Hour 3 – John Smoltz, Reggie Miller

Summary

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The Dan Patrick Show: Hour 3 – John Smoltz, Reggie Miller

Date: March 17, 2026
Podcast Network: iHeartPodcasts and Dan Patrick Podcast Network

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Episode Overview

The final hour of Dan Patrick's St. Patrick’s Day show features an in-depth conversation with MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz, focusing on the World Baseball Classic and the evolving dynamics of pitching in baseball. NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller joins later for candid analysis of March Madness memories, NBA team trends, and hot-button topics like “foul baiting” and massive scoring nights in today’s high-octane NBA. The tone is casual, humorous, and insightful, catering to both hardcore and casual sports fans.

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Segment 1: MLB World Baseball Classic Breakdown with John Smoltz

[02:20–13:06]

Key Discussion Points

• Atmosphere and Player Buy-In

  • The palpable energy in Miami, with passionate, star-studded teams, especially from Team USA and Venezuela.
  • Smoltz highlights a surge in players’ commitment:

    "It's probably the most [star players] we've ever had...you've got to be all in or not."
    — John Smoltz [05:14]

• Roster-Building Challenges for Team USA

  • Constructing a WBC roster is complex, starts a year in advance, and depends on major stars recruiting other stars.
  • Ownership restrictions make managing Team USA a “thankless” and high-pressure job.

• Paul Skenes and Pitching Injuries

  • Discussion on Skenes, a young phenom. Smoltz addresses the narrative of pitcher injuries:

    "He might be an outlier...I don't think buying into the narrative that it's going to happen [injury] now."
    — John Smoltz [07:30]

• The True Significance of the World Baseball Classic

  • Smoltz notes the WBC is “more important than winning a World Series” for countries like Venezuela:

    "I totally understand why their passion, the importance of this, weighs a little bit higher than an ultimate goal in Major League Baseball."
    — John Smoltz [09:05]

• How to Grow the Classic

  • Smoltz proposes playing the WBC mid-season (like Olympic hockey):

    "You'd have everybody...midseason form. No restrictions...You truly get to see the Goliath going against the Goliath."
    — John Smoltz [10:05]

Notable Quotes

• On international fans:

  "The loudness...where we are in Miami helps...It outweighs the American fans, that's for sure."
  — John Smoltz [05:14]

• On the future of the WBC:

  "Even if you just did an International World versus USA, you can't come up with a roster that wouldn't be epic either way."
  — John Smoltz [11:26]

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Segment 2: Fastballs, Injuries, and Old-School Baseball Stories

[13:06–18:03]

Key Discussion Points

• Velocity is the Norm

  • 100+ mph is standard now—high schoolers are even reaching triple digits.
  • Mason Miller (USA reliever) has thrown more 100+ mph pitches than some entire teams.

• Pitcher Health and Tommy John Surgery

  • Rotator cuff injuries were once the norm, now it’s mostly Tommy John related to overuse and velocity.

• Anecdotes

  • Dan shares a story about beating a legendary high school pitcher named Nagel.
  • Rob Dibble’s infamous beanball that “stuck” to Tim Teufel’s back.

Notable Quotes

• On pitching evolution:

  “Doesn’t it feel like everybody throws a hundred now? ... It used to be if you got to 95."
  — Dan Patrick [13:06]

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Segment 3: March Madness & NBA – Reggie Miller Joins

[19:50–37:23]

Key Discussion Points

• Reggie’s March Madness Memory

  • Heartbreaking senior-year loss to Wyoming and Fenis Dembo:

    "We overlooked Wyoming and this was a blockbuster game for them and Finis Denbo punched his ticket to the NBA from that game."
    — Reggie Miller [21:31]

• Comparing UNLV’s Running Rebels vs. Michigan’s Fab Five

  • Fab Five wins on culture and talent, though UNLV bagged the championship.

    "Culture wise, I'll go with the Fab Five. But...those Running Rebels teams, they did win a championship."
    — Reggie Miller [22:38]

• The Resurgent Lakers

  • Six-game winning streak; LeBron’s willingness to take a “third wheel” role is identified as a key for their improvement.

    “At the end of the day, defense will either do them in or that's the defining moment for them...”
    — Reggie Miller [24:55]

  • Marcus Smart’s two-way impact finally getting recognition; DeAndre Ayton’s contributions in the middle.

• SGA "Foul Baiting" Debate

  • Reggie fiercely defends Shai Gilgeous-Alexander:

    “I don’t get it...You play the game...Some calls are questionable, but I just don’t get why he gets called out all the time.”
    — Reggie Miller [27:04]

• DeMar DeRozan vs. SGA – Offensive Comp

  • Dan suggests DeRozan as a comp for SGA: methodical, mid-range, bucket-getter.
  • Reggie expands: SGA is also top five in steals and leads his team in assists—he’s not “just a bucket.”

• Bam Adebayo’s 83-Point Outburst

  • Reggie calls for celebration, not criticism:

    “You have to at least attempt to go for it by any means necessary...”
    — Reggie Miller [32:26]

  • Discussion on other current players who could break the 81-point Kobe Bryant record (Luka, Tatum, Ant Man).

  • Reflection on how much the game’s scoring expectations have changed.

