McGinn joined KJR in Seattle with Ian Furness to talk about where things stand in terms of bringing an NBA team back to the city of Seattle, the rules in place that would allow for the public to vote to modify aspects of Initiative 91 as well as the City Council, whether that possibility has been discussed by city leaders, if the city is closer today than it was three or six months ago to beginning construction on a new stadium, what the biggest hurdle is for investors to clear before moving forward on construction on a new stadium within city limits, if a hockey need would also need to be housed in the new stadium for investors to move forward, and whether there’s any possibility that public funds would be used to fund the project.

On where things stand generally with the city trying to bring an NBA team back to Seattle:

“Basically, the city can’t go into an arena as a money losing proposition, it’s the way I think about it to summarize it. So that I think is the challenge of I-91, and it’s a fair position for people to take I believe, because we do face very difficult budget and economic times and we have to make sure that we’re making the most out of our tax dollars.”

On being able to modify I-91 as any potential roadblock to bringing an NBA team to town:

“This is true of any referendum or initiative — once adopted by the public and after the passage of time, it can be modified by the City Council. But any action of the City Council, or most actions of the City Council I should say, significant actions of the City Council are themselves subject to public vote potentially. So it’s just a show of responsibility, really. But yeah, they can be modified.”

Whether that has been discussed by city leaders:

“You’re way ahead of the game. You’re ahead of the game as to the issues we face, because there’s the legal issue, but I think what’s far more important to me is the public statement. Because they’re my bosses, everybody’s got a boss, and they’re my boss — the public and the city is my boss. And what they told us in my vote was that this is important to them that we protect our city finances when we look at any potential stadium deal. So I take that instruction pretty seriously.”

Is the city closer today than it was three or six months ago to building a new stadium:

“I think we have to say we are much closer than we were three months ago, six months ago or a year ago. I do think we have to say that. And I say that because Chris Hansen is a serious committed investor who appears to have the financial wherewithal and the business knowledge to move forward. And we at the city side, when I met Chris and when we heard from him and his interest, and the fact he’s from Seattle and interested in Seattle, we felt it was important for us to understand what our constraints were, to understand what we were could possibly do. And so to be in a position to make decisions and to talk with Chris. So those two things have occurred. So you have on both sides of the equation a very serious level of commitment, and that’s very different than it was a year ago. Now, again, I have to keep saying this: I cannot say how this all ends. Because I know there’s a lot of excitement out there, and it would be a big financial commitment from the investors. They have to make their decision, we have to see how far they’re willing to go and judge how far we’re willing to go. Hopefully it will all meet in the middle.”

On what the biggest hurdle is that investors must clear to getting construction started on a new stadium inside city limits:

“I would say the starting point is probably does it pencil financially from their side, and does it pencil out financially from our side. I think those are the two big questions. That’s the first major hurdle, and if you can’t get over that one, you can’t get to any other hurdles. And I think once we reach that point where we think we have something that protects our city budget, protects our long term interests as a city, and takes advantage of that opportunity, maybe other hurdles will emerge and at that point we’ll see what they are. But I kind of think that’s the starting point. And we’ve been very clear about what we think is important on our side.”

Whether their would need to be a hockey team as well as a NBA team in order to make the deal work:

“My understanding is that they’re interested in both, and that that’s an important consideration to them.”

Does he see any way in which public funds will be raised to help pay for a new stadium:

“I think that again, our view is that we have to make sure that whatever the structure of the deal is, we’re not dipping into other accounts to pay for this, or coming up with some new tax source to go to the public for. So we have to work within those restraints.”

Listen here to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn with Ian Furness on 950 KJR in Seattle

Scott Brooks joined KHTK in Sacramento with Grant Napier to talk about the best part about coaching the Thunder, on the young players in Oklahoma City being so mature already, where he would like the team to improve, what he has done differently because of the shortened schedule, and how much losing in the playoffs helped his team.

Best part of coaching the Thunder:

“Their ability to come back every day and get work done whether we have an incredible win or tough loss. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, (Kendrick) Perkins, Nick Collison, they all come back knowing that they have a job to do to get better every day and work every day. I have the same philosophy. We’ve got a job to do, we can’t get too excited about where we are, we just have to keep plugging along and hope for the best and see where we end up at.”

