Basketball Stories: Indiana Glory with Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, and Isiah Thomas | NBA on TNT

Basketball Stories: Indiana Glory with Larry Bird, Reggie Miller, and Isiah Thomas | NBA on TNT

Hey guys which one of you two is going to come in second uh probably Reggie if it’s a soon contest I agree I think I’m coming in second Now put on your seat Bel here we go my Larry Bird is just unconscious shoot it r no way that’s impossible Isa up in the

Ground well that’s one of the prettier plays you’ll see absolutely magnificent that is worth the price of AD Mission Ry hits the three unbelievable you are watching what greatness is all about this is a treat for me because I am amongst royalty Indiana royalty you via Chicago you Larry Bird an Indiana

Native you guys both coached me I might be a little nervous here but this is awesome and I want to go back to that Papa shot thing and I want to go back to to 1988 and the whole who’s coming in second com we were laughing about that

Because I I did a deep dive on that because I was like well who were the other participants yeah yeah it was Craig Hodes was in that Dale Ellis deas shrimp your teammate Danny a Mark Price yeah Trent Tucker and I’ve heard different stories about this so you’re here to finally set

The the record straight but I walked in the locker room and the guys were sitting there you know they’re nervous now you you got to understand a lot of these guys came off the bench right then all of a sudden they’re going to go out there in front of 20,000 people 406 eyes

On them shooting the basketball right that’s got to be intimidating MH for me I like that because I knew the presid pressure was on them more than me mhm uh I mean I just looked there I was really just teasing I I looked around and everybody was looking at me I go who’s

Coming in second and nobody said a word I thought maybe thought I was joking but maybe they thought I was serious but it’s really a joke well then I had to go out and win it and as a last year I got I got lucky

And won it you know you know it’s all feel all Rhythm right and uh and some go in and I like it when it’s at the last two racks that’s when I like it because of you know crowd bills things get going he still got to drop one here quickly 14

This is a tie for the money Larry Bird at the buzzer with the two-point fall 17- 15 def the long distance shootout crowd at Chicago Stadium winner and so the drama was it just happened and uh it goes in and I walked the Winter Circle and I got to get out

Of here man that was too close bird is a set shooter and he’s got the technique down to a s a lot of people said that you had an unorthodox shot where did that form that follow through come come from well when I was little the one

Thing I had growing up I always had coaches around I used to shoot from the hip remember when you was strong fired up from the hip and finally he brought a basketball to that had a handprint on it he said put your hand on there put your

Other hand on it and get it up here and start shooting this way push push so I did and finally I got over here you know right I mean you can’t see if you do this over there you see but you know Reggie you know you guys know as as

Shooters it takes a lot of practice it does so let me let me ask you this Larry right when you talk about shooting for a while in the 80s everybody kind of changed their shot and everybody started did you notice like everybody like you know kind of

Some young players try to to move it over a little bit just for full disclosure I grew up as we all did being a Laker fan yeah but I patterned my whole game how I wanted to play and approach after this man I got like weird looks because it was Larry Bird this

Larry Bird that so when you talk about imitating shots yeah um especially when you would be like on the Baseline and you would coming off to your left and you’re shooting when I was like I had different shots for different time different places when I was on the

Flor and when I would go left all of my fadeaways were because of that side and they couldn’t block it yeah they couldn’t block [Applause] it you’re a Chicago Kid yeah how in the hell did Bobby Knight go to Chicago and get you from going to depal so coach

Knight comes to the house and he walks in with Quinn Buckner and Wayne Embry and Coach comes in and he goes you know have Mrs Thomas now now I’m sitting there and this is my mother right so this is coach a never even talk to

Me he’s like you know I’m offer your son three things you know he get a good education you know I teach him everything he knows about I know about basketball and he’ll be a gent right those are the three things that he was offering and you know we were like well this is

Going to be a short conversation and you know eventually my my brother and Coach Knight get into like a big Tiff and and so my brother challeng point where they’re taking off coach getting ready to yeah my brother challenges coach like hey you know we can take this outside coach KN said all

Right it’s start rolling up his sleeves right and everybody is like oh no no you know the whole room like no no you can’t do this and so I look over at my mom M and my mom is like this right and you know that’s she ended

