What Bill Simmons should say: "I'm an idiot"

[radiohead]

What he wrote was really surprising considering that he's supposed to be a die-hard Celtic fan. It's funny though that he isn't tweeting about the Celt's recent blowout victory against the Heat (except that small bit on Q). Instead, he was at a Lakers game pondering on why Gasol wasn't getting more touches on offense. Being a Celtic fan, i can't imagine myself watching a Lakers game live, unless of course it's against the C's. Well, I guess it's part of his job or something...

http://twitter.com/sportsguy33

[incoherent]

I don't care about how the C's were playing and how the Heat were playing.  Fact is he is a Boston fan and he writes articles the entire Nation reads.  To be so awful and claim his team has lost before it's even begun is just disrespectful to the fans and to the team he supposedly cheers for.

He could of wrote a positive piece about how the C's need to come together and have a chance if they flip the switch.  But no, he clearly wrote an article making fun of our players and boasting that Miami would clean them up.

[Evantime34]

I don't care about how the C's were playing and how the Heat were playing.  Fact is he is a Boston fan and he writes articles the entire Nation reads.  To be so awful and claim his team has lost before it's even begun is just disrespectful to the fans and to the team he supposedly cheers for.

He could of wrote a positive piece about how the C's need to come together and have a chance if they flip the switch.  But no, he clearly wrote an article making fun of our players and boasting that Miami would clean them up.

I'm pretty convinced that he is in fact not a Boston fan anymore. He seems to fondly remember the old teams but not have much interest in the more recent teams. He has season tickets to the Clippers which is where I believe his allegiance lies.

Now that he doesn't live here it is clear to me that he is a lot less invested in Boston sports.

[connerhenry43]

listen, you gotta remember, when simmons picks the celts or a boston team, he gets flack. when he picks the opponent, boston fans give him a hard time.

miami won 18 of their last 23 (or close to that). the c's were a .500 team for 3 months. there was reason for skepticism.

a series does not really start until a road team wins. so far so good.....lot of work to be done.

and, for those of you who want to taunt simmons, i know the line for people who make bad predictions starts right behind me. i thought acie earl was a great pick and i was positive dustin pedroia had no shot to play in mlb.....we all make wrong picks sometimes.

[Roy Hobbs]

What he wrote was really surprising considering that he's supposed to be a die-hard Celtic fan.

If you read Simmons closely and consistently, you'll see that "Superfan" picks against the Celts more often than not.  Occasionally, he'll fall back on the lame "reverse jinx" thing, but I can't remember the last time he had something good to say about the Celtics, except for gloating after the Celts won the title after he repeatedly picked the Lakers to win the title (much like he picked the Cavs to win last year and the Celts to lose in the first round this year.)

I've got no problem with somebody stating their honest opinion.  My problems with Simmons (at least a couple of them) are that 1) his insults against the team seem gratuitous; and 2) the image he works so hard to cultivate is that he's the Ultimate Boston Sports Fan.  If you're going to bill yourself as Super Fan, act like a fan, rather than "objective" (i.e., bashing Boston teams at every turn, outside of maybe the Pats).

[hpantazo]

We haven't won the series yet.

Once we have four wins in the playoffs we can call him an idiot.

Exactly. 

Miami is going home and we're playing on their court the next two games.  There's still a chance this can develop into a series.

We whooped the Hawks even easier than the Heat in two games in 2007-2008.....

Difference is, this year's celtics team, as bad as they have been at home, are a heck of a road team. Also, the Heat are nowhere near the 2008 hawks, not even close to the 2007 celtics, at least that team had big Al to go along with Pierce.

[guava_wrench]

We haven't won the series yet.

Once we have four wins in the playoffs we can call him an idiot.

I think he is on record enough that we can already call him Simmons idiot.

Simmons is a great sports writer, but a below average sports mind. His forte is creative writing, not analysis. His analysis is lame and brain dead.

[Roy Hobbs]

We haven't won the series yet.

Once we have four wins in the playoffs we can call him an idiot.

Exactly. 

Miami is going home and we're playing on their court the next two games.  There's still a chance this can develop into a series.

We whooped the Hawks even easier than the Heat in two games in 2007-2008.....

Difference is, this year's celtics team, as bad as they have been at home, are a heck of a road team. Also, the Heat are nowhere near the 2008 hawks, not even close to the 2007 celtics, at least that team had big Al to go along with Pierce.

Also, that 2008 team probably took things a bit for granted in the first round, and wasn't ready for the intensity of playoff basketball.  This year's team, for all their faults during the regular season, has no reason to *ever* take a playoff team for granted.

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I think this team has its collective head on straight at this point.

[incoherent]

I think he is on record enough that we can already call him Simmons idiot.

Simmons is a great sports writer, but a below average sports mind. His forte is creative writing, not analysis. His analysis is lame and brain dead.

Well said!

[angryguy77]

At least Skip had good things to say about Boston on First Take. He said he's still picking them to win the East and that the D is starting to look like the 08 team again. He also maintianed that they were coasting in the reg season. '

This of course remains to be seen, but it's nice to hear it.

I think the next game will tell us  a lot about if this team is "turing it on". If they come out and slap the heat around again, or just get a solid win, I'm going to feel a lot better about their chances.

But if they come out with no effort, the cautious optimism will once again take a hit.

[Brendan]

In the article Simmons compares Garnett to this guy in an attempt insult him...




I hate Bill Simmons, that comparison could not be any worse.  I hope the next time he see's KG, KG gives him paddling.

No he compared him to O'Bannion from "Dazed and Confused." - i.e. Ben Afflek's character.

Which is arguably worse...

[banty19]

I really hope he doesn't pull the reverse jinx card. But even if he does, like somebody else mentioned, I always try to remember that I read him for entertainment. His sports analysis is almost always pretty weak.

As far as why he's hating on the Celtics, I also think it's like somebody else alluded to. When he first rose to prominence, I bet he received a lot of heat from fans and media friends that he always supported Boston teams. So over the last few years he's overcompensated and now he goes against Boston teams by instinct.

Personally, I find it incredibly irritating, mainly because it seems so forced and fake but I do keep reading so I can't blame him for doing it.

[footey]

Wow, I didn't realize Ben was in that movie, thanks.

[Lucky17]

Wow, I didn't realize Ben was in that movie, thanks.

Fun drinking game with that movie: find someone willing to drink every time young Mitch touches his nose.

[Donoghus]

In the article Simmons compares Garnett to this guy in an attempt insult him...




I hate Bill Simmons, that comparison could not be any worse.  I hope the next time he see's KG, KG gives him paddling.

No he compared him to O'Bannion from "Dazed and Confused." - i.e. Ben Afflek's character.

Which is arguably worse...

BIG difference between O'Bannion & Wooderson.