What else would you expect from Bill Simmons? ESPN's "The Sports Guy" was in town on Monday promoting his lastest book, "The Book of Basketball," and told the Tribune's Luis Arroyave that it's no contest, the 1986 Celtics were better than the '96 Bulls.
"When Bill Wennington and Luc Longley are your two centers, you're instantly eliminated from being the best team ever," Simmons said.
No contest Robert Parish was a better center than Longley and Wennington. But using that logic, a Bulls fan could counter, no team with Danny Ainge as its shooting guard should ever be mentioned in the argument, since his Bulls counterpart was Michael Jordan.
Plus, Wennington was a backup. Does that mean Bulls fans can bring up Celtics backups Jerry Sichting and Greg Kite, whom the Boston Globe's Bob Ryan once called "the least talented player in the NBA."
Then again Jack Haley was on the '96 Bulls roster.
"When Bill Wennington and Luc Longley are your two centers, you're instantly eliminated from being the best team ever," Simmons said.
No contest Robert Parish was a better center than Longley and Wennington. But using that logic, a Bulls fan could counter, no team with Danny Ainge as its shooting guard should ever be mentioned in the argument, since his Bulls counterpart was Michael Jordan.
Plus, Wennington was a backup. Does that mean Bulls fans can bring up Celtics backups Jerry Sichting and Greg Kite, whom the Boston Globe's Bob Ryan once called "the least talented player in the NBA."
Then again Jack Haley was on the '96 Bulls roster.
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Quite well, catually. The Bulls got swept. S-W-E-P-T.
"The 96 Bulls would have swallowed that team alive with their D."
Who was going to cover Parish? Who was going to cover McHale? Rodman? McHale could go right over the top on Rodman. McHale used to blowtorch the Pistons when they had Rodman. Who was going to cover Walton, when he came off the bench? Bill Wennington? Get real.
The '86 Celtics would have completely controlled the paint. They were much better rebounders and shot blockers. The Bulls had better perimeter defenders on the whole but they would have not been able to help out down low because of the deadly outside shots of Bird and Ainge. Remember, '86 was probably Bird's best season, when he was at his zenith. In the Bird/Pippen matchup, the advantage, and it is significant, goes to Bird.
"The 86 Celtics that gave up 104 PPG???"
And they scored 114. The Bulls only scored 105. So what.
Thaddeus - CRACK KILLS. Ainge?????????? Really???????????
What a homer. Of course he says Boston is better. He's from Boston. LOL!!!
The 72 and 10 bulls team would have spanked My Celtics...they were the best defensive team; were 8 deep and more athletic. Yes I admit the Bulls team was the best ever.
-Bill Walton
Just another case of east coast bias. I mean come on this story is about a man who works for a network that thinks the ACC is the best in college basketball every year, that the world cares about the Yankees and Red sox in baseball, and if their is not controversy about a New York city team its a slow news day. Who cares what this "unmentionabale word" bag has to say.
This is stupid who cares what this jerk thinks .. but he did get what he wanted a reaction from Bulls fans .. and if some of them run out and buy his Book then he will be even happier .. so don't buy his Book..let what he said go in one ear and out the other.. and if you see him on the street punch him in the nose and that will make you happy..
another dumb ass book!
He just wrote that to sell books. The Bulls won 72 regular season games; had the #1 offense and #1 defense; and the single greatest player ever. Boston won a nice 67 games; 3rd in offense and 1st in defense - maybe best starting 5.
If Boston was so great, why not the best record ever? Who would dare bet against Jordan, ever?
Let's just all remember for aminute that Bill Simmons is nothing more than a blogger. He's the biggest sh*t spewing homer the sports world has seen up until now.
So, when he writes something in his "fancy" blog, it's nothing more than anything else written in any other blog around the world, except you can pretty much discredit it because it usually involves Boston being amazing, Boston being better than another city, or some Boston team that is going to win it all.
Let's just remember that those same Celtics teams had NO answer for Michael Jordan when he had NO ONE GOOD AROUND HIM! Does he honestly think the Celtics would win when Jordan had Rodman, Pippen, a great supporting cast and the best team defense the NBA has seen in some 20 years?
When someone works for ESPN(the Eastern sports promotional network)you have to take what they say with a grain of salt. I am sorry, Mike and Co. would win in 6.
cubfn4life: "Hmmm Simmons could write a book, surprising.....did it have pictures? "
It's a 700-page book. If you were familiar with Simmons' work, you'd know he writes a ton. I'm a fan, but it's clear he has trouble self-editing.
The 86 Celtics had the best starting five in history. Bird, McHale, Parish, Johnson, and Ainge. Better at all four of the remaining positions than the Bulls (Jordan is the best ever, so number 44 would have lost that comparison).
Another declaration by one of the hundreds of ESPN "experts". I stopped listening to any national experts that are attached to ESPN simply because they ooze bias in virtually all their reporting and rarely to they display an opinion that exhibits thorough research of the subject matter at hand.
HAHAHAHA!! Ok the 86 Celtics against the "Dobermans"??? The 86 Celtics against the "Triangle"?? The 86 Celtics that gave up 104 PPG??? (LOL!! the bulls would have dropped 125 against that team and theres NO WAY IN HELL that 86 Celtic team drops more than 125 against the "Dobermans" Phil Jackson said it best "Offense wins games but Defense wins championships" The 96 Bulls would have swallowed that team alive with their D.
And how did stopping Michael in 1986 work for the Celtics? Add Pippen, Rodman, Harper, Kerr, Kukoc and Co, thats a far cry from Dailey, Oldham, Oakley, Corzine and Woolridge! Hmmm Simmons could write a book, surprising.....did it have pictures?
Simmons is bias and crazy. Even the 87 Lakers were better than that Celtic Team. As for the 96 Bulls Pippen would have owned Larry Bird. Rodman would have given McHale fits. Jordan vs Danny Ainge? Common... Harp with his length would have made life very difficult on Dennis Johnson. The only advantage the Celtics had was at Center...
And they'll never play each other so let's not get our pants in a bunch about some arbitrary ranking. Who cares if a Celtics fan thinks his team is better than the Bulls?
bought the book. thanks for ruining part of it!
Now there is the biggest dumb @$$ I have ever seen.