On the young players on the team being so mature already:

“They play hard. A lot of people think that’s not a talent. I really value that as a big talent if you can go out there and play hard every day because the travel is tough, the games come up on you, the practices are right around the corner, but you have to still go out and do your job and play with great effort. Our guys do. They play hard, they play together, and they seem to always really focus on never giving up even though some games we’re down big. They still come out with great energy.”

Where he would like the team to get better at:

“I think that is one of the strengths of our team that we are not satisfied. I know I love our guys and I tell them that every day but I love the fact that they know they are not as good as they’re going to be if they keep working. We turn the ball over way too many times and defensively we give up too many offensive rebounds. Those are things we have talked about and will continue to talk about. We have to get better at those things.”

What he has done differently as a coach because of the shortened offseason:

“The only thing I’ve done differently is I’ve kind of made everything really tight with our practices and efficiency is much improved. We’ve always been a hard-working team, we had to get our practice in and our shootarounds in. We’ve kind of cut things down. We’re still doing it, but instead of a 50 minute shootaround there might be a 35 minute shootaround or something like that. Going into the games nothing has changed. We still have to compete and the schedule says you have to play hard for 66 nights. That’s what you have to do. You can’t have an excuse because if you do that it’s easy to latch onto that. Everyone has a tough schedule, even the 82 game season is a tough schedule. You’re going to have tough stretches and you have to find a way to fight through it.”

How much the playoff experience has helped them this season:

“I think it definitely helps you going through the playoff battles and I think in any team that wants to have a good team for a long time you have to be able to go through that and recover through some tough times. We have had some good times and we have had some tough times, every team has to fight through that. Very rarely can you go from A to Z and become the best team in basketball. We’re striving to win a championship like a lot of teams are and we know we have to go through some tough battles and I felt last year really helped us. Does that help us this year? We will find out. One thing that we know is it’s a long season and a long playoffs. You can lose 12 games in a playoff run and still win a championship. You can’t get down on losses and that’s one thing that we kind of experienced with that seven game series with Memphis.”

Listen to Scott Brooks on KHTK in Sacramento here

The increased playing time might be helping Williams get comfortable right now in what’s proving to be a challenging rookie season. The lockout didn’t help matters much, and Williams notes how difficult and ‘crazy’ the schedule has been on the rookies. No.7 is averaging 7.8 points per game as he looks to make a bigger impact this season.

Derrick Williams joined 1500 ESPN in Minneapolis with Reusse and Mackey to discuss waiting for his chance to play as a rookie, transitioning from college basketball to the NBA, being comfortable out on the floor after coming off the bench, not being comfortable with one position just yet and the NBA schedule during the lockout being brutal on his body.

How do you balance keeping your nose to the grindstone and waiting for your chance to play more in games as a rookie?

“A lot of people ask me that, but at the same time with my minutes here so up-and-down you just gotta continue to do the things that got you here. Myself just being one of the last people out of the gym getting more shots out then knowing what I can do. With those minutes you always gotta stay ready, especially when you don’t how much you are going to play. You always gotta keep staying ready and whenever you are in there producing I think the minutes will increase.”

What would you say is the most difficult part translating from college to the NBA?

“I would probably say just being off the ball so much. I think I mentioned that yesterday. My whole career I have been pretty much just give me the ball and let me do it. At the NBA level you have the other players that are in the same position as you are because the same thing. They had ball in their hands and they were able to do what they do. You have to try to do a little bit of extra things like rebounding or running in transition or just doing the little things that other people don’t just trying to get those extra possessions at the end.”

Are you the kind of player that needs your minutes to get comfortable in order for your shooting to get going?

“Yeah I give a lot of credit to JJ Barea because he’s just that guy, he’s the 6th man, but at the same time he’s like the starter. He always comes in ready to go. He’s always the leading scorer. He’s always the one to hype up the crowd and he gets everyone going, so I’m trying to translate that to my game, learning what he does when he’s over on the sidelines getting ready. It’s a little different like you said I’m kind of the one who likes to get into that flow. I don’t like to get out there and just throw up shots and just try to do everything as soon as I get out there. I think I got to change it up a little bit when I get out there try to get up in the flow a little faster just because coach wants to see that – the activity and the hustle right away.”

