Bill Simmons is a traitor

[BudweiserCeltic]

it is so much more exciting to have the 2-2-1-1-1 format. it makes for much more interesting series IMO.

gas prices are out of control right now and how many miles per gallon can a 747 give ya..?..my hoopty is takin away from my 40oz and bass strings money...

I'm quite sure that the teams can afford it EASILY.

[Bahku]

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.

this is sort of the topic, but i was just talking with a friend of mine about how much we hate that the Finals changes to the 2-3-2 format.

it is so much more exciting to have the 2-2-1-1-1 format. it makes for much more interesting series IMO.

Once again, I'm totally on the same page with you, Winsomme ... can't stand the 2-3-2 series, and it's one of the worst things they ever did do the post-season. My brother and I were just bandying that about, and how less exciting and anticipatory it is. Bring back the 2-2-1-1-1, I say! TP for ya, W!

i'm sure their argument is travel concerns, but doesn't it seem like we would have more game 6's and game 7's....

i say take the extra travel day and go all the way with 2-2-1-1-1.
right back atcha with a TP.

Right on again, W ... I think the positives far outweigh the draw-backs. It would be interesting to find out the motivations behind the change ... I'm not real sure of it myself. Hmmmmm  ..... gives me an idea ...

[Roy Hobbs]

On the 2-3-2 format: this isn't a recent change.  It's been around since 1985; the reasons for it are to eliminate travel time, expense, and fatigue in series between the two coasts.

As to Simmons and the "jinx": did you listen to the podcast?  Did that at all sound like somebody who wasn't being completely serious?  I think many of you think Simmons is a lot more clever than he really is.  If he was worried about jinxes, like I said, he'd pick the Celts to lose in the first, second, or third rounds, as well.  How is it any less of a jinx to pick your team to make it to the Finals and lose, as it is to pick them to win?  He's still predicting a total of 14 playoff victories.

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter.  However, Simmons has made a bit of a career posturing himself as "Boston Fan #1", and it's pretty ridiculous for him to now worship at Kobe's altar while being overly critical of -- and outright wrong about -- the team he supposedly loves. 

[gustusias]

Bill Simmons loves himself more than anything in the world. He has to show the world that Bill Simmons can even top the sportsguy and be so objective that he can rationalize against his favorite team. What a brain! What a superfair guy he is! He genuinely is a coward who has used the new media technologies to the max. An extremely bright and imaginative man, who has weasled is way to success. The jerk bought season tickets to the Clippers. I mean after the C's, I hate all of the teams. All of them. I don't want to eatch nay other teams except mine. Simmons is good. He ain't God. We can beat anyone this year.

[freshinthehouse]

The jerk bought season tickets to the Clippers. I mean after the C's, I hate all of the teams. All of them. I don't want to eatch nay other teams except mine. Simmons is good. He ain't God. We can beat anyone this year.

You don't watch any NBA basketball besides the C's?  That may be one of the saddest things I've read on here.

[winsomme]

On the 2-3-2 format: this isn't a recent change.  It's been around since 1985; the reasons for it are to eliminate travel time, expense, and fatigue in series between the two coasts.

well, we have three rounds of 2-2-1-1-1. so expense and fatigue don't really make too much sense as reasons to not do it in the Finals.

as for travel, with HOU, DAL, NO and DEN right in the middle of the country travel could certainly not be a factor, but just take the extra travel day to account for any added distance. they do it in the first three rounds.

the 2-2-1-1-1 format is so much more exciting.....a couple extra travel days in one round (when they do it in the first three) doesn't seem like a reason to not do it...

i'm sure that that is the reason they give, but why wouldn't they want the more exciting format...

anyway, a couple extra hours in the air doesn't seem like a reason to play an inferior format when you can just take a travel day like they do anyway....

[celticmaestro]

The jerk bought season tickets to the Clippers. I mean after the C's, I hate all of the teams. All of them. I don't want to eatch nay other teams except mine. Simmons is good. He ain't God. We can beat anyone this year.

You don't watch any NBA basketball besides the C's?  That may be one of the saddest things I've read on here.

no need to attack him for it. if he doesn't want to watch other nba games then that's his loss but no need for that.

with regards to the discussion on the 2-3-2 format, i don't think the celtics have a problem at all. this team is fearless on the road and 3 games in la, or anywhere else, wont phase them.

[Robb]

As to Simmons and the "jinx": did you listen to the podcast?  Did that at all sound like somebody who wasn't being completely serious?  I think many of you think Simmons is a lot more clever than he really is.  If he was worried about jinxes, like I said, he'd pick the Celts to lose in the first, second, or third rounds, as well.  How is it any less of a jinx to pick your team to make it to the Finals and lose, as it is to pick them to win?  He's still predicting a total of 14 playoff victories.

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter.  However, Simmons has made a bit of a career posturing himself as "Boston Fan #1", and it's pretty ridiculous for him to now worship at Kobe's altar while being overly critical of -- and outright wrong about -- the team he supposedly loves. 

I think he was serious.  I don't think he's trying to jinx or reverse jinx anything here.  I think he seriously thinks the Celtics can't continue to play as well as they've played all year, and that Kobe will get tons of calls because he will have just won the MVP and will be riding a media high and will get it done when it matters.