Up sending me to Indiana but Quinn to this day says to me the thing that he regrets most is that when you first went down to school that he wasn’t there right I think Quinn was yeah he’s playing in some kind of tournament yeah and and he said he he felt he still

Feels bad about Larry not being he not being there for Larry the first two weeks or so that he was at school at Indiana because he felt he still feels that had he been there you know we would you know we’d be tough what happened in those two what

Happened in those two week what what transpired can you imagine him and Coach I together with qu it just it would have been I think the basketball gods were like no we can’t let this happen well I I wanted to go Kentucky but Kentucky quit recruiting

Me so it was down to Indiana State and IU so I went to IU financially I couldn’t stay okay R I just couldn’t do it could do it it wasn’t I was homesick or I didn’t like the coach one thing about me I always said the coach is

Coach and the players play you know whatever they tell you you got to do you might not like it but you got to do it that’s what they do right that’s her expertise I don’t think me and coach and I would had a problem because I never

Had a problem my coach when I got to Indiana State they were talking about me going to Junior College I go what I’m not going to no Junior colle so I sort of played a role and they got real serious so I said at the end I said look

I’m not doing that I got another place I can go I had other colleges after me but I wasn’t letting recruit me cuz I want to go to the Indiana State then well they they came and watched me play in the summer we played the Indiana High

School Allstar team I worked all day put up py all day went up there and had a monster game all of a sudden he didn’t talk about going to Junior College any bird inside College basketballs CLE the here Larry Bird I don’t know about you guys

You guys are champions you guys have won at the highest level I never won a championship so there’s games that I always think about yeah oh I know that we could have win let me tell you re I don’t think about the wins I always think about the Los okay

Care we’ve never seen a final game with two greater individual players than Larry Bird the player of the year from Indiana State and the Magic Man from East Lancing Urban Johnson here’s what happened in 79 we played the Paul and it was a tough game uhhuh

And I hit 16 out of 19 shots I think it was we win by two and I know Ming State’s a lot better than the Paul right so we had a day in between we practice and I was sitting there thinking man I got I got to score 40 points 45 points

This game I got to be on I got to be at my best or we have no chance winning this game and I wasn’t over Michigan State University national champions 1979 that was a big let down cuz I thought I could rise that occasion right and uh

Keep us in it and maybe get it at the end and they they were a talented team they had uh some really good players magic I thought you did a great job on Larry Bird In the Zone denight him the ball yes uh coach uh gave us a good game

Plan to go against Larry Bird and all we had to do is go out and do it and if we did it he said we win that’s what we’ve done but uh you know we got our shot we got our shot to play for a national

Champ chionship and you it was a 10 or 12o game the whole way but we just could have that would have really been nice for for not only Indiana State but for the City terra hold and everybody that would been great you know we had a chance we had a chance to

Win I feel I’m an adopted hooer you’re an adopted hooer via Chicago you are a true hooer your your impression of Indiana basketball so when I first you know I’m I’m coming from Chicago and I go to Bloomington Indiana the basketball I’m going to say spirituality of of Indiana you feel it

When you when you walk into any gym whether it be the hyper the recreation gym or any any building that has a gymnasium there’s a religious spirituality about the game that that you have to honor sure and in Indiana everybody can shoot people do not miss open shots

There’s a spirituality about I think the coolest thing for me about Indiana basketball was on my days off when we weren’t playing for the Pacers was going to those high school games on Friday and Saturday nights those smaller Arenas that may hold you know 250 500 people

And there’s you know a thousand people in there and everyone’s standing up the whole game those were those are all inspiring moments to see these cuz this is yeah this is their NBA champ chionship for some of these high school kids High School it was crazy because we

Our gymnas held 2700 and we get probably 35 in there yeah College you know I think we see capacity about 10,000 and they could have got 15,000 there in Tero back then but back when I was a kid we had basketball courts all over our town and if you went out in the

Country there’d be a basketball court on on a bar on a bar I mean that’s it was mhm so to me that’s what basketball is all about Community coming together everybody involved when you’re in a small community there got to be something there to bring everybody together sure or everybody splinters and

