Legendary Boston media homer believes road to the finals goes through Denver
By Ben Handler
Longtime media mogul, and NBA expert, Bill Simmons has never been shy about his opinions over the years. Simmons has gone from ESPN to founding Grantland, to founding and running the Ringer, his current home.
The writer turned podcaster, turned CEO hails from Boston and is one of the most famous and vocal Celtics fans with a platform. Simmons currently lives in Los Angeles and attended Saturday night’s Nuggets at Lakers game in Crypto.com Arena.
After watching the Nuggets complete a comeback win, their eighth straight over the Lakers, and look completely in control down the stretch, Simmons tweeted the following:
I went to the Lakers game tonight. The Celtics have been fantastic but let’s be honest - the road still goes through Denver.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) March 3, 2024
The Nuggets are the defending champions, and they’re creeping towards the top of the Western Conference standings. So this isn’t some crazy hot take or anything from Simmons. But it is interesting coming from a Celtics fan.
Celtics recent dominance
The Celtics have been scorching hot lately - and for most of the season - and boast the league’s best record by far at 48-12. Boston has the best title odds according to sportsbooks worldwide and has been performing at historical levels.
They own the league’s best offense, and second-best defense, and have the best NET rating in the NBA by four whole points at 11.6. The team is also on an 11-game winning streak, and coming off a 52-point demolition of the Golden State Warriors.
The Celtics have been looking like a juggernaut recently and have been clinically picking opponents apart like a well-oiled machine. This all makes it even more interesting that somebody so emotionally invested in that team still considers the Nuggets the team to beat.
The Celtics have come close in recent years, falling in game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season to the Heat, and losing in the Finals to Golden State in 2022. But this team is different, as they’ve added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
The rematch
The Nuggets won the only regular season matchup so far between the two teams in Boston, which was one of the best and most intense NBA games of the season. They’ll face off again in Denver Thursday night, in what should be a measuring stick opportunity for both sides and a potential NBA Finals preview.