Notable Quotes

• On massive scoring games:

  "You can’t accidentally get 64...He didn’t do it in a gimmicky way."
  — Dan Patrick [32:42]

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Key & Memorable Moments

• [04:07] Trivia: Steve Kerr reaches 600 wins as coach & as a player, joining Don Nelson as the only two to do so.
• [09:05] Smoltz’s admission: WBC now ranks higher than the World Series for many international players and fans.
• [30:35] Stellar closers: SGA and DeRozan both lauded as two of the NBA’s great, but perhaps underappreciated, closers.
• [34:39] Bam’s 83: Discussion of why stars are criticized for huge games, and how Kobe would never apologize for going for more.

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Other Noteworthy Sports News

• [19:50] NFL News: Broncos acquire Jalen Waddle from the Dolphins, signaling Miami’s rebuild and big pickup for Denver.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• John Smoltz on WBC Star Power: [05:14]
• Smoltz on Skenes and Pitcher Injuries: [07:30]
• Reggie Miller’s March Madness Memory: [21:31]
• Fab Five vs. Running Rebels: [22:38]
• Lakers’ Resurgence: [24:55]
• SGA “Foul Baiting” Discourse: [27:04]
• Bam Adebayo’s 83-Point Game: [32:42]

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Selected Notable Quotes

• “It outweighs the American fans, that’s for sure.”
  — John Smoltz on the WBC crowd [05:14]

• “It’s that simple. And you’re right…the defense will either do them in or that’ll be the defining moment for them.”
  — Reggie Miller on the Lakers [24:55]

• “Learn and adapt. That’s what you’ve got to do.”
  — Reggie Miller on players adjusting to officiating [28:09]

• “You have to at least attempt to go for it by any means necessary.”
  — Reggie Miller on Bam Adebayo’s scoring spree [32:26]

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Episode Flow & Tone

• Lively, humorous, and loaded with banter.
• Dan Patrick and guests mix sharp analysis with sports nostalgia and real talk.
• Segment transitions are seamless: baseball to basketball to football and back, with pop culture references sprinkled in.

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Summary

This episode is a sports radio masterclass—balancing behind-the-scenes coverage of global baseball, trenchant NBA insight, and nostalgia. John Smoltz shines as an analyst and advocate for growing the World Baseball Classic, while Reggie Miller’s candor and storytelling unearth fresh perspectives on everything from March Madness heartbreak to the Lakers' sudden hot streak and controversial new-age NBA “foul baiting.” For fans of major sports, this is an hour well spent.

Transcript

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[Dan Patrick]

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[Reggie Miller]

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[John Smoltz]

You are listening to the Dan Patrick

[Dan Patrick]

show on Fox Sports Radio final hour in this Tuesday happy St. Patrick's Day. And yes we do have food on St. Patty's Day. Dylan whipping up bangers and co cannon which is a form of cabbage I believe. Guinness soda bread, Irish cheeses. Who has it better than we do? No all right, all right. Little enthusiasm there. I appreciate that. More Phone calls coming up. 877-3DP show. We'll talk to John Smoltz Smoltzi on the call for the World Baseball Classic and the championship game coming up tonight. Also, Reggie Miller will stop by a little bit later on with his thoughts on the NBA, the Association Lakers over the Rockets last night. I was watching that. And they're now a game and a half ahead of the Rockets for third place in the Western Conference. And they won six in a row. By the way, the spurs won their 50th game of the season last night. They haven't won 50 games in a season since 2016. And watch a little bit of Jalen Brown putting up 41 last night, 18 in the fourth quarter as Boston picked up the win against the Suns. And oh, this is something I did not know. Steve Kerr got his 600, that 600th career victory. And there's only one other coach in NBA history who has 600 wins as a player. 600 wins as a coach. The only two people in NBA history who won at least 600 games as a player. 600 as a coach. Marvin Pat Riley. No.

[Reggie Miller]

Todd Phil Jackson.

[Dan Patrick]

No. That's a good guess. This guy had a. One of the stranger jump shots. Not a big time player. Played for a great team. Played for a great team. Don Nelson, Nelly, as they like to call him, playing for the Celtics. And of course, legendary NBA head coach. All right, 877 3dp. Show operator Tyler sitting by or take your calls. Good morning. If you're watching on Peacock or the NBC Sports Network are listening on our radio affiliates around the country, including iHeartRadio and Fox Sports Radio. John Smoltz on the call with Joe Davis last night. World Baseball Classic, the semifinals, Venezuela against Italy. Team USA playing for the title tonight on Fox at 8 Eastern against Venezuela. You know, the atmosphere is what surprised me probably the most. John, I don't know if I said what's the one thing that you were surprised at so far with the Classic is what.

[John Smoltz]

Yeah, I would say first of all, the star factor of the amount of players that have bought in and play, especially with Team usa It's probably the most we've ever had. You know, a lot of guys want to dip their toe in. You got to be all in or not. And that is what I've always seen from the countries that have gathered their stars because that is the most important thing to them. The intensity and the passion has gotten more and more and the loudness of course, the where we are in Miami helps because a lot of the people live here that represent those countries. So that to me has been single handedly very, very obvious and very apparent who they're rooting for and how many people it's out. It outweighs the American fans, that's for sure.