Do you feel most comfortable at the power forward position?

“I wouldn’t say most comfortable. On the offensive side I would probably say I’m comfortable at the four because I am quicker than most people who play the four. I can get to the basket and be able to shoot. Most of the time people at the four can’t stay with me. At the three spot? It just depends who you play. When you have LeBron [James], Carmelo [Anthony], all of those guys, nobody can really stop those guys. They are going to get their numbers regardless, so I wouldn’t say I am more comfortable at any spot. For those times I am use to those spots. Just try to get out there and play a little bit more and I think with more playing time I’ll be able to do the things that I did.”

Is the NBA schedule in a lockout season pretty brutal for you and a guy like Ricky Rubio?

“I think it is. In college you probably play 2 games a week – maybe in the beginning of the season you play in a tournament – you play 3 games in 4 days, but throughout the season you play 2 games a week and with Ricky I asked him before I said how was it over there? He would say they would probably play 1 or 2 games, maybe 2 games a week. They always happen once a month, maybe twice a month, but it’s just different getting on planes after the game coming back home. Playing the games and leaving again, so it’s a little crazy and hectic when you are playing in different cities each and every night, but with that you have to try to get your rest and get as much sleep as possible and make sure you are ready and healthy.”

Listen to Derrick Williams on 1500 ESPN in Minneapolis here

Coming out of high school Lin was overlooked. He didn’t have a single scholarship offer and ended up going to Harvard. Then after being an All-Ivy league selection twice while at Harvard, Lin was overlooked once again and went undrafted. Even his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors cut him prior to this season. Lin hasn’t stopped working and he has persevered. Thanks to horrible point guard play and a few injuries, Lin is getting his shot in the NBA with the New York Knicks and he has made it impossible to overlook him again. The Knicks are on a three-game winning streak with Lin in the lineup. The former Ivy League standout is averaging over 25 points per game and over eight assists per game in those contests and has brought excitement back to New York. The Garden is rocking with chants of MVP once again. But nobody, not even Jeremy Lin, could’ve dreamed that those chants would be directed at him.

Jeremy Lin joined 95.7 the Game in San Francisco with the Rise Guys to talk about how it felt having Knicks fans chanting MVP at him, if he is surprised by the success he is having, on his contract getting picked up by the Knicks for the rest of the season, if he is going to look for a new place in New York, if he was surprised when he was released by the Warriors, and whether or not he takes inspiration from Tim Tebow.

On Knicks fans chanting MVP at him:

“That was a surreal moment for sure just because I never would’ve imagined in my wildest dreams that would’ve happened. Thankful for them obviously.”

On being surprised by the success he is having:

“Yeah definitely true. I can’t sit here and say I knew this would happen or something like that. I think it’s something that I’ve been working towards to try to kind of establish myself in the rotation but to have this happen so fast has been miraculous and I’m just so thankful to God, my teammates, and this organization for giving me this opportunity. It’s been an unbelievable week.”

On his contract getting picked up by New York for the remainder of the season:

“Yeah I actually found out yesterday when the General Manager told me after shoot around. That was a little bit of a sigh of relief.”

Whether or not he is going to get a place of his own now in New York:

“I’m not really sure. I don’t know if I want to shake things up just yet. I’m looking for a place.”

If he is getting bombarded by fans now:

“I mean I don’t really walk around the city too much. It’s been fine. I’ve actually just spent a lot of time in the apartment just relaxing and resting.”

If he was surprised that the Warriors released him:

“I definitely didn’t see it coming and got pulled out midway through the first practice. My agent and I had zero idea that was going to happen. It was really tough for me at the time but I just tried to hold on to a lot of the stuff in the Bible that God gives to trust, have joy in the sufferings, and trust in his perfect plan. That’s what I tried my best to do and I’m thankful the way things turned out.”

On Tim Tebow being an inspiration for him:

“Actually a lot of inspiration just because he’s such a polarizing figure but I think the things he says in interviews, his approach to the game is just unbelievable and I respect him so much. I want to be able to do some of the things that he does in terms of the amount of charity work and the non-profit work, and the way he impacts people off the field. I think that is what is most inspiring to me about him.”

