But has he been hiding in plain sight?

Yeah, that's exactly it.

Uh, uh, he's been a championship, a championship player at every level.

High school, won a chip.

Won two at Villanova, and now he's won one in the NBA.

And, you know, people wanted to always disrespect his size.

Um, but people need to understand, being able to play in angles.

But I don't know if other teams are gonna go, "You know what we need? We need guys who played in college [laughs] together, and we're gonna have teamwork here."

But w- the Spurs lost because of, aside from Jalen Brunson.

Youth.

Youth and inexperience.

And I think we were all waiting for this youth and inexperience to show up, and it just so happened it showed up on the biggest stage, in the NBA Finals.

Uh, look, I applaud what the Spurs did.

For them to go into the defending champs' house in game seven and win that ball game and get a chance to move on, maybe that had a little bit to do with fatigue, but I stated on air, I think it was in game five or six when the Knicks were just waiting on who was gonna win that series, I said, "It doesn't matter who wins h- here in the Western Conference, the Knicks were gonna win." Just, uh, you could just see how cohesive the Knicks had been playing.

And I, I think for the Spurs, as great of, of, of talent as Wemby is, Stefan Cassell, Dylan Harper, all those guys are great.

But has he been hiding in plain sight?

Who has more pressure?

I said this on one of our telecasts about the Knicks.

I always feared the Knicks most when they were on the road, and they kinda showed that in the first two games.

Their fan base travels well, but for whatever reason, as a team, when we were going against, uh, Patrick and John and Oak and all those, those Knicks teams on the road, they played totally different when they were away from the Garden.

I don't know what it was, but they were so locked in and great, and we saw that in games one and two in San Antonio.

I think when you...

they go home, you get a chance, all the things you just highlighted, you relax a little bit, your family's there, the crowd's gonna be pumping, uh, you've won the first two.

And I, I wondered this in, in the first hour, Reg, that Mike Brown was on Golden State's, uh, coaching staff, and I wonder if he saw how Steve Kerr used Draymond Green, and if he's using Karl-Anthony Towns now as sort of a larger, better shooting than Draymond Green, where the offense is going through him a- probably more than it ever has.

If Chet Holmgren is your teammate, what are you saying to him?

Uh, I'll probably taking him to dinner and say, "Look, y- you know what the world is gonna be saying about you." Um, I think what he has going in his favor is that they did win a championship a year ago, and we did see on the biggest stage, um, he was pretty good.

He just had one of those series, and we all have them.

You know, I, I tell people this all the time.

In '99 when we lost in one of those conference finals you're talking about to the Knicks, uh, a series that we should have won, very much like OKC, um, I didn't play my best in that conference finals, and I felt the weight of that.

And I trained my behind off that summer almost reinventing myself, um, to come back for that moment, and fortunately, I had that moment a year later versus the Knicks, conference finals.

We won and we ended up going to the finals in 2000.

... and was un- not afraid of anybody who was seven feet or bigger.

If Chet Holmgren is your teammate, what are you saying to him?

Uh, I'll probably taking him to dinner and say, "Look, you, you know what the world is gonna be saying about you." Um, I think what he has going in his favor is that they did win a championship a year ago, and we did see on the biggest stage, um, he was pretty good.

He just had one of those series, and we all have them.

You know, I, I tell people this all the time.

In '99 when we lost to one of those conference finals you're talking about to the Knicks, uh, a series that we should have won, very much like OKC, um, I didn't play my best in that conference finals and I felt the weight of that.

And I trained my behind off that summer almost reinventing myself, um, to come back for that moment, and fortunately I had that moment a year later versus the Knicks, conference finals.

We won and we ended up going to the finals in 2000.

... and was un- not afraid of anybody who was seven feet or bigger.

[laughs]

... he's not out there blowing the whistle on himself, first of all.

He's playing the game of basketball and he's playing within the rules.

I know people don't like to hear that.

I know this goes back to Doris Burke and free throw merchant, and people saying he's flopping all over the place.

Are there some missed calls? Absolutely, but that goes across the board for everyone.

I, I think, and I said this on air, this is not a guy that's getting up complaining and is always in the official's face.

Reggie, why and how has Caruso been so effective and even larger than his normal role offensively? What are you seeing there?

Yeah.

So he is below his average, his season average.

He's only averaging eight and a half free throws in the four games in this series.

So for people think he's going to the free throw line 15 times a game.

He's only going eight times, people.

So these podcasters, y'all just need to stop.

He's playing the game of basketball.

What does Wemby add in the off-season if you said, "You have to work on this"?

Yeah.

So he is below his average, his season average.

He's only averaging eight and a half free throws in the four games in this series.

So for ...

People think he's going to the free throw line 15 times a game.

He's only going eight times, people.

So these podcasters, y'all just need to stop.

