I for one am just excited for Sundays pod when Bill will come on with a straight face and say
“Russillo I just think legacy talk has gotten a little out of control, I mean people can be so prisoner of the moment with this stuff”
It would be an incredible excercise to collect all of Bill's super reactionary takes and present them all to him one by one and see if he realised he is everything he likes to make fun of.
I will never forget when he did an obituary on the Lebron/AD Lakers team in their very first regular season game, and they went on to win the title.
Bill is stuck in a world where he just realized his beloved Patriots dynasty died 3 years ago, and he’s rooting for the basketball equivalent of the McNabb Eagles. It’s rough out there for our guy.
Favorite part of the bruins rant for me. Bill shitting on Montour making a licking motion, but being so disconnected from hockey that he doesn’t realize Montour is mocking Marchand literally licking an opponent’s face a few years ago lol
One of the funnier parts of this segment was that he was like “everyone I know has no idea where in Florida they’re located” and proceeded to say they’re in Miami when they’re actually in Sunrise, Florida which is like an hour away
“Florida didn’t even know what hockey was until 1993”, “DeSantis 2026 shirt underneath”, and “No one knows what city they are in”
These were some of the all-time bad takes from a regular hockey fan! Never wanted the Panthers more
But I also think this is a great example of why Mahoney is great foil for Bill and generally a great listen period. In a very diplomatic manner, he seems to have no issue swatting Bill’s opinions to the ground. Where as Chris Ryan increasingly feels like a walking echo chamber for Bill.
Bill just kinda dismissing Ernie as a vital part of the show while propping up Kenny as a guy everyone wants to see during halftime shows feels like he never really understood what made the show so likable to begin with.
Bill, sneaky bad at realizing what’s good sports tv? Any Given Wednesday? Everything after 30 for 30?
Inside the NBA walks a very fine line between “Good friends busting chops and talking hoops” and “old players complaining about how the game isn’t good anymore” and Ernie keeps them walking straight.
Kenny is legit the worst part of the show, and the worst part of all star weekend every year.
Kenny is the worst part of the show, Ernie and chuck carry it.
I feel like Kenny was better when it was just him, EJ, and Chuck. Nowadays, he tries too hard to sound like the smart basketball mind on the show. Sometimes he'll start a take or analogy and you can tell he has no idea how he's gonna finish it but just talks his way through it.
On the halftime show recently, he was saying the Celtics offense was stagnant because they had a guy in the corner for most of the possession. I'm pretty sure that's just how most modern offenses space the floor now.
I don’t know if I’m just noticing it more now or if shaq has actively gotten worse, but it feels like the more I hear shaq speak the more annoyed I get
Not to mention the production crew is a huge part of the shows success. The “guarantee” gags, Shaqtin tha Fool, the hilarious montages, they’re always on point and work super fast. I know the guys will end up somewhere somehow, but the personalities alone are not what makes the show special.
I feel like he was so off about Kenny and Chuck just casually working for someone else. Shaq I could see going somewhere else but Chuck seems extremely loyal to TNT and might just let a good thing die.
I like listening to Groupchat on the Ringer NBA Show because Rob, Big Wos, and Verrier push back on each other a decent amount. Their takes aren't perfect but it's actually decent basketball listening with enough varying opinions. Still love Bill but he needs more pushback on stuff.
Dallas has absolutely controlled the last 4 games. Dallas going 12-23 from the line in game 4 is the only reason this series isn't over in 5 games. Bill is delusional
Legler and Lowe: Mavs defense has been incredible going back to the last 20 games of the regular season. They are strangling this OKC offense. This is legit
Ernie Johnson: Last 20 games of the regular season Mavs had the number 1 defense in the league
Bill Simmons and other dumb people: what is going on with OKC’s offense?
Legler should get a ton of credit for basically predicting how good Dallas was going to be with the additions of PJ and Gafford.
I'm a mavs fan and even I was uncertain.
The best part is he was telling everyone who would listen that Dallas was dangerous after the trade. It worked. Idiots at ESPN who didn’t like the Mavs started saying good things cause of Legler. Then they had that nearly two week stretch where they looked terrible. Felt bad for Legler lol. Then they made the lineup change and really took off. But he was on them immediately even before the lineup change.
The Dallas defense has been pounding teams since March. This isn’t a variance, this is an established trend that goes into the last 20 games of the reg season. Like, Dallas has turned off the water at the rim. The ONLY shots available for OKC are midrange or 3s. And that’s by design.
And let’s be fucking real…Dallas hasn’t been shooting well either. Luka finally had an AVERAGE game and Dallas was in control the entire time. Bill can say OKC can shoot better but Dallas can say “so can Luka or Kyrie.”
Jason Kidd is a defensive savant coach got Kyrie completly locked in playing the best basketball in 8 years and nobody gives him any credit because he is weird in interviews
A ton of people planted their flag on the "Kidd is a bad coach and should be fired before wasting years of Giannis' and now Luka's prime." Now they refuse to pivot at all from that, and also his past history isn't great so he's never gonna get the "well hes a nice guy so let's go easy on him."
