping through the playoffs to a le. like the 3peat lakers (who were slow in regular season)

[phxspurfan]

I think one problem with thinking that this Spurs team will end up being the sort of juggernaut that Simmons suggests is that Pop has made it quite clear that the regular season goal is (and has been for years) to win what you can while monitoring minutes and coaxing players through the season. With that strategy in mind, Pop has been able to win division le after division le, despite affirmatively giving away plausibly-winnable games along the way -- anyone remember that game in Denver last February?

It's hard to leave everyone believing that you're a juggernaut if you're willing to give away games that would inflate your win total.

And I don't know that the strength of the West or the top of the East will really allow anyone to breeze through the playoffs in juggernaut-type fashion.

Exactly. Pop could give a flying phuc about how entertaining we are, what BSPN reporters say about our 'dominance in the pantheon of champions' or the number of blowout wins we have accrued during regular season games. Bump this if we sweep through the West and Celtics 4-0.

[Seventyniner]

I'm just surprised that BS basically said that the Spurs are going to "convincingly" win the le. I can see the Spurs potentially winning it all, but I can't see it being easy.

[#2!]

How about last year's Lakers le with a *

Manu was out, so the Spurs were done.
Garnett was out, so the Celtics were done.
Both of those teams would have beaten LA.

Cleveland's coach has no idea on offense, so Cleveland had no shot
Jameer Nelson was hurt yet tried to play in the Finals and played at 40%. Still, Orlando gave two games, if not three, to LA as gifts.

Last year's Laker team was lucky, not good.

not according to the spurs

[exstatic]

Asterisk aside, how much of the Spurs' dominance in '99 can be attributed to the talent on the team and how much can be attributed to the fact the rest of the league was lagging behind due to not having practiced or gotten in physical condition?

Everyone played under the same conditions. No one knew when the strike would end, or the season begin. The Spurs even spotted the league a 6-8 start. Then, they dominated like no one's business, finishing 31-5, and then 15-2 for the playoffs. That's an .867 stretch run and playoffs (46-7) for you folks keeping score at home.

[Nathan Explosion]

He also said that Rudy Gay would probably be available during the season. If that were to happen, Gay for Bonner works perfectly straight up. Throw in a pick to look good for the fans and I'd do it. And Chris Wallace might be dumb enough to do it too.

I'm not picking on Bonner. It's just his contract matches straight up while Finley would need another contract.

[Rumsfeld]

Eh, Simmons is still a Boston toolbag. Picking the Spurs doesn't change that.

Granted, but give him the credit for having the stones to pick the spurs. If i have to hear another national "analyst" going out on a limb and picking the lakers and then saying the spurs are a legitimate contender if they stay healthy, I'm gonna friggin puke. o jack asses if ANY team loses key players to injuries they're going to suck!

[wildbill2u]

Eh, Simmons is still a Boston toolbag. Picking the Spurs doesn't change that.

I find it rather neat that he's such a Boston fan and still loves to watch the Spurs and picks them to win it all over Boston and the East.

How many Spurs homers would do the same.

[Phenomanul]

Bingo. It was a terrible season.

And exactly what advantage did the Spurs have that the rest of the league didn't?

[TIMMYD!]

Granted, but give him the credit for having the stones to pick the spurs. If i have to hear another national "analyst" going out on a limb and picking the lakers and then saying the spurs are a legitimate contender if they stay healthy, I'm gonna friggin puke. o jack asses if ANY team loses key players to injuries they're going to suck!

I hate when ing analysts do that when their giving their picks and say the spurs as long as they are healthy will be a contender but they don't even think about this happening to other teams.

[HarlemHeat37]

Bill also predicted my Broncos to go 10-6 when EVERYBODY else in the media predicted we would be horrible, and we're 6-0 so far, so he's off to a good prediction..hopefully this one will be similar..

[elbamba]

I'm sorry but Elie and Avery were garbage. Avery made like 1 good shot and is way overrated around here. Elie was like Anthony Mason, Otis Thorpe and all the other token loud-mouthed frontcourt enforcers every championship or good playoff team has had.

Basically like all the other 'great' role players homers talk about when reminiscing about how their team went (or almost went) all the way that one season. Like Rick Fox, Dennis Scott, Corliss Williamson, Bobby Jackson, etc. All these guys were good, no doubt, but in no way do they make a great team 'the best.'

I lived in San Francisco at the time the Spurs won their 1st le and I'll tell you that a much smaller portion of America was watching when the Spurs won it all. Basically fewer people kept up that year because of the lockout and, although we knew the Twin Towers were good, the Spurs' le that year was basically the commercial break between us exhaling from the "Go John Stockton, win one for the underdogs" Jazz-Bulls years and the 'F the Lakers' dominant years.

Either you were not alive in 1999 or you did not bother to watch that team play. Avery put up 20 ppg in the Minnesota series. He dominated in the Portland series as well, sticking it to Damon who had made claims that no team run by avery would ever win a championship.

That team destoryed a laker team that had shaq and Kobe. That team destroyed a Portland team that took LA to 7 games the next year. That team dominated the last couple months of the season. THat team would have won 65 games that year if the whole season had been played, they were that good and that dominant on defense.

[elbamba]

I hate when ing analysts do that when their giving their picks and say the spurs as long as they are healthy will be a contender but they don't even think about this happening to other teams.

I think that this is because other teams can win through injuries, unless it is Kobe. THe Lakers have won without players like Bynum because when it is all said and done he is overrated and not that important to LA.

The celtics lost last year because they did not have KG, it is a given that he has to be healthy, although they picked up a pretty solid insurance plan in Wallace.

THe spurs need the big three healthy or we do not stand a chance. Manu has shown that this is true the last two years. A healthy Tim and TOny could not get us past LA in 2008.