Larry Bird on The Dan Patrick Show (Full Interview)

Larry Bird Larry Joe bird is on the line coach how you doing good Reggie how you doing today I'm doing fantastic now I you probably didn't get a chance to see this but we were playing that game four shot versus Chicago that Derrick McKey through to me and I lightly nudged Michael Jordon and got the shot off and I was doing pirouette they if people they don't talk about the shot that come up to me they talk about your reaction to the shot which there was no reaction like you were stoic your expression did not change well Reggie there's so much going on at that time right it was a hard-fought game we were up that we were down you came off the screen from the left side to the right side you got the ball Michael pushed off on you you make the shot and I didn't know if a whistle blew or not I didn't know what happened then I looked up and his four tenths of a second now you know in the NBA right that they're going to put four tenths of a second up there which scared the hell outta me it should have been two point two seconds no one that there's going to Michael he's going to get the ball and he's going to get a clean look he got he got the ball he pump-faked took one dribble and almost made he banked it in and it came out and really it took three seconds get the shot off but you knew they're going to have an opportunity to score so I was in amazement because they should never been four tenths of a second it should have been two kids game should have been over but they gave him an opportunity to win the game and that's what scared me and by the way that was in our building that wasn't in Chicago so your honor we would have had a better score keeper in our own building a little Homer well you know I walked down there with the four tents and made sure that it's going to start the clock on time but if you remember Michael got up pump-faked it took one dribble and still got off in time and you know being a home at before the volume came in they should I had the horn go off into in today's game less than a minute let's say less than thirty second in today's game who are some of the players because you watch them all obvious being the president of the Indiana Pacers who are those go-to guys those go to players like you were for those great Boston Celtics team and you can put Paul George in this category yeah Paul Paul is getting better and better but you know LeBron you know he's gonna get it and try drive get to the hole get fouled Kevin Durant's really good Westbrook's gonna try attack the rim and in situations you always like guys go into the hole you know a lot of times guys settle for off-balance shots fadeaways you know there's a fight against the clock by like the guys that get it and try to make something happen to the rim and and and you know leave the the call-up to the officials and LeBron Zhou is very good at it there's so many great players in our on our league now Reggie that can make shots at in the games it's it's it's really fun to watch the style of the NBA today more threes you know the floor stretched a little bit more there's not as much contact the physical play is gone how do you think your game would have translated in today's game well you always have to make adjustments with your game it's just like coming from college to the pros you know I had to get a step-back shot at shoot a ball a little bit higher at times in the post you know I never worked on the three-point shot when I played I know around when they had the all-star game I I shot a few threes but I never went out there and just shot you know like a hundred of 200 threes everyday like guys do now I mean when our players walk on the court now they do a little bit then they go right to the three-point line so the game has changed in that and I'm sure back in the day if we shoot a lot more threes we would have spent a lot more time working on it we're talking with Larry Bird on the Dan Patrick show what conversations before Paul George left for Rio did you have in light of everything that happened two years ago obviously the horrific leg injuries did you guys if any have any conversations before he left and by the way as you know he dropped 20 points last night versus whele yeah the kid just keeps getting better and better he's a hard worker he's dedicated to his craft Hyup we'd talked a little bit but nothing about the injury we put that away we don't even like to talk about now I knew when he went over there was going to be brought up time after time but I think Paul sort of put him back of his mind and just looking forward to playing and get trying to get better he enjoys the experience I know I've been texting off and on a little bit he's having fun and he can't wait to get back and see what kind of team we have this year you were a part of the greatest team ever assembled the 1992 dream team obviously you weren't 100% you weren't at your best we all know what you guys did on the court that was evident we all watched those games but everything I heard coming out of that can you walk us through I heard the practices were the best basketball no one's ever seen am I correct on that well before we got over there you know once we got into the Olympics we didn't really practice why I only think we practice at all but we were in sent a free tour was at San Diego none of San Diego we was somewhere and we were practicing we had a lot of fun when the college kids came in we practice against them that was a lot of fun and there's you know there's always a lot of good competition when you have magic on one team and Michael on the other team and you know we had Patrick and a lot of guys that talked a lot of smack but it was fun remember they said one of the greatest games that no one ever seen that was one of the worst practices I ever seen in my life all the guys were doing was talking I think the game was like 28 to 25 or something like that but other now we had a good time is a great experience and and you know winning the goal for your country is always the ultimate and that's why I told Paul and he was excited about going and I said the one thing is never have this experience again so while you're there you might as well take advantage of it now are you one of those guys that were kind of gone a little bit you know well not really I mean because you know my time was over I knew I wouldn't go and play a whole lot I think I just average 18 minutes over there we had a stacked team we knew some nights we're going to play you know fifteen or twenty minutes and some nights maybe not as much because it's just so much talent on that team and you know everybody wanted to play here but I want to get through minutes in but we knew going out we're going to win by a large margin and we just want to make