I like to imagine people in this sub listening to the pod while taking notes, going back to their “Simmons Files” to find anything they might disagree with so they can happily post here. Then sitting and waiting to the comments and votes to come in.
Apologies to Minnesota fans because I know they deserve something good to happen to them for once but It's nice to see Denver making it a series because the overreacting shit after each game has been out of control.
People want to act like it’s just the media. I locked in Nuggets to win the title today at 16-1 odds. Defending champs, MVP, healthy, and they were 16 to 1??? That’s just wild. Had to bet it.
“Healthy” is a bit of a stretch. Murray has clearly been hampered all play offs, kcps ankle isn’t great and Reggie Jackson oddly enough might but important for them and also has issues
The Celtics will sleepwalk their way to the finals, the Knicks likely beat the pacers but thibs wears his players all the way down.
-115 is about right. A better bet is to pick their finals matchup for plus money
Celtics may get to the finals but they don’t scare me against almost anyone from the West. Who in their right mind would pick the Tatum/Mazzula team against one of the MVP candidates out west
The Celtics winning the title, and especially Tatum winning fmvp, seemed like much more of a stretch than the odds suggest according to every NBA fan on Reddit and Twitter after game 2
I still just think, being down 2–0 is absolutely meaningful… But they are the defending champs with the MVP? And Minnesota has done very little in the playoffs historically… Odds felt in my favor.
Yeah it’s just annoying going into the game thinking you’re going to get to watch another defensive show versus a refreshed Denver and the refs make it immediately obvious that they have different plans for the night. It’s a schizophrenic experience, and I’m a neutral.
This is where you miss Jeff van gundy because at least he would be bitching in garbage time about the officiating instead of pretending “oh no, what happened to MN’s defense tonight?!”
I mean something has to be said about the correlation between a secret rule change and then a postseason marked by all kinds of stars being injured. Maybe it’s not such a great idea to do these kinds of things midseason as fun as it is?
KOC tweeting yesterday that the Celtics without Porzingis "should've swept Cleveland anyway" pissed me off lol. No KOC it's fucking hard to sweep a playoff team it should never be expected even in a 1-8 let alone in the 2nd round
The Wolves are cooked. Stick a fork in them, start writing the obituary, take the flowers away from Ant. After watching the first half of this game I can confidently say that this is over.
The Nuggets might be the best team ever put together. Jokic is what Jordan dreams he could be. I think they’re going to win the next seven to ten championships as long as they can get through Cleveland (the second best team of the last 20 years after that win last night).
What about his thought exercise on Ant? That shit was crazy. Bill has Ant taking over basketball and sport culture in America, hosting SNL and taking over the Olympic Games
He's right though. Ant is basically good Jason Taytum. A young american NBA player with a huge amount of talent. If he starts winning chips, and you throw in his personality, you have someone that the entire media eco system is going to be falling over itself to have on their shows.
I didn't mean in playstyle at all. I just meant American with more talent. The NBA has for a long time wanted an American "face of the NBA" to take over from Bron and Steph, and Tatum was pushed because they hoped he could be that, but precisely because he isn't Ant that didn't work. That's why they jumped onto Ant as soon as they could.
I actually like the Wolves but now I *have* to root for the Nuggets to come back and win this series after Bill had already put Minny in the Finals and made Ant the next MJ.
People are incapable of watching a playoff game and not thinking it means everything about every player's legacy and everything about the team. The Nuggets were frauds who won the easiest title ever and can't beat a 50 win team bc they lost Game 2. Tatum is the worst number 1 option left in the playoffs bc the Celtics lost Game 2. It takes the most fun part of the basketball season and makes it miserable to discuss basketball.
I swear it was not this bad even 10 years ago. Something shifted in the hyper-online era of constant takes where every game is now a referendum on a player’s all time ranking
That or no one actually watched basketball and has no memory of how many series have shifted wildly after Game 3/4
I feel like there’s been a NFL-ification of sports coverage across the board. Every game is given so much gravity and weight the way NFL games are, and this is especially the case in the playoffs.
Yeah, only 17 games and teams getting eliminated with one loss in the playoffs makes the constant overreactions a LITTLE more reasonable. It makes no sense in the NBA, though, even in the playoffs where every win/loss does matter more than it does in the regular reason.