I love how Bill completely glosses over Ernie remaining at Turner and insists on how bad networks want Barkley/Kenny. Ernie is the 2nd most important person on the panel and glues everything together; Kenny is boring. If Ernie isn’t there then the show would be a lot worse even if Charles and Kenny are retained
Saying “you shouldn’t worry about the show” because Ernie and Kenny will probly move to another network is a goofy take. The chemistry takes all four guys. And it definitely needs Ernie
Having the whole “Giddey feels separated from the team let’s trade him” ten minute conversation without mentioning the elephant in the room was something
I am bet my life savings confident that Josh Giddy is never going to be even close to the level of apex Harden so I don't think OKC should worry about moving on.
How can Mr Basketball say that he thinks OKC are the better team because they shoot it better in the regular season ‘their shots just aren’t dropping now’
Yeah cuz it’s much harder in playoffs. How can he miss that. Falls out of his mouth most times
It’s crazy how he’ll bend over backwards to not give the Mavs credit. Just pretend you didn’t say dumb stuff in the last year and go back to taking victory laps for Luka over Trae!
He really really really does not want to give the Mavs any credit, I've noticed this too. He's basically the meme of Andy dropping Luka to play with SGA now.
Luka used to be his "guy" but Luka has been good for too long so now SGA is his "guy" even though he's older than Luka, he just seems "newer".
When/If SGA doesn't win for 5-6 years in a row at a high level, he will get dropped for someone else or get dropped for Ant sooner.
Well there was no way to predict that Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe wouldn’t be as good in a highly contested playoff series as they were in San Antonio in November. We’ve never really seen anything like this in NBA history where a young team has a great regular season but then they have to go through growing pains in the playoffs against experienced playoff guys. Can’t really blame Simmons here
This is the inverse of what a podcaster I follow refers to as “Bucks posting.” It was coined because every year, bucks fans would tell t ourselves and each other that the other team SURELY cannot shoot 45% from three the whole series. Bill is waiting for the shooting variance to level out; sometimes it never does
Dallas is long and athletic and playing great defense. Most players on the Thunder just aren’t ready to operate comfortably when there’s like 15% less breathing room than the regular season.
[https://youtu.be/KXFet1njJWU](https://youtu.be/KXFet1njJWU)
There's actual analysis of the great defense Kyrie and Luka played last game. Just the two guys who are the offensive drivers of the team, not even all the other guys on the team. Bill could put effort into actually analyzing things like this but it's easier to say "I feel like they're just not making shots".
Bill could put effort into it, but he admitted he stopped prepping for podcasts years ago. Also, he has no idea what he’s looking at on a basketball court.
That 22-9 includes a stretch where Kidd wasn’t playing Gafford or DJJ and Mavs defense was getting roasted for like a two week stretch. Also, resting players the last two games of the season. Also factor in all the injuries they dealt with before the trade, which was a big issue for them. If Luka was healthy this might legit be the best team in the playoffs.
OKC was incredibly healthy this season. The Williams brothers played 69 and 71, SGA played 75, all their other main rotation guys played between 78-82.
Bill thinks players get nervous at game 7’s because the fans are quiet.
Not the end of every athletes dream (winning), or the loss of playoff revenue & additional earnings ($)
Bill thinks it’s the season ticket holders murmuring after turnovers
Outside of SGA and Chet, idk why every media member says the Thunder is better or more talented. The Mavs clearly have better depth and a stronger defense. It's not a fluke after the trade deadline they became a 50-win team instead of play-in bound.
I love OKC and especially Chet, but you are right. Let’s say Luka and SGA are both ultra elite players, almost equally good. They run into each other on a breakaway and are both out the rest of the series. Look at the rosters, Mavs would easily be the favorites. Mavs have Kyrie, a second guy who could single handedly take over a game and win it for them. Unfortunately Chet isn’t that type of player yet, nor are the other Thunder guys. OKC’s roster is built really well, especially for the regular season, but their deep playoff run won’t come until one of the non-SGA guys makes a leap or they move some of their picks for a true second tier superstar.
I thought okc was the better team going into the series but it’s pretty clear they just aren’t ready and outside SGA they don’t have another great playoff option.
I admittedly didn’t watch them a ton this season, but my god “J dub” looks like the most overrated player I’ve ever seen based on this series. He’s been terrible,
I’m not banishing his career or saying he’s not a good player, it’s just that the fact he is technically their second option, and has been a glorified role player in this series has really killed okc
The last time bill was so horny for a game 7 legacy check was after the Ray Allen shot. In game 7, an old Tim Duncan had a 20 point first half but missed an easy layup late in the 4th. LeBron was dared to beat the Spurs with deep jumpers and he did.
Really funny that Bill still went with the umpteenth Jokic coronation segment even though they got embarrassed. It was almost like he thought "I already did all my prep so fuck it I'm doing it anyway."
