And Also Why The Fall of the Berlin Wall Ruined the Olympics

Bill Simmons and Isiah lament the competitiveness of 80s basketball.

After settling on an uneasy truce about his job performance, we started remembering those unforgettable Celtics-Pistons clashes from the eighties: how their mutual hatred was palpable, how that competitiveness has slowly eroded from the league because of rule changes, money, AAU camps and everything else. Today's rivals hug each other after games and pull the "I love you, boy!" routine. They act like former summer camp chums who became successful CEOs, then ran into each other at Nobu for the first time in years. Great to see you! I'll talk to you soon -- let's have lunch! When Isiah's Pistons played Bird's Celtics, the words "great to see you" were not on the agenda. They wanted to destroy each other. They did. There was an edge to those battles that the current ones don't have. I missed that edge and so did Isiah. We both felt passionate about it, passionate enough that -- gasp -- we were legitimately enjoying the conversation.

I guess they forgot about Isiah and Magic having gay sex on the court...I mean making out...I mean kissing before a playoff game.

But seriously, the issue of competitiveness and hatred as valuable in a sporting context is true. I can't even watch the Olympics without 300 lb East German swimmers with whiskers. Damn I miss those days.