[Dan Patrick]

How do you build a team like this? Not sure who's going to play, maybe the countries, it's a little bit easier for them to build their team. But for Team usa, how do they go about, you know, putting the roster together and in future world baseball classics,

[John Smoltz]

it starts a year in advance. That's the hard part. There's all kinds of restraints and handcuffs. I don't know why you'd want to be a manager. First and foremost, there's absolutely no upside unless you want to manage in the big leagues. And it starts with a star player buying in. I think the more these tournaments have been played, you can dislike a lot of things that come along with it, and I do. But from a tournament standpoint, you don't have the freedom to do whatever you want. So you got to take what you get. So if you get a star like Aaron Judge who's bought in and he starts talking to players and Bryce Harper, that's how it works. And look what Skeens has done at his age. The stock has gone through the roof. I just can't even imagine, you know, when it starts happening like that and you get pitchers to buy in, then all of a sudden you get to showcase what you have and then the US pressure to win it gets better because they're more equipped to win it with the players they have.

[Dan Patrick]

You kind of sounded ominous with Paul Schemes where the way he throws, how he throws, you know that it's kind of inevitable. It feels like that he's going to break down at some point. Is that, is that summarizing what your, your thoughts are with him? No.

[John Smoltz]

I mean, that's the summarization of what we now come to get used to. Nobody's escaped it. He might be an outlier. Shoot, he carries a tank on his back when he's warming up. There's a lot of things I like that he does because he's so big and, and he has such great opportunity to dominate a baseball game. But what I'm more impressed is the mentality of what he's doing and how he's doing it. That in and of itself can get you away from the epidemic of injuries that we're seeing in pitchers. Because he's different he's unique. He's 6, 5, 6, 6, whatever. I don't think buying into the narrative that it's going to happen now, we as broadcasters and former players, we report that this is happening at an alarming rate and it's not connected to the World Baseball Classic. I know that's what a lot of people want to say. It's like, well, why would I want to put my player through a World Baseball Classic when the injury rates are what they are? The reason is because we've never even addressed it. So if you don't address it, and I've been banging that drum for years, I'm glad to see players come into this event and say, I'm in. I want to play for my country. I'm going to pitch the way I possibly can to be the best that I can and deal with the mental toughness that you got to have because there's all kinds of noise. Dan, you can buy into a million of theories if you let yourself. And I think what I've seen this Team usa, they're not doing it. And they know they have a mission. They know they need to win because they're expected to.

[Dan Patrick]

He's John Spoltz will be on the call with Joe Davis tonight. It'll be on Fox. Team USA playing for the title against Venezuela. How threatening is Venezuela?

[John Smoltz]

Well, they've got a lot of star power themselves, but they also have a ton of emotion. You can play in a tournament like this with that kind of emotion because it's condensed. You can't do it in the regular season. You'll be wiped out. And so their ability and their belief look to try and do something they've never done. And for this tournament history, it's been kind of dominated by Japan. The US Has a chance to get their second, but what it would mean for the country of Venezuela and everything that they've gone through and all the people that live here, you can't help but be infectious about how they are just gravitate towards that emotion. This look, about 10, 12 years ago, I probably would be bothered by this. Winning a World Baseball Classic is more important than winning a World Series. I get it now, though. I get it for the country. I get it for the players that come from that country. Totally understand why their passion and the importance of this weighs a little bit higher than an ultimate goal in Major League Baseball. Winter World Series.

[Dan Patrick]

How do you make this bigger?

[John Smoltz]

I think you make it bigger when you do it in the middle of the season, shut it down for a Week. I really. For years. I think it's the perfect spot to showcase the international talent. You'd have everybody wearing that uniform. They'd be in mid season form. There'd be no restrictions. You truly get to see the Goliath going against the Goliath without them coming out and throwing, you know, a million arms. I don't know that we'll ever get there. I hope we do. Hockey did it last year. I didn't miss one second of it. I was glued to. It is the most incredible event that I've ever watched. When you see what those players were doing for that country and it was much more condensed. We could do the same thing. That's how you make it better. You can, you can allow. What this tournament has done has accomplished its goals. Team Italy, baseball is going to be thought of differently there. You've got all other countries that are bringing baseball to the forefront when other sports were really kind of marquee and king. That has worked. Is it the perfect timing? No. The spring training and all these clubs. Think about managing Team USA. You got 30 bosses. You got 30 bosses telling you what their players can and can't do. It's a very difficult situation. But given the circumstances, this has been an epic year. It's probably the best tournament we've seen in a long time.

[Dan Patrick]

Have you talked to the commissioner about this idea?

[John Smoltz]

Oh, yeah. Many years, Many times. Absolutely. I just think it's a no brainer. But we got the Olympics. We've got other things that are. They're probably getting away right now. But the international flexibility, flavor and our game is so good. Even if you just did an international world versus usa you can't come up with a roster that wouldn't be epic either way. And people look, I think our All Star Game's still the best All Star game of any sport. It's the only one worth watching. We play it closer to the regular season and everyone's still trying to figure out how to spruce it up. Well, this is how you win.

[Dan Patrick]

That would be great though. Just do like the NBA did with USA versus the world.

