NBA Over/Unders, Part 2: The East | with Zach Lowe and Joe House

Bill Simmons (0:00)

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The Bill Simmons Podcast brought to you by the Ringer Podcast Network, where we put up part one of this episode, the annual NBA Over and Under Podcast. We did The West, Joe House was involved, Zach Lowe, he was involved as well. We took a break. Zach Lowe made chicken for his daughter.

I don't know what House did. House just disappeared for a while and came back. I don't even want to speculate.

Joe House (2:01)

Caffeine.

Bill Simmons (2:03)

Was that what it was?

Zach Lowe (2:03)

Wardrobe change.

Joe House (2:04)

Stimulants.

Bill Simmons (2:05)

So we started with The West with part one, which I was way less excited about than The East. The East includes the Boston Celtics, my favorite team.

The New York Knicks, the champions of the world. Joe House's Wizards, which perennially when we do this, they're always the last team in the over-unders because they always have the worst over-under and they're stupid wherever the division is.

Joe House (2:28)

Southeast. Flags fly forever.

Bill Simmons (2:30)

We're going to start with the champs, the Knicks. Over-under is 51.5 on FanDuel. Division plus 180 Conference plus 270 Title 10-1.

One seed plus 360

Joe House (2:43)

Can I stop you for one second?

Bill Simmons (2:45)

Yeah.

Joe House (2:45)

I just want to get comfortable. It's still a little warm in here. I just want to make sure that I'm ready for the... I mean, I want to settle in for the East. We're going to be here for a while. Let me get comfortable just for one second. Oh, boy.

Bill Simmons (2:55)

Oh, boy.

Zach Lowe (3:00)

Let's keep it PG-13 here, please.

Bill Simmons (3:04)

Oh, my God.

Joe House (3:09)

Okay.

Bill Simmons (3:10)

Wow.

Joe House (3:11)

I mean.

Bill Simmons (3:12)

I thought you were going to break out the eat a fat big dick, beat a big fat big.

Zach Lowe (3:16)

They haven't said that to me yet. They haven't said it to me. I'm waiting on that one. I was so excited.

Bill Simmons (3:19)

I thought you had a sweatshirt.

Zach Lowe (3:22)

Maybe a Trey Young T-shirt jersey.

Joe House (3:24)

That's coming. I have that too.

Bill Simmons (3:26)

Listen, I was on a JetBlue flight on Saturday watching Celtics 6ers preseason. Pretty sure I was the only one on the plane with that one dialed up.

Joe House (3:34)

Which one?

Bill Simmons (3:35)

The Celtics 6ers preseason game on Saturday night. Multiple moments where I was like, man, Paul George just looks great.

Zach Lowe (3:45)

He's moving so well. Hugo 4-4 from 3, baby.

Bill Simmons (3:49)

Yeah. Thank God we traded Hugo. Then Tatum's out there with Paul George together. And I'm just like, man, look at those two, how well they're moving together. All right. The next. Let's do it. 51 and a half. Last year, there were 53 and 29 and went 16 and 3 in the playoffs. Last three years, there are 53, 51 and 50 Before I get to the big question, the year after the life-changing title for a fan base, which doesn't happen very often. 2005, Red Sox lost the ALDS. 2017, Cubs lost the NLCS. 2017, Cavs lost in five in the finals and should have lost in four, but game four is still one of the most suspiciously officiated games of this century. Then the 1995, Rangers lost in round two. There was a lockout, so that's recent history of life-changing titles. Usually the team doesn't win again. First team champ, Zach Lowe, go one of three ways.