On his dunk last night against the Wizards:

“That felt great. I haven’t dunked in a long time in a game so I’m just glad I was able to do that because I don’t know, I felt like I was due. I got a lot in college but it’s a lot harder in the pros to get open and get a dunk.”

Listen to Jeremy Lin on  95.7 the Game in San Francisco here

Paul Pierce joined WEEI in Boston with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell to talk about the pressure trying to pass Larry Bird in the record books, on the perception that he was arrogant early in his career, on the fans’ appreciation towards him for passing Bird, and whether or not he thinks he can pass Havlicek.

On the pressure of trying to pass Bird:

“Yeah. You just felt it. You wanted to kind of get it out of the way so you could just go on with the game but with every shot it was just like I was shooting short, to the side because I was so anxious to get it over with so I could just focus on the game. I’m finally glad I got it over with in the third quarter so I could take a deep breath and go ahead and play and finish the game.”

On his attitude early in his career and the perception that he was arrogant:

“Just young and confident man. I think in order to thrive in this league and be one of the best you have to be confident in your abilities. You have to be healthy, on one team for a long time, and you have to be pretty good for them to want you here. So I’m thankful for all the things that the Celtics have given me the opportunity to do, to pass one of the greatest players of all-time, and just have my name up there so every time I look into a media guide or the history books, I will be there.”

On the fans’ appreciate towards him for passing Bird:

“Definitely. I think we’ve kind of grown up together. They’ve seen my young days, my immature days, me growing up into a man, and being the player I am today. That’s something that these fans can appreciate. They know where I’ve come from and they’re very knowledgeable fans. They’re not going to sugar-coat anything and they just appreciate the hard work that I’ve put in over the years and the loyalty of playing with one franchise, something that doesn’t happen in this day and age. It’s something they can appreciate and say that they were part of a new era of a guy who has been around for so long because it’s going to probably be a long time before you see a guy play for one franchise for such a long time.”

Whether or not he thinks he can pass Havlicek:

“I don’t know. I’ll say it to the guys I would rather win another championship than break Hondo’s scoring record. If we do that I will be more than satisfied.”

Listen to Paul Pierce on WEEI in Boston here

His place amongst the games greats is already cemented. Bryant is the second best shooting guard to ever lace up the sneakers, behind just Michael Jordan, but at 33-years-old and with the way he is playing, it appears Bryant still has time to build on his list of accomplishment before he calls it a career.

Kobe Bryant joined ESPN Radio with Colin Cowherd to talk about when he knew he had a unique talent to play basketball, what keeps him motivated, whether or not he enjoys the grind of practices still, what his place in the history of the game means to him, on the frustration when his teams don’t win, what he thinks the roster needs when the trade deadline rolls around, and whether or not him and Shaq could’ve co-existed in Los Angeles for a longer period of time.

When he knew he had a unique talent to play basketball:

“It’s tough to kind of judge because I was playing against a bunch of smaller Italian kids when I was around six or seven but I had 60 points in a game. (60 points in a game?) Yeah.”

What keeps him motivated:

“I think it’s just the enjoyment of the game. I think it’s the challenge of it. I’ve never played for notoriety or for the money. I just played because I love playing the game. After all these years it’s important to understand what’s the most important thing when you’re waking up in the morning, working out, going to practice, you know where that love originates from.”

Whether or not he enjoys the grind of practices still:

“I actually enjoy that more than the actual games because the journey is always more significant I think. The practices when no one is looking and that sort of stuff, that’s always been more fun to me. The preparation has always been more enjoyable.”

What his place in the history of the game means to him:

“I’ve just been very fortunate. I’ve played on some great teams and there have been a lot of individual players who just because of the luck of the draw haven’t been on great teams and haven’t been surrounded by enough talent to really win any significant games and I’ve been fortunate enough to play on great teams and also been fortunate enough to avoid any major injuries that can shorten a career.”

