NBA Media Narratives, Studio Shows, and More! | The Bill Simmons Podcast

[@ohbuddy-m5g]

russillo been in rare form lately

[@carniv5812]

Cocaine and strippers believe me.

[@brock985]

His 2024 run rivals any all time great so far

[@nevermindthe90s]

NBA Finals form, he been building all year for this

[@wack...]

The other day I asked myself ‘have I just never realised that this guy is actually good???’

[@jboy2000]

aka “russillofred”

[@elvenstein]

I had no idea that's what Bryan Curtis looked like. I thought that was evil Woj.

[@NCOPPOLA97]

Plotting trades

[@JoshuaFrick3]

😂

[@Amanda-nq6yh]

Thought he was black just from the voice

[@mishionary8632]

WaWoj

[@GeronimoPlaz]

Who tf is Bryan Curtis? Lol

[@Amanda-nq6yh]

Ryne was on fire ....like did he take a hit before the show?? Hasnt been this lively in ahwile...

[@CD-gk9ix]

Musta been fired up of the questionable Celtics takes

[@fentanyljones6956]

Russillo and Simmons are the perfect tandem

[@davidrissman9553]

When Russillo lost SVP, he struggled a bit because he can come off as overly serious. He needs someone who can riff pop culture and adds some levity. And Bill needs someone who can call him out when he slips into sports/culture senility. They’ve been a great pairing since Russillo went to The Ringer.

[@domclegg1225]

Russillo was on an absolute heater in this one

[@sleevedaces81]

The "Pat Summerall giving a promo for House of Buggin" reference is why I will always be a Russillo fan

[@DorseyShaw]

I would listen to every minute of a Ringer ‘Media Report’ pod

[@joeswar123]

This is why I love First Things First. There's some hot takes but nothing too extreme, great comedy bits but also some really good simple insight for the casual listeners and casual sports fans. Very much like the early First Take years and the peak years of Skip and Shannon. Skip had the casual sports knowledge and comedic moments but also Shannon had the HOF insight and also matched the comedic moments and that made it watchable

[@Sup4ast4r]

It's basically trash tv sports. There is a clear audience for it.

[@robesonrogers2722]

Jokic being the worst MVP in history was the worst take ever

[@joespaniak9392]

Totally agree on FTF. Wildes makes the show though

[@untexan]

It took until 1:05:30 but Russillo finally hit 100 on the radar gun

[@PorqueNoLosDos]

"...he's a compiler" 😂😂😂

[@trevinalger]

Russillo’s point about Doris being too deferential to JJ is so solid. I’m not a big Doris enjoyer, but she is giving all the shine to JJ, being so gracious to him, and it feels like she’s taking a performance dip because of it.

[@sardonicus76]

I’ve seen aerial photographs of Iowa in mid July that were less corny than Doris Burke. She’s just terrible.

[@timmytv7554]

Not a fan of Doris, but Doc Rivers really porked her. All of the time spent working with him went out the window so he could blow another coaching job.

[@grahamnoble_]

no dorris slander please

[@notoriousLSGshow]

Imo DB isn't that bad for a female - she does call out the low IQ of the players @ times

[@ElBrillante4]

Doris sucks. Always has

[@jasonhilgefort5184]

perk narrating various historical events... is a online comedy short series gold mine... or even... extend it to have differing iconic sportcasters narrating past events... van gundy on the french revolution... john madden on the trump election... etc

[@1thoughtfantasy59]

💯

[@JPW3]

"These guys are just addicted to the cash." LOL! Simmons is funny.

[@joeb588]

Well it is short term gains over long term gains. People are just short sided and they don’t see the long term risk of worsening your product.

[@ghostofkenny]

that was a really fun pod. most energized I've seen Russillo since he did The Town rewatchables and Bryan was a great addition. Bill did some things too, he just did.