[Caller]

Yep.

[John Smoltz]

And you could do two games. If you shut the game down for a week and give everybody the break they need. There's a season's long. You could. You could do so many things to promote within that week and own that week. Not to mention, and I told you this before, in the weekend of that week off, have the hall of Fame so that everybody can be aware of past, the present and be connected.

[Dan Patrick]

Did you fill out your bracket yet?

[John Smoltz]

Not yet. I don't even know. I didn't even know Today was, was St. Patty's Day. Yeah, I didn't even know. I have, I've been on a two week road trip and I haven't even looked at one thing. I do know that the bracket that my team I root for is in the hardest bracket. Go figure. But that's just the way it is.

[Dan Patrick]

But you have supreme confidence in Tom Izzo in Michigan State.

[John Smoltz]

Supreme confidence. I only wish I could go to Buffalo and watch it in person, but I can't get there.

[Dan Patrick]

Have fun tonight, John will do.

[John Smoltz]

It's going to be a lot of fun.

[Dan Patrick]

That's John Smoltz. He'll be on the Call with Joe Davis tonight. That'll be on Fox. They started eight eastern. Team USA versus Venezuela. All right, some phone calls in here. Doesn't it feel like everybody throws a hundred now? Like it used to be if you got to 95 and then everybody was throwing 95, now it's a hundred. Yeah. See, I just saw a video sometime in the last like two weeks on

[Commercial Announcer]

social media of a kid in high

[Dan Patrick]

school, he was like 15, 16 years old, hitting 101.

[Reggie Miller]

Yeah, gone.

[Dan Patrick]

That is crazy. If you threw.

[Commercial Announcer]

I remember we faced one kid in high school that threw 90 miles an hour.

[Dan Patrick]

And he, he went to college but eventually like blew his arm out. And it was like seeing a unicorn or like a meteorite just fell from the earth. Like, holy crap, you see how fast this kid's throwing? Yeah, I, I told the story and I just knew his, his last name was Nagel and not Denny Nagel, but Nagel. And when we were growing up, it was like we knew we, if we were going to get through and go far with our team, you had to get through this left hander. And I remember that we ended up with two hits and we ended up beating him one to nothing. So I tell this story and next thing I know, John Harbaugh, he sends me a text and he says, hey, I got a couple of friends I went to college with. They would like to come to your studio. I go, okay, they're going to be in the area. They're from Cincinnati. And I go, oh, okay. Next thing I know, three guys walk in. One of the guys says, I'm Nagel. I go, you're Nagel? He goes, yeah. I said, we beat you one to nothing. And I'm like, what are the odds that John Harbaugh knows the guy that we were playing against facing a couple of times when I was growing up, and he. And he pitched at Michigan, and I think he ended up hurting his arm. But it's one of those where you go, galilee. That guy is throwing some serious cheese here. Yeah, Paulie.

[Commercial Announcer]

I was looking up the stats. Mason Miller, the great relief pitcher for USA, he's already thrown 35 pitches of a hundred or over. Yeah, 35.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Commercial Announcer]

He doesn't really throw that many under 100.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. But Skeins, I mean, Skeens is a big guy, but they're. It feels like they're all destined to have Tommy John. You just are. But it used to be a rotator, because I had rotator and labrum damage. Now it's Tommy John surgery. Yeah. Paulie.

[Commercial Announcer]

Mason Miller has thrown 35 pitches over 100. The rest of the teams in the WBC have thrown 34 over 100. That's every other pitcher.

[John Smoltz]

Why? Yikes.

[Dan Patrick]

But at what point does it become normal for the hitter to see 100? Because I remember when I saw 90, and it was like, that's different. And then if you would go to the batting cage and dial it up to 95, and you're like, it would take you probably 20 pitches to be able to time it, to catch up to it, just to put it in play. And then, you know, they're throwing 95, but they're not throwing 95 right down the middle, or they're throwing breaking balls or sliders or whatever. And now. But you know, these guys will hit 100 miles an hour. If they know where it's going to be, they'll hit it. But it's the other pitches that are the difference between being a All Star, being a Hall of Famer, being a Cy Young winner. And, you know, that's where, hey, throw a hundred down the middle and major league hitters are going to crush it because they've seen a hundred. We have it. Like, if you. If you get in the batter's box and just watch somebody throw just 90, and you hear that 90, and then you tack on 10 miles more, and then you hope to see it. Like, it's. It's a different experience when you're like, damn. And if you get hit, that thing really hurts. Rob Dibble hit Tim Tuffle in the back when Dibble was with the Reds, and he hit Tuffle, and Timmy was the second baseman for the Mets. And I remember Rob Dibble telling me the story that I don't know what Toffle did or somebody with the Mets did, but, you know, Dibble came in one of the Nasty Boys. And he threw a pitch and he said it hit Tim Toufle in the back and actually stay. It stayed there momentarily. It hit him in the back and stayed and then it dropped down to the ground and then there was this big altercation there.

[Commercial Announcer]

Yes, Paulie, I went back and watched the video. Tuffle wants to run out and hit Devil, but he's like three seconds.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, we'll take a break. Reggie Miller joins us next here on the Dan Patrick Show.