On the frustration if they don’t win:

“I’m always frustrated. I’m frustrated when we lose one game but I believe that we obviously tried to improve our team and we tried to make a move that fell through. I’m sure they’re working on other things as well. I’m not going to get bent out of shape, hoot and holler, lose my temper, or whatever because I believe we are all on the same page. We know what we want to do and we know what the goal is. We’re going through a little tough patch now but we will be alright.”

What this team needs to add in order to improve the roster:

“To be honest man I don’t know. Mitch (Kupchak) has really done a great job in building a few championship teams for us. We just have to let him do his job. That’s what he does best. My job is to go out there on the floor and try to win with what I have.”

Whether or not him and Shaq could’ve co-existed for a longer period of time:

“There was no way it was going to last. (Host: It’s not built for that.) Absolutely not. (Host: When you look back at that now do you get a warm feeling?) I do. I do. I absolutely do because what we achieved was remarkable especially when you consider we weren’t a natural pair. We just were not. We were able to make it work, we figured out how to go about doing it, how to dominate games, and things like that but it wasn’t a natural mix.”

On Shaq’s comments about Kobe not winning a championship without him:

“There was an interview I heard Shaq do in which he threw down a challenge of me not being able to win without him. After I read that I said ‘that’s it.’ Some comparison he made with me and Penny Hardaway and once I read that I said ‘you know what? I can’t finish my career with people saying that.’ There’s just no way.”

Listen to Kobe Bryant on ESPN Radio here (Audio begins 39:30 into the podcast)

On a side note another noteworthy nugget from this interview pertains to cryotherapy. The Mavericks are one of the first professional sports franchises to use this type of treatment and from the sound it, Kidd believes it was the difference in his team being at 100% physically for their marvelous postseason run last year.

Jason Kidd joined ESPN Dallas with Ben and Skin to discuss the latest update on his calf injury, cryotherapy being the key to a healthy body during the Mavericks postseason run last year, having any doubts about using cryotherapy, cryotherapy being a ‘secret weapon’ for the Dallas Mavericks last season and Charles Barkley’s comments on Dirk Nowitzki being too old now.

What is the latest on the calf injury? Will we see you against the Nuggets?

“I gotta go through a practice first, so we’ll see what happens today. I’ll talk with K.C. and the medical staff and see what I am cleared to do, but I’m feeling a lot better. Hopefully I’ll be out there this week.”

What can you tell us about being the first player on the Mavericks to use cryotherapy?

“Well I think cryotherapy is excellent for anybody and not just athletes. I did buy into it at the end of the season. It came April and K.C. [trainer] asked me to try it out and I felt great throughout the playoff run. I thought hey this could be something that could help me throughout my career. It’s not as bad as getting in a cold tub. It takes you at least 3-4 minutes to get into the cold tub. This is a process that you step in the tub and you’re in there for about 2-3 minutes and you’re out and you feel great.”

So when you first tried cryotherapy were you scared? Were you thinking what the hell do these guys have me doing?

“No I wasn’t scared. It was something new just understanding that your first thought is maybe since you don’t get wet how do you get cold? The nitrogen and air mix definitely lets you know it is going to get cold. I was maybe a little soft the first time. I just graduated from the 3-minute mark, so you gotta build your way up, but some guys like Jet [Jason Terry], Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion – those guys are stronger than I am and they went past 3 minutes and it does get cold, but you do feel a lot better.”

Did you guys think cryotherapy was a ‘secret weapon’ last year that helped you get rejuvenated?

“We did. We thought it was our secret weapon because of what it did and how it made everyone feel. In Portland, NIKE had one on campus, so during the Portland series we got to use the one at NIKE. They also had one in L.A., but the drive was a little bit too far. We definitely used it in that series. The big thing is that it is going to be in every locker room and probably on every campus because of what it does to the body and how you feel and the success rate it’s had so far.”

What do you think when a guy like Charles Barkley says stuff like Dirk Nowitzki is getting too old? How do you react to that?

“Well everybody is different. I think Dirk [Nowitzki] is far from done. I think we all have gotten off to a slow start, but look we are right there at 6th place I think. We still haven’t played anywhere close to good basketball. We have to go into the break being positive and feeling good about ourselves, but the biggest thing is we all understand with our health coming into the second half – we all want to be healthy and ready to play and again have the opportunity to defend our title.”