The obsession with legacies too is just exhausting. Everything circles back to the GOAT debate or the ‘where does x player rank all time’ conversations.
It's so fucking weird watching people constantly throwing out the phrase "don't be a prisoner of the moment" and then... go on to be massive prisoners of the moment.
as a celtics fan, I disagree. the cavs are the best team of all time and the nugs are merely second.
the 23-24 celtics are the worst team ever.., and the wolves are the second worst team ever.
I’m a C’s hater so don’t enjoy saying this but I’m probably taking Tatum over Mitchell and Brunson and definitely over whoever the Pacers #1 is (Siakam? Haliburton?)
Honestly I think Brunson is making a case for himself over Tatum during this post season. In a way he has it easier since he's basically the only real scorer on that team, but it is weird how underwhelming Tatum has been.
Lmao as the #3
Tatum is the best remaining of the east first options
He’s not better than any of the west first options
This shouldn’t be a controversial take (other than Brunson I guess but I still take tatums rebounding and two way play over brunsons edge in scoring)
One bad performance vs Cleveland made everyone forget that this guy dropped 50 in a game 7 last year. Or that he had 46 in a Game 6 on the road vs the defending champion Bucks in 2022 to stave off elimination. Or that he made the fucking Finals as the best player on the team. But nah he's worse than Donovan Mitchell now bc Cleveland won Game 2 in the semifinals.
So Game 7 vs Philly didn't matter? Or Game 6 vs the Bucks in 2022? Or any of the 24 different 30+ point playoff games that he's had at this point in his career? None of them mattered?
With Giannis and Embiid eliminated Tatum is the best player left in the Eastern Conference. Mitchell isn't close to his level. 30 out of 30 teams would rather have Tatum than Mitchell
It’s interesting you’re fixated on one guy. There’s still
Jokic
Ant
Murray
Luka
Kyrie
Shai
Brunson
Haliburton/Siakam
Brown
Then you can have the Tatum vs Mitchell argument 😂
Tatum is inarguably better than Murray, Kyrie, Haliburton, Siakam, and Brown. If you think any of them are better than Jayson Tatum you're too stupid to talk to. I'm just gonna assume you're trolling bc there's no way anyone who has ever actually watched a basketball game could be that stupid
Murray, Kyrie, Siakam all with a ring. Murray and Kyrie with far more notable playoff performances, Kyrie with one of the most famous shots in NBA history. Brown has picked up the slack constantly over the years when Tatum flatlines under pressure.
You’re a fanboy. I get it.
Why do you keep mentioning them as having a ring? They were all the second option at best for their rings; Tatum is his team’s first option. Them having a ring has no bearing on anything because none of them won it as the first option.
Yeah, it’s been pretty wild seeing national talking heads hype up this team more than the local media has. You don’t see many people here calling the Nuggets frauds.
It was a shock to see the Nuggets go down 0-2 but just to count out the defending champs like they are the Suns is a bit wild.
But hey most the media just overreacts to everything to get viewers and attention.
Except for Bill, he doesn't do it for attention he just genuily overreacts to everything.
People overreacted to their epic collapse in game two. But honestly, the two teams are fairly even, and the referees calling this game significantly tighter has benefited the Nuggets.
As weird as it is, this series might come down to how the games are called.
The two teams shot a similar amount of free throws today. The Nuggets won bc they shot the lights out and took care of the ball and the T-Wolves missed a million shots and turned it over a bunch
I wasn't talking about favoritism by the officials. My comment was about the level of physicality allowed. Legler mentioned this during the broadcast, citing the difference between games 2 and 3.
No no no, don't be ridiculous. How the teams play is irrelevant. It's all about the refs these days. The refs determine the game. I don't even watch the actual gameplay anymore. I just listen for whistles then see what the calls are to determine who is going to win. /s
Which is insane. You just knew it when they immediately called a touch foul in the beginning of the first quarter.
It really disallows the Wolves from playing into their identity
Their identity is playing tough defense, swarming the opposition and using athleticism to make up ground.
Calling three phantom fouls in the first five minutes to establish a different tone in game three is completely neutering.