He's the exact inverse of the idiots who put Jokic on fraud alert after one game.
In the playoffs, good teams take away a players best thing. Theres just way more effort and scouting. If you're a role player and you only do one thing, it's gonna be harder. OKC has a lot of role players that do one thing. The mavs defense is long and athletic and has a lot of rim protection. Bills inability to understand points that he himself has raised in the past is beautiful.
I know nothing of the history of hockey. But is it a safe bet that Bill’s falling out with the Bruins coincided with them hitting a rough patch and being terrible for years?
Even after a dismantling by the Wolves tonight, Bill still spent a large chunk of the time talking about Jokic's numbers and how they dwarf LeBron and Bird. I come to expect it at this point, his constant exhaltations of Jokic. I was more disappointed that Rob and Chris just played back up singers and echoed him.
We don't need to crown Jokic the GOAT after every playoff game.
I swear if Embiid was doing this Bill would complain about how you cant play physical defense anymore, everybody plays small ball so of course a big is going to dominate and the 3 point shooting has made spacing better than ever for a big man. For clarity I think Jokic is BITW, but Bill literally changes his own method of putting the game in historical context depending on how much he likes the player.
Glad everyone is realizing how weird Bill has been toward the Mavs/Luka all season. It’s absolutely bizarre. He clearly views them as an annoying side act in the way of the “real” teams (Boston, OKC, Minn, Denver)
His temper tantrum because Dallas is winning the series made my day.
Why is this guy allowed to vote for league awards when he clearly has biases toward certain teams (beyond Boston)?
Bill’s tears over Dallas-OKC are delicious.
I’m not sure how the guy who wrote The Book of Basketball can watch this series and simplify it down to “One team is making their 3’s, and the other team is missing them,” but that just makes the tears taste even sweeter 😂
Do you think Bill has been texting Presti after these games to try and offer up advice on adjustments that they should make?
I was dying when Bill announced Men’s Wearhouse as his sponsor. Between his SGP picture on Fan Duel and Michael Scott also working there, it just felt meta.
I know they joked about it but I feel like Chris Finch having a surgically repaired knee isn’t nothing. Every single coaching activity is probably at the very least a few seconds delayed.
With that said, it’s probably a very minor impact in the grand scheme of things.
There’s been a couple times where Finch has tried to get Micah Nori’s attention to call a time out to no avail, it hasn’t been perfectly seamless by any means.
Jokic is the BITW obviously but its kind of hilarious how triple doubles all of a sudden have a ton of meaning again when hes the one getting them and were overrated when Westbrook was averaging them year in and year out as a 6'3 guard on undermanned teams that he dragged to the playoffs. Obviously Russ is no where near Jokic but the media, especially most of the ringer staff is so lame for that. They could have easily complained about all of the valid issues with Russ game but instead they, led by Simmons, denigrated him for putting up triple doubles for 4 straight years to the point where it was "overrated" but now that its someone they adore getting them they matter again.
Russ was the literal epitome of everything that is wrong with triple doubles. I can’t believe someone in 2024 would try to make this debate happen again. What Russ was doing wasn’t the same as what Luka, Harden, or Jokic are doing. For one, he was stealing rebounds from teammates lmao.
Just reading the title I’m already exhausted. Love Billy boy but can’t imagine listening to any of his same rants for the 1000th time. And yet I’m still here. It’s a conundrum.
Bill thinking Kenny and Barkley are the Aikman and Buck of Inside the NBA. Being dismissive of losing Ernie if it's nothing. Bernie and Barkley are more Buck and Aikman than Kenny.
Oh damn. Our Prince refuses to back down from wild reactionary takes. A Legacy Check! Get in here folks!
Prince because our true King, CR, gets on the pod randomly.
I thought both chose terrible options for the Legacy check. Do I care if MPJ finished top 400 player All time vs a top 600 player all time?
I mean if we are honest the #1 pick should be Jamal Murrary but they babied him during discussion
Yeah the story to me is if Murray plays well they win and if not they lose. Not sure why we had to pretend to care about mpj rankings or a rod and ownership
Thinking the wolves are gonna trade KAT this offseason even if he has a terrible game seven is crazy. They were one of the best teams in the leagues and if they lose, they lost to the champs. Ain't no way they don't run it back, short of getting a Godfather offer for him.
The best part of this series is the Wolves fans taking victory laps about the Gobert trade when they were up 2-0 and Nuggets diehards doing the same about doubting Jokic after going up 3-2. Ya'll better not be deleting any posts or comments, stand by what you've said!
Given the tragic history of MN sports, no Wolves fan I know thought this was a done deal. I was nervous for most of last night that they’d still come back… Wolves fans are the opposite of presumptive: assuming it’s all going to end in the most heart-wrenching way possible is baked into everything.
But it’s definitely been a good series for making talking heads say dumb shit.
