Ariel Helwani
Appearances
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I'll just add amen to all of that and kudos to you, Bill, because I think a lot of people would have said you wouldn't have two Knicks fans on. And certainly some of my friends were like, is Bill gonna have you on? I'm like, look, you reached out to me. I didn't reach out to you. I don't like being that fan. I don't like rubbing it in. But golly, I'm happy to be here. I am delighted to be here.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
That was one of the... So I went to Game 6. Um, I, I, I was, I was teetering, obviously the tickets and I bought my tickets, no comps here. I'm not that kind of celebrity, certainly not on your level. So I can't get in there with, you know, Chalamet and a bad bunny. But I, I, I remember exactly where I was in 1999 when we, uh,
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
when we, when we clinched at home to go to the NBA finals, when we beat the Indiana Pacers, I know exactly where I was in 2000, when Ewing dunked over morning, the last trip to the Eastern conference finals. And I said to myself, that kid, that 17 year old would have done anything. He would have walked from his house in Montreal to Madison square garden to be here.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I have to figure out a way to be there. And I'm so happy. I got to go with my two kids because it was the greatest sporting event that I've ever been to in my life. And I've been lucky to to be to some, it was a three hour party bill. It was a three hour freaking party. It was unlike anything because there was no tension. There was no stress. We hadn't had one of those games yet in the playoffs.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Lord knows we didn't have a lot of those wins throughout the season. And from the jump, you know, at one point I think it was like seven, five Boston. And that was it, you know, Jalen hit a couple of shots and that was it. It was a party. And, and, and just, I was able to look at everything. And I told my kids, This hasn't happened in 25 years. They're 13 and 11, Oliver and Walter.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I said, look at all of this. Take this all in. This doesn't happen. Don't take this for granted. And then we had to walk through the crowd, which, you know, I know everyone has their take on the crowd, but I thought everyone was well-behaved. It was awesome. We'll never forget it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And I honestly wish that the Eastern Conference finals were starting on Saturday because I still need like five more days to revel in all the highlights, all the videos about that win over the Celtics because I don't want this feeling to go away.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
No, he's the man. He's the freaking man. I hope they build a statue for him outside MSG. Statue? Oh, my God. Carl Townes is the man. I mean, look. Everyone has their take on him. Second trip to the conference finals and back-to-back seasons. He beat Jokic last year, Western Conference Finals. I was like, you need to start respecting this guy. His team beat Jokic.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
He was a big part of that, in my opinion. I don't remember that as the town series. Oh, he was fantastic in that series.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I know what you're trying to do here. There's nothing you can say, Boston Sports Guy, to get me to say anything negative about the New York Knicks right now. I freaking love all of them. I wish Jericho Sims and Matt Ryan and Jacob Toppin was back on the bench because I miss those guys as well. That's how irrational all of this is. I cannot... I cannot tell you what it's like walking around.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
So right now we're near NYU and seeing everyone with their Knicks gear. I was so tired of the LOL Knicks. I was so tired of all the jokes, of all the media outlets always cracking jokes. I mean, they're still doing it. TNT is still doing it. It's ridiculous how they're treating this team. But I just love how the city, how everyone is rallied around them. Jalen is the...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I'm so lucky to grow up in an era where Jalen Brunson and Josh Allen are my two guys. I mean, they are cut from the same cloth. They're exactly the same and that my kids can root for these guys. The way he handled Friday, he didn't even celebrate. Look at the look on his face. He looked upset.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And I went back and looked at the post-game press conference after game seven when Tyrese Halliburton thought he was all so cute walking in there with the T-shirt and the choking. I can't wait for them to get revenge for that one because we have not forgotten. And I went back and looked at his media availability with a broken hand. He had the broken hand in that game.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And someone said to him, is this season a success? And it was his version of job not finished. And he's like, did we make it far? Did we win? No, this wasn't a success. We're not here for any sort of moral victory. I love his mentality. I love everything about him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And if you're still subscribing to the notion that he's too small or not the best guy on the court or all this nonsense, you know, you're missing the point and you're missing the fun. This has been an unbelievable run. This is a likable team. This is a fun team. Carl Towns completely dominated every big man that Boston threw his way from Porzingis to Horford. to everyone in between.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I think this was dying of an illness. Cornette was a, I mean, we had Cornette before you guys had Cornette. That was a great, what about Mitchell Robinson in that one sequence? Boom, boom.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