That’s what sports does you know tries to bring people together Larry you had my career right in the palm of your hands had you handled that press conference differently right you could have just like Larry did us a a huge solid listen to those Indiana fans as

They count it down Isaiah Thomas when it comes down Indiana will be Champion the hoers are 19 81 Champions 79 Championship versus Michigan State drafted by the cel you win the championship with Coach Knight yeah and the hooers in 81 Pistons come a call in and you guys are headed towards a collision course I come in in 81 after winning the championship I’m watching him in the NBA final Larry

Birds his own shot oh what a play 12 seconds on the shot but Larry Bird the three-pointers the Boston Bullocks have won the World Championship in 1981 and I’m like I I I want to I want absolutely I want to learn how to do that because they were they were

Playing basketball at such a high level now I had won a championship in Indiana and I knew in Detroit like we were nowhere near that level not only a play but of thinking like the the intellect that they were playing with was it it it was like they they’re on another level

And I got to learn how to do that if I want to well we had a lot of talent a lot of talent and and uh some guys had to give up a little bit obviously we had Kevin in the post and DJ even DJ gave up

Some opportunity to score to keep guys motivated to the game uh but I play with some some guys our guys are Herky jerky uh they like to talk a lot you know never stopped talking but they were talented and uh they came to play for the most most of the time you know

That’s all you can ask for how did the roster change from an upstart Detroit Pistons to Buddha and lambir and Ro I mean you had to change things I don’t know if you remember this game Larry but we playing in Harford it was an exhibition game we went up one and and

We walk out on the court and Vincent is guarding Larry right and Larry looks at me and he go he was calling me cheesy go cheesy like you you putting him on me you you putting him on me I was I was like that’s all I got man all I

Got right now and he go I’m take it right down to the Baseline I’m shoot it right over him so after the game our buses were lined up next to each other right and Larry goes hey man don’t don’t ever put that guy on me right so the next year coming back

Right we playing in Harford again and I I said Larry I got something for your ass n he said who I said robman I somebody for you now but they were they were great teachers and and the lesson was you know you you got to

Play at a higher level you you you got to be better and everything that that the Detroit Pistons became is because of them and that’s real talk how how does number 15 make it feel it feels great whatever happened to the Los Angeles Dynasty you guys were talking about a

Dynasty here’s where it is right here that’s the dynasty we team in the world right now being on these Elite teams you know you’re talking about guys having to sacrifice listening to you guys’ conversation about having these tough conversations with Hall of Fame players

No I I didn’t have a lot of convers I led by example and they knew uh my teammates knew at the end of the game if it’s was close I was going to take the shots they knew that so they can set better picks they go for the offensive

Board but you know 80% of the time I was going to take that shot uh I always tried to lead by example and it worked for me I know some guys like to talk and get guys together but uh I just thought I got the most out of our guys just by

Playing hard trying to keep them involved you know Reggie the game of basketball is pretty simple if the ball’s moving sure now the point guard can do whatever he wants to do instead dri dribbling from one side to other back and forth but he’s initiator and if

He gets that ball mve that Ball’s moving everybody feels a part of it it doesn’t matter where it ends up cuz it’s always going end up to the best player MH you know sometimes that always happens yeah uh ball has energy that’s right and you get that ball moving and good things

Happen all the time it’s a pretty simple game if if if you play it the right way sellout crowd Boston Garden game five Eastern Conference Finals you guys have had battles over the years game Five series tie 22 Eastern Conference Finals yeah yeah yeah uh yeah tell me how that happens I still

Don’t know how that happen you’re taking the ball yes you’re taking the ball out the most trusted player the most trusted player back up right I’m watching them play against the Lakers every year right right and and I’m taking notes I’m learning and I watch James Worthy on the

Side in front of the Lakers bench make a pass Gerald Henderson steals the pass now I’m watching magic dribble out the shot clock and I got all these notes right I you know I’m I’m learning I’m I you know this is how we got to and I had

Just made a shot you know to put us up one Boston down one third guarded by Mahorn drives around him and the ball gets knocked out of bounds by they call the other way so the ball goes out of bounds and I’m and I’m thinking okay I’m