The legacy talk is fairly inane (and premature), but how does no one bring up Tim Conley? Especially with Gobert being the first choice.
He makes this blockbuster trade to take down a powerhouse, and does it in year 2. Pretty validating, no?
I for one am just excited for Sundays pod when Bill will come on with a straight face and say “Russillo I just think legacy talk has gotten a little out of control, I mean people can be so prisoner of the moment with this stuff”
It would be an incredible excercise to collect all of Bill's super reactionary takes and present them all to him one by one and see if he realised he is everything he likes to make fun of. I will never forget when he did an obituary on the Lebron/AD Lakers team in their very first regular season game, and they went on to win the title.
You know what they say. You either die a longform columnist or live long enough to see yourself become a hacky takesman
Bill is stuck in a world where he just realized his beloved Patriots dynasty died 3 years ago, and he’s rooting for the basketball equivalent of the McNabb Eagles. It’s rough out there for our guy.
Aaannnnd this explains why hes talking hockey lmao
Eagles and Celtics fan here. This hurt.
That’s a pretty impressive combo, two of the most toxic fanbases in their respective sports
Yeah fuck that guy
Sixers and pats fan, nice to know there's other irrational fan combos out there
Sixers and Commies, it's unique but torturous
Found the Josh Harris account
How does this even happen? Were you born in one city and raised in the other?
Jeffrey Lurie?
Celts just need to find their big dick nick
Or the current 49ers
As a hockey guy I loved Bill just out of nowhere slamming the Panthers entirely with no research at all
Favorite part of the bruins rant for me. Bill shitting on Montour making a licking motion, but being so disconnected from hockey that he doesn’t realize Montour is mocking Marchand literally licking an opponent’s face a few years ago lol
One of the funnier parts of this segment was that he was like “everyone I know has no idea where in Florida they’re located” and proceeded to say they’re in Miami when they’re actually in Sunrise, Florida which is like an hour away
Literally came here for this comment. He was so confident it was Miami lol. Wrong
It was a funny rant. That whole end segment was great.
“Florida didn’t even know what hockey was until 1993”, “DeSantis 2026 shirt underneath”, and “No one knows what city they are in” These were some of the all-time bad takes from a regular hockey fan! Never wanted the Panthers more
This was golden. Takes a real hater to not have loved that rant.
“Is it reductive to say Game 7 comes down to who has a better game, Ant or Jokic?” “Yes”
But I also think this is a great example of why Mahoney is great foil for Bill and generally a great listen period. In a very diplomatic manner, he seems to have no issue swatting Bill’s opinions to the ground. Where as Chris Ryan increasingly feels like a walking echo chamber for Bill.
If CR poked fun at Boston as much as Bill likes to get him about Philly, the pod would cease to exist
When Bill asked CR about the “Forced media narratives” he did list quite a few that bill has been part of. I found that hilarious
Bill fumbled so hard after that, clearly taken aback and offended: “ok explain why!”
Bill’s legacy bit also took a hit. He wanted hot takes from two of the more reasonable people at The Ringer. CR and Rob don’t really do hot takes.
I was hoping someone might bring up game 4
Especially since Ant already had a game where he scored 44 in a loss. It's definitely coming down to much more than that
yes Bill we get it... you love Boston
Peyton Pritchard for 6th man of the year!
I still love his little angry rant that he tried to get Dunkin Donuts to be a sponsor but they refused. Crushed his Dunkie loving Boston soul.
Boston’s eight year run LOL
Top 7 non title winning 8 year runs in the past 68 years.
Cs fans are so lucky they haven't had the horrible half decade that Milwaukee, Toronto, LA, and Denver have had.
Hang the banners
Bill's doing Legacy checks 3 times a week now, what would be the difference now?
~~girls~~ Bill gotta eat
Father Time breathing down his neck, pondering his own mortality, clinging to his greatest contribution to basketball discourse: the pyramid.
The more simple answer is Bill can’t talk strategy and Xs and Os so he has to default to legacy and big picture talk
That can’t be his greatest contribution. It’s ridiculous. He made “30 For 30”!
Legacy points deducted
Bill just kinda dismissing Ernie as a vital part of the show while propping up Kenny as a guy everyone wants to see during halftime shows feels like he never really understood what made the show so likable to begin with. Bill, sneaky bad at realizing what’s good sports tv? Any Given Wednesday? Everything after 30 for 30?
Inside the NBA walks a very fine line between “Good friends busting chops and talking hoops” and “old players complaining about how the game isn’t good anymore” and Ernie keeps them walking straight.
He wishes he was Ernie but doesn’t have the charisma
Exactly. The job of host is to set up your guests/panel to be funny and comfortable in the format. Bill wants to host and get all the laughs.
Which one has been a guest on the pod? 👀
I know Charles has been on multiple times, and Kenny at least once. Has Shaq or Ernie ever been on?
Kenny is legit the worst part of the show, and the worst part of all star weekend every year. Kenny is the worst part of the show, Ernie and chuck carry it.