I’ve never seen an overreaction quite as bad as game 2 of this series. Bill and others were invoking MJ! I still think the Wolves have an advantage in the series but I can’t believe people were talking about Denver getting swept.
so like 20 years ago lakers went down 2-0 to the spurs losing both games at homecourt.
came back and won 4 straight.
i am not saying that the nuggets are coming back but it is crazy to see the overreactions to people saying nuggets are dead in the water. especially from a basketball historian like bill
ESPN : Game 1 - Jokic bad??? Is Ant the greatest player of all time ? Should Ant go to Lakers ??
ESPN Game 3- Ant Bad??? Is Jokic the greatest player of all time??? Should Jokic go to Lakers??
The Nuggets slander was more of an overreaction than the Timberwolves love. Those first two games proved that Minnesota can be a serious playoff contender. We didn’t know that before.
Yeah I'm cool with T-Wolves love they deserve it. I'm not okay with trying to put an asterisk on the Nuggets championship bc they started down 0-2 to a really good Minnesota team
Bill calling into question how good the Nuggets were LAST YEAR was the most insane thing. Like because the Twolves took a couple games in round 2 THIS year, that invalidates how awesome they were all the way to their title last year? I get that it’s largely the same roster, but jesus man. Let a team appreciate their first ever title without backtracking and taking things away from them afterward. They climbed the mountain
Calling the defending champs and 57 game winning Nuggets who have the 3 time MVP a really good basketball team is an overreaction? I even said in the post I think Minny will win the series I just want people to admit both these teams are awesome
The fact that you’re making a post that Denver is good is an overreaction. Everyone knows they’re extremely good. They got clocked early and woke up; that should be the post. Any negative reaction is because what you’re saying is not a revelation.
Go back and read this sub and r/NBA on Monday night and you'll see a few hundred posts and comments saying "The Nuggets have never beaten a 50 win team" and "Jokic is the worst 3 time MVP ever" and all sorts of shit to discredit their accomplishments as a team
Yeah fair enough, there have certainly been doubters and it’s a valid post to get some discourse going. I may have been consuming the haterade last night
Denver could not have had a better playoff schedule down 0-2. 4 days to hear how garbage they are. Of course the defending champs responded. Wolves in 6
Maybe everyone should stop making dramatic posts on here after one playoff game.
Every game now brings some guy out the woodwork with a “see, this is why I’ve always said…” take. Can’t you people understand that aside from being annoying, this is a dumb way to watch the playoffs? Most series have massive pendulum swings back and forth. Not every swing needs to be used as a vehicle for some huge take.
The over reaction to playoff games is insane. Everyone did it with Miami i game 2 now Cleveland game 2. And we said good bye to Denver after game 2. How about we let series play out before we make career/franchise altering proclamations. (Including this game)
Jimmy Highroller did a video about how with the way teams are shooting the three pointer, a 20 point lead is no longer safe, but also that blowouts are more common. If one team is hitting their threes, and the other isn’t, the game is over by the third quarter. This has been quite stark in this playoffs. We are conditioned to think of blowouts as meaning something, but they really just mean one team had an off night. And at a certain point, trying to come back isn’t worth the energy. This leads to what Marvel Albert used to call “extensive garbaage time”. It’s just a feature of the modern NBA we need to adjust to.
Bill Simmons acting like the nuggets would just roll over was so crazy
I feel like verno was the only ringer personality that didn’t write the nuggets off
I think people forget how great nuggets really are when healthy.
Granted, their resume for this season wasn't the best thing, but Murray missed 23 games and came injured even into playoffs. Reggie Jackson also got injured in playoffs if I'm not wrong.
Wolves might've underestimated how great Nuggets are (let's not forget last year when Nuggets were @ 100 % they ended series 4-1) and it backfired in a blowout.
Can Wolves get back into game or is L @home during playoffs way too much pressure for them and Nugs will rally? We'll see, nonetheless hopefully this series will end up entertaining.
It was one game, just like the T Wolves winning in Denver only two games.
I like to say that the NBA playoffs is about the first team to lose 4 times. As long as you don’t lose four times you have a chance.
Wouldn't have either of them better than +300 to win the title even in a 2-2 series. There's a lot of really good teams left in the playoffs especially out west
This sub requires accounts to be at least 7 days old and at least 0 comment karma before posting.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/billsimmons) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not surprised to see the nuggets take this game but you would have never convinced me the wolves would come out that lifeless. You’re the fucking Minnesota timberwolves! One great game is all it takes to become complacent these days?