[@ZiaJamal-xd7hi]

I swear I thought that was Woj on here for a second lol

[@jacobzillinger]

Came to comment this lol

[@Donotcare6]

Me too 🤣🤣

[@lukep757]

Woj bomb!

[@dontedavis5184]

Sham's doesn't like him just because of the resemblance😂

[@darlingtonatuba5910]

Russillo was throwing some heat this episode 🔥 😂

[@marquisdaily7715]

Such a great conversation. That was brilliant

[@joespaniak9392]

This was an all time pod. Loved the rights convo and the business side of sports

[@SimmerDownSports]

Glad see to see Bill got Bryan Curtis AKA “Stupid Sexy Woj” on the pod

[@nickbarcheck1019]

Great discussion fellas.

[@masonparker24]

Rusillo always looks like the sun is in his eyes

[@jbstuff4472]

Truly enjoyed this

[@WhelmedButReady]

I just know that we're all gonna miss the Inside Crew. But it was an all-time run while it lasted. GOAT studio crew

[@Gyjtrdfhj]

@@aron.gortmanI think inside the nba stopped being great years ago, now it just seems like the kinda phone it in for the paycheck

[@BoxOffice22]

Better to end early than too late. Charles and Shaq likely move elsewhere. Kenny likely stays on Turner being he has the most to lose from the separation.

[@sardonicus76]

I’m really going to miss those “Very Special” segments where they sit in a well appointed room in comfortable chairs, discussing their own brilliance. “Chuckster, what is it about what we do that makes ‘Inside the NBA’ so wildly successful and so richly deserving of the highest praise imaginable? Is it the chemistry? The camaraderie? The brilliant insight?” “Well, Ernie, first of all, I don’t know what “camaraderie” mean. Ain’t that like a toilet in a fancy hotel or somethin’?”

[@jamesmiller5331]

​@aron.gortman I saw someone comment "I don't even watch basketball but I watch inside the NBA" like... wut. Either he making the shit up or is handicap

[@Weaponator18]

I know we throw GOAT around way too much now, but in this case the inside the NBA guys 100% deserve it. Peak NBA coverage.

[@jarrodjob]

Ryen’s Gammons Diamond Notes and Perk’s Revolutionary War vibes made my night. Glad I listened to the full pod. 😆

[@NoRace]

Tim Legler is the perfect analyst 😊

[@moderndancingfool]

I want the Mavericks to win just so Chris Ryan can troll Bill back for all those little digs on all the pods they're on together.

[@fentanyljones6956]

“6 is just incredible to me cuz there’s always 5 people that just are never talking” 😂

[@rickygordonhhc]

Rusillo, you are the father lol

[@BrannenClark]

Bryan Curtis is like if Woj and House had a baby lol

[@Sup4ast4r]

Great pod as always. 😊

[@jacobellis9419]

The open conversation is so important and so is less people.

[@TheVictoryDegree]

Bill we need to do something about the video quality. 4k camera! Love the pod :)

[@jakejurak1]

I definitely look forward to this show and care what ryen and Bill have to say more than anyone on T.V. I always look forward to some more content from these guys

[@darlingtonatuba5910]

I'm not a fan of 3 man broadcasting teams for basketball, but I think that's why I appreciated Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Mike Breen so much. There wasn't a lot of time to get words in, but they flowed so well that they made the best of their time. It was rough towards the end, but most of the run was great

[@ParkerC_88]

its gonna feel so strange not having van gundy and jackson for the finals

[@sardonicus76]

If feelin’ strange is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

[@lil_truth]

Great show

[@clarktudor2706]

Perk doing NBA style takes on the Revolutionary War is peak podcasting by Russillo

[@AB-sw4kb]

The U.S. letting the White House get burned in 1812 is one of the worst title defense seasons I've ever seen. You can't lose on your home floor like that

[@romankingbhs]

@@AB-sw4kb You just can’t, House!