You're adding to your game, what does Wemby add in the off-season if you said, "You have to work on this"?

I'm just saying from what I've seen and what I saw last night, this is gonna be obviously an entertaining maybe seven-game series.

I'll start from the Thunder standpoint.

Um, it's one game, and it's game one.

It's... [laughs] Let's just flash back to last year's finals.

Uh, Tyrese Haliburton hit a shot at the buzzer in game one.

Pacers go up one-nothing.

The Thunder end up winning that series in seven.

Okay, so what does, what does New York do or have to remember going into this series tonight?

I'm just saying from what I've seen and what I saw last night, this is gonna be obviously an entertaining maybe seven-game series.

I'll start from the Thunder standpoint.

Um, it's one game, and it's game one.

It's y- Let's just flash back to last year's finals.

Uh, Tyrese Haliburton hit a shot at the buzzer in game one.

Pacers go up one-nothing.

The Thunder end up winning that series in seven.

Okay, so what is, what does New York do or have to remember going into this series tonight?

What were you asking, Reg?

Hey, I got, I got a, I got a question for the big fella, because when he asked about criteria.

So my criteria for this was if we are lining up on the playground and we have all the point guards in front of us, so Shaq, you've got White Chocolate, Jason Williams right there, and you have Kyrie Irving right next to him, the last two.

You're telling me you're gonna go with, with White Chocolate over Kyrie?

I know what-

Shaq has real life experience, because he went against the Spurs for so many years.

So he has up close, personal, that's why...

See, that's why.

Your reaction to no further suspension or fine, uh, penalties for, uh, Victor going into this game, Reg?

I'm fine with that.

Uh, first-time offender.

Um, I...

Jamal and I were actually kind of shocked, [laughs] uh, during the game.

Um, I think this has been a long time coming, and I'm gonna set it up like this because, uh, he is slowly becoming one of the faces of the league.

And at times you always protect the superstars.

The Lakers' future and how much of it is tied to LeBron James.

Your reaction to no further suspension or fine, uh, penalties for, uh, Victor going into this game, Reg?

I'm fine with that.

Uh, first time offender.

Um, I...

Jamal and I were actually kind of shocked, uh, [laughs] during the game.

Um, I think this has been a long time coming, and I'm gonna set it up like this because, uh, he is slowly becoming one of the faces of the league.

And at times you always protect the superstars.

The Lakers' future and how much of it is tied to LeBron James.

Yeah.

I think, uh...

Wow.

Jalen Brunson, he was a champion at Villanova, and how the Knicks are playing right now, I, I think there's two teams that are so connected as these second rounds kick off.

That's the Thunder, who are getting ready for game one.

Um, that first round, you could just tell, "Okay, we're on a mission to repeat." And the last four games for the New York Knicks, everyone thought the sky was falling when it was 1-1.

When they, they went down 2-1 to Atlanta, "Oh my God, fire Mike Brown.

Uh, your thoughts on an agenda against Jaylen Brown?

Yeah.

I think, uh...

Wow.

Jalen Brunson, he was a champion at Villanova, and how the Knicks are playing right now, I, I think there's two teams that are so connected as these second rounds kick off.

That's the Thunder, who are getting ready for game one.

Um, that first round, you could just tell, "Okay, we're on a mission to repeat." And the last four games for the New York Knicks, everyone thought the sky was falling when it was 1-1.

When they, they went down 2-1 to Atlanta, "Oh, my God, fire Mike Brown.

Uh, your thoughts on an agenda against Jaylen Brown.

Did the voters get it right with Rookie of the Year?

They did, but I'm gonna tell you where Kon lost it.

When the league sent out that arbitration and they were hearing the arguments for Cade, uh, they were hearing the arguments for Luka Dončić, if they could be a part of those end-of-season awards, you didn't have to have your ballots back at the end of the regular season, which it normally is.

So that bled into the play-in games, and I think voters saw the struggles of Kon in those two games, and I think that hurt him.

If the voters had not seen those two games and the votes had to be in, I think he...

You saw how close it was, so obviously he was knocking on the door of winning that award.

But I just think those games in the play-in affected some voters, and to me, that's where he lost it.

Uh, Luka as well.

Did the voters get it right with Rookie of the Year?

They did, but I'm gonna tell you where Kon lost it.

When the league sent out that arbitration and they were hearing the arguments for Cade, uh, they were hearing the arguments for Luka Doncic, if they could be a part of those end-of-season awards, you didn't have to have your ballots back at the end of the regular season, which it normally is.

So that bled into the play-in games, and I think voters saw the struggles of Kon in those two games, and I think that hurt him.

If the voters had not seen those two games and the votes had to be in, I think he...

You saw how close it was, so obviously he was knocking on the door of winning that award.

But I just think those games in the play-in affected some voters, and to me, that's where he lost it.I love both guys.