[John Smoltz]

Be sure to catch the live edition of the Dan Patrick show, weekdays at

[Dan Patrick]

9:00am Eastern, 6:00am Pacific on Fox Sports

[John Smoltz]

Radio in the iHeartRadio app.

[Jason McIntyre]

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[Dan Patrick]

Denver Broncos Just picked up Jalen Waddle for the Miami Dolphins, according to Shefty.

[Commercial Announcer]

What?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, gave up their first round pick this year and I think a fourth or a fifth round pick in the future. But boy, the Dolphins rebuilding and that's a great pickup for the Denver Broncos to get. Jalen Waddle, bring in Reggie Miller. Reggie on the call for the Warriors Knicks on Sunday. Tonight he's got cabs at the Bucks 8 Eastern on NBC. And Peacock, what do you remember about your March Madness experience?

[Reggie Miller]

I think my senior year going against in the first round, Dan Marley and I believe it was Central Michigan beating them and then thinking that we were going to have a clear cut sweet 16 birth because we played good old best name finish Dembo in Wyoming thinking, okay, we're going to run through them and then we were going to get the matchup that everyone wanted to see because we never played one another. It was Greg Anthony and UNLV and those high octane running Rebels. That was the matchup. We overlooked Finis. He cooked us, he cooked me and we lost the Finnis Denbo and won and the Cowboys. That's probably what I remember most my senior year.

[Dan Patrick]

But how does that work? Explain that experience that here's Fenis Denbo, who wasn't a good NBA player. You became a Hall of Famer. But on that day he was a Hall of Fame player against you guys.

[Reggie Miller]

And that's the beauty of March Madness when you it doesn't matter what siege you are, remember you're playing on neutral sites, you're not playing at home. Everyone is somewhat equal because of these neutral sites. And we overlooked Wyoming and this was a blockbuster game for them and finished in. Punched his ticket to the NBA from that game and it was a disappointing loss for my Bruins.

[Dan Patrick]

How long does it take to get over a loss? Well, that was your last game.

[Reggie Miller]

It was. I found out I didn't play great. It's difficult, but you dust yourself off and move on. But it's one of those losses that you hope you grow from. And sometimes when you have losses like that, that's your best teacher.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Reggie Miller]

And you learn from it and you move on.

[Dan Patrick]

Better team in your opinion, more talented running Rebels or the Fab Five.

[John Smoltz]

Wow.

[Reggie Miller]

Very similar in terms of how they approach the game. Now, are we talking about the one UNLV team that went undefeated and won the championship versus Duke? Because that team was unbelievable. Or Grandmama Stacey Ogden, Greg Anthony, I mean they were loaded. But in terms of culture. Right. I mean you've got to think of the Fab Five. I know they didn't win a championship, but they changed the landscape. And how we thought with Juwan Howard, Chris Weber, my boy Jalen Rose. So culture wise, I'll go with the Fab Five. But I mean you gotta remember those running Rebels teams, they did win a championship.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. But more talented. If I go starting five, Fab five against the starting five at unlv, I

[Reggie Miller]

would probably more Talented would be the Fab five.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay. Yeah, I would say the same thing. I mean, Larry was great. I thought Stacy was going to be even better. He was good.

[Reggie Miller]

He was good. But because of his length, you thought at six, eight, six, nine. Yeah, he had a seven foot two wingspan. But he was good in the NBA. He wasn't great. He was. He was good. Greg Anthony had a good NBA career, but let's face it, those, that fat five team. Jalen Rose was great. We know about C. Web Juwan Howard had a long NBA career now coaching. So, yeah, I think career wise, you go with the fat five, talking to

[Dan Patrick]

Reggie Miller, the Hall of Famer, you know, I don't go out of my way to talk about the Lakers, but when they do something and they're winning and they're, you know, a game and a half up on Houston. So now, you know, if they get into the top four now, you know, maybe, maybe there can be a magical run here. But I don't know what's different. In the last, you know, two weeks or so, they won six in a row. And we've seen LeBron almost embrace that third wheel of, you know, I'm going to defer, I'm going to pass. I'm going to let these two guys. Is it that simple? Because they still have to play defense.

[Reggie Miller]

It's that simple. And you're right. At the end of the day, the defense will either do them in or that'll be the defining moment for them. And I think they're starting to understand how the roles will be situated because LeBron was out for those few games. That's when they started this win streak. And between Austin, Reeves and Luca, they were carrying them offensively. Let's give Marcus Smart a lot of credit. He's not getting enough. People aren't talking about what he's doing at both ends of the floor. Defensively, he's been unbelievable for them. And on top of that, because of all the double teaming on Luca and when Reese drives and penetrates him, knocking down big time three point shots, you know, when he was with Boston and when he was winning defensive player, he's. He almost is reverting back to that Marcus Smart. So I think guys are starting to understand they're getting something out of deandre Ayton in the middle, something that we hadn't seen all season. So guys are starting to figure it out. But at the end of the day, Theodore, the Lakers are going to be judged by their defense and last night, how they played defensively in that win on the road in Houston in a huge game with, you know, there's only a half game, a game separating them. I know they play again on Wednesday, which will be another big time game, but the Lakers are starting. There's always expectations with the Lakers, just like with Boston. There's always going to be expectations to win. And we dissect every single thing they do because one has 18 championships, the other one has 17. That just comes with the territory of playing with one of these blue blood NBA franchises.