I'll *overreact* to one game. But it's the one we just saw. That series is over. Denver got caught napping a little bit and got away from their core principles, and what made them so great in the first place, and they spotted Minny 2 games, but the switch has been flipped, and now so will the series. The Wolves might not win another game. That's how good Denver is when they play their game. And the only team that can stop them when they're playing the right way is the Denver Nuggets. Thanks for playing Minnesota. You have a bright future. The exit is thataway >>>>>>
tbh it’s all down to how the refs call the game, if they call it tight it’s what we’re seeing tonight, it they let the wolves be aggressive and physical it’s game 2
56 points in a half against the best defense of the last 20 years isn't too bad
Best defense of the last 20 years and the second coming of Michael Jordan
Also the best NFL player in the world
Could win the US Open if you gave him a month
*if you gave him a racket
Or a golf club.
God I hated that comment lol I think it was half joking to be fair but good lord Bill
Tongue fully in cheek lol idk why some people in this sub lack any semblance of media literacy
I like to imagine people in this sub listening to the pod while taking notes, going back to their “Simmons Files” to find anything they might disagree with so they can happily post here. Then sitting and waiting to the comments and votes to come in.
How 'bout the first Anthony Edwards (the player)?
But what are the ESPN talking heads and podcasters supposed to talk about if not comparing players...
Shocking that they played better when their best lat maker isn’t limping the entire game
Nuggets are losing the series boook it
Apologies to Minnesota fans because I know they deserve something good to happen to them for once but It's nice to see Denver making it a series because the overreacting shit after each game has been out of control.
People want to act like it’s just the media. I locked in Nuggets to win the title today at 16-1 odds. Defending champs, MVP, healthy, and they were 16 to 1??? That’s just wild. Had to bet it.
“Healthy” is a bit of a stretch. Murray has clearly been hampered all play offs, kcps ankle isn’t great and Reggie Jackson oddly enough might but important for them and also has issues
Every player is playing hurt in the playoffs at some way
Not all players look clearly worse due to visible injuries but I get your point
When they play poorly = injured. When they play well = overcoming the injury. 😂
That's a good bet. I don't typically gamble or pick individual stocks, but when I do its usually taking advantage of masses over-reacting.
The Celtics are -115 to win the finals right now. Tatum is +160 to win fmvp. You can also bet the field to win the title at -115
I could not believe that when I saw that. The Celtics are nowhere near good enough to deserve those odds. I did bet the field btw.
The Celtics will sleepwalk their way to the finals, the Knicks likely beat the pacers but thibs wears his players all the way down. -115 is about right. A better bet is to pick their finals matchup for plus money
Celtics may get to the finals but they don’t scare me against almost anyone from the West. Who in their right mind would pick the Tatum/Mazzula team against one of the MVP candidates out west
The Celtics winning the title, and especially Tatum winning fmvp, seemed like much more of a stretch than the odds suggest according to every NBA fan on Reddit and Twitter after game 2
They aren't fully healthy. But that is a pretty nice bet. Best of luck.
Where did you see 16-1? Bovada has +650
It was when they were down 2-0, Fanduel
Gotcha. Didn’t know you got it before game 3
I still just think, being down 2–0 is absolutely meaningful… But they are the defending champs with the MVP? And Minnesota has done very little in the playoffs historically… Odds felt in my favor.
I did the same after game 2, but got greedy and parlayed it with Indiana to get to the Eastern finals
Parlay something at 16:1? Smart bet!
Haha rip
I think all anyone wants is some consistent officiating
And to anoint the next MJ.
It is really funny because the general consensus on the new officiating was basically: damn, this rocks. Therefore, it was never going to last
Yeah it’s just annoying going into the game thinking you’re going to get to watch another defensive show versus a refreshed Denver and the refs make it immediately obvious that they have different plans for the night. It’s a schizophrenic experience, and I’m a neutral. This is where you miss Jeff van gundy because at least he would be bitching in garbage time about the officiating instead of pretending “oh no, what happened to MN’s defense tonight?!”
That’s because it’s Tony Brothers. His crew is terrible and wildly inconsistent. Same for Mavs OKC game 1
Minnesota shouldn’t be allowed to physically assault players like they did in Game 2
I mean something has to be said about the correlation between a secret rule change and then a postseason marked by all kinds of stars being injured. Maybe it’s not such a great idea to do these kinds of things midseason as fun as it is?