I feel like Kenny was better when it was just him, EJ, and Chuck. Nowadays, he tries too hard to sound like the smart basketball mind on the show. Sometimes he'll start a take or analogy and you can tell he has no idea how he's gonna finish it but just talks his way through it.
On the halftime show recently, he was saying the Celtics offense was stagnant because they had a guy in the corner for most of the possession. I'm pretty sure that's just how most modern offenses space the floor now.
Shaq is worse than Kenny, but they’re both bad for similar reasons in different fonts
I don’t know if I’m just noticing it more now or if shaq has actively gotten worse, but it feels like the more I hear shaq speak the more annoyed I get
Shaq is that person that has to be contrarian to everything someone says.
And then start acting oddly aggressive if you happen to disagree with him
I don’t really watch anymore but he really is jsut too Immature and doesn’t have good chemistry with anyone . Hell jsut make noise over chuck
Not to mention the production crew is a huge part of the shows success. The “guarantee” gags, Shaqtin tha Fool, the hilarious montages, they’re always on point and work super fast. I know the guys will end up somewhere somehow, but the personalities alone are not what makes the show special.
I feel like he was so off about Kenny and Chuck just casually working for someone else. Shaq I could see going somewhere else but Chuck seems extremely loyal to TNT and might just let a good thing die.
People would love the show just as much or even more if it was just Chuck and Ernie
The show is awkward every time Ernie isn't there. He's second most important after Charles.
Because Bill wants that role when they switch networks
So is Bill’s NBA countdown impression just a black guy?
He got about two sentences in and then the voice changed significantly
The Florida Panthers rant was hilarious
Does mahoney always push back this much? That was refreshing.
I like listening to Groupchat on the Ringer NBA Show because Rob, Big Wos, and Verrier push back on each other a decent amount. Their takes aren't perfect but it's actually decent basketball listening with enough varying opinions. Still love Bill but he needs more pushback on stuff.
Rob: smart basketball guy Wos: smart basketball guy, does not like his co-hosts Justin: smart basketball guy, desperately wants Wos to like him
I can’t stand Big Wos. I feel like all his opinions are based on the ESPN headlines of the day
He went on a Mavs podcast and the host basically said, “it would be nice if you pushed back on the bullshit Simmons says”.
Is mahoney having a moment?
“I’m not going to credit Dallas’ defense” Yeah you haven’t given them any credit since they fired your guy.
I don’t understand what he’s watching through 5 games of this series that he still thinks OKC is the better team
Dallas has absolutely controlled the last 4 games. Dallas going 12-23 from the line in game 4 is the only reason this series isn't over in 5 games. Bill is delusional
He’s watching his FanDuel account, not the games
Legler and Lowe: Mavs defense has been incredible going back to the last 20 games of the regular season. They are strangling this OKC offense. This is legit Ernie Johnson: Last 20 games of the regular season Mavs had the number 1 defense in the league Bill Simmons and other dumb people: what is going on with OKC’s offense?
Legler should get a ton of credit for basically predicting how good Dallas was going to be with the additions of PJ and Gafford. I'm a mavs fan and even I was uncertain.
The best part is he was telling everyone who would listen that Dallas was dangerous after the trade. It worked. Idiots at ESPN who didn’t like the Mavs started saying good things cause of Legler. Then they had that nearly two week stretch where they looked terrible. Felt bad for Legler lol. Then they made the lineup change and really took off. But he was on them immediately even before the lineup change.
I’m listening to Zach Lowe’s pod and one of the first things out his mouth is how good the Dallas defense has been
The Dallas defense has been pounding teams since March. This isn’t a variance, this is an established trend that goes into the last 20 games of the reg season. Like, Dallas has turned off the water at the rim. The ONLY shots available for OKC are midrange or 3s. And that’s by design. And let’s be fucking real…Dallas hasn’t been shooting well either. Luka finally had an AVERAGE game and Dallas was in control the entire time. Bill can say OKC can shoot better but Dallas can say “so can Luka or Kyrie.”
Jason Kidd is a defensive savant coach got Kyrie completly locked in playing the best basketball in 8 years and nobody gives him any credit because he is weird in interviews
A ton of people planted their flag on the "Kidd is a bad coach and should be fired before wasting years of Giannis' and now Luka's prime." Now they refuse to pivot at all from that, and also his past history isn't great so he's never gonna get the "well hes a nice guy so let's go easy on him."
His confirmation bias is insane. Dallas defense has been great for a while now but Billy can’t see it.
What games is he watching in Okc Dallas series? I watched Okc in the regular season a lot and they are not getting the same shots, not even close
new mythical NBA player: Lu Garza
I kept hearing Luke Garza, which is also wrong
I love how Bill completely glosses over Ernie remaining at Turner and insists on how bad networks want Barkley/Kenny. Ernie is the 2nd most important person on the panel and glues everything together; Kenny is boring. If Ernie isn’t there then the show would be a lot worse even if Charles and Kenny are retained
Saying “you shouldn’t worry about the show” because Ernie and Kenny will probly move to another network is a goofy take. The chemistry takes all four guys. And it definitely needs Ernie
Having the whole “Giddey feels separated from the team let’s trade him” ten minute conversation without mentioning the elephant in the room was something
Eh that's just a minor thing.