[@AB-sw4kb]

@@romankingbhs at the Battle of Lake Champlain, naval commander Thomas Macdonough invented the 165-club

[@AB-sw4kb]

I'll just never understand why the coach didn't call a timeout there. The White House is on fire, you've got Dolly Madison running out of it, yet these NBA teams just let the clock run. I don't understand

[@universoullifebalance]

Russillo is a Hall of Famer !!! 🔥💪🏾

[@semi6544]

The reason why producers can't stay out of their own way is because of performance evaluations. If you leave the thing that is working the same then during your performance evaluation there will be no bullets that show you have done any work. Maintenance is work but it doesn't look good on an evaluation.

[@derekjones5023]

We let corporations ruin our sports in America. The games in a season discussion is a sad truth.

[@josh0766]

I’m glad Ryen called out the 72 game logic. There’s a more likely chance that the NBA goes to 90 games instead of 72 games. NBA owners are greedy.

[@Tdot6]

Russillo's war analogy was really funny and memorable.

[@1thoughtfantasy59]

RR was on fire down the stretch the perk analogy was peak

[@BasedSherpa]

I agree with Bill on the TV stuff. In my opinion ESPN is unwatchable nowadays it's all just a bunch of hot take artists and the most in the moment post game analysis.

[@AB-sw4kb]

Their analysis is usually wrong too. Like are we watching the same game? They'll talk about "gravity" or a player using the threat of the 3, and I'm like, he passed up three open shots, he's not even putting up attempts. The defense sags off and only respects the threat of a handoff. Gravity my ass.

[@AerialPenn]

Rogan and Anik make the UFC commentary so good. Best in the business.

[@drchuff]

I like checking out the alt casts sometimes to suss out biases from the national broadcast team. Same thing watching League Pass, it's a totally different experience watching local v national broadcasts and you really see how much the announcers can manipulate audience perception. Listening to Stan Van Gundy during the MIA series instead of Gorman was rough.

[@drchuff]

Tell em Russillo! This might be the most heavily dissected NBA Finals in history - what a treat to have 8 full days of intelligent, insightful media coverage... NOT. Every time I turn to the Worldwide Leader or some podcast du jour I feel like I'm taking crazy pills with how ridiculous the takes have been. So thank you for bringing some sanity and much needed perspective bc the mainstream media sure ain't interested in that. Great discussion.

[@kevinconley1575]

Just have Bill Raftery annouce every basketball game that is played and I will be happy

[@jezerrodriguez4493]

That felger and mazz stuff was hilarious

[@andisvanags3160]

telecasts haven't been the same since Jefff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson un Mike Breen got broken up, they mashed so perfectly with insights from coaches positions, high level basketball plays etc and who can forget the million times when somebody scored a three pointer and Mark goes - hand down, man down or mama there goes that man. Hopefully there will be a time in the future where they wil be back together again

[@encartasandiego4939]

As a mavs fan, I can personally say we loved Lively as soon as we saw him. Every time he came out of the game we were holding our breath because Dwight Powell would come in. I never hated the lively pick and I’m weirded out by Curtis thinking people weren’t on board with him until March. Who are we talking about? Maybe a few twitter dorks hated him but he was a game changer from day 1

[@KoKoNuTz232]

This idiot is talking about that stupid radio show that covers football. They are hated in the community and are not indicative of what we fans said or felt.

[@JoshuaFrick3]

Mavs fan too. 100 percent. Dwight Powell is a great teammate/energy guy, but he is not an NBA starting big. The Mavs have been desperate for a legitimate Big since Tyson Chandler. Lively was like a gift from God.

[@bagbroch9339]

Hahaha the Maury analogy was spot on

[@slobberkissintl3548]

How the hell could people be mad about trying to secure a draft pick when it's the Wembanyama draft?! Imagine they have Wembanyama in place of Lively 😮

[@Timestamps_]

Dallas had nearly no chance to get Wemby, and they were only a few games out of the play in.

[@kah-vl8ti]

@@Timestamps_ and they got one of the best picks not named Wemby. It worked.

