The Bill Simmons Podcast
Why Can’t the NBA Actually Fix the NBA? Plus, Super Bowl Hangover Stuff With Nick Wright and Bill’s Dad.
11 Feb 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is discussed at the start of this section?
The Bill Simmons Podcast is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. We're also brought to you by the Ringer Podcast Network, where I have a new Rewatchables episode that went up Monday night. Ace Ventura, Pet Detective. We had not done a lot of Jim Carrey on the Rewatchables, which is my fault, but we're starting to gain steam. We did Truman Show, now Ace Ventura. It was me and Craig Horlbeck.
and Zach Lowe in his first ever rewatchables appearance. Oh yeah. Very fun episode. Uh, the next episode that we're doing next Monday is a movie that's also on Netflix. They have all the bond movies and we're doing gold nine, which was Pierce Brosnan's first, uh, bond movie. And there's a great story behind it. It's actually an awesome movie and you have six days to watch it. So there you go.
Speaking of rewatchables, I am going to be in LA, uh, It's where I live, but we're also doing a live show at the Wiltern tomorrow night. And for everybody that's going to that, uh, just prep on heat would be my advice. Uh, the BS podcast live Wiltern eight o'clock LA prep on heat for the people going, obviously everyone is not going, I'm sorry.
You can't go, but we will be, uh, we will be running it on this feed. So there you go. Coming up on this podcast, Nick Wright. It's coming back. The Patriots got smacked in the Super Bowl. I'm going to let him listen. I talked a lot of smack during the season and everybody gets their turn now and they can smack back at me. But we're going to talk about a whole bunch of general sports stuff.
Super Bowl, NBA, Winter Olympics. And then I have a little little Michelob Ultra six pack that I'm going to do a little mini NBA mailbag. And then my dad demanded to come on. He thinks that I'm banning him from the podcast because we're also showing it on Netflix. It's on Spotify as well. You can find it on every platform, but it's also now on Netflix.
And he didn't think I wanted him to come on anymore. He's very, very, very upset about the Patriots loss. So we're going to talk about that and some Boston sports stuff. So that's the podcast. We're going to take a break, bring in Pearl Jam, and then Nick Wright. The Bill Simmons Podcast is brought to you by FanDuel. The football season may be coming to an end, but things are only getting started.
on the court, on the hardwood, on the wood, as some people call it. FanDuel, the number one choice for same game parlays, live betting, and much more during the NBA season. Don't forget with FanDuel, you get paid instantly when you win. Download the FanDuel Sportsbook app right now. And play your game. 21 plus and president in select states or 18 plus and president in D.C., Kentucky, or Wyoming.
Get in a problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com, call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org slash chat in Connecticut. All right, Nick Wright is here. You can see him on First Things First. And like me, on Sunday night a year ago, you watched your team just get eviscerated during a Super Bowl. And then your team, you were never the same.
I think you went 6-11 and your quarterback blew at his knee and it was bad. And it was in the dynasty. And here comes the Patriots, our new dynasty. And then they get annihilated in the Super Bowl. Now we're dynasty-less in the AFC.
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Chapter 2: What are the upcoming topics on the podcast?
Well, at that point, it's like, Spygate has cursed us. I remember like walking through the emotions for two minutes there of like, there's something sinister happening now. David Tyree, Myra Manningham, all the weird shit that went on. Now we're going to lose on this freaking curse catch.
Chapter 3: How did the Super Bowl impact the Patriots and Chiefs?
And then it flips with Malcolm Butler.
And and so the Patriots run is so special for 100 different reasons. But it's also so interesting because it feels like, man, play five of those games, two plays different. And do you guys have 10 rings and then also take five plays to five games, five plays different? Do you guys if. The Malcolm Butler pass play doesn't happen. Do you have the emotional gravitas for 28-3?
Or is the run over there? You know what I mean? Like, I do think that the Seahawks comeback, which is an underrated comeback, down 10 in the fourth quarter against that defense.
Two good drives, two good stops.
Right. Was the precursor to the belief we can do it in 16. So we're now.
No, no. Hold on. This is an important point, though, because I do think when you're in the mix year after year, you're going to have some either or Super Bowls. Some ones you definitely should have won and then the lucky ones. And somehow that evens out. So the Brady Belichick, they I think they finished six and three. Rams was a 50-50 game, but they really had the game.