Listen to Jason Kidd on 103.3 ESPN Dallas here

Gentry lets it be known that Nash is playing at no more than 70 percent right now. The Suns head coach also admits he is fairly surprised Nash is playing at all.

Alvin Gentry joined KTAR in Phoenix with Burns & Gambo to discuss Steve Nash becoming the Phoenix Suns all-time assists leader, Grant Hill’s knee injury, the emergence of Josh Childress in the Suns lineup, and Steve Nash playing through injuries.

Steve Nash is now the Suns all-time assists leader. Nice night for Steve Nash huh coach?

“Yeah he played extremely well. To be honest with you guys he is probably 70%. He had more ice on him after the game then you would find on a cooler I think. That’s just the kind of guy he is and he went out and he did a great job. I just thought he was really aggressive offensively. He just played extremely well.”

Let’s talk about Grant Hill and the knee. What are the expectations with him going forward?

“Well he feels a lot better. I don’t know at what stage of the game that he actually hurt it, but it just wasn’t worth taking a risk. We just sat him out. It was sore and Josh [Childress] had been playing really good for us anyway and really aggressive, so it was one of those deals where we felt it was best to sit him out and kind of take a look at it. He’ll rest it today and we’ll go to shoot around tomorrow and kind of take a look at it and see where we are with it.”

What have you seen out of Josh Childress that you like?

“He is the consummate professional. When he was sitting over there not playing, he was working every day at practice and doing that and we had talked several times. When I put him in there he did great and I just told him that I would continue to use him when he played with that kind of aggressiveness and defensively I thought he’s done a good job for us. It gives me a guy to relieve Grant [Hill] of guarding a Dirk Nowitzk of the world or something like that. I think he’s playing really good.”

You mentioned how Steve Nash had more ice on him than a cooler. He’s okay though right?

“Yeah he’ll play. I just…he won’t ever say anything about it. He’s playing in a lot of pain and there’s a lot of things going that would not normally – the normal guy I don’t think would be playing.”

Listen to Alvin Gentry on 620 KTAR in Phoenix here

Charles Barkley, of course, has an opinion on it, and says Nowitzki is simply getting old, like the rest of the Mavs.

I’d also encourage you listen to his pitch on why you should be in Las Vegas this weekend, where he might be drunk by the time you’re reading this.

Charles Barkley joined ESPN Dallas with Galloway and Co. to discuss the terrible play in the NBA to this point, how it can be solved, why Dirk is struggling, why Mavericks fans should be concerned, how he could fall so far in such a short period of time, heading to Vegas for the Super Bowl, which team he’ll bet on and his friendship with Bill Belichick.

You’ve complained about the play in the NBA this year, but you’re not giving it a free pass because of the lockout are you?:

“Let me tell you something, if these teams had two weeks’ rest, they’d still think. You think it’s really due to the lockout? There’s so many bad teams in the NBA, as a fan. I’m a fan, first and foremost. I’m embarrassed at some of these teams that we’re putting on the court every night. It’s not fair to the fans. Seriously, it’s a joke.”

If it’s not the lockout, how did it happen?:

“I’m a big proponent of us finding a way to keep some of these players in school longer. Some of these guys have the talent, they just don’t have any idea how to play basketball. I’m a big proponent of let’s find a way to keep these guys more in college. To be honest with you, I hate saying this because I don’t think it’s fair for me to give away other peoples’ jobs, but I think we need to really sit back and think about contraction at this point.”

What do you think is wrong with Dirk Nowitzki?:

“Dirk’s getting old, bro. Dirk’s getting old. … Dirk’s been a great, great player for a long time. At some time, he’s been in the playoffs pretty much every year. Father time, bro. Father time is catching up with him. That’s all it is.”

So you think Mavericks fans should be concerned?:

“Oh, ya’ll should be concerned. The Mavs ain’t going to win the championship. It’s over. … They can’t beat Oklahoma City. I watched that entire game. I don’t think they can beat Denver or Portland. Those are the best three teams I saw in the West all year. They’re too old and too slow.”

