CourtVision: Behold, the Lakers’ Starting Lineup

Jimmy Connors in 1991: The Sound and the Fury and the Startling Comeback

It was like a Springsteen song in tennis whites. I first met my best friend and writing/directing partner, David Levien, in 1982, during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school. This was also the summer I began working at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, slinging clothes for Ellesse and sneaking […]

Week 8 Fantasy Football Review: If You’re Miserable, We’ve Got Your Company

Don’t be alarmed if you notice a preponderance of C.J. Spiller jerseys in your neighborhood on Thursday night. Spiller was easily the most frequently cited player in the fantasy horror stories you guys sent me after Week 8, and thus should make a wonderful Halloween costume for those looking to strike fear into the hearts […]

Derrick Rose, Tanking, and Anarchy: Your Guide to the NBA in 2013-14

After six weeks of NBA Warnings, we have come to the end. The zero-day warning. Basketball is back. This is not a drill. The games count for real tonight, and then Wednesday the whole league is in action. It’s NBA Christmas! And in the spirit of the season, who’s up for one final preview, a […]

How Important Is a Hot Start in the NHL?

Four weeks into the NHL season, several teams are off to great starts. The Sharks and Avalanche have been virtually unbeatable, and the Lightning, Ducks, and Maple Leafs have also had an impressive opening month. At the other end of the spectrum, teams like the Sabres, Flyers, and Oilers are off to the kind of […]

The X-Files: DeAndre Jordan

In the lead-up to the 2013-14 NBA season, Grantland will examine key players — X factors — for contending teams. You know how sometimes you go to a bar and once you get your bearings, you see that there is clearly someone there who has their charm dial tuned to the exact right frequency of the […]

B.S. Report: Joe House

In Part 1 of a two-part podcast, Bill Simmons and Joe House predict the over/unders for the NBA’s Eastern Conference. In Part 2, they wrap up with the Western Conference. Listen to Part 1 of the podcast here, and Part 2 here. Subscribe to the B.S. Report on iTunes, and check out our podcasts page.

Thank You for Not Coaching, Week 8

What a week for fourth downs! Teams went for it on fourth down with five yards to go or less 18 times in Week 8, and they picked up the conversion on 15 of those plays. Before Sunday, the league had been converting 52.3 percent of those plays, which was narrowly down from the 53.8 […]

How the Spurs Attacked the Heat Last Year, and What Other Teams Can Learn From It

Teams already know more about this version of the Miami Heat than ever before. And they’re taking advantage of it. In last year’s NBA Finals, the Spurs introduced a quirk Miami hadn’t seen before, one the Heat nicknamed “The Danny Green Cut,” according to Shane Battier. It looked at times like Green was getting open […]

World Series, Game 5: Lester Dominates … Again

For the second time in five games, Jon Lester annihilated the Cardinals lineup and now has the Red Sox on the brink of winning their third World Series in the past decade. As crazy as it is to say this about any Red Sox–related story, it feels like not enough is being made of this. […]

Bill and Jalen’s NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls

Jalen Rose and Bill Simmons disagree about which team should be in the top spot, but Bill made the list, so … THE BULLS ARE THE NO. 1 TEAM. Bill and Jalen enlist the help of Ice Cube, a Carlos Boozer shot chart, the Blues Brothers, and the O’Jays to break down the reloaded Bulls […]

About Last Night: One Win Away for Sox

In case you were busy polishing the screenplay for your gritty new take on Entourage, here’s what you missed in sports on Monday: Jon Lester and Koji Uehara were too much for the Cardinals as the Boston Red Sox now stand one win away from their third World Series title in a decade after beating […]

The Jonah Keri Podcast: Brian MacPherson and Jenifer Langosch

With the World Series nearing its end, we rallied for the final edition of the Jonah Keri Podcast in 2013.

1-Day NBA Warning: LeBron James and the Beauty of Winning

“Sometimes I dream / that he is me.” These are among the most important song lyrics of many a childhood and they’re from a Gatorade commercial. The Gatorade commercial. And after a full minute of seeing your hero, this untouchable flying creature, come down to earth to hang out and do normal things like laugh […]

Why the Wizards Trade Works

Pretty much everyone who follows basketball, including most Wizards fans, thought last Friday’s Wizards trade was a desperate move made by a GM trying to save his job, forfeiting the future at the expense of a fairly underwhelming present. And they’re totally right! But as a Wizards fan, I have to explain why I liked […]

Chris Smith and the New York Knicks Conspiracy

The New York Knicks operate like a submarine plumbing the ocean depths — its movements invisible from the surface, its pilots cut off from outside influence, navigating by echolocation and breathing each other’s recycled farts. We can really only guess at the reasons why the Knicks do the things they do.

B.S. Report: Cousin Sal and Bill’s Dad

Bill Simmons and Cousin Sal cover last night’s NFL games and guess the Week 9 lines, then Bill calls his dad to talk Patriots and Red Sox. Listen to the podcast here. Subscribe to the B.S. Report on iTunes, and check out our podcasts page.

The Weekend in Hockey: Terrible New Jersey Still Hanging On, Thanks to Terrible Division

A look at three of the biggest stories from the NHL weekend and how they’ll play into the coming days. Giving the Devils Their Due The Devils entered the weekend with little reason for optimism. Ten games into the season, they had only one win and had averaged just two goals per game. And with […]

A Tale of Two Big Men: Marcin Gortat on the Move, Andrew Bogut Sticking Around

A review of two big moves that broke Friday evening: Wizards Trade Emeka Okafor and 2014 First-Round Pick (Top-12 Protected) to Phoenix for Marcin Gortat, Shannon Brown, Malcolm Lee, and Kendall Marshall This is what happens when an owner gives his general manager, in the final year of his contract, a very loud mandate to […]

Premier League Pass & Move: Classico Material

A look back at the weekend’s Premier League action. Luis Suarez Ryan O’Hanlon: On Saturday, a bunch of the world’s best players played a pretty boring game in Barcelona, scoring three goals in all. On Sunday, a slightly lower tier of the world’s best players played a pretty exciting game in London, also scoring three […]

NFL Run & Shootaround: Sad Song

On any given Sunday (or Monday, or Thursday), your NFL Run & Shootaround crew will be gathered around multiple televisions, making inappropriate jokes and generally regressing to the mean. Catch up on all the NFL action right here. How ’Bout Them Cowboys! Andrew Sharp: 1. There were bright spots, definitely. 2. Then Dez went Michael […]

College Football, Week 9: You Wanna Live Forever?

The haves in this week’s BCS top five seem so very have-y, don’t they? All neatly arrayed in their reds and greens and golds, with so many blowouts and close scrapes behind them, and so few remaining obstacles between them and a balmy January evening in the Rose Bowl. It’s all very exciting, and it […]

Bill and Jalen’s NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat

4. Indiana Pacers Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose look at how close the Indiana Pacers came to the Finals last year and why they expect them to test the Miami Heat this year. Bill and Jalen think the new bench, the maturation of Lance Stephenson, and the return of Larry THE LEGEND Bird will help. […]

About Last Weekend: A Series of Mistakes

In case you were busy regretting your attempt to introduce that exchange student living in your home to the joyful simplicity of America’s pastime, here’s what you missed in sports last weekend: A weird weekend in the World Series left the Cardinals and Red Sox knotted at two games apiece, after Saturday’s game ended on […]