Going to get it to lamb beir he’s one of our best foul Shooters big guy so I’m going to put it up in the air and and and it was like in slow motion it was like the the ball like goes up in the

Air so you had no idea where he was I didn’t even see him Detroit ball with 5 Seconds to go now there’s a steel Viper underneath the DJ right have one second left to play [Applause] by L it up the DJ DJ L it up and and

Hands one F me with one second left oh my this place is s crazy what were you thinking as the ball is coming in but when I went in for I never saw him run that damn fast by the way so I seen Isaiah Jerry’s jumped up

Down I seen Isaiah throw I just took off over the fouling like he said I go damn that’s slow motion and somehow I got in there and got my hand on it there’s a scoreboard in the corner there told me how many seconds I knew I had plenty of time but

Corner my eye I seen a white shirt streaking and I knew it was DJ had to be DJ right I turned in him he laid in but that’s a bang bang play sometimes that stuff happen you what heck just happened you know but it happened and unfortunate

For Isaiah but for us uh we got to play on you know we gave us another chance cuz we lost that game they probably would have beat us that that year he says okay I I turn around and I see DJ the clock and everything now I’m looking

At him and he’s standing on this is the out of bounds line and this dude like on his damn toe like Michael Jackson Micha and my I’m like say please fall please step out of bounds step out of bounds and it felt like he hovered there on his toes for about 5 Seconds

That that was a great play but what we learned from that whole timeout in Advan call time out in 48 minutes after that it’s always 48 minutes you start hearing us 48 minutes 48 minutes every play after that tough seven game series broadman had comments yes you

Know about Larry Legend then they come to you yeah and you had comments I think Larry a very very good basketball player um I think he’s an exceptional no Talent but I’d have to agree with robman if he was black he’d be just another good Guy yeah so here here here’s the thing right game seven I think Larry has like a triple double like you know he torch Robin right so Robin is all upset and anybody who knows Rob right you know so they get him the mic and and he says

What he says right so then they come to me and and I kind of sarcastically like yeah yeah if if you know and I kind of echo it and so that comment went out now here’s the beauty of it Larry you had my career right in the palm of your hands

Had you handled that press conference differently you could have just like but this is what this man said if the statements or whatever was said doesn’t bother me I don’t think it should bother any of us but I I just feel sorry for isaah because you know

Just walking in this room and seeing everybody it must have touched a lot of people but if Isaiah tells me that was a joking matter I think it we should leave it at that now the media at that time they kept they kept playing it on and

That’s where that’s where it went but Larry Larry did us a a huge do you understand that moment that he’s talking about that yeah it’s uh come on Reggie we’ve been in them locker rooms tough losses you know competition sometimes brings the best out of you and the worst

M I there’s there’s after sometimes after games I feel like too all right Isaiah was a great basketball player he had a a big career ahead of him he could damage his career by saying something I didn’t mean he didn’t need that in his

Life I didn’t need it I was going to go into finals I’m do a press conference a packed place and they’re trying to push this thing to another level go get out of here I I ain’t got time I got to get ready for wor and and and Magic cuz if

It meant something I would have said it but it meant nothing to me finally after going head-to-head against the Celtics you guys finally won at 88 we still don’t believe we beat him yeah ha to the new Eastern Conference Kings the Detroit Pistons finally 31 years it took them

The kale and Thomas what a picture that is good luck against the Lakers I’m sure is what male is telling the Pistons so 88 game five in the garden my game five the previous year was a disaster right game five I’m coming back and I’m like okay I

I I got to win this game we got to win this game when we was finally winning and they were exiting the floor I still couldn’t believe like we just beat Larry Bird and the Celtics the yeah and that was that was a beautiful moment you know

For us and and I hope that as champions We went on and you know honored the way that we have been taught how to play the admiration that that we all have for you Larry you inspired a lot of us not only with your play but the courage you had

You know to fight for you know what you wanted you know in terms of winning and trying to win and you were you were slaying the Giants like the real giants I said one thing I have that uh a lot of people don’t have there’s a lot of