[@untexan]

@@Timestamps_But if their pick fell below #10 they would have to give it to the Knicks. They were white knuckling it at the end of the season but they ended up right at 10. They kept their pick, traded down a little, and got Lively.

[@ineedsaltplease620]

Sports media runs on devaluation/idealization all or nothing thinking and feeling. The integration of phone use with passive viewing has made the commodity into the experience of that thinking and feeling. It is splitting like in borderline personality structure, with each split part generating an algorithmic series of takes within its purview, which results in pundits holding to takes and becoming synonymous with the place of takes within the circuit

[@alexmilne3684]

this is a really well put explanation of how something ws stupid as sports talk degenerates into symbols of symbols in the current media landscape. every visible moment you live is a branding opportunity and you are punished for inefficiency if you dont take each opportunity to strengthen your brand image

[@bradyoung1714]

At this point, i usually just tune in to hear perkins bear breath into his mic and mispronounce everyones names for 5 minutes while i laugh like its a comedy show

[@snapsnap34]

please keep up the long pods with visuals!

[@Gxbbby]

It’s simple. I see Ryen, I click

[@fentanyljones6956]

Jeff and Mark were classic. Chris Marlowe, Scott Hastings, and Katy Winge are the best local or national period

[@PROJOH]

Fucking love when these 3 team up.

[@kalebduggar4251]

1:13:26 do we get to know the name of his pod or are we just supposed to guess it?

[@johndunne550]

I had no idea Woj sounded so much like Bryan Curtis

[@paulwilliams5500]

I think the stories of old being talked about during the broadcast in the regular season, but when I think of how magical the 90s broadcasts were, I think of Costas and Albert allowing space with Doug Collins really picking his spots to chime in. During the World Series, the announcers shut up and let the energy of the fans and the weight of the moment do all of the talking. Personally, a JJ alt-cast would be fascinating in its own right, but Doris Burke and Mike Breen are legends and need no extra help.

[@michaelahurt]

Doris and Breen are boring. It’s like listening to paint dry. I wish they had just promoted the entire Ruocco-JJ-RJ crew. JJ and RJ is good TV and RR has a good feel for when to let them go and pull them back Or give it to Ian Eagle and Sarah Kustok if you want to have a woman. Eagle and Kustok are both better If you are going to insist on having a 3 person booth they need to disagree sometimes. Doris is just too conciliatory and uses far to many cliches to be entertaining.

[@CheefChaos]

I'd rather Inside die then let Draymond beome a regular host.

[@grahamnoble_]

don’t hate

[@jonnyvelocity]

@@grahamnoble_ It's called having taste.

[@bjensen]

​@@grahamnoble_ yeah, leave the hating to Dray- he's the best at it!

[@David-iv6je]

Amen. I hate that guy. I can't believe his teammates can put up with him. Well, KD couldn't.

[@GNTHEGUNS]

Even inside the nba is kinda lame. They're always putting dumb narratives. They don't even watch the majority of the season. Chuck is washed.

[@LLPOF]

If the NBA had a 50 game schedule, expanded playoffs, and more teams ...... hell yeah I'd watch more.

[@mysho6317]

ALL the networks - main & cable have WAY TOO many people on the Broadcasts, Studio shows, etc. The huge costs are a complete waste. They don't understand Less is More. There's only so much air time - Quality vs Quantity of talent wins every time.

[@suprcrzy]

Dont know who this "resident Texan" is. He's right about everyone wanting Kidd fired at the end of last season (even some of this year). He's 50/50 on ppl being pissed about tanking those last 2 games. Half the ppl wanted to try and make the play in. Half the ppl wanted to keep that first round pick, instead of sending it to NY. He's completely wrong about ppl being pissed about the Lively pick. That's exactly what we needed. Length, rebounding and defense. Our starting centers the previous years had been Kleber, Powell and Boban...