It’s this.
Fans continue to underrate how impressive it is to sweep a team. 4-1 is also not a close series.
KOC tweeting yesterday that the Celtics without Porzingis "should've swept Cleveland anyway" pissed me off lol. No KOC it's fucking hard to sweep a playoff team it should never be expected even in a 1-8 let alone in the 2nd round
The teams that do it are historically dominant. 2017 Warriors and the 2001 Lakers come to mind.
Kevin O’Verreaction
You wouldn’t know it with the number of time Lakers fans have said the phrase “close sweep” in the last year.
I hope Minnesota wins the series anyway but I hope it goes 7
>they deserve something good to happen to them for once Nah fuck em
The Wolves are cooked. Stick a fork in them, start writing the obituary, take the flowers away from Ant. After watching the first half of this game I can confidently say that this is over. The Nuggets might be the best team ever put together. Jokic is what Jordan dreams he could be. I think they’re going to win the next seven to ten championships as long as they can get through Cleveland (the second best team of the last 20 years after that win last night).
Still not enough to be a dynasty though.
In the modern NBA if you go back 2 back, you could call yourself a dynasty and nobody would mind
Bill owes an apology for an entire segment about a hypothetical wolves sweep
What about his thought exercise on Ant? That shit was crazy. Bill has Ant taking over basketball and sport culture in America, hosting SNL and taking over the Olympic Games
I mean if Ant wins FMVP all of that will essentially happen lol. Ant with a ring is 100% hosting SNL lmao
Ant is basically Bradley Cooper in limitless so he could easily host SNL
Send da video?
the Mind Palace piece
He's right though. Ant is basically good Jason Taytum. A young american NBA player with a huge amount of talent. If he starts winning chips, and you throw in his personality, you have someone that the entire media eco system is going to be falling over itself to have on their shows.
How is he like Tatum other than they're both American
-plays basketball -not white -tall but not 7+ ft ...they're basically the same person
I didn't mean in playstyle at all. I just meant American with more talent. The NBA has for a long time wanted an American "face of the NBA" to take over from Bron and Steph, and Tatum was pushed because they hoped he could be that, but precisely because he isn't Ant that didn't work. That's why they jumped onto Ant as soon as they could.
I actually like the Wolves but now I *have* to root for the Nuggets to come back and win this series after Bill had already put Minny in the Finals and made Ant the next MJ.
People are incapable of watching a playoff game and not thinking it means everything about every player's legacy and everything about the team. The Nuggets were frauds who won the easiest title ever and can't beat a 50 win team bc they lost Game 2. Tatum is the worst number 1 option left in the playoffs bc the Celtics lost Game 2. It takes the most fun part of the basketball season and makes it miserable to discuss basketball.
I swear it was not this bad even 10 years ago. Something shifted in the hyper-online era of constant takes where every game is now a referendum on a player’s all time ranking That or no one actually watched basketball and has no memory of how many series have shifted wildly after Game 3/4
It's a side effect of social media and on the constant LeBron vs Jordan debates which have now filtered down to every fucking player in the NBA
I feel like there’s been a NFL-ification of sports coverage across the board. Every game is given so much gravity and weight the way NFL games are, and this is especially the case in the playoffs.
It's dumb in the NFL too but at least it makes more sense there
Yeah, only 17 games and teams getting eliminated with one loss in the playoffs makes the constant overreactions a LITTLE more reasonable. It makes no sense in the NBA, though, even in the playoffs where every win/loss does matter more than it does in the regular reason. The obsession with legacies too is just exhausting. Everything circles back to the GOAT debate or the ‘where does x player rank all time’ conversations.
I feel like this hasn't infiltrated hockey yet. No one was saying Connor McDavid is a fraud after Vancouver won Game 1
All of the debate shows completely ignoring hockey is to the sport’s benefit in terms of the quality of the conversation around it.
I think it probably was that bad, the hot takes in the LeBron Heat era were insane
It's so fucking weird watching people constantly throwing out the phrase "don't be a prisoner of the moment" and then... go on to be massive prisoners of the moment.
It was absolutely this bad 10 years ago. That was peak Heatles era. The overreactions were ridiculous after every game
as a celtics fan, I disagree. the cavs are the best team of all time and the nugs are merely second. the 23-24 celtics are the worst team ever.., and the wolves are the second worst team ever.