Players have it I had the ability to play every night I brought it every night yeah I had a good understanding that Celtics paid me to win basketball game and it was my job to win basketball game so every time I walked out there I

Felt I had to win to make them happen and the one thing I can say of everything I done was I gave them all you know I paid the price with a lot of injuries I had but I laid on the line every night practice playing and it made

Me better and plus I was playing against the world’s best that’s what it’s all about one of the great shoters of all time Indiana basketball legend Rie Miller a prime time show it doesn’t get better than that that in nutshell is Indiana basketball he has helped lead Indiana

Into the playoffs yet again what a marvelous performance by the Pacers but they come up Five Points short took him 13 NBA Seasons to get to the finals r are not able to do it I got to apologize to both of you guys because you guys are used to

Excellence the more importantly you guys are both used to winning and I personally as being a head of the snake didn’t deliver that for you as you guys were my both of you guys were my coaches and I know it’s a team game but for

Larry when I really was that was my team because I was I had my superpowers then with you I didn’t necessarily have all my superpowers we were transitioning it was after the finals and we were getting younger so I just got to say I got to apologize because it was a lot of

Pressure playing for you guys I tell you though Reggie that them years I was there you had good teams we did you guys were good and my whole thing then was to to Rick Carlile and Dick I said how we convince these guys how good they are he

Said well they’ll wake up one day and realize it I said I think they know they’re good but these guys are Championship good and I don’t think deep down you guys really thought you could win minute I thought you could you’re in a game seven every possession vital Jordan three Pacers

Surround Michael and a jump ball is called one timeout and a jump ball was Jordan and and Rick Smiths they wouldn’t lined up right we could have stoed the tap and and went down and scored and nice if we get that possession then we run it out they win

It Kerr hits the three cerr can tie it and and on to the finals for the sixth time in eight years go the Chicago blls listen to the little things that you talking about I mean I didn’t call the time out I seen it I didn’t call we

Learned right sad yeah man you guys were good yeah God you were good but it it was it was a joy because you know you were coming in after you know Rick had re Rick Smith had retired Germaine was coming in baby Al Jamal and I remember

Remember you know we had made yeah halfway through your first season we made that trade to get Brad biller and Ron Ron so Larry Larry’s leaving I get a call from Donnie you know hey would you like to coach the Pacers and I’m like yeah come back to Indiana you know

Absolutely so in my mind right I’m thinking okay Mark Jackson Rick Smith Chris Mullen you know I’m thinking like coming back to get that and so I get the job that summer and this kid in Portland Germaine O’Neal right I’m like Donnie you know this guy he’s not playing a lot but I

Think he’s really good I think we should trade for him if there’s a time to do it this is the this is the moment yeah and and Germaine’s you know th this one’s going to be be good uh you know so anyway Donnie makes a trade we get

Germain and now we got a team that you know it’s it’s a little tough you know we got some and and you were great not only were you great but you were like okay we we’re going to help Germain become great and and it goes back to

Again the the teachings that we got you know from Larry from Magic and everything else it it can’t always be about you right how do you help your teammates how do you help everyone else become better and you did that for that team well I’m going to tell you an

Interesting story because once you made that that trade our very first practice very first practice we were out there for three hours yeah and we were going hard and I remember Jermaine walking up to me like man this is crazy Ron and and they go so

Hard and I looked at him was like well welcome to 80s and 90s basketball this is this is how it it should be you should feel like this right and we kind of took off right after that got it to Reggie here’s a three

Yes yes yes yes he hit it from 40 ft As Time expired for me as a coach what y’all allowed me to do was not only coach but also set some rules and still today I I tell everybody he still calls us coach I do yeah which is you know one

Of the highest compliments you can get that is a that is a respect in a higher level and I thank you given that to well it’s a mutual respect I have for both of you because it’s funny because I said we were doing one of our TNT things and I

Called you coach in front of Kenny Smith and Kenny you know came to me later like why you calling Isaiah coach I was like he’s my coach he was my coach he’s like that’s like for people like pop or you know one those old you know you call

Them guys coach I’m like no he yeah he’s my coach yeah that’s how much respect I have for both of you now you come back to the Pacers after you were with us for three yeah three years three years then you come back yeah and you guys had an