[@francismoritz1132]

I think they're overlooking the fact that tnt just got lucky that the chemistry is excellent with the inside the nba guys. Not sure it's repeatable unless u just get lucky again

[@readmelancholystrumpetmaster]

Have any of these characters stated their Finals picks?

[@andrewmcmurray8081]

Hopefully they mentioned how out of place Draymond was on ITNBA

[@jacktheleper4468]

One of the reasons 3 announces are Frequently used is because they feel compelled to make sure of diversity. Frequently only one gender does sideline reporting because it's easy when you just have to reiterate what a player or coach says. I I'm sure there's more reasons than that as well as there being many exceptions to this notion I'm only saying it helps to make sure they have diversity with more positions to allotted

[@allank8497]

NBA season proposal: . 58 game regular season. Every team plays every other team twice (home and away). . Then a 12-21 game “qualifying season” before the playoffs. During the QS, the top 3 teams in the east (based on RS record) play three best of 7 series against each of the top 3 west teams (and vice versa, obviously). Best series record of the teams in each conference gets a first round bye in the playoffs. . The 4-6 ranked teams in each conf play best of 7 series against the 4-6 in the other conference. Team from that clump in each conference with best series record avoids the play in. The other two are in the play-in which is double elimination for them (have to win once before losing twice, to advance to playoffs. . The next tier of three teams in each conference (7-9), play best of 7 series against the 7-9 in the opposite conference. Team with best series record makes the play-in as a double elimination team. The other two are single elimination play-in teams, and must win two before losing once in order to advance. . The 10th through 15th in each conference play regular season type format against one another while the QS is going on for the t10 seeds. The team from this group in each conference with the best record becomes the 10th seed and makes the play-in as a single elimination team. Everyone else are lottery teams.

[@KoKoNuTz232]

We gotta stop saying everybody because the radio does not represent the community. Actually ask any Dallas fan how they feel about that radio show and they will tell you it sucks!

[@Biz613]

I watch the games on mute and it’s beautiful. The only guys who get unmuted are the Inside the NBA guys.

[@glorious644]

Having the 4th best 25 year old lead a team to the finals is a true Cinderella story.

[@Mskedu47]

Having to listen to Doris and JJ is the heavy price we have to pay to get Mike Breen

[@kah-vl8ti]

Tf is this guy talking about?! Dallas fans were very happy with the Lively pick. And when we moved back up into the first round to take OMax, the over whelming narrative in Dallas was that Niko won the draft.

[@ckq]

Why are they saying 35? I thought everyone knows the optimal 2 for 1 is 32 seconds. That's why the 3 for 2 is 1:04. If you take a shot at 35, then your opponent can run downhill and score around 30 like Zion did in the play-in vs LA

[@joeg2258]

If you troll my basketball taste as far as pods and TV----it's The Ringer metaverse, First Things First crew, Inside the NBA, then occasionally Gil's Arena.

[@Bobbleheads56]

10:51 people only click on this stuff because its promoted to the top of the algorithm….if you watch anything about basketball you will be spammed espn clips

[@patrickt6642]

16 games was perfect.

[@dprestons0318]

Mark Jackson was the ultimate "Yes Man." You could show a replay where the ref clearly missed the call, and Jackson would always respond, "Great call by the referree," even with obvious counter- evidence staring him and the viewers in the face. After a while, people got fed up. I mean I got the whole "Good Cop, Bad Cop" routine with him and Van Gundy, but Jackson eventually became a joke. My brother and I could never get over it. He never let us down with his pro-nba propaganda, BTW, this is a problem for many ex-players who are in the nba fraternity and announcers hunting coaching or GM jobs. It is just so obvious.

[@michaelahurt]

It was best part about JVG is he gave zero f**ks I too hated Mark Jackson for similar reasons. So annoying

[@jacobellis9419]

Is Chuck really that good? He's basically a guy who speaks freely, has bad takes, and is good to laugh with/at. There has to be more of these guys who are former players. If Richard Jefferson was a Hall of Famer he'd be nearly as good.