That was just mean. I don't know why I did that. What's so great about this is like for the last 20 years, all the Boston teams have, have, have broken my heart, you know, from the Bruins, uh, Red Sox, Blue Jays. Now I'm a Blue Jays fan. Cause my expo's left. Let's not get into that. Nick Celtics, obviously.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And of course, Patriots and, and, uh, and everything's turning in my favor now, Bill, this is incredible. We smoke you guys every year. In fact, we let you guys beat us at the end of the season so you wouldn't get the first pick.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
That McDermott switcheroo when we let you guys beat us was amazing. And then what happened here? You guys were so cocky going into this second round series. It was amazing.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
That's right. By the way, Bill, you're not subscribing to the theory that we beat the Celtics because Tatum's injured, right? We were winning that game. We were winning game four. Talk to my dad about this today.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Easy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Annoying. Yeah. Fuck him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Nismith's good. Nismith's good. Nembhard's good as well. My fellow Canadian hit that big shot in Game 3, which we would have won the series had that not happened. They are a very good team, and they're a very deep team. Dare I say, they're the best team that will play in the playoffs so far. Sorry about the Celtics' role. I think you're right.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
As they're currently constructed, as they're playing right now. I'm not against that argument. They're athletic. They're like the 1993 Arkansas Razorbacks. They play full-court press the entire game. They don't let up. TJ McConnell is a pest. He's annoying. He's a gnat. They've got a deep lineup. Like I said, Siakam is really good, but we've got OG back.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Remember how OG played against Siakam in the first two games before he got hurt? Turner's fine, but we've got Kat now who can compete with him. Everyone likes to talk, okay, Maturana's good. He didn't play last year. He was hurt. That's a nice addition. But look how different our team is compared to last year. And look how much healthier we are compared to last year.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
A healthy, strong seven. And look, Campaign is there if we need him as well. Our spark plug, all right? Don't forget about him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Okay, okay. You stole mine, Bill. I was waiting. That one, I don't want to be that fan. I don't want to be that guy. Where were you, you know, when Lance Thomas was running up and down the court or Kyle O'Quinn? I don't want to be that guy. But Sudeikis is a Nets guy. He's all Nets.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
universe i saw him on friday and that was the one guy where i was like nah this one this one felt a little bit weird but again i welcome all this whole thing that we can't celebrate or where were you when all this nonsense screw all that be happy sean's not like that at all sean is not a welcome all he's like where were you where were you in round two when ray hibbert was killing tyson chandler oh my god
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Look, there have been. OK, so I'll tell you this again. I know you're trying to get me to talk.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
You're trying to create some dissension when the vibes are immaculate right now.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
At all.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
This is a little bit of a tricky thing. Tibbs, you know, Ariel. No, no, I'm cool with Tibbs ever since he was assistant coach with Jeff Nix and Jeff Van Gundy under the great Pat Riley. I'm OK with Tibbs. Tibbs is my guy. There was a game against. Does it sound like Sean says?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Listen, we're different, different strokes for different folks. There was a game in November, December at Chicago, where it was very clear that Carl Towns was, was dealing with some sort of knee issue. And at that point it was the Derrick Rose game. Derrick Rose. had his little ceremony. And so the Knicks were in town. It was the second night of a back-to-back. It was a Saturday.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And he kept Towns in. And I thought Towns had a torn ACL. And I'm like, why is he in? We're down by 15 points. Why is he in? That was the one time where I was like, I don't know if I could deal with this anymore. But He's been he's been phenomenal. He's made the adjustments, made the adjustments from five to six in the last series. That's my guy. I ride with him.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I love the fact I think it might have been on your show. No, it was on New York, New York. And I have to give a shout out to John. He's been phenomenal. His interview with Chris Childs that dropped, I think, this morning was so great and such a blast from the past to hear that unique voice of his. I've loved his coverage. So shout out to John.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Um, he said that, you know, his, his vision of, of tips was like after game six, he went to the back, you know, opened a, you know, a diet Coke and just watched a hundred hours of Pacers footage. That's what I love about him. He's not out to drink wine. He's not out to go out for dinner. He's not out to hobnob. He is a true basketball lifer. He has no wife. He has no girlfriend. He has no kids.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