Interesting dialogue you know I get a call from Donnie you know Larry’s been hired to come back to the Pacers and president of basketball oper pres basketball operations and I walk in office and it’s Larry and Donnie and Larry goes hey Isaiah you know I think

You’ve done a great job here you know but I’ve decided to go in a different direction you know I’m going let you go and I’mma bring in you know Rick Carlo and Larry I don’t know if you I don’t know if you remember me saying

This to you but I said Larry I I think you’re making a mistake I said Larry you and I I think if we’re together here in Indiana I think we can do great things with this team I think you and I will be dynamic here do you remember me saying

That to you and and this where Larry say yeah yeah all that’s good but you know he goes he’s said you you might be right he going and you’ve done a great job here you haven’t done anything wrong I just like Rick B well what what can you say I was like

U well you you know how close me and Rick are you been for since 83 or whatever I I thought Rick would be there forever you know mhm yeah things change but but I still think this I’m going say this in front of both of you I’ve said this

For I think you made a mistake firing me cuz I think I’d have won with that team and I think we never would have had the malice at the palace in Detroit like when you went to Boston with Larry right the respect the fans had I thought that

We would have had that in Detroit 646 I remember it to this day of the third quarter and here comes Larry Par it felt like a train in the middle of old Boston that’s how loud it was and I remember looking at Chuck we said to ourselves you’re in trouble

Oh here’s Isaiah let’s see what we got bird on the drive oh what a show what a shot by lar bird I don’t know if you can have any more ice water in your veins one of the singular figures in the history of the NBA both of you guys have had an

Unbelievable career run in games so I want us each to kind of talk about favorite moments of each others that they could remember because there’s so many and I’m personally going to start here on both of you guys for this man And I’m sure he’s going to remember this 1991 game five in the old Boston G yeah Larry goes down with an injury late in the second quarter bur is hurt bur is down and he’s hurt Larry goes down goes to Rocky and as soon as we find out the

Severity of the entury we will have it start to third no Larry couple minutes go by no Larry looking at one another like we got a chance we’re going to do this we’re going to beat the Celtics in the C no one ever beat the Celtics in the garden well if it’s a

Game I’m thinking about I had a concussion at half half time the doctor says you had enough you can’t you can’t go back out there enough’s enough Larry my back and this I looked up there and the crowd was oh you can hear it in there you know it wasn’t going good like

What’s the score up said we’re down I went to the dock I I got to try this he said well if you get dizzy and all this come back here can’t and I go out there and of course the crowd get pumped up 646 I remember it to this day of the third

Quarter and here comes Larry it felt like a train in the middle of old boss that’s how loud it was the crowd was so loud and I remember looking at Chuck and we said to ourselves you’re in trouble oh this goes on to score 12 and no six

Minute Celtics go on a 33 to 14 run and they beat us in game five but that moment of watching you ER I know we you’re supposed to be competitors but you know I’m going against the guy who I pattered my game after and you put on an unbelievable

Performance how many times do he drive that Spike through your heart with shots like this but it’s been more than the statistical line when you talk about Larry Bird here this afternoon and in 88 after you finally beat the Celtics you move on to face another one of your friends and Magic

Johnson and the Lakers yeah he’s got dley and Dumars goes to Dumars who lays it in and quickly the pistol have cut the Laker lead to four Isaiah Thomas is hurt down on the court underneath the basket I couldn’t tell what happened the 25-point fourth quarter game six we were

We were closing them out cuz I know like if we if there’s a game seven we we’re not winning a game seven in La Isaiah Thomas has put on a brilliant exhibition of shooting despite an ankle injury I found we were a better team and I felt

At that time like you know they didn’t really have anyone that can guard me so I I felt like I I can pretty much get any shot we want and so I’m going for it and when he says you know he had a concussion and he had to get back up but

That’s the same way I felt like with my ankle it’s like okay we we got to win this game and this is this is all shot I don’t believe what I’m seeing the great performance maybe one of the best we’ve ever seen in one quarter in NBA finals

History I me you could barely walk in that game yeah but again the lessons that you learn you know from your teachers it was almost by any means necessary you got to do whatever it takes to be successful and win I think that’s the common theme