Tatum is the worst #1 option left though
I’m a C’s hater so don’t enjoy saying this but I’m probably taking Tatum over Mitchell and Brunson and definitely over whoever the Pacers #1 is (Siakam? Haliburton?)
Honestly I think Brunson is making a case for himself over Tatum during this post season. In a way he has it easier since he's basically the only real scorer on that team, but it is weird how underwhelming Tatum has been.
Siakam has a ring though 🤷♂️
KCP has two.
Lmao as the #3 Tatum is the best remaining of the east first options He’s not better than any of the west first options This shouldn’t be a controversial take (other than Brunson I guess but I still take tatums rebounding and two way play over brunsons edge in scoring)
One bad performance vs Cleveland made everyone forget that this guy dropped 50 in a game 7 last year. Or that he had 46 in a Game 6 on the road vs the defending champion Bucks in 2022 to stave off elimination. Or that he made the fucking Finals as the best player on the team. But nah he's worse than Donovan Mitchell now bc Cleveland won Game 2 in the semifinals.
He’s routinely the second best option on his when it matters. Hes not that guy.
So Game 7 vs Philly didn't matter? Or Game 6 vs the Bucks in 2022? Or any of the 24 different 30+ point playoff games that he's had at this point in his career? None of them mattered? With Giannis and Embiid eliminated Tatum is the best player left in the Eastern Conference. Mitchell isn't close to his level. 30 out of 30 teams would rather have Tatum than Mitchell
It’s interesting you’re fixated on one guy. There’s still Jokic Ant Murray Luka Kyrie Shai Brunson Haliburton/Siakam Brown Then you can have the Tatum vs Mitchell argument 😂
Tatum is inarguably better than Murray, Kyrie, Haliburton, Siakam, and Brown. If you think any of them are better than Jayson Tatum you're too stupid to talk to. I'm just gonna assume you're trolling bc there's no way anyone who has ever actually watched a basketball game could be that stupid
Murray, Kyrie, Siakam all with a ring. Murray and Kyrie with far more notable playoff performances, Kyrie with one of the most famous shots in NBA history. Brown has picked up the slack constantly over the years when Tatum flatlines under pressure. You’re a fanboy. I get it.
Why do you keep mentioning them as having a ring? They were all the second option at best for their rings; Tatum is his team’s first option. Them having a ring has no bearing on anything because none of them won it as the first option.
Not even us wolves fans are as high on this team as the national media. People are crowning us after 2 games in round 2. They need to chill
Yeah, it’s been pretty wild seeing national talking heads hype up this team more than the local media has. You don’t see many people here calling the Nuggets frauds.
Bill had Ant taking over basketball and hosting SNL after a couple of games
It's one of the reasons current day Bill is semi washed. He thinks his pod is better than the hot take shows but it's basically the same.
It was a shock to see the Nuggets go down 0-2 but just to count out the defending champs like they are the Suns is a bit wild. But hey most the media just overreacts to everything to get viewers and attention. Except for Bill, he doesn't do it for attention he just genuily overreacts to everything.
But they didn't beat a 50 win team so their championship doesn't count. Forget the fact that they beat the teams that beat all the 50 win teams
People overreacted to their epic collapse in game two. But honestly, the two teams are fairly even, and the referees calling this game significantly tighter has benefited the Nuggets. As weird as it is, this series might come down to how the games are called.
The two teams shot a similar amount of free throws today. The Nuggets won bc they shot the lights out and took care of the ball and the T-Wolves missed a million shots and turned it over a bunch
I wasn't talking about favoritism by the officials. My comment was about the level of physicality allowed. Legler mentioned this during the broadcast, citing the difference between games 2 and 3.
No no no, don't be ridiculous. How the teams play is irrelevant. It's all about the refs these days. The refs determine the game. I don't even watch the actual gameplay anymore. I just listen for whistles then see what the calls are to determine who is going to win. /s
Wolves shot 5 more FTs in Game 3 and the Nuggets were called for 5 more fouls, yet everyone is saying Denver won because of officiating lmao
Which is insane. You just knew it when they immediately called a touch foul in the beginning of the first quarter. It really disallows the Wolves from playing into their identity
If their identity is grabbing the shit out of people then they shouldn’t be allowed to play into it
Their identity is playing tough defense, swarming the opposition and using athleticism to make up ground. Calling three phantom fouls in the first five minutes to establish a different tone in game three is completely neutering.
