GRANTLAND CHANNEL
We Went There: Hoosier Gym Bonus Clip
By Grantland Staff at
During his visit to Hoosier Gym, Bill Simmons had some pointed criticisms of fictional Coach Dale.
During his visit to Hoosier Gym, Bill Simmons had some pointed criticisms of fictional Coach Dale.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
There's a natural inclination to view sports in relation to culture around these parts. And, don't get me wrong, I stand by my never-published Gmail manifesto about Mario Chalmers being Mouth from Goonies. But watching Miami win the NBA championship Thursday night, something that seemed both inevitable and impossible at various times over the course of the season, I kept coming back to the books on my shelf, the songs in my iTunes, and the movies on my screen.
And this isn't because I was looking to compare LeBron James to something. It was because I was looking to compare the experience of LeBron James to something. I've watched — we've watched — pretty much every minute of these playoffs, and every minute LeBron James spent on the floor. But Thursday night, I got the same feeling watching LeBron as I did finishing Denis Johnson's Tree of Smoke, or the first time I saw the Copacabana scene in Goodfellas.
I had to fill out my brackets Monday, so naturally I called my dad in Southern Illinois, because, you know, he taught me how to shoot a basketball (still not good at that, Dad) and I had already grilled my grandmother a day earlier. I think she likes St. Louis University, at least in the first round.
My dad, an Illinois fan, is out on Rick Pitino Louisville, seems very pro-Murray State (he says Murray gives in-state tuition for students from Southern Illinois. Is this true? Someone tell me this is true), and described Wichita State as "motivated." He also had this to say about Wisconsin's first-round opponent: "I did see a Montana game one time." OK then!
So there you go. A little free March Madness guidance from Mr. Larimer. If that's not enough, you'll also find the brackets from other Grantland editors and staffers below. I sincerely hope you win your office pool this year, but only if you've picked Mizzou to win it all.