I I I read out of both of you guys so so coaching you I had one of the most disappointing hurtful moments when you were playing on a broken foot the bone spurs had surgery mhm to have a great playoff run like Indiana is trying to

Have your stars have to shine but that has not been the case for Reggie Miller I wanted to do something to help but I I admired you so much because you kept going you didn’t quit so to me that was a a champion moment even though we lost

You playing through that pain and everything else my respect for you as a man and as a player was immense everything when I was around Reggie everything that Reggie did was the right way yes he knew how to prepare himself he knew how many shots he had take after

Practice how many free throws he knew before games how he was going to warm up and he did it the right way yeah uh I’ve been in the league for a long time and and he might be the only guy maybe another one that really prepared himself

To play great not just to play but play great and um you know I got a little story my years ago I was in Florida and I was outside doing something and something happened I had to go out there and do something and I hear my wife

Screaming I didn’t know what it was I thought seen a bug or something whatever and it kept going on so I run in there Reggie my wife sitting there going like what happened I don’t know what happened but regie did something spectacular okay Miller for three and he

Got it Reggie Miller with a clutch tray and it’s 1051 02 in a steel Miller retreats to the three-point line and hits again TI game hey but she was all laid up all sweating I was laugh she was scream Reggie oh my God that was so cool

Regie Miller scoring eight points in the final 32 seconds taunting Spike Lee and 19,000 at Madison Square Garden I wanted to talk about the art of trash talking would you consider yourself a trash talker not really I mean come on Coach a lot of people do to demean people I Did

It For Fun most of the time right so did I I mean I would and Reggie Miller in an animated discussion with Spike lead two of my favorite people I got in the NBA I got to stand next to Elvin Hayes at the center Court loved him and Kareem I

Stand there talking to Elvin I said Elvin see Kevin there he’s talking bad about what I said Kevin tell what you told me he goes what’s that I said you you’re GNA kick his butt tonight he go hey Alvin I’m gonna kick your butt tonight Kevin’s a

Rookie stuff like that you know but it it really wasn’t vicious me and Chuck used to get into a little I was gonna go I really like Chuck he knew I liked him oh yeah and uh but we you guys had battles in terms of talking the one I

Remember was when you told Chuck I’m going to go right here in front of our bench I’m going to shoot on this spot and I’m going to green it and he said Merry Christmas trash talking it it’s an art form it was an art form and it used to

Be to talk you out of your game right yeah to make you do something that you didn’t want to do like okay I I don’t know if you remember this Larry so we we we playing y’all and I’m gonna ready take the last sh we we didn’t lost right

It’s game six we didn’t lost right and Mel goes I hope you make that cuz this the last shot of the Season turn out the lights yeah them guys I played with they were always talking but ml Carr came up the line doing bad we won in on the road in

A playoff game and ml stood out there outside their hun on goes last one out turn the lights off you could also talk trash by your game hence your record-breaking 60 point in New Orleans first Atlanta Hawks bird shoots the jumper right side good off

The pick comes bird for the bomb got it again they open the right side bird the follow away he drills it again that’s the best shooting I’ve ever seen the Atlanta Hawks bench reacting you seen that video I did a few years ago somebody tell to me that’s trash

Talking by the way you play yes because when you got the other bench reacting to what you’re doing against him yeah is spectacular well that’s because Dominic dunk on me one time so hard he almost killed me so every time I play trying to my best there’s bird bird 14 seconds he got

Fouled he hit the shot oh boy Larry Bird what more can you say Larry Bird Larry Bird bird has 60 points it is the greatest shooting exhibition I’ve ever seen in my life people always like to talk about who’s the greatest who’s the goat and I don’t like those discussions because different

Eras different players different rules um but what I do like to do is I always tell people the Mount Rushmore game you being in my opinion arguably one of the greatest shooters ever like my Mount Rushmore Shooters would be Stefan obviously he holds the record yourself I

Have Ray on there and I could put Mark Price present company excluded but I put you up there on my Mount Rushmore who would be some of your Mount Rushmore type Shooters you named them all and and there’s more rid because I can’t think