[@Sup4ast4r]

I understand Ryan's sex point. When Inside the Nba halftime is on, you gotta delay the sex for a half hour.

[@davidburke2453]

I like the idea of going to two preseason games and 18 regular season games with two bye weeks. What I do not like is the NFL putting on games everyday day of the week it feels like. It was better when Sunday was special with all of the games and then there was also a Monday night game with usually between two very good teams.

[@andersonnz6213]

I thought Curtis was Woj for a brief second. I was about to skip the video 😅😂🤣

[@chet732003]

They didn't play anybody in the Eastern Conference playoffs

[@TheDon1966]

The biggest narrative in studio shows is the fact that there has to be a female on every show.

[@jakehoover6655]

Ryen deserves better than old men yelling at clouds.

[@terrygoosedowning171]

Thank you for covering the announcers. Loved Doris until now. The radio broadcast is better.

[@Weaponator18]

The perk narrating the revolutionary war stuff sent the fuck out of me

[@ericveneto1593]

The think about the horizon is Kidd trolling Kyrie.

[@KK-pm7ud]

I just want the classic Chick Hearn play -by-play. I don't need Dorris and JJ talking about random stuff while the guys are playing the game. When the ball is in their hands, let the play -by-play guys speak uninterrupted and then maybe say something while they are in a time out or shooting free throws. So annoying.

[@nololol]

bruh ryen at 14:45 is so funny if you took that out of context 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@alamocitysquarebody2446]

"To all you artists out there, who don't wanna be on a record label where the Executive Producer's...all up in the videos, all on the records, dancin'...then come to Death Row!"

[@robertholston4708]

Kyrie baby! Lets go!

[@SamwiseXIV]

Doris Burke is the absolute worst.

[@matthedlund502]

Reggie Miller says hello.

[@whyumadbiatch]

They should do the best 16 teams in the nba regardless of conferance

[@Anthony-tz2wb]

ESPN is unwatchable thank god for shows like this, the NBA media is a mess

[@joeb588]

I’d like to see just JJ and Breen on games

[@dprestons0318]

Let's cut to the chase. Yes, I would love to hear Dollar Bill and Russillo call a game. And yes, the Ringer should make it move. The time is right. As the basketball podcast genre grows, it is inevitable. I cannot even watch First Take or the ESPN's pregame of postgame shows after listening to the stuff on KZbin. And clearly I am not alone. Video killed the radio star. Podcast has killed the network stars. The only question is who is going to be first. Bill, you are clearly an ambitious guy. My money is on you. Make a play, bro. (The lesson of podcasts is that people are smarter than you think. Plus, you guys are multi-faceted. You can do history, humor, the fan guy, joe plumber, strategy, whatever. Plus, you guys have this almost Tony/WIlbon thing where you seem to genuinely enjoy each other and cut up with each other). Van Gundy was the last great network guy. When he left, the difference became undeniable.

[@michaelahurt]

Yeah the Manning cast is proof people are looking for higher quality analysis than what is offered by the networks Especially with this crew. Idk if I can get through 7 games. The TNT games were hard enough

[@dprestons0318]

@@michaelahurt Couldn't they bring 2 guys from the Ringer for either pre, half, or postgame shows? The 5 guy ESPN lineup has sucked this year. And I am just done with SAS. After 20 years of it, I just can't take it anymore. I really can't.

[@michaelahurt]

@@dprestons0318 Not sure it's worth the liability. They don't work for you and can say whatever they want. Unless you bought TheRinger from Spotify. But I have no idea how feasible essentially licensing a halftime show would be You could pretty easily schedule your own live programming _against_ the network pre-game, halftime and post game though I was thinking of something more along the lines of a watch party but with a production value closer to the Manning Cast. Just an Alt-Cast basically. Similar to how people will go to or watch a game on TV but still listen to the radio broadcast

[@denigster]

the fact that draymond was still on tnt this year while everybody hates him makes me feel they lost the magic and its time