it a great experience for all was there one guy on that team that you really didn't know but you kind of got to know a little bit better throughout that time yeah you do you spend some time with some guys I didn't know David Robinson's as well and crawl obviously Kristen Laettner some of the guys that played on the West Coast you didn't know as well but as far as magic and Michael and Charles and him guys you know I knew them pretty well you know shifting towards the paster you guys made a change obviously gone is Frank Vogel who was there for six year you came out and said you want your Pacers to be more up-tempo run a little bit more you hired Nate McMillan can you kind of walk us through what the game plan is going to be for Nate's vision for this team you've added Jeff Teague Thaddeus Young so what's the overall game plan here for the Indiana Pacers going forward for the upcoming season well when we think we want to run a little bit more Reggie we never was talking like Golden State we don't have that type of player or Oklahoma City we you know we're basically going to try to score more points off the defensive end by getting skills and and maybe running a little bit more especially with Jeff Teague able to penetrate and Monta Ellis being able to get in the pain kicking out we want to style where we can you know score but I like to score 105 points a game maybe 106 if we can and still defend the way were capable of defending you know we still have Dan Burke here he's always been our defensive guy like dick Carter was back in the day I was here they're very good you know we expected to fin well but you know we want to get out and get open a little bit and maybe shoot more threes I know Nate's got a game plan and and you know back when next got over 900 games he's coached in the NBA and and he's going to style and he knows the game has changed a little bit we got to get out and move a little bit more and I think he's gonna do an excellent job for us well speaking of shooting threes coach we have a we had a poll question on here just to let you know I had nothing to do with this poll question I'm gonna let one of the Dan Nets McLovin ask you this question cuz he's been dying to ask you this okay if you had a better way okay who would win a three-point shooting contest Larry Bird or Reggie Miller now no and in their prime in the by the way you want just to let you know you you have this here's how I'll put it Reggie my teammates in the pros I would win hands down if I had the opportunity the great opportunity to coach it I'd say you win oh okay look I'm just letting you know I picked you it was a it was a dead tie too - I was the tiebreaker no question you at the three-point competition walking in the locker room who's playing did you really say that who's playing for a second yeah I did because I you know I didn't realize it's so much tension only you know I'm out there every day and from these fans and who were some who were some of the guys in the competition at that time when you walked in who wasn't in that field I come on coach you know no I don't really remember del L del Ellis yeah Dale was yeah that's rip yeah Hodges Johnson yeah the kid that's refereeing now right Oh Lester really um would Leon would Leon would Leon would never cross three-point line all he did was ever ever his boys shot three so I thought he might be the competition because I've seen him shoot before games you know he's knock him down some when I walked in there he's sitting there and I said boy him red white blue blue balls are so slippery I can't hold on to him and the next time I can isokay now that I've down the nitty-gritty who's coming in second he already knows he's going to win this I got lucky because almost got beat in the first round but what was the reaction after you said that like oh that's just Larry legend or did it get dead silence in there it was silent I think they were a little nervous I like I think they were nervous and then the water they'll walk off with your hand up of a come on coach come on well I I was struggling that final round in Chicago I know that and I just got hot there the last two and a half racks you know when you're shooting them you don't know what the score is right but I had a feeling by way the crowd was going I had to make the last one and well I let it go I felt it you know sometimes you shooting me think you're going in they don't but that one there look perfect all the way so if it would have bounced out I would have feel like an idiot well did it went in I got lucky and got the check and went home to tell you to tell you about pressure when you were our head coach we were 10 and 1 because we we knew we had to win against one team all the time and that was the Boston Celtics I don't care what we wear else you didn't tell you you didn't tell us but everyone around you said you guys have to beat Boston especially in Boston where we were five and one so you talked about Roger that's pressure is playing quite early relationship that one the group one of the greatest moments ever had in sports was you know I never I always wanted to win in Boston but I never want Boston to lose because I know it's a great sports town all that but the first time we went into Boston was one of the greatest experience after that game that I ever felt it's like winning the championship I can remember we had a backdoor play the whole game but we knew was going to work and you Mark waited to last bout minute men have to in the game to run it you went back door and got fouled and we knew right there that ice the game what color to play and no time coach thank you for everything that you've done for the game and for me having a chance to play against you and then work underneath you and to learn everything about the game I truly appreciate I wouldn't be at the level I am yet this desk have a success I had if it wasn't for you so I appreciate you calling in and giving us an insight on dream team one and in the Olympics and the pasters so we really do appreciate it well thank you Reggie it's an honor and I think you won the greatest and I know you're one of the greatest and it's just an honor to have you two to work for me for a little bit but you had great success you're still doing well and I'm proud of you and I apologize about the 2000 Finals it's my fault that we didn't get that championship seriously so I appreciate it I'm sorry uh that's Larry Bird everyone thank you guys so appreciate a coach thank you good luck ready mine thank you the legend the Dan Patrick show weekday mornings on audience

Channel: Dan Patrick Show

Views: 191,117

Keywords: Dan Patrick, The Dan Patrick Show, Danettes, Sports, Larry Bird

Id: ZfkhJwoTs_U

Length: 13min 42sec (822 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 09 2016