And they're doing the interception touchdown, which gets called back, which flips it. Panthers should have been a win. Eagles should have been a win. First Giants game, they came back. We're down 14-10. We do the drive with two minutes left, but then we can't stop them. That was a 50-50 game. So it was the next Giants game. Seahawks game, we should have lost.
Should have lost.
That's a should have lost.
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Chapter 4: What are the key issues surrounding the NBA All-Star Weekend?
I think it's level two.
You do. I did. Oh, no. I'm sorry. Oh, you think level four.
Yeah, the second to last level. Okay.
Yeah, second to last. I did it backwards. I do think this Super Bowl, paired with the playoff run in its totality, for me, has made me shift Drake May in my brain from sure thing to... probably, probable thing. Wow. Like, Drake May, I said after week 10, like, he's just going to be a top five quarterback for me moving forward. Like, I don't know if that means Burrow gets kicked out or who.
I don't know how it shakes out. But seeing him... go 0 for 4. He was miserable in all four first halves. Miserable. And the weather was fine in the first halves of those games.
He had a good second half against the Chargers. He had three good drives against the Texans.
Yes.
He wasn't like a dumpster fire for four rounds.
Well, he was a dumpster fire in the first round for all four rounds. And I thought that... In the first half, sorry. And I thought that... The way the Super Bowl played out was concerning in this regard. I thought it was pretty clear Vrabel's game plan was, Darnold's going to screw up. Like the game plan was don't make a mistake. Darn old will.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of tanking in the NBA?
Top 50.
I would say one. Yeah, I would say one of the top top 60, whatever.
He's washed up at this point. He's playing 12 minutes a game. He's at the tail end of his career. He's like, I don't know, pick somebody now that's, he's Chris Paul. He plays all 53 minutes of an overtime game. Go seven for 20, 16 points. They lose.
Chapter 6: How did the NBA lottery system change after the 1984 draft?
They never take him out. And they're joking after like he needs an IV. He might need to take him to the hospital. Their way of tanking was to just put Alvin Hayes out to fucking die. So what happens? Houston gets the first pick. They win the coin toss. They get Hakeem Olajuwon. Chicago gets the third pick. They get Michael Jordan. Everybody's like, this is fucked up.
We have a lottery the next year. And we haven't figured it out since. This was 1984. So this is 42 years ago now. And 42 years later, after this event of the Elvin Hayes game, we have Laurie Market and Jaron Jackson completely healthy, not playing in fourth quarters. 42 years later, they have not figured this out. So, all right, two things quickly. But by the way, it was worth it.
Chicago got Michael Jordan and Houston got Hakeem Olajuwon.
Chapter 7: What are the potential penalties for teams that tank?
Would they do it again?
Yeah. Of course. But so two things. First one is this. There is nothing you've ever said about LeBron, Patrick Mahomes, or my hair that hurt me more than you questioning if I knew who Elvin Hayes was.
That was a dagger to my heart. I just wanted to make sure.
That's fair. I like your hair. Thank you. No, it was House who killed it.
It was just House.
House is jealous. Obviously.
I mean, give me a break.
Come on. I don't know the year. You'll know the game. Not that long ago.
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Chapter 8: How does the NBA's scheduling affect player performance?
Mark Madsen? Gratuitously. There you go. Gratuitous tanking was games 79, maybe 80. Yes. 81 and 82. Fine. And Mark Madsen, green light from three. No problem. And we kind of were all like, Like, yeah. And we kind of all were like, okay, we understand it. We get that at the very end of the year. But the mission creep of that to where we are now is galling. And I do think
that the simplest solution, in addition to what you're describing about you can't, you know, if you have top four, the next highest you can have is five or whatever, might simply be it is back to a version of the Ewing lottery, which was everyone has the same odds. Like you, everyone is at.
I called for this in my book in 2009. And then I somehow got off of that idea. And now I think I'm creeping back onto it.
I know it's possible the negative impact of that would then be teams that could be in the playoffs would be like, nope, we want to miss the playoffs to get in.
But I think if you just play in teams are not eligible because the worst case scenario would be a playing team being like, ah, we're not going to do anything anyway. And they tank the playing game, which would be an absolute disgrace.
So play-in teams are not eligible.
So the final 10 all have the same odds. The worst 10 teams, same odds across the board.
10% across the board. And with real harsh penalties, if there is any indication that a team is attempting to avoid making the play-in.
He's not going to do that. He's already been too soft on that. Can I throw an idea at you? Because I think that no top four pick two years in a row would solve some of this. Any team that falls below 27 wins for this season, so you have to go 27 and 55, that's the cutoff line.
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