[Dan Patrick]

The sga foul baiting. You know, some players have brought this up as, as a player who did this and, you know, openly admits that he did it. What does the NBA do about the way SGA plays, if anything?

[Reggie Miller]

I don't get it. I don't understand what foul baiting is. We didn't say this about MJ. And MJ went to the line 10 plus times. James Harden was in that same category. Went to the line 10 times. Giannis is he. I don't understand this. You play the game and you try to take advantage of whatever rules or how they're calling the game. Games change from night to night. I know there's a general consensus of, of how you're supposed to play, but you have different officials each and every game. He is not. What do you call it? Rage baiting. And rage.

[Dan Patrick]

Foul baiting.

[Reggie Miller]

Foul baiting every single night. That's just. He's attacking the defense. Are some calls questionable? Absolutely. But I just don't get it why he gets called out all the time. Last night Jaylen Brown's been, you know, calling this out all the time. He shot 21 free throws last night.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, maybe he's learning from SGA how to bait then.

[Reggie Miller]

Thank you. Learn and adapt. Learn and adapt. That's what you've got to do.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, I brought this up and I got some criticism that I thought that maybe SGA is kind of a younger DeMar DeRozan now. DeMar DeRozan has almost 27,000 points.

[Reggie Miller]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Not exciting.

[John Smoltz]

Yeah.

[Dan Patrick]

Methodical, consistent. Going to get you 20 at least. Which is what SGA gives you and

[Reggie Miller]

future hall of Famer.

[Dan Patrick]

Yes, yes. Now, we don't talk about anything else with SGA except for his scoring. Nobody brings up passing, nobody brings up defense. Nobody brings up any of that. It's just he is a bucket. He is going to score on anybody. And I thought DeMar DeRozan has been doing this now. He hasn't done it for great teams. Maybe not, you know, anywhere near the level of SGA as an MVP. But is that a fair offensive comparison between DeMar DeRozan and SGA?

[Reggie Miller]

It's fair. But I will say this. He's just not a bucket sga. He's been top five in steals, so he does play defense. He is a two way player.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay.

[Reggie Miller]

And he leads his team in assists, so he does distribute the rock. But why is he getting all this hate to me?

[Dan Patrick]

Well, that's not. That's not hate. I'm just saying we always look at a comp. I don't know who the comp is for sga. We. We do that for all of these players. Now, certain players, there isn't a comp. Like Joker. There is no comp.

[Reggie Miller]

Right?

[Dan Patrick]

Giannis, There is no comp.

[Reggie Miller]

Well, if. If DeMar DeRozan is the comp to SGA, I'll just ask you this. If you flip flop them and you put Demar on that OKC team, do they win a chip? Are they 54 wins right now? If you just flip them right now or even make it a younger demarcus? Demar is a little bit older. Are they still winning the chip with demar and is the SGA and is Sacramento better?

[Dan Patrick]

Well, they would be better, but they're not winning anything. But if demar was in okc, I think that OKC team is that good that he wouldn't be. You know, another thing is SGA is a great closer. I mean, we haven't seen DeMar DeRozan in games where you go, DeMar DeRozan

[Reggie Miller]

is a great closer to.

[Dan Patrick]

He just hadn't. He hadn't played in big games where we notice it. With sga, we did see it. So maybe it is a. It's meant as a compliment, but it's just because they're mid range, they can get to the hoop. Nothing fancy. Just. It's kind of like they just go

[Reggie Miller]

about their business and both are bucket getters. Don't get me wrong. People need to understand. Remember Jamar DeRozan when he was in Toronto? When he was in Toronto, he was a straight bucket getter. And again, the whole trade for Kawhi and they went. He. He just hasn't been on the national stage long enough for people to understand that. But remember 27,000 points in the NBA?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I know.

[Reggie Miller]

People need to remember that.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, who surpasses Adebayo? Yeah. Bam. Out of bios, 83 points.

[Reggie Miller]

Who can.

[John Smoltz]

Yes.

[Dan Patrick]

How many players you think could get 84 points or more?

[Reggie Miller]

I think Luca could. I believe Ant man could. I Believe a Jason Tatum could. But things will have to fall into place. And again, I know you and I were probably going to go there. On this conversation with Bam, I talked about this Sunday night about Spoelstra and Bam, the criticism kind of taken for how they got to the 83. You're a shooter. You were a scorer, Theodore. And I want Paulie, as I'm talking to look this up. If you got 31 at the end of one, if you got 43 at halftime, I believe he had 70 early in the fourth. Am I correct on that, Paulie?

[Dan Patrick]

It's 64 after three yet.

[Reggie Miller]

64 after three, 70 with like nine or 10 minutes left in the fourth. Are you kidding me? You. You have to at least attempt to go for it by any means necessary.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, at that point, you can't accidentally get 64. You can't do it in a gimmicky way.

[John Smoltz]

Right?

[Dan Patrick]

He didn't do that.

[Reggie Miller]

And there was no Gimmicks to the 64. So now from 64 to 83, that's where it gets a little murky or muddy, but I do not care. I know in the fourth, he was only like one of six from the field, and most of those points came from the free throw line, correct?