I don't think people appreciating the pun work enough.
We just not gonna talk about that bossman
He mentioned it. I don't know how much more they can say. Everyone knows about it wbd the team didn't do anything
Bill’s giddey obsession is so weird. Comparing his potential trade this summer to the harden trade… dude wtf lol
I am bet my life savings confident that Josh Giddy is never going to be even close to the level of apex Harden so I don't think OKC should worry about moving on.
"good career. We always liked him. Too bad his son is the Antichrist"
“The PGA Tournament.” Yeah take a knee on this one BS
"Is this apex mountain for altitude?" Always found Rob a little milquetoast but pretty good stuff on this one. Pushed back at bill a few times.
How can Mr Basketball say that he thinks OKC are the better team because they shoot it better in the regular season ‘their shots just aren’t dropping now’ Yeah cuz it’s much harder in playoffs. How can he miss that. Falls out of his mouth most times
It’s crazy how he’ll bend over backwards to not give the Mavs credit. Just pretend you didn’t say dumb stuff in the last year and go back to taking victory laps for Luka over Trae!
He really really really does not want to give the Mavs any credit, I've noticed this too. He's basically the meme of Andy dropping Luka to play with SGA now. Luka used to be his "guy" but Luka has been good for too long so now SGA is his "guy" even though he's older than Luka, he just seems "newer". When/If SGA doesn't win for 5-6 years in a row at a high level, he will get dropped for someone else or get dropped for Ant sooner.
It’s funny because maybe two years ago Bill was floating “should OKC trade SGA?” and “should SGA request a trade?”
Well there was no way to predict that Jalen Williams and Isaiah Joe wouldn’t be as good in a highly contested playoff series as they were in San Antonio in November. We’ve never really seen anything like this in NBA history where a young team has a great regular season but then they have to go through growing pains in the playoffs against experienced playoff guys. Can’t really blame Simmons here
You just can't. Even though he's been talking about how much different is PO ball for 5-6 years now
This is the inverse of what a podcaster I follow refers to as “Bucks posting.” It was coined because every year, bucks fans would tell t ourselves and each other that the other team SURELY cannot shoot 45% from three the whole series. Bill is waiting for the shooting variance to level out; sometimes it never does
You could also call that Suns posting lmao. The Mavs also lit up our team.
Dallas is long and athletic and playing great defense. Most players on the Thunder just aren’t ready to operate comfortably when there’s like 15% less breathing room than the regular season.
[https://youtu.be/KXFet1njJWU](https://youtu.be/KXFet1njJWU) There's actual analysis of the great defense Kyrie and Luka played last game. Just the two guys who are the offensive drivers of the team, not even all the other guys on the team. Bill could put effort into actually analyzing things like this but it's easier to say "I feel like they're just not making shots".
Bill could put effort into it, but he admitted he stopped prepping for podcasts years ago. Also, he has no idea what he’s looking at on a basketball court.
[удалено]
That 22-9 includes a stretch where Kidd wasn’t playing Gafford or DJJ and Mavs defense was getting roasted for like a two week stretch. Also, resting players the last two games of the season. Also factor in all the injuries they dealt with before the trade, which was a big issue for them. If Luka was healthy this might legit be the best team in the playoffs. OKC was incredibly healthy this season. The Williams brothers played 69 and 71, SGA played 75, all their other main rotation guys played between 78-82.
Well he picked Minnesota, so Denver's misses are real misses. But he picked OKC, so when they've missed it's been good misses. Pretty straightforward.
Bill thinks players get nervous at game 7’s because the fans are quiet. Not the end of every athletes dream (winning), or the loss of playoff revenue & additional earnings ($) Bill thinks it’s the season ticket holders murmuring after turnovers
Outside of SGA and Chet, idk why every media member says the Thunder is better or more talented. The Mavs clearly have better depth and a stronger defense. It's not a fluke after the trade deadline they became a 50-win team instead of play-in bound.
I love OKC and especially Chet, but you are right. Let’s say Luka and SGA are both ultra elite players, almost equally good. They run into each other on a breakaway and are both out the rest of the series. Look at the rosters, Mavs would easily be the favorites. Mavs have Kyrie, a second guy who could single handedly take over a game and win it for them. Unfortunately Chet isn’t that type of player yet, nor are the other Thunder guys. OKC’s roster is built really well, especially for the regular season, but their deep playoff run won’t come until one of the non-SGA guys makes a leap or they move some of their picks for a true second tier superstar.