He has no nothing. I don't even know where he lives, the poor guy. He probably lives in Westchester. And so that's our guy. We're riding with him. I love that he's still hanging on to the hair. The beard is a good addition to the look as well. You're not going to get me to say anything about Tibbs. And what a story it would be for Tom Thibodeau to beat Minnesota.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
People don't talk about that angle. He was an assistant coach and then the head coach with Minnesota. What a story that would be if he plays Minnesota in the finals. I'm getting ahead of myself here, but love Tibbs. Can't wait for him to hold that trophy down the Canyon of Heroes in about a month and change.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
What about Paul Giamatti? Oh, Giamatti would be good.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Wow. I'm loving all of this. Look how far we've come. Now we're doing movies about the season. I can't wait. Can we still buy the DVD? Like, do they still do that at the end of the year when your team wins a championship? Can I still get that? Oh, yeah. What a sad question. I don't know. I've never experienced this in my life.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Bill, this has been a gift from God, honestly, because I fell in love. The first team that I really, really loved, 1992 Knicks. 91, I remember when they got swept by the Bulls in the first round, 3-0. But the 92 Knicks, I remember vividly, my brothers were Bulls fans. So in 92, I'm nine.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And I remember sitting there game seven, convincing myself that we were going to beat the Bulls on the road, the defending champions that we got blown out. And I sat there, we were in a hotel room in Boston and I was crying. It was Memorial Day weekend, actually Victoria Day weekend because we had off Canadian holiday. And my sons are the same age now, 11 and 13.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And to be able to experience this with them as a dad, And I know you and your dad have bonded over the Celtics. It is great for myself personally. I'm 42. I've lived and died with this team. I adore them. But to now see it through their eyes, and you know what's the best part? They calm me down. Because as Sean said earlier, we're cynics. We've been hurt. they're completely positive.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
They're like, oh yeah, we're going to beat these guys. I have a video that I posted on my Instagram. My son said before the game, we're winning by 30. I'm like, are you insane? We don't win anything by 30. We never win a clincher at home by 30. And they're just sort of like, they have this sort of like blasé attitude about it all. They don't know any better. They're idiot savants, for God's sakes.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And it's a beautiful thing to witness that and to experience that with them and also to not have the hurt that we have. They don't have any of this. And so it gives me hope that perhaps this is truly a new era, at least in my life.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
We're like kindred spirits, you and I, Sean. 26th, Ariel. What day are you? I'm July 8th. But anyway, stop being such a cynic. Enjoy it, man. I am.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Oh my God. Yeah. And man, that scene on, on Friday was absurd. Like you walk out and there's a dude in flip-flops sitting on top of a billboard. I still have no idea how he got there, but all of it was pretty well behaved. I know the one guy in the Halliburton jersey, like, what did you expect, buddy? What did you expect? Like he wanted that moment.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Hated that. Despised that.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
couldn't agree more. But there were no cars being burned or anything like that. No fights, at least that I saw. And, you know, a lot of those fans aren't as old as Sean and I. A lot of those fans, you know, grew up with those pretty crappy teams. Their one kind of high moment was 2013. Hibbert blocks mellow at the, uh, at the rim, Linsanity, things like that. And so I understand.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And then you have this mix. It's like this mixture of these like 25, 26 year old kids who are all experiencing this for the first time. And then it's the, you know, the, the Sean's and I have the world who are like, wow, this is just like the nineties. And then I love meeting the old heads, right? Like the,
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
the dudes that were there in the seventies that were like, this is the second coming of Clyde. It's so, I mean, I get chills just thinking about it. It's those three chapters. And obviously there was a lot of crap in between, but to be in this city now, like when I was growing up, I said to myself, I need to make it to New York. I need to live in New York.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I need to be able to go to work and be like one of those guys in the stands. Who's wearing the suit, who just goes to the garden after work. Like,
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
what a life you get to go to the garden after work and watch Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley this is unbelievable they sucked for 20 years when I moved here so now finally we're here and experiencing the city walking up and down the street seeing everyone wear their gear it's uh there's nothing like it I've been here when the Yankees won I've been here when the Mets made it to the World Series nothing even close to it Sean used to be like that and then I made a move to LA come back Sean was like someday I'll just I'll live here I'll just leave work I'll go to a Knicks game
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Oh, maybe. OK, maybe maybe that, you know, like you have FOMO. Do you feel like you need to be at one of these games?