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah. I have no problem with, you know, the Wizards are the ones who should be embarrassed.

[Reggie Miller]

Thank you.

[Dan Patrick]

Not Bam out of bio. Thank you.

[Reggie Miller]

Thank you.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, now, I did ask him this. I said, did you think about stopping at 81 because your idol Kobe had 81? He said, no, no, because Kobe would want me to go for if it was reversed. Kobe's blowing by 81.

[Reggie Miller]

And people think, you know, when I said that, that I was hating on co. I would never hate on Kobe and his accomplishment. It uplifts that performance to me. It uplifts what Kobe did. Him getting 83. I mean, that's unbelievable. For them to be 1, 2. We're not going to look at Kobe's 81 and forget about was two totally different games. Kobe needed every one of those. 81.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Reggie Miller]

In that performance versus Toronto, BAMS was a little different. But in 5, 10, 15, are we even going to be talking about that? We're just going to look at the stat sheet and say, oh, my God, bam. Adebayo had 83.

[John Smoltz]

Kudos.

[Dan Patrick]

83. I know. Come on. But as he said, he goes, look, I didn't fit the agenda because I said, why does it feel like you have to apologize for getting 83? And he said, because you don't expect me to get Those numbers. And therefore people have a problem with it. Like, he had to do it in a gimmicky way.

[Reggie Miller]

Right. And that's why you should almost reverse that. We should be celebrating him. Like, oh, my God. A guy that never, ever gets the shine. It's been a great defensive player, a great team guy, rebounder, defender, has won a gold at the Olympics for our nation. We should be celebrating.

[Dan Patrick]

Bam.

[Reggie Miller]

Like, this is great. I don't care how you got it. Bam. Congratulations. Because you'll probably never ever have. His career high was what, 41 times? Once.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Reggie Miller]

So why can't we celebrate? I don't care how he got it. He got it.

[Dan Patrick]

Okay, but celebrate that too. I always thought if you were going to beat Kobe's, you had to be able to shoot the three. You had to be ball dominant. You had to be able to create your shot and the game had to be close, had to be competitive. And so I see Luca as a guy who could go for that. Yeah, I mean, he's got the talent to do it.

[Reggie Miller]

I think Tatum, Tatum shoots enough threes, like.

[Dan Patrick]

But you have to want to do that. You have to have a coach who lets you do that. You don't go out on the floor and go, I'm putting up 70 tonight. You just get into a rhythm where you go, all right, I got a good game going.

[Reggie Miller]

Look. And also too, and I saw this, you know, Kobe at one time had a 60 point through three and was up big and he sat out. Sat out.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah.

[Reggie Miller]

Clay Thompson had the same thing. He had 60 through three and was sat out. I think a young Stephen Curry, a 28 year old Stephen Curry, not 38. I think a 28 year old Stephen Curry in today's game, the way everyone's shooting, you know how he, the way he approached the game, could get 84.

[Dan Patrick]

It's just crazy.

[Reggie Miller]

It is crazy. It's crazy.

[Dan Patrick]

But you look at the point totals, reg. Teams get 130 and lose.

[Reggie Miller]

Do you remember in the 90s and early 2000s, coaches saying, we can't give up 30 point quarters. 30 point quarters, that's. You got four minutes left in the first.

[Dan Patrick]

That's standard practice now.

[Reggie Miller]

Standard now.

[Dan Patrick]

Well, for a while was first team to 100 or first team to 90.

[Reggie Miller]

Lawler's law. Right. First to 100.

[Dan Patrick]

That was bad.

[Reggie Miller]

Now it's nothing.

[Dan Patrick]

It's a nightly basis. Cavs and the Bucs, 8 Eastern on NBC. And Peacock, thank you, Reggie. Good luck to your UCLA Bruins in the tournament.

[Reggie Miller]

Let's go. Men's and women.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, men's and women for the Bruins.

[Reggie Miller]

Men's and women's. All right, let's do it.

[Dan Patrick]

That's Reggie Miller, the Hall of Famer. We'll take a break. Last call for phone calls. What we learned, what's in store tomorrow. After this, Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation.

[John Smoltz]

Catch all of our [e-mail] and within the iHeartRadio app.

[Dan Patrick]

Search FSR to listen live. Man, that's pretty good food. Pretty good. You know, Dylan just whipped it up. The bangers and colcannon Guinness soda bread and Irish Jesus. Who has it better than we do? Danny boy, oh, Danny boy. Oh, Dylan boy. The pipes, the pipes. I've been smoked. See, let's see, you know the Jalen Waddle trade that just went down about 45 minutes ago. Adam Schefter reporting. Waddle traded from the Dolphins to the Broncos. And this is what's weird when I said I hope Malik Willis doesn't go to the Dolphins if they're going to basically rebuild. Like, why, why are you spending the money on Malik Willis when I would have had Quinn Ewers be the starting quarterback? He doesn't cost me anything. And I wait until maybe next year to get a quarterback. Why am I now? Malik Willis isn't costing you a lot. He's, you know, less than $25 million. But you're bringing in a guy who is ready to win. He, I mean, he wants to prove himself. I don't understand the philosophy there. New coach, new gm. And my philosophy would have been I would have traded Jalen Waddle last year if I could have. Like, you can't sort of half ass it. You got to like, what are we doing here? And if you're going to start trading away your marquee guys, you're going to cut, you know, Tyreek Hill and get rid of Tua and. Okay, you're not winning with Jaylen Waddle. Trade him. I think that's smart. It's just like Max Crosby with the Raiders. It's nice to have him. You're not winning anything. He can help you get draft picks and maybe they still trade him. Maybe somebody is willing to give you a similar deal than what the Ravens backed out on. But the Jalen Waddle deal to Denver, That's a great pickup. Yes, Marvin.