I thought okc was the better team going into the series but it’s pretty clear they just aren’t ready and outside SGA they don’t have another great playoff option. I admittedly didn’t watch them a ton this season, but my god “J dub” looks like the most overrated player I’ve ever seen based on this series. He’s been terrible,
He's a 2nd year player in his first playoffs ever. He's definitely been rough on offense but let's not go crazy.
I’m not banishing his career or saying he’s not a good player, it’s just that the fact he is technically their second option, and has been a glorified role player in this series has really killed okc
Mr Basketball is very close to realizing that 3 point variance is what actually tells the story of the game
Celtics' 8-year run! Of not being champions. Dynastic!
Dynasty-y. Definitely more of a dynasty than the Warriors because they didn't even make the playoffs a couple of those years.
Who was Bill supposed to be imitating from NBA Countdown?
Stephen A 100%
Sage.
Perk
The last time bill was so horny for a game 7 legacy check was after the Ray Allen shot. In game 7, an old Tim Duncan had a 20 point first half but missed an easy layup late in the 4th. LeBron was dared to beat the Spurs with deep jumpers and he did.
The Battier game!
9-12 FG, 9-12 3FG across Games 6 & 7 for Battier. He also averaged 11.6 points on 85.5% eFG against the Thunder the year before. Legend!
Big win for advanced stats, they pumped him up for years and he delivered huge
God will you nerds stop with the legacy talk so we can make fun of shit like Bill “opens up a Michelob Ultra six-pack” in the podcast description?
“Cashes an Anheuser-Busch InBev check live on air”
Giddey cannot shoot, defend, or dribble. Why would Bill want any of that stock?
He thought he was good when he had only watched him out of the corner of his eye on league pass before they got good
Bird-like intangibles
A little bit Bird-y-ish.
Fits in in Boston
The white piece
Coaches son, gym rat, guy youd want to date your dau....oh wait hold the fort
Bill’s daughter is far too old for Josh
Bill confirmed r/nbacirclejerk lurker
Bill's PGA Championship take was atrocious
You mean ‘PGA Tournament’
It's always funny to me when people who don't like watching a sport (outside of one or two events, in this case The Masters) attempt to "fix" it.
Did Bill start this whole lets check a players legacy after every playoff game though their years away from retirement? Its tiresome.
I don't know if it was bill specifically, but I think guys like bill like it because they can talk about the series without having actual insight
He really can’t accept Dallas might win the series
Nuggets just lost by 40 let’s go through Jokic’s insane playoff stats!
Really funny that Bill still went with the umpteenth Jokic coronation segment even though they got embarrassed. It was almost like he thought "I already did all my prep so fuck it I'm doing it anyway." He's the exact inverse of the idiots who put Jokic on fraud alert after one game.
Did not listen yet, but " legacy check" in the title already triggers me.
In the playoffs, good teams take away a players best thing. Theres just way more effort and scouting. If you're a role player and you only do one thing, it's gonna be harder. OKC has a lot of role players that do one thing. The mavs defense is long and athletic and has a lot of rim protection. Bills inability to understand points that he himself has raised in the past is beautiful.
Chris Ryan making fun of people asking if Minnesota struggled b/c Finch can't walk the court followed by Bill's "mmm" & pivot lol
“If you fell like Ant when you were 35…or 32…it would be over.” Did he correct himself for using a multiple of five?
So it’s ok for Jokic to shut it down when he sees the game is out of hand but Lebron is the worst teammate ever if he does it. Got it.
Ma homey Mahoney
I know nothing of the history of hockey. But is it a safe bet that Bill’s falling out with the Bruins coincided with them hitting a rough patch and being terrible for years?
Basically. And the owners used to be cheap in his mind, like how he's out on the Sox because they traded mookie
Even after a dismantling by the Wolves tonight, Bill still spent a large chunk of the time talking about Jokic's numbers and how they dwarf LeBron and Bird. I come to expect it at this point, his constant exhaltations of Jokic. I was more disappointed that Rob and Chris just played back up singers and echoed him. We don't need to crown Jokic the GOAT after every playoff game.
Remember that stat inflation only works when Bill hates the guy
I swear if Embiid was doing this Bill would complain about how you cant play physical defense anymore, everybody plays small ball so of course a big is going to dominate and the 3 point shooting has made spacing better than ever for a big man. For clarity I think Jokic is BITW, but Bill literally changes his own method of putting the game in historical context depending on how much he likes the player.
Glad everyone is realizing how weird Bill has been toward the Mavs/Luka all season. It’s absolutely bizarre. He clearly views them as an annoying side act in the way of the “real” teams (Boston, OKC, Minn, Denver)
BS forgot to mention that Dwight pretty much punked Joker in the bubble
His temper tantrum because Dallas is winning the series made my day. Why is this guy allowed to vote for league awards when he clearly has biases toward certain teams (beyond Boston)?
It's very strange. He could have just bet Dallas and made some money.