Of all of them uh I mean Dale Ellis was a great shooter I mean there’s a lot of great Shooters you know and you’re always going to leave somebody out and people get their feelings for that I don’t I can care less the one thing I do

Know I always knew how good I was right I didn’t care what you thought of my game now but I knew in the majority of the games I played with a team I had we’re going to win most of them so I had that kind of confidence but you they

Always talk about the great I tell people quit whining about LeBron enjoy him why he’s here he he’s unbelievable I mean he’s one of the greatest if not the greatest ever then then you go back I played against Magic Michael Kareem I mean the list goes on and on so it’s

Hard to pick one guy um uh but I mean it just seems like everybody in their era thinks their ER is the best I don’t buy any of that right things change in terms of Mount Rushmore point guards I’ll throw mine out there you react magic you

I guess you’re going to put Stephen Curry on there because he’s classified as a point guard I think the list starts with magic and Oscar us little guys we got no shot against magic and Oscar it did just it those are the two now when you get to the little guys right you

Know I’m like Larry I’m the little guy right right okay I say that because the way I had to play and the era that I played in and the way I had to win and the people that I beat I don’t think any of them can do

The things that I was able to do with my team and the fourth person you know I I I love John stock I look at what John has done in the NBA you have to look at those numbers and be like damn like okay he’s I don’t know if anyone will ever

Touch his assist record and I don’t know if anyone would ever get his steals record so my four guys you know magic Oscar myself and John coach I’m G to let you go Isaiah answers these questions all the time we never really get a chance to hear from you so I’m just

Going to throw out some current names of players and you just tell me what you think about their games Nicole po yage I would love to play against him he’s good he’s good right he’s good there’s so many great centers over the history of our game

Uhhuh fantasy good I just hope he stays healthy and able to continue to do what he does because he is fun to watch M probably more sing by the league he used to be the when the Golden State was healthy they were really fun to watch now I switched over

To Denver he makes that whole thing go would he be fun to play with oh man God Yannis Anto DMO yeah I I really like to see his development from where he came in to now the length and the strength and the things he does he’s he’s just

Amazing I mean you imagine there’s 10 guys out there his size playing be something but he he’s amazing there’s just so many great players our league now I really like where the League’s at mhm and from a competitive standpoint you see the players for instance Kevin

Durant oh yeah K KD I thought KD would possibly win the scoring title if he’s healthy when he first came in you know six or seven years in a row CU he’s so smooth on the offensive end very talented player I always wanted to see him do well obviously wi has the 100

Point game mhm Kobe had the 81 do you think current players or someone we haven’t seen yet that’s in the high school Rings you think someone will ever get to 100 I think one of these days it well because it’s a three-point ball now you know Reggie I I seen two things that

Happen after I retired that it sort of made me go wow Klay Thompson had like 38 points in the quarter you know back we used to get 20 so man that was hard you know that was fun he got like 38 or 39 in a quarter

Right then one night I was sitting there he scored I think it was 60 points okay in three quarters and took eight dribbles now H he’s not one of the greatest shooters ever yeah I mean think about that yeah that’s just incredible stuff and you put all these other guys

Out there the thing they did Reggie they changed the game for the better uh they score a lot of points because you can’t hold and grab and and hit guys coming across the lane and all that I think they they might have loosen up a little bit too much right but the three-point

Shot I was really worried 10 years ago that the the smaller guards had no place in our game because you’re looking out there magic 69 point guard 66 well that 3 point9 now I’m worried about the centers more so they can’t shoot the threes right you know but the

Game is in a good spot I like it’s open because guys can show more their skills and the shooters will always be Shooters Indiana royalty yeah Indiana royalty and just for this here you can hold your uh sick give give him that who your head this we’ll just hold this up for

Everyone right here Indiana Glory everyone right here this is great

Watch highlights from Inside the NBA with Shaq, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson and more! Subscribe now to be updated on the latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/nbaontnt?sub_confirmation=1

Connect with NBA on TNT:
Follow NBA on TNT on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT
Like NBA on TNT on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NBAONTNT/
Follow NBA on TNT on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nbaontnt/?hl=en