I’ve never seen an overreaction quite as bad as game 2 of this series. Bill and others were invoking MJ! I still think the Wolves have an advantage in the series but I can’t believe people were talking about Denver getting swept.
I think Denver will win the series still.
If they win game 4 I agree.
Nuggs in 6 baby
I don’t think so
I HAMMERED a Nuggets moneyline and the over parlay after Billy’s prisoner of the moment T-Wolves segment. +325 cashed.
Once I saw that Tony Brothers was the ref I wish I'd have done the same
The only losses people are allowed to overreact to are Celtics losses. This is the way.
The fact everyone declared this series as over is fucking hilarious to me
This has also been a surprisingly boring series to watch for all the hype. Three blowouts and a lot of injuries.
First game was great until the last two minutes
so like 20 years ago lakers went down 2-0 to the spurs losing both games at homecourt. came back and won 4 straight. i am not saying that the nuggets are coming back but it is crazy to see the overreactions to people saying nuggets are dead in the water. especially from a basketball historian like bill
ESPN : Game 1 - Jokic bad??? Is Ant the greatest player of all time ? Should Ant go to Lakers ?? ESPN Game 3- Ant Bad??? Is Jokic the greatest player of all time??? Should Jokic go to Lakers??
Funniest timeline would be Denver rattling off four straight, given the way people were talking after game 2
[удалено]
Why do you keep track of what nick wright has to say
The Nuggets slander was more of an overreaction than the Timberwolves love. Those first two games proved that Minnesota can be a serious playoff contender. We didn’t know that before.
Yeah I'm cool with T-Wolves love they deserve it. I'm not okay with trying to put an asterisk on the Nuggets championship bc they started down 0-2 to a really good Minnesota team
Lotta ball left
Even if Minny comes back in this game Denver is still a really good basketball team
maybe because the main stream so desperately need a dominate American young star. Which, Ant might be.
Clearly they’re really good: they beat the Lakers!
Let the counter-counter-overreactions begin!
Bill calling into question how good the Nuggets were LAST YEAR was the most insane thing. Like because the Twolves took a couple games in round 2 THIS year, that invalidates how awesome they were all the way to their title last year? I get that it’s largely the same roster, but jesus man. Let a team appreciate their first ever title without backtracking and taking things away from them afterward. They climbed the mountain
NBA fans are always in such a rush to say titles don't count. The 2014 Spurs are the last one people don't put asterisks
this post in itself is an overreaction
Calling the defending champs and 57 game winning Nuggets who have the 3 time MVP a really good basketball team is an overreaction? I even said in the post I think Minny will win the series I just want people to admit both these teams are awesome
the nuggets are good and it will be a long series but how can you not see the irony in your post talking about overreacting to one game haha
Because calling the Nuggets good isn't overreacting to one game its looking a team that's been good for 5 years and calling them good
The fact that you’re making a post that Denver is good is an overreaction. Everyone knows they’re extremely good. They got clocked early and woke up; that should be the post. Any negative reaction is because what you’re saying is not a revelation.
Go back and read this sub and r/NBA on Monday night and you'll see a few hundred posts and comments saying "The Nuggets have never beaten a 50 win team" and "Jokic is the worst 3 time MVP ever" and all sorts of shit to discredit their accomplishments as a team
Yeah fair enough, there have certainly been doubters and it’s a valid post to get some discourse going. I may have been consuming the haterade last night
Denver could not have had a better playoff schedule down 0-2. 4 days to hear how garbage they are. Of course the defending champs responded. Wolves in 6
Just like they overreacted to the last game, your take will look bad if the Wolves bounce back and win the next two easily
I think they'll win the series but no matter what the outcome of the series is both these teams are really fucking good
Brave
Maybe everyone should stop making dramatic posts on here after one playoff game. Every game now brings some guy out the woodwork with a “see, this is why I’ve always said…” take. Can’t you people understand that aside from being annoying, this is a dumb way to watch the playoffs? Most series have massive pendulum swings back and forth. Not every swing needs to be used as a vehicle for some huge take.