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Well, there are two moments where I really started to question myself. The first was the night that Oakley got dragged out of the building. That was dark. That was really dark. I adore Charles Oakley and I will to the day I die. And he meant so much to those teams. And I still believe that his number should be retired. And I think Starks' number should be retired as well.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
That was very, very dark. And then the aftermath was a little weird. You remember the interviews and the media tour and all that. As far as like actual basketball, the day they traded Porzingis, I felt like, what the hell are we doing? Because I believed in my soul. I actually feel this way about Brunson and Josh as well. I could see Chris Stapps Porzingis holding a trophy.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Like I could see that guy being a champion some way, somehow. And it ended up coming true. He was just wearing a green Jersey when he did it. And, and I didn't understand why they gave up on him. Like I would have much rather give up on Phil Jackson or anyone else. Um, And so to me on that day, I was like, I don't know if I could do this when they didn't get KD and Kyrie.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I was bummed, but you know, KD was coming off the Achilles. I'm, I've never been a big Kyrie fan. I was definitely bummed, but I didn't feel like this was the end. Um, I, I felt like it was a, it was a gamble quite honestly. And, and I didn't hate the Randall signing as well.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
So those two were really, really dark because Oakley has meant so much to this team and to the city and, and, and he didn't deserve that. And, It's so great seeing all the legends. I miss seeing him. One of the great stories is seeing Ewing back in the fold here.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Those videos of Ewing rocking up with the guys off the team bus into the locker room, wearing his gear, looking like he could give you a solid 20 minutes, maybe 10 and 10. He looks ready to go. He's slimmed down. I love that content. I can't get enough of it. So it's nice to see all the legends, but we're missing one big guy. And I pray that they're able to figure it out.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
18 to two. By the way, you know what's my like totally irrational dark day? When we traded Maciek Lampie to the Suns for Spahn Marbury, I was convinced that Lampie was going to be the guy. He was our Polish prince. I thought that he would be like our European stud. And also when they got rid of- There was something about him that I just thought, and also Billy Hernan Gomez.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I thought that he was going to be something special for us as well. Like there was all these guys and that's part of the fun, right? Going through these, these stories and seeing all these Alexi Shved, like those guys, like that's what makes all this worth it. You remember him? He had a great run.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
What have I heard about the film? The film is called The Smashing Machine. It's based on, in my opinion, one of, if not the best combat sports documentaries of all time. It's about a guy named Mark Kerr who had a crazy life, had a run in the UFC, but was really a star in Pride, which was an organization in Japan when Pride was the number one MMA organization in the world in the early 2000s.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And HBO... It's 2000, 2001 that this film came out, put on this documentary when, you know, remember back then, 2000, 2001, like no one was airing anything about MMA. It was as far away from mainstream as possible. And there's drugs and there's all kinds of stuff involved. And so the film is based on, you know, the Rock movie is based on that documentary.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
So my hopes are very, very high just given the subject matter. And I think initially people thought, hmm.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
are they going to be able to pull it off is it going to be is it going to be too is the rock the right guy for all of this but once that trailer came out i mean i could speak for the mma community everyone was like holy crap this looks a legit it looks spot on and it looks like they were able to capture the essence of that time period so um you know they got guys like uh alexander usic in there ryan bader playing mark coleman like i saw some of the footage
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And, and, uh, I, I, I mean, just from the three minute clip, I think they kind of nailed it. I can't wait for this. And you know, this as well as anyone, but like there haven't been a lot of great MMA movies, you know, we got, here comes the boom and warrior is the best one.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Not a lot of them for some bizarre reason. Obviously, you know, not as old as boxing, but this could be it. And perhaps this is the one that gets The Rock's movie career back on track, which I would love.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Oh, there's a ton left. I mean, we're seeing a guy named Ilya Teporia who has just opened this whole Spanish region that was non-existent. And they're saying that he can headline the Bernabeu, which is where Real Madrid play. And that's like 80,000 people. That wasn't an option. Wow. you know, two, three years ago.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And so when guys start to pop up in these different countries and then, you know, people will emerge here and it's very cyclical. There's high moments, there's down moments, there's stars, you know, the whole Russian region, that wasn't really a thing five, six years ago. And now you have all these guys who are- France came on too.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Yeah, so Brazil, France has been incredible as far as MMA and pro wrestling. So no, they have not hit the ceiling. As you know, combat sports, like I said, there are peaks and valleys. And everyone likes to say... I even said, I said the MMA business is in a recession. But I didn't say the...