Uh, Luka as well.

You were taught how to drive a boat by Bob.

Listen, guys, uh, first of all, I, I, I'm honored to see all of you guys again.

Christy, uh, Chick, uh, Tom, thank you, guys, so much for ...

I, I feel like I'm coming home, because I was raised, number one, on the Bob and Tom Show.

Um, when I first got to Indiana, um, in my first few years, you guys raised me, and you guys opened your arms and allowed me to come in very early in the mornings.

[laughs]

I, I apologized, but yeah, it didn't go too well.

So those were the things Bob just ...

[gentle music] Welcome to the show, Reggie Miller.

You hear it all the time.

Who's the GOAT, who's the greatest, and all that, between, you know, him and LeBron.

And I try to stay away from that, 'cause I went against LeBron his first year, he was a rookie, my last year.

So I, I don't have no point of reference, but I will say LeBron has the greatest career.

Yes, yes.

But LeBron has the greatest career, and I think why a lot of old heads wanna dog out LeBron is because they were never as good as he is this late in their career.

I thought it was pretty cool, Reg, that you had Tim Duncan and David Robinson there watching Victor Wembanyama, and you guys had the camera on those guys watching Wembanyama doing things that those Hall of Famers couldn't do.

Yeah, it was almost...

It, it's already been a passing of the guard, or I should say passing of the center.

Um, but I, I said on air that these Spurs fans, the luxury that they had, starting with David Robinson and then getting Tim Duncan and now the next level type center in, uh, Victor.

Um, and some of the things that he did last night, like running to the corner on a broken play, knocking down a three, the behind the back-

Probably going to end in that order, right? That, uh, Shai will win the MVP, and then it'll be Joker and, uh, Wemby?

I'm going with Shai.

Yeah.

I thought it was pretty cool, Reg, that you had Tim Duncan and David Robinson there watching Victor Wembanyama, and you guys had the camera on those guys watching Wembanyama doing things that those Hall of Famers couldn't do.

Yeah.

It was almost...

It, it's already been a passing of the guard, or I should say passing of the center.

Um, but I, I said on air that these Spurs fans, the luxury that they had, starting with David Robinson and then getting Tim Duncan and now next level type center in, uh, Victor.

Um, and some of the things that he did last night, like running to the corner on a broken play, knocking down a three, the behind the back-

Rich, you first

Finish her, make it happen.

You were taught how to drive a boat by Bob.

Listen, guys, uh, first of all, I, uh, uh, I'm honored to see all of you guys again.

Christy, uh, Chick, uh, Tom, thank you, guys, so much for...

I, I feel like I'm coming home because I was raised, number one, on the Bob and Tom Show.

Um, when I first got to Indiana, um, in my first few years, you guys raised me, and you guys opened your arms and allowed me to come in very early in the mornings.

[laughs]

And he was trying to tell me to stop.

I, I apologized, but yeah, it didn't go too well.

Uh, your reaction to, uh, Michael Malone going to North Carolina was what?

Good for him.

Uh, I was surprised that last year there were so many job openings in the pro game, and he wasn't able to get one of them.

And you talk about a, a basketball savant.

Um, I thought he got kinda railroaded when he was in Denver.

This is a great job for him to kinda set pace and step back in life, 'cause NBA is go, go, go.

I don't know how well the recruiting thing will be for him, um, in NIL and all that, but you're going to one of these blue blood type universities where I'm sure the bank will be open.

45

[smacks lips] Uh, your reaction to, uh, Michael Malone going to North Carolina was what?

Good for him.

Uh, I was surprised that last year there were so many job openings in the pro game, and he wasn't able to get one of them.

And you talk about a, a basketball savant, um, I thought he got kinda railroaded when he was in Denver.

This is a great job for him to kinda set pace and step back in life, 'cause NBA is go, go, go.

I don't know how well the recruiting thing will be for him, um, in NIL and all that, but you're going to one of these blue blood type universities where I'm sure the bank will be open.

Um, in terms of X's and O's and game management, he is one of the best.

45

Is that what happened?

Not only Sunday night, but just watching the game last night in that overtime thriller, um, versus the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, Detroit.

Again, I know they were without Cade, I know they were without Durham, I know they were without Isaiah Stewart, but the Thunder were missing some pieces as well.

JDub didn't play, Isaiah Hartenstein, but who shows up? To me, he sh- SGA should be...

Again, and I said this on the air on Sunday, there's level to th- there's levels to this, and I am never gonna take anything away from Wemby, because Wemby deserves and he will be winning these awards for a long time.

But if we are going to give out the highest award in our game, which is the MVP of the regular season, I get it, regular season, I'm going with SGA just for the simple fact, minutes played...

I mean, I look at Wemby's minutes, and they both missed around the same amount of time.

Yeah.