The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Zach Lowe to catch up on the NBA, react to the Rockets-Lakers game, and discuss the 25 most intriguing characters heading into the NBA playoffs.
0:00 Intro
0:23 Zach Lowe joining The Ringer and catching up on NBA
24:51 FanDuel Ad Break
25:57 ‘Player Bundles’ segment presented by State Farm
27:36 Reacting to Lakers-Rockets
38:38 FanDuel Ad Break
39:21 The 25 Most Intriguing NBA Playoff Guys
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39 Comments
Return of the Mack. Hit em what it is what it is what it is what it isn’t
Wow I did not know that Zach left ESPN. Good pickup
Welcome back Zach!
So many crappy analysts on TV and this guy was unemployed. Guess that's what the people want.
the passion that zach lowe has shown in the 1st 15 minutes of this pod cannot go unnoticed. If this doesn't fire you up about the nba then idk what will
Matt ishbia gotta sell that team, suns are hopefully for the foreseeable future.
Zach Lowe approval is similar to Steph Curry's, everyone is happy to see him back. I love how he had to get stuff of his chest :).
no Dyson Daniels??
Love ZL. Happy to have you back!
And yes, Jokić clears sga whom i love for MVP. Enjoy and yes, jokic have more than sga steals… Blocks I don't know but Zack u reaching too much my brate 😉
Hi Bill, do you still read the comments?
I have 2 questions:
1. Dr J's career is nothing, because he scored most of his points in the league which had no defence 😊 kind of like…
2. Is Taylor Swift, or whoever (Rihanna) – i don't know who is on top today – a better Singer than Aretha Franklin was? Just to mention a one. Oh wait, maybe Whitney was better.
Greetings grom Poland
Davion Mitchell to OK C would be unfair!
Zach a fellow podcaster was going to use a pic , and click here for a podcast to prank his co worker s! They would have clicked so fast before double checking! Awesome pull you have in the basketball fandom! What’s a good dollar amount would be good for Josh Giddey , or and Coby White?
Zach lowe has been so missed in the nba media world while hes been away. He is a perfect example of how the nba should be covered, facts, educated opinions, and responsible gosip but minimal
Bill should win an award on how often he can make a non-Celtic conversation convert to a Celtic conversation, its funny but I'm sure Zach finds himself saying how did we start talking about the Celtics again. LOL
Hey bill.. pearl jam sucks
Damn I missed Lowe glad he’s back
1:46:50 classic scriruitti
So good to have these two fans talk basketball for 2 hours. This is a better format for Zach rather than sensationalist/headline bullshit he had to deal with. Weekly show??
Would you rather start your franchise with Austin Reeves or Tyler Herro?
The Wait is Over!
What Simmons said about Lu Dort is precisely the area that leads them to a title. That they're just so suffocating to offenses that their potentially shaky end of game offense won't matter. Sorta like the mid 2000's Pistons. Except with more talent.
1:45:00 Glad someone said it! Magic fans are ridiculously forgiving to management, coaching, and team construction for middling out and consistently having one of the worst offenses in the league for the last 3 years, despite injuries happening this year. As a fan, I think the forgiveness is partially due to being a small market and dealing with terrible teams for the last 10 years, so most are cautious to shake up the good parts about the roster and coaching. I’ve respected the patient the patient approach they’ve taken with accumulating talent, but major changes absolutely need to be made to the roster and potentially to coaching or at least assistant coaching staff because the offense shouldn’t be this bad. And it will continue to be bad unless changes are made.
There was surprising number of people in Phoenix who believed replacing Vogel with Bud wasn't enough, and yet when the season started ended up convincing themselves it was enough. I'm talking before their "hot start". Nobody expected the addition of Tyus Jones in that lineup would wreck their overperforming defense, or that Nurkic could in fact play worse. Very bad season for the Suns, but equally bizarre from commentators and fans.
Gosh bill simmons knows ball, Thibs belongs so far onto the hot seat.
The game needs Zach Lowe 🫡
Zach is BACK!!!!
We love you Bill but not every topic needs to lead to a Celtics conversation. And saying Len Bias floor was Barkley?! 😭
Glad your back Zach 😁
God bless Bill Simmons for this
Why can't men just say they love each other?
Highly doubt either Zach or Bill reads this, but you guys are part of the problem…the NBA media is so concerned about not offending anyone that you all refuse to bring up the obvious, like: 1) Paul George is a rec league guy and has been pretty much since that "Dame Time" moment what's it been now? 5 years? 2) Kevin Durant is one of the all-time trash leaders. "Slim Reaper" is such an appropriate nickname because he's like the metaphorical vision of death, collecting the souls of dead buckets, while having no soul himself. Every team he was ever on he couldn't lead because he just doesn't care. GSW could've won another 2/3 chips but he wasn't welcome because he simply isn't a winner. He's a latter day George Gervin but George had charm. 3) Phoenix sucks b/c Devin "I'm Next" Booker had his spine crushed by Luka a few years back in the playoffs and he simply decided it's all cashing checks and instagram girls from now on. 4) Bradley Beal was never a real high-caliber NBA player…doesn't matter that he had a few good years on a bum squad 5) Ja Morant…see Bradley Beal minus the overrated achievements. 6) Zion Williamson…see Ja Morant 7) TL;DR; contraction…it's time to talk about it, there are at least 3, if not 5-6 franchises that shouldn't exist. 8) Jason Tatum has achieved so much more than SGA and is more deserving of MVP talk, why is he never mentioned? 9) Jokic is having (quite literally) the greatest season of the modern era yet he's being "whiteballed', we all know it yet "MUH TEAMZ BEST RECORD"…10) If the previous logic is correct, why haven't we been talking about Donovan Mitchell all season? His ego and point sacrifice for the good of the most surprising team in the league (again: why…is…nobody…talking…about…Cleveland?) has been the textbook definition of leadership. Talk about pressing issues. You guys are the ones who shape the opinions. Take some risks, you're millionaires, too, so what if some priss gets their panties in a bunch…
Rockets get about 10 seconds of airplay while Boston player and prospects are talked up every topic both are 2nd in their conferences. Small market teams in the USA are not necessarily small market teams worldwide.
41:36 I skipped to this point and I’m so lost after listening to about 10 seconds
is tatum top 5 in decade 😂 maaan i hate your celtics fan comments 😂
I know it's difficult, but the fact that Shai has a chance to do All NBA, All Defense, MVP, FMVP and ring this year is absurd.
It would be one of the greatest seasons in the history of basket All.
Fantastic Celtics documentary on Max Bill, truly a must watch for any even modest basketball fan.
REAL MADRID!
NBA media needed this