Transcription
The final chapter of the NBA season is underway. We got Golden State in Boston battling for the crown. Stack, you still feel good about your Golden State pick? I do. I do. Even though they're going back to Boston and Boston has home court advantage now. Uh, the experience and the confidence of the way they play in game one, I think they'll give them a win on the road to even the series.
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What was the 2010 playoff experience like with Steve Nash? That the Wells, the Western Finals run, right? Yeah, you played, you in Orlando. Oh, yeah, 2020. Yeah, we were in Orlando. Yeah, we had a good year. You know, it was weird because we had, as great as Shaq was and his greatest Steve was, they didn't really mix. And, um, so when Shaq left and Amare was healthy and then Alvin Gentry was coaching us, we, we had a really good season. We were third seed and we beat Portland, we beat San Antonio, and then we faced that Lakers. They got us the first two games in LA. We beat them the first, the next two games. And in game five, man, like we're right there on the ropes. Jay Rich banks in the three to tie it in overtime. Kobe gets a ball, a three-pointer. The one time he missed, one time he missed the shot of me, like in that situation. Uh, he airballed it. I'm right in like, I'm right there in his face. He airballs it. But Metta World Peace gets the rebound. Jay Rich didn't box him out. He tip-in and he, he, they win game five. And I don't know if emotionally we recovered. And then Kobe in game six, I mean, he started cool, dude.
And so here's the thing, man. So, you know, he's doing, he's doing this. And he always, look, with Kobe, like, like with LeBron, when I guarded LeBron back then, my attitude was, I'm not gonna crash the offensive glass when we shoot. I'm gonna find him. I'm not gonna let him get out and open for full head of steam. So I'm not gonna let him turn the corner and go right and get to the rim. I'm gonna make him make contested jump shots. And I'm not gonna foul. If he posts me up, don't help because he beats you with his passing as much as. So, like, you know, he had a game plan and I actually did okay. I mean, LeBron would have moments, but like, you know, I didn't have a strategy for Kobe. Like, I didn't know what to do. So sometimes, man, like, I would just, he'd go up and shoot, I just hit his arm, like, just hit his arm and just like, you know. And the problem too is I couldn't go back at him because that's my role. You know, in Phoenix, Nash had the ball in his hand, so I'm stuck in the corner. And, and I'm not, you know, I'm not a spot-up shooter. Um, so he was hard to defend. But in that moment, man, like, I, and a couple times, I guess, right? Like, I'm like, like he's gonna go right, he's gonna shot fake. I'm not, you know, I know what he's gonna do. And I'm like, and then, you know, you know how hard it is saying this, and you know, when you're squared off against him, you're saying that in your head as you're doing. I knew he wanted to go right and I knew he had a great ball fake. And I've seen him do it before. And so he took one shot right in front of our bench. We tapped Alvin on the. And so he hit a tough shot on me before that. And I tried to deny him the ball, but he gets it. He goes right, I go with him. He shot fakes, I don't go for it. I actually get closer into him. I go up when he goes up. You know how hard it is to do a shot fake reload from three and somebody in your group? And I'm, I, I couldn't be any closer to him without fouling him, man. This dude, like, I was like, I mean, like I was actually proud of the defense I played. Yeah, like I'm thinking, I couldn't have done anything other than just prevent him from getting the ball. But he was the best player I played against. And, and, and I say this respectfully, with George, I didn't guard Jordan, Pippen, and I matched up. Yeah, but the best player that I, I played against hands down with Kobe. And one of my regrets, it's in the book. In '07, when I left Orlando, Phil Jackson called me three times to get traded for him, right? No, no. Well, that was, that was in Detroit. I don't know how true that was. I've heard that, but I don't know how true that was. But when I left Orlando, Phil called three times. I didn't call him back. Wow. And I'm thinking, oh, it's over in LA. Kobe, you know, he's talking about Bynum and, you know, they, you know, they're imploding in the playoffs. And all I got, I just thought the run was over in LA. And I ended up going to Phoenix in part to stay healthy. But I think Phil would have played me more, more suited for my game. He liked tall guys, I could handle, and I think he wanted me to come in and kind of be a primary ball handler or whatever. Me sitting in the corner was not my game. I played it, I did my role, but like that wasn't who I was. And so I think now, like, man, if I had, that would have been interesting. We were number one in the West, but then they traded for Gasol and then later that, that season, and that was a game changer for, um, for the Lakers. And they, you know, you went on and had a great streak. Yeah.
Play with some, some great teammates. Anyone, uh, who's your favorite teammate during your career? Damn, man, 19 years, man. That's right. You got a hell of a run. I think in Detroit, Lindsay, Allen, those are my guys. We came in together. You know, and in Orlando, it was tough because I didn't play a whole lot in Orlando. Jameer, um, Jameer. You know, actually, it's crazy. You know, you know who Bond, who and I bonded a lot because we were rehabbing all the damn time was Pat Garrity. Thank you. We, like, we were hurt two years, so we spent a lot of time together. That guard winner. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, I enjoyed playing. We didn't hang out. We didn't, you know, I didn't partake. Uh, but I, I enjoyed Matt, man. Like, Matt was, I'm telling you, like, just in terms of teammates doing whatever's needed. Yeah. The ultimate teammates. You know what I'm saying? Like, people don't get enough credit for that. I'll give you enough credit for that. But like, you should have started in LA with the Clippers that year, you know, but he came off the bench. He never, never complained. I remember seeing, I remember seeing you at the facility, like, you didn't have, I don't think you, you had a, it was like late, too. Might have been like August, September, and you were unsure where you were gonna sign. And you were in there just playing pickup ball every day. And then you playing so well, they brought you in. But just like, whatever's needed, you know what I'm saying? Didn't complain, just did what he had to do. If something popped off, he was always in it. Like he was there for your teammate. And so, but there's so many, man. I mean, you know, Nash was fun to play with. Barbosa was a good guy. Those Phoenix years were fun. Yeah. Um, I don't know if I had a favorite, but, you know, Shaq was fun, man. Shaq was crazy. Remember the Shaq and Lou Armistead back and forth? Remember when Shaq took his mouthpiece and put in his, uh, tights during shoot around? I was just talking with Shaq about that last night, man. Yeah, we talked about it on the show. It's the craziest, right? Here. But I remember one time, we, it's so bad, man. This [Laughter]. I mean, one time, man, Shaq, it's so bad, man. I can't repeat this. Bad. Come on, you already started. All right, man. We, you know, we're in the showers after practice. And he goes to J-Rich, "J-Rich, you got a fat ass, man." I'm like, "Second place." I'm like, "How do you come back?" Like, what does J-Rich do, man? Like, oh, you know what I'm saying? Shaq was just, he was funny. He was nasty. He was crazy. Big old kid. He.