In my opinion when he is most serious is when he talks about the Patriots and says things like: "This next season could happen three years from now and I'd be ok with that."  That was a DEVASTATING loss for him.  It's possible that he honestly thinks he jinxed the Patriots with the '07 Pats/'86 Celtics comparison column and it's kept him from being overly optimistic about the Celtics.  I don't think he's trying a reverse jinx, I just think he's still depressed and it's bothered his outlook on the Celtics.

Personally, I was just tonight unpacking after moving back to Korea and I looked at my Tom Brady jersey and sighed and said "...too soon...too soon..." and just put it back in the bag.  It's been what, two and a half months?  I can't even think about the Patriots without my stomach feeling a little queasy.  I can't imagine what I would be like if I had written that specific column, had millions of people read it, and then summarily had millions of people blame me and gloat over me about it.

[Roy Hobbs]

On the 2-3-2 format: this isn't a recent change.  It's been around since 1985; the reasons for it are to eliminate travel time, expense, and fatigue in series between the two coasts.

well, we have three rounds of 2-2-1-1-1. so expense and fatigue don't really make too much sense as reasons to not do it in the Finals.

A plane ride from, say, Detroit to Boston is a lot shorter than one from Los Angeles to Boston.  That's why intra-Conference games are 2-2-1-1-1, while inter-Conference games are 2-3-2. 

Anyway, there's another thread on this, so please bring the conversation over there.

[tanner]

agree with Roy.  i don't think it's an elaborate non-jinx.  simmons genuinely believes in his lakers prediction, as he "begrudgingly" admits in the podcast.   

problem is, his reasons can all be reduced to one thing:  lakers have kobe and the celtics don't.  he sure sounds like someone who watches more kobe & lakers than celtics.

celtics can't win close games (translation: celtics don't have kobe).  is he not aware that the celtics have a better record in this regard than the lakers this season?     

ray allen is a terrible defender (translation: celtics can't guard kobe).  does he know ray's PER against is 12.4 (this season)?  that kobe shot only a combined 15 out of 46 (32%) against the celts in regular season?   

also what's the deal with saying the lakers having a 'perfect storm' and charmed season"?  in contrast to the celtics who are having by all accounts a legendary season--best record in the league (3rd in celtics history), greatest season turnaround, best team defense, largest winning point differential since the bulls, etc.

[Who]

ray allen is a terrible defender (translation: celtics can't guard kobe).  does he know ray's PER against is 12.4 (this season)?  that kobe shot only a combined 15 out of 46 (32%) against the celts in regular season?   

You need to throw those Laker games out the window. The only reason Kobe shot so poorly was because he had zero help from his teammates allowing the Celtics defense to load up on him. That's not the case anymore (Gasol will score 35 a night if the Celtics play Kobe like that again), that's really not the case if Bynum comes back. Ray Allen is going to have a much more difficult time with Kobe in a future matchup.

Ray plays him tough but don't expect a repeat

[Birdbrain]

It's been pretty clear since he started writing articles that he is more interested in page views.  It's embarrassing really that someone who acts as if he some pop culture enthusiast is so visibly transparent. The guy watches the 'OC' and 'The Hills' for heaven's sake.  He's a blogger.  No offense but, he knows less about basketball then most of the posters on this site.

[Ian]

I would KILL to see Lakers - Celtics in the finals. That's why i'll be rooting for LA all through the WC playoffs. All the Lakers fans are going to be so jacked up about another championship and the Celtics WILL come in and sweep them in 4 games I can guarantee it.

[winsomme]

On the 2-3-2 format: this isn't a recent change.  It's been around since 1985; the reasons for it are to eliminate travel time, expense, and fatigue in series between the two coasts.

well, we have three rounds of 2-2-1-1-1. so expense and fatigue don't really make too much sense as reasons to not do it in the Finals.

A plane ride from, say, Detroit to Boston is a lot shorter than one from Los Angeles to Boston.  That's why intra-Conference games are 2-2-1-1-1, while inter-Conference games are 2-3-2. 

Anyway, there's another thread on this, so please bring the conversation over there.

where is that thread? i didn't see it

anyway, a couple extra hours in the air doesn't seem like a reason to play an inferior format when you can just take a travel day like they do anyway....

[Roy Hobbs]

On the 2-3-2 format: this isn't a recent change.  It's been around since 1985; the reasons for it are to eliminate travel time, expense, and fatigue in series between the two coasts.

well, we have three rounds of 2-2-1-1-1. so expense and fatigue don't really make too much sense as reasons to not do it in the Finals.

A plane ride from, say, Detroit to Boston is a lot shorter than one from Los Angeles to Boston.  That's why intra-Conference games are 2-2-1-1-1, while inter-Conference games are 2-3-2. 

Anyway, there's another thread on this, so please bring the conversation over there.

where is that thread? i didn't see it

anyway, a couple extra hours in the air doesn't seem like a reason to play an inferior format when you can just take a travel day like they do anyway....

http://www.celticsblog.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=64&topic=16805.0;topicseen