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
ufc is in a recession i said the mma business meaning there's just really one dominant league there there are no prides anymore and uh that's unfortunate we we don't have and i think we've talked about this in the past like there is no aew to ufc's wwe right now not even close like not even close so the ufc is doing just fine they're going to get a multi-billion dollar deal whenever they sign their new deal espn will probably still be involved in some way shape or form and it will continue to get bigger but as you know
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
it only goes as far as like who the stars are, right? The UFC always wants to position itself as the biggest star, the UFC. That's the brand and it's doing great. But then when you get those superstars that come along and they will continue to come along, it goes to a whole other level.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And they're experiencing that with Teporia who's headlining on June 28th and they'll experience it with others as well.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Way younger.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
You guys are the experts when it comes to this, but actually just today on my show, I spoke to Ryan Bader, who's playing Mark Coleman in the movie. And Mark Coleman was Mark Kerr's best friend. Looks just like him from the photos that I saw. And I actually asked him, that was his first movie. He's a former UFC title contender, Bellator champion.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
What was it like just being on set, sitting around the multiple takes? Did you just drive yourself crazy? And he said, and again, this is not my world, but he said, actually, Benny's philosophy is, don't do too many takes like three, four takes. If, if the rocks mouthpiece came out, like keep it, he wants it to be raw.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
He kind of shot it like a documentary, which actually made me even more interested in seeing how it all looks. So I don't know if that's unique. I don't know if that's, that's something different if, if certain guys do that. But, uh, I thought that was interesting by the way, shout out to bill for completely changing the subject and not maybe focusing on miles with brides, huge block, uh,
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
And that's, you remember that chase down in game six when he blocked and then they came back with the end one. Like, I love the way you just transitioned away. That was a big time block. You have to admit.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
I mean, I just thought we'd talk more. Like, do we want to talk about how Missoula was exposed? Like how he doesn't really, you know, like settle down.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
That was all Yudoka's doing. That was, I mean, he just inherited the team.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Can he be, can he be, can he be a little nicer to the media? Like the, the shtick of being like, you know, like grumpy is wearing a little thin. Just my two cents. But yeah, Luke Cornette had a great game five.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Cornette had a great game five. I mean, like let's, are we raising a banner for the game five or what? Telling our grandkids about it.
The Bill Simmons Podcast
The Invincible OKC, Knicks Nirvana, and Acceptable Giannis Trades With Zach Lowe, Ariel Helwani, Sean Fennessey, and Ben Thompson
Oh, I'm so worried about Neesmith. He just dealt with Thompson, Brown, Tatum, Derek White. I like this, the cocky. I'm so worried about Neesmith. I'm so worried about him. Just keep it in check. What about Neesmith? What about TJ McConnell picking him up?
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Oral History of the Dan Le Batard Show: Episode 12
If you want to paint the picture that the limited partners... were only in it for photo ops. They were only in it for season tickets. They were only in it to say that they were going to be a part of the expos, but not really invest in the expos and make them better. And they didn't want you guys to come in and ruffle feathers. That's fine. You can make that claim.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Oral History of the Dan Le Batard Show: Episode 12
And trust me, I have my issues with the limited partners as well, because it seemed like they cried foul when the ship had sailed with the lawsuit, right? It was pretty much a dead situation by that point.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Oral History of the Dan Le Batard Show: Episode 12
But to paint the picture, what just bothered me, and I don't want to harp on this the whole time because there's a lot of other things we can get to, it just really bothered me that your opening statement would paint a picture about a beautiful city and a beautiful province, one that you lived in for two years.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Oral History of the Dan Le Batard Show: Episode 12
And I find it fascinating that you kind of boasted about the fact that you lived in a hotel for two years, which suggests to me someone who lived in a hotel for two years had no interest in actually planting roots in the community. and staying there long-term. If you're living in a hotel, sounds to me like a pit stop, if you will, but I'm happy that they helped you out with the pay-per-views.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Oral History of the Dan Le Batard Show: Episode 12
It would sound to me like you didn't want to actually understand the situation. You didn't want to understand the history of the Montreal baseball scene in the community, why you would need someone who speaks French to lead the franchise. What were your qualifications when Jeffrey appointed you as the president? What were your qualifications in terms of leading a baseball team, being the president,
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
Oral History of the Dan Le Batard Show: Episode 12
of a baseball club. Did you have any experience?