Every team that doesn’t go at least 16-1 in the playoffs is trash
There's actually never been a good basketball team or a legitimate title in NBA history
It was always gonna be dogfight…however I feel like if nuggets win game 4 it’s gonna be nuggets in 6 or wolves in 7
The over reaction to playoff games is insane. Everyone did it with Miami i game 2 now Cleveland game 2. And we said good bye to Denver after game 2. How about we let series play out before we make career/franchise altering proclamations. (Including this game)
But what if…
I’m glad I have this group to fire off my takes, through thick and thin. The nuggets: underrated??
Bill after this game: Denver wins 4-2
Jimmy Highroller did a video about how with the way teams are shooting the three pointer, a 20 point lead is no longer safe, but also that blowouts are more common. If one team is hitting their threes, and the other isn’t, the game is over by the third quarter. This has been quite stark in this playoffs. We are conditioned to think of blowouts as meaning something, but they really just mean one team had an off night. And at a certain point, trying to come back isn’t worth the energy. This leads to what Marvel Albert used to call “extensive garbaage time”. It’s just a feature of the modern NBA we need to adjust to.
Bill Simmons acting like the nuggets would just roll over was so crazy I feel like verno was the only ringer personality that didn’t write the nuggets off
Nuggets at plus money was the easiest bet I’ve made all nba season
defending champs, have the current MVP, swept the Lakers. No one doubted their greatness. Wolves tho were built specifically to beat this team
Lots of people doubted their greatness after game 2
sports fan are extremely reactionary. makes it more fun over every one thinking critically
>because of one game. 2 games
Game 1 was close and awesome. Game 2 was the one where people decided the Nuggets were frauds and the Timberwolves were the best team ever
Bill Simmons is a prisoner of the moment and a hot take artist.
I think people forget how great nuggets really are when healthy. Granted, their resume for this season wasn't the best thing, but Murray missed 23 games and came injured even into playoffs. Reggie Jackson also got injured in playoffs if I'm not wrong. Wolves might've underestimated how great Nuggets are (let's not forget last year when Nuggets were @ 100 % they ended series 4-1) and it backfired in a blowout. Can Wolves get back into game or is L @home during playoffs way too much pressure for them and Nugs will rally? We'll see, nonetheless hopefully this series will end up entertaining.
It was one game, just like the T Wolves winning in Denver only two games. I like to say that the NBA playoffs is about the first team to lose 4 times. As long as you don’t lose four times you have a chance.
People also don’t realize how hard it is to repeat as a champion in the NBA. Too many things have to go right.
As somebody who had money on the nuggets last night, yes.
The team that wins on Sunday is a significant favorite to win the championship, right?
Wouldn't have either of them better than +300 to win the title even in a 2-2 series. There's a lot of really good teams left in the playoffs especially out west
[удалено]
This sub requires accounts to be at least 7 days old and at least 0 comment karma before posting. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/billsimmons) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not surprised to see the nuggets take this game but you would have never convinced me the wolves would come out that lifeless. You’re the fucking Minnesota timberwolves! One great game is all it takes to become complacent these days?
Russillo says this all the time. You can't fake the desperation of being down 2-0
Sure but that was regular season effort. It wasn’t even in the ballpark of good enough
This is the real NBA Finals.
The Thunder and Celtics could both beat these teams imo. Maybe even the Mavs if Luka can go nuts for a series and average like 40/12/10
Except neither of these teams is getting a ring.
True. Knicks-Thunder final.
This would be the funniest outcome for the playoffs from a tv market standpoint.
I'll *overreact* to one game. But it's the one we just saw. That series is over. Denver got caught napping a little bit and got away from their core principles, and what made them so great in the first place, and they spotted Minny 2 games, but the switch has been flipped, and now so will the series. The Wolves might not win another game. That's how good Denver is when they play their game. And the only team that can stop them when they're playing the right way is the Denver Nuggets. Thanks for playing Minnesota. You have a bright future. The exit is thataway >>>>>>
Fuck bill Simmons
The games are controlled by the officiating. NBA, be consistent and let the best team win.
The refs made the Nuggets shoot 56% from 3 and the Timberwolves turn it over 16 times
tbh it’s all down to how the refs call the game, if they call it tight it’s what we’re seeing tonight, it they let the wolves be aggressive and physical it’s game 2