Bill Simmons is a traitor

[Roy Hobbs]

In Bill Simmons' most recent podcast, he predicts a Lakers-Celtics Finals, with his "buddy House".  He goes on and on about how objective he is, etc., and how he's watched all the games.

His conclusion?  Lakers beat Celtics in six.  Kobe is the alpha dog that the Celtics don't have.  Celtics don't have anybody who can definitely score at the end of games, and Celtics can't win "tight games".  KG can't get it done in crunch time.  He's not "totally sold" that Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Sam Cassell can hit big shots (despite Ray Allen doing so all year long).  Ray Allen is "not an all-star", is "not a great defender", and is "a spot-up shooter, and that's all he is" (he watches the games?  Really?).  The Celtics turnaround was only due to "one guy".  Lakers have a "charmed season" and the "perfect storm", and the Celtics can't "match firepower" with "Ko-bay" (Ko-bay?  Seriously?  Living in La-La land has really eroded Simmons).

The only decent point Simmons made is about the 2-3-2 format of the Finals.  If the road team wins one of the first two games, it makes it a lot harder to win the series.  That's why the Celtics are going to crush the Lakers in the first two games of the series.

(And, before anybody says Simmons is just trying to avoid a "jinx", why did he 1) pick the Lakers in the first, second, and third round?  Listen to the interview: Simmons is readily picking against the Celtics, and he's convinced of it.)

Hat tip to Perkisabeast and RealGM.

[celticmaestro]

yeah i listened earlier this morning, not sure what to make of it really. i don't think he's genuinely picking the lakers.

[Redz]

We'll never know who wins the Lakers / Celtics matchup since the Lake Show will be canceled after Denver takes care of them in round 1.

[PRIDE]

All the Lakers fan on XBL have been screaming championship since they clinched the one seed. I hope they get knocked off. If they dont, I dont think they can beat us in a 7 game series anyway.

GO C's!!



I just lost a lot of respect for Bill Simmons. You can pick against your team. The basketball gods dont like that.

[Yakmanev]

I dont much think he is really picking the Lakers so much as he knew that everyone and their mother was expecting him to pick the Celtics in his predictions and decided to throw a curveball to his readers AND avoid a jynx all in one stroke.

[eddietours]

hm strange l did not  get to see that so call alpha dog in the two regular seasons we play the where smoke

[Roy Hobbs]

i don't think he's genuinely picking the lakers.

Why not?  He sounded pretty convincing as he was riding Kobe's (sorry -- Ko-bay's) jock.

I mean, seriously, what type of fan picks their team to lose against their most hated rival?

[Bankshot]

In Bill Simmons' most recent podcast, he predicts a Lakers-Celtics Finals, with his "buddy House".  He goes on and on about how objective he is, etc., and how he's watched all the games.

His conclusion?  Lakers beat Celtics in six.  Kobe is the alpha dog that the Celtics don't have. Celtics don't have anybody who can definitely score at the end of games, and Celtics can't win "tight games".  KG can't get it done in crunch time.  He's not "totally sold" that Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Sam Cassell can hit big shots (despite Ray Allen doing so all year long).  Ray Allen is "not an all-star", is "not a great defender", and is "a spot-up shooter, and that's all he is" (he watches the games?  Really?).  The Celtics turnaround was only due to "one guy".  Lakers have a "charmed season" and the "perfect storm", and the Celtics can't "match firepower" with "Ko-bay" (Ko-bay?  Seriously?  Living in La-La land has really eroded Simmons).

The only decent point Simmons made is about the 2-3-2 format of the Finals.  If the road team wins one of the first two games, it makes it a lot harder to win the series.  That's why the Celtics are going to crush the Lakers in the first two games of the series.

(And, before anybody says Simmons is just trying to avoid a "jinx", why did he 1) pick the Lakers in the first, second, and third round?  Listen to the interview: Simmons is readily picking against the Celtics, and he's convinced of it.)

Hat tip to Perkisabeast and RealGM.

In the last few years, Pierce has matched or outplayed Kobe in several head to head matchups.  Not sure he really watched all the games.

[jay_jay54]

Denver has 2 alpha dogs who will take care of them in round 1,AI and Melo.

[Yakmanev]

A Celtics Lakers final would be one of the most lopsided bashings in history I mean really! Come on.

We win the matchup at every positions as far as I'm concerned because our defense can easily cancel that brat.

A coworker of mine is a Lakers fan he says he's worried about Denver. We started talking about a Celtics/Lakers final he conceded that the Celtics would win.
The other cool thing was I started talking about Leon Powe and he said you ain't gotta tell me about Leon, I've seen him. He's good.