But this player looked like he was the best in the world six months ago:

“That’s the way it happens, bro. You drop off the face of the earth. His days of being the man, those days are over. I hate to break it to you. I lived it. When you’re a great player, it hits you quicker, too, more than anybody, because you have further to fall. You can be a guy that’s a good, solid player and you can hide it for a couple years. When you’re a great player, you have farther to fall. … Remember Michael Jordan with the Wizards his last couple years? He came down. Everybody comes down.”

When are you heading west to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl?:

“This time tomorrow, I’ll be sitting at a blackjack table. And I don’t care what the dealer’s got, every time I get 11, it’s an automatic double down. … You’ve got to go to Vegas for the Super Bowl. It is the greatest weekend, the greatest place to watch the game. I’ve been like 15 years in a row, probably 20 years, I should say. I went to the Super Bowl a couple times and it’s just too many people and just a security nightmare. I went to Vegas one time for the Super Bowl and I’ll never miss Vegas again. … I’ll be drunk by this time tomorrow night.”

Where do you watch the game?:

“Every casino obviously has a big convention center. You’re in a room with about 5,000 people and you’ve got these big 100-inch scoreboards all around that’s got the game. You’ve got waiters and waitresses, it’s probably the length of two football fields. The room is going nuts. … You’ll see somebody get a sack and you’ll see a couple tables go nuts because they bet on the sacks in the game.”

Which team will you bet on?:

“I am terrified right now, to be honest with you. I’ve got no idea about this  game. I’m going to bet the game. … But right now, I am terrified because I have no idea who’s going to win that game. I’m still trying to figure out why the Patriots are favored, to be honest with you. … The Giants have played better the entire playoffs. The Giants have played unbelievable. They beat the two best teams in the NFC on the road to get to the Super Bowl. “

On being friends with Bill Belichick:

“Me and Coach Belichick are good friends. … We’ve been friends a long time. We became friends when he was coaching back in Cleveland. … He’s a very engaging guy and has got a great sense of humor. He’s a very engaging guy. I think if you watched that documentary, you got to see that he’s a lot more friendly and a lot more funny than people give him credit for. He just don’t trust the press and why would you trust the press?”

Listen to Charles Barkley on ESPN Dallas here

Bird’s Pacers made huge strides a year ago by getting to the playoffs, and this year they look poised to take the next step. Indiana is currently 15-6 this season and one of the top teams in the top-heavy Eastern Conference. The amazing thing is that he has built an Eastern Conference power without having a superstar on the roster (though Danny Granger is certainly one of the league’s better scorers). The team is deep, it is tough, it’s talented, and a second straight playoff appearance is all but certain.

Larry Bird joined The Dan Patrick Show to talk about the way his Pacers are playing so far this season, whether or not they are a playoff team, what loss hurt the most in his playing career, and playing under pressure and in crunch-time and the idea that LeBron James doesn’t have the killer instinct.

On his Pacers team this season:

“You know we made some additions with George Hill and David West and you know obviously we had a young team and they got better over the summer. To say that we would have the record we have now I don’t know if I could say that but I told my owner that I thought we would win between 34 and 38 games this year. It’s a 66 game season. That’s sort of my goal and hopefully we can do that.”

If his team is playoff caliber:

“Oh yeah. It all depends on injuries but if I don’t make the playoffs they should fire me.”

What loss hurt more to him as a player: Magic in the garden with the hook or Magic in the NCAA Championship game:

“Jesus. Well I’ve cried three times my whole life and all three of them was because Magic did something to me. Probably college. The hook, if I remember I played it right, he came across the middle and Kevin (McHale) and Robert (Parrish) came after him and I thought he was going to pass it to (Kareem-Abdul) Jabaar because out of the corner of my eye I saw Kareem slip to the basket and I thought he was going to go in for a dunk because he was open. Actually it was a pretty lucky shot if you really get down to it.”

On LeBron not having the killer instinct:

“Everybody is a little different but I will tell you what? That LeBron James is about as good as I’ve ever seen. I mean this guy is unbelievable. I’m not going to say he’s a Michael Jordan and all that but he ain’t too far behind. He ain’t too far behind Kobe either. He just hasn’t made some plays down the stretch and he will. He will win multiple championships before he’s out of this league. You can’t be as good as him and not win.”

Listen to Larry Bird on The Dan Patrick Show here