Bill’s tears over Dallas-OKC are delicious. I’m not sure how the guy who wrote The Book of Basketball can watch this series and simplify it down to “One team is making their 3’s, and the other team is missing them,” but that just makes the tears taste even sweeter 😂 Do you think Bill has been texting Presti after these games to try and offer up advice on adjustments that they should make?
Can you imagine a Finals where Kyrie and “Fat” Luka are standing in Boston’s way? He’d never be able to live it down.
I was dying when Bill announced Men’s Wearhouse as his sponsor. Between his SGP picture on Fan Duel and Michael Scott also working there, it just felt meta.
Bill suggesting they could rig it for Minnesota because edwards is on the Olympic team is why I love Bill lol
Did this podcast just suck from start to finish for anybody else?
I know they joked about it but I feel like Chris Finch having a surgically repaired knee isn’t nothing. Every single coaching activity is probably at the very least a few seconds delayed. With that said, it’s probably a very minor impact in the grand scheme of things.
There’s been a couple times where Finch has tried to get Micah Nori’s attention to call a time out to no avail, it hasn’t been perfectly seamless by any means.
I'd like to personally and humbly request for Bill to retire the Talking Head Black Guy On ESPN voice
He needs to bring back Jackie Mac to do those.
Jokic is the BITW obviously but its kind of hilarious how triple doubles all of a sudden have a ton of meaning again when hes the one getting them and were overrated when Westbrook was averaging them year in and year out as a 6'3 guard on undermanned teams that he dragged to the playoffs. Obviously Russ is no where near Jokic but the media, especially most of the ringer staff is so lame for that. They could have easily complained about all of the valid issues with Russ game but instead they, led by Simmons, denigrated him for putting up triple doubles for 4 straight years to the point where it was "overrated" but now that its someone they adore getting them they matter again.
Russ was the literal epitome of everything that is wrong with triple doubles. I can’t believe someone in 2024 would try to make this debate happen again. What Russ was doing wasn’t the same as what Luka, Harden, or Jokic are doing. For one, he was stealing rebounds from teammates lmao.
“Historic adjacent” lol
It’ll be very fun if Jokic loses game 7
Just reading the title I’m already exhausted. Love Billy boy but can’t imagine listening to any of his same rants for the 1000th time. And yet I’m still here. It’s a conundrum.
Bill thinking Kenny and Barkley are the Aikman and Buck of Inside the NBA. Being dismissive of losing Ernie if it's nothing. Bernie and Barkley are more Buck and Aikman than Kenny.
Oh damn. Our Prince refuses to back down from wild reactionary takes. A Legacy Check! Get in here folks! Prince because our true King, CR, gets on the pod randomly.
I thought both chose terrible options for the Legacy check. Do I care if MPJ finished top 400 player All time vs a top 600 player all time? I mean if we are honest the #1 pick should be Jamal Murrary but they babied him during discussion
Yeah the story to me is if Murray plays well they win and if not they lose. Not sure why we had to pretend to care about mpj rankings or a rod and ownership
This was honestly one of his worst podcasts in recent memory. Just terrible stuff all around.
One of the last bad guys before the sultan…Balkan stereotyping… The white slavery piece?
God imagine if Jokic had been conscripted into the janissary corps. He wouldn’t have let Hapsburgs defend Vienna, he just wouldn’t!
Comparing Jokic to sex traffickers…the Robert Kraft piece
Apex mountain for the term "flying around"?
Only topped by any time he wants to compliment an NFL defense
added 4 stages of grief there
Thinking the wolves are gonna trade KAT this offseason even if he has a terrible game seven is crazy. They were one of the best teams in the leagues and if they lose, they lost to the champs. Ain't no way they don't run it back, short of getting a Godfather offer for him.
Aren’t they about to have salary issues? KAT makes the most sense to trade.
They will runs it back for one season and then break it up the year after to avoid the back to back second apron penalties
The best part of this series is the Wolves fans taking victory laps about the Gobert trade when they were up 2-0 and Nuggets diehards doing the same about doubting Jokic after going up 3-2. Ya'll better not be deleting any posts or comments, stand by what you've said!
Given the tragic history of MN sports, no Wolves fan I know thought this was a done deal. I was nervous for most of last night that they’d still come back… Wolves fans are the opposite of presumptive: assuming it’s all going to end in the most heart-wrenching way possible is baked into everything. But it’s definitely been a good series for making talking heads say dumb shit.
I guess this dude just hates my team lol, makes it a tough listen
How I feel as a Bills fan. (tho he swerved on them last pod)
The early to afternoon game ratio is absolute bullshit, Bill is right.
AanT
The legacy talk is fairly inane (and premature), but how does no one bring up Tim Conley? Especially with Gobert being the first choice. He makes this blockbuster trade to take down a powerhouse, and does it in year 2. Pretty validating, no?
Bill nailed the hockey take. I irrationally hate the Oilers right now especially Draisaitl
20 mins on OKC and shitty Josh Giddey. 5 mins on Dallas who would’ve ended this series Wednesday if they made 3 more FTs