[celticmaestro]

i don't think he's genuinely picking the lakers.

Why not?  He sounded pretty convincing as he was riding Kobe's (sorry -- Ko-bay's) jock.

I mean, seriously, what type of fan picks their team to lose against their most hated rival?

maybe he wants to appease laker fans after ripping kobe in his mvp article? perhaps his line of thinking was that if he picks the celtics people will really think of him as a homer and therefore he'll lose some of his fan base?

and i do think he didn't want to jinx the team. picking the lakers in round 1 over the nuggets is a no-brainer, round 2 over the jazz is understandable too and if they play phoenix in round 3 then they would beat phoenix, i think that's a good match-up for la. he did also say that if the lakers played the spurs that the spurs would win that series. and i completely agree there (which is why i picked the spurs over the suns in my bracket even though i think the suns will win - i just couldn't bear having the lakers in the finals against us). so that's why i think he didn't want to jinx the team.

as for his general ott praise of kobe - no excuse for that.

[Steve Weinman]

In Bill Simmons' most recent podcast, he predicts a Lakers-Celtics Finals, with his "buddy House".  He goes on and on about how objective he is, etc., and how he's watched all the games.

His conclusion?  Lakers beat Celtics in six.  Kobe is the alpha dog that the Celtics don't have.  Celtics don't have anybody who can definitely score at the end of games, and Celtics can't win "tight games".  KG can't get it done in crunch time.  He's not "totally sold" that Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Sam Cassell can hit big shots (despite Ray Allen doing so all year long).  Ray Allen is "not an all-star", is "not a great defender", and is "a spot-up shooter, and that's all he is" (he watches the games?  Really?).  The Celtics turnaround was only due to "one guy".  Lakers have a "charmed season" and the "perfect storm", and the Celtics can't "match firepower" with "Ko-bay" (Ko-bay?  Seriously?  Living in La-La land has really eroded Simmons).

The only decent point Simmons made is about the 2-3-2 format of the Finals.  If the road team wins one of the first two games, it makes it a lot harder to win the series.  That's why the Celtics are going to crush the Lakers in the first two games of the series.

(And, before anybody says Simmons is just trying to avoid a "jinx", why did he 1) pick the Lakers in the first, second, and third round?  Listen to the interview: Simmons is readily picking against the Celtics, and he's convinced of it.)

Hat tip to Perkisabeast and RealGM.

Thanks for posting, RH.  I haven't heard this podcast yet, but as an admitted Simmons apologist (I just love the guy's writing), I'll point out that if memory serves, Simmons played a similar game with the Colts and Pats in the 2006-07 NFL season.  Continuously said the Colts were better, finally wrote a column for the AFC title game picking Indy...and then threw a curve and reversed his pick at the very with the old "Nahhhhhhhh, I can't do it" rationale.  So I'm not entirely sure what to make of the Simmons situation there.

-sw

[Pierce4Prez]

I was about as shocked as anyone when I was listening to the podcast and heard him pick the Lakers, and really without wavering on the decision at all. Maybe I just don't want to believe that Simmons would truly pick against the Celts, but I don't think that that is the case. I think that the Patriots experience of this past year has scared him out of making any bold picks and potentially jinxing the team (which obviously he wouldnt do but as a sports fan you always like to think that you actually have a hand in the outcome of your teams season).
Correct me if I am wrong but I dont remember Simmons devoting an entire article this season to simply gush about the Celtics and how great they are (which he did several times for the Pats) and he hadnt even been picking the Celts to make the Finals up until recently. It is also without question that the Celtics are the team that Simmons cares about the most in Boston and wants more than anything for them to match the recent successes of the Sox and Pats.
Go right ahead and induct Bill as an official member of the No Balls Association, but I can just not fathom the idea that he is really picking the Lakers.

[fan33]

Nice opinion adding fuels to the majority opinion that these Celtics are the underdogs... I welcome the opinion for the fuel it adds to these Celtics desire to prove their critics wrong.

Counter psychological warfare by an insider...Plausible

I think the Lakers and their Alapha too, are insecure and certainly not able to beat these Celtics, a more balanced team willing and proven to do the tough defensive work necessary to win a series; I'm sure of it!

[Bahku]

I'd have to lean in the direction of Fan33 here, (TP for ya), and say that there's a bit of reverse psychology at work here, and it's not a bad idea on his part. Guys like Ray, Pierce and especially KG, key off this kind of press, and it only serves as additional motivation. He's not a stupid guy, and I can't believe that it's intended to be taken at face value.