[Reggie Miller]

Hopefully he doesn't fail his physical.

[Dan Patrick]

Oh, yeah. All right. Too soon, too soon.

[Reggie Miller]

Sorry, man.

[Dan Patrick]

Too soon. Alrighty. Let me see Meg in New York. Hi, Meg. What's on Your mind today.

[Caller]

Hey, first time, long time. Five, six, and let's leave it at that. I have a take on birth dates. I say holiday birthdays or notable birth dates can actually be really great. But like you said, Dan, it really has to do with the date itself. So my mom's birthday, Valentine's Day, fun. My sister in law's tax day, not fun. And mine is April Fool's Day, so that could kind of go either way. But I like the attention. It's always been a fun date for a birthday. No one's ever really done a great prank. But that's okay. I'm a happy april fool. Turning 57 in a couple of weeks and I'm cancer free. So you guys, you're all right.

[Dan Patrick]

All righty. More importantly, all right, Meg.

[Reggie Miller]

Yes. All right, man.

[Dan Patrick]

All righty. Thank you, Meg. Thank you for sharing. Let's see Jay in Syracuse. Hi, Jay. What's on your mind? Howdy, Dan.

[Caller]

Howdy Dan. Ask and how you do the brgs? I. What's up to Meg? Because my birthday is also April Fool's Day. Taking abuse my whole life, but I'll take it. It's okay.

[Dan Patrick]

All right, well, thank you, Jay. Brian in Indiana. Hi, Brian.

[Caller]

Hey, Dan. 511, 215 high motor, oily hips. I saw you had the ABA ball in the break and there's a great doc on prime called Soul Power that be right in your wheelhouse about the. And I think you'll love it.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, I watched it already, but thank you, Brian. That's why I got to the topic of that ABA ball. The NBA should adopt that. And we had a listener who sent in an ABA ball, the official ABA ball. And it's gorgeous. Plus, if you want to learn to shoot, learn rotation. Having that red, white and blue ball, it's great for that. Yes.

[Reggie Miller]

Marv, you should bring this up to the commissioner. They should do an ABA night. A red, white and blue ball. Maybe the Nuggets versus the Spurs. Two ABA teams or the Pacers against the Spurs. ABA ABA ball.

[Dan Patrick]

Old school. I'm going to give you a bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop on that. That's really. I think that'd be awesome to have an ABA night. That's a quad.

[Caller]

Bloop.

[Dan Patrick]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's a rare quad. Yeah. Well done. You're the quad. One win. You're the quad God. Yeah. Thank you. I love that. Jeff and Dayton. Hi, Jeff. What's on your mind?

[Caller]

Hey, Dan. First time, long time. I will be at the first four games in Dayton tonight. Not the play in game. These guys have earned the right to be there this time of year Always brings a twofold question for me. First, why do the max wax me acts of the world bother with a conference championship tournament? I can't believe they're making much money at it and they end up sending their fourth or fifth best team instead of their first.

[Dan Patrick]

They speaker six yeah, yeah, you run the risk of that. And I always talk about these conference championship whether it's football where you know you might not be sending your best team because they don't win the conference championship, certainly in basketball. But it, you know it has to make money or they wouldn't be doing it. Broncos are getting Jalen waddle. Denver gets waddle the Dolphins fourth round pick in this year's draft. Miami receives the Broncos first round pick along with their late third and fourth round picks in this year's draft. All right, so Denver paid and hopefully Miami can do something with that. Is there this day in sports history?

[Commercial Announcer]

Paul one of your favorites. Dan2005 MLB players spoke at a steroid committee hearing the House government reform. Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa and Rafi Palmero participated.

[Dan Patrick]

Mike McGuire, Sammy Sousser. Todd, what'd you learn today?

[Reggie Miller]

Carlos Boozer told us with two hip replacements. Coach K once came into the Duke locker room doing a summer assault to motivate his team to attack.

[Dan Patrick]

It's a wild story. Seaton, what did you learn today? Yeah, that house was Carlos Boozer's first big purchase.

[Reggie Miller]

Ye Marvin John Smoltz wants the WBC to be held mid season.

[Dan Patrick]

Paul Venice Dembo Todd, what did I learn today?

[Reggie Miller]

Daryl in Chicago believes Justin Fields will

[Dan Patrick]

be a superstar someday and he can't

[Reggie Miller]

wait to say I told you so to everyone.

[Dan Patrick]

Go to danpatrick.com you can take part in our bracket challenge. Have a great day everybody. For Fritzi, Seaton, Marv Poly, yours truly. Talk to you tomorrow. This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.