Dan Patrick interviews Ray Allen (uncut version)

A condensed version of this interview with Milwaukee Bucks guard Ray Allen appears in the Nov. 13 edition of ESPN the Magazine.

	If Dan Patrick had his way, Ray Allen and other 3-point sharpshooters would have to settle for two points per field goal.

Dan Patrick: Can you believe [Bucks coach] George Karl played basketball?
Ray Allen: It's kind of hard to believe. I just don't want to look like he looks when I get to his age. ... He showed me a picture of himself when he was playing for the Spurs. And he told me, "I'm not the only one who used to be cute." And I said, "Well, as long as I don't get to look like you now, when I get to your age" ... Too many beers later has done him over. That's why I said, "I can't be a coach."

DP: What part of your game could be better? And don't say everything. Just give me one facet that you know you could be better in?
RA: I would love to be a ferocious defender.
DP: But doesn't that just come with desire?
RA: It does. And a lot of times on the court, when you're playing basketball, you say, "Man, I'll get that next time." ... But I want ... my first time to be that next time. That I'll always say, I'm going to get it on this play, like that, every possession.

DP: Do you think we'll ever see a female assistant coach in the NBA? Or head coach?
RA: I think so. I think as the WNBA gets stronger, there will be a lot of female coaches who do great things with their teams. And some NBA teams, you know, that aren't doing as well, will say, "Hey -- we've got to hire the best coach available for the job." And, you know, a lot of times it's a woman.
DP: Could you play for Cheryl Miller?
RA: Yeah, I could. She's very competitive. She loves to win, and I think when you have a coach that's like that, and that's fun to be around, there's no problem.

DP: Did you see a sport at the Olympics that you now have a little more respect for?
RA: Water polo.
DP: You went to one of the matches?
RA: No. I just watched it on TV, and I spoke with some water-polo players who opened the ceremonies, walking in. ... We were joking around, talking about Olympic sports. And I said, "Man, I don't know how water polo got to be an Olympic sport." And the guys standing in front of me, they were laughing. ... And one of the guys said, "It's not as easy as you think it is." And I was [asking] him to give me an idea. The whole time, I was thinking water polo players were in, like, 4-feet deep water.
DP: Yeah, they have to tread water.
RA: Yeah. And they're in, like, 20-feet deep water the whole time. And you've got to bring your whole body out of the water to make a pass or to make a play on the net. And I'm thinking, wow, I can't even tread water for 10 minutes, let alone trying to stay in there for a whole game.

DP: Were the criticisms aimed at the U.S. basketball team justified?
RA: Maybe [for] being too cocky at times. But I think from the time we started in Hawaii, we got criticized for no reason, because we weren't Dream Team I. And nobody was ever going to be Dream Team I, and it was hard on us. And because we never said that we were a Dream Team. That's just how we were monikered at the start of the summer.

DP: Denzel Washington said that he not only hung with you when you guys played one-on-one but that he actually schooled you when he played one-on-one. True?
RA: He was probably acting when he told you that, I bet, huh?
DP: He said he beat you 10-2.

“

I think Denzel took offense to the script a little bit. So he went out trying to score, and he scored the first four baskets. He was shooting shots that were impossible ... and then I scored 11 points, and it was, like, 11-5. ”

RA: No. Now, see, he gave you the buttered-up version.
DP: OK. So what happened?
RA: The script read that I was supposed to beat him 11-0. It was, like, four o'clock in the morning, and we were in Coney Island on the boardwalk. ... And the wind was blowing a little bit, and the court was slanted. So, he got the ball, and I was supposed to beat him, block his shot. You know, basically step up all over him. I think he took offense to the script a little bit. So he went out trying to score, and he scored the first four baskets. And he was shooting shots that were impossible, and he was back-boarding. And next thing you know, he got a little tired ... and then I scored 11 points, and it was, like, 11-5.
DP: Does Denzel have a game that's similar to anybody in the NBA right now?
RA: I think he had a jump shot like Popeye Jones.
DP: I've got a jumper like Popeye Jones.

DP: Could Spike Lee coach a team?
RA: Yeah, I think he could. ... I think some of the great coaches in the NBA are coaches that have played the game. But there are still some good coaches that just know the Xs and Os of the game. And Spike has been around the Knicks for so long, I've always believed that one day he'll be, maybe some type of a scout or a general manager or something for the Knicks -- because he knows so much about the organization.
DP: But did you see those kinds of coaching qualities -- when you're a director on a movie set, is there a parallel with being a head coach?
RA: Definitely. That's why I know he has potential to do it. Because for Spike, he has to keep track of all the film that's been processed. All the people who are working on a set. Now, he has people under him, but he has to still make sure that all this stuff kind of falls in line. And that's the same that a coach has to do with his players, and his assistant coaches.
DP: Were you acting during the groupie scene of "He Got Game"?
RA: No. I mean, after a while, it just was like, just do what you feel.
DP: Did you have to explain that to your mom?
RA: No. At the premieres, I just kind of looked the other direction. I know she was blushing a little bit, so I kind of looked the other direction. I had to watch it three times with her, too.
DP: We made you feel guilty on SportsCenter a few years ago, about buying your mom a satellite dish.
RA: I remember that. Every team that I played for the next two weeks, they're like, "Buy your mom a satellite dish." Every time something bad happened, they're like, "And buy your mom a satellite dish."
DP: So, were you upset at us, because we kept saying that?
RA: Oh, no. You guys just put pressure on me. I went out and bought her a satellite dish, because I knew she could watch the games at home, and not in Bristol.

DP: Your favorite sports movie of all time? And you can't say, "He Got Game."
RA: I'd say "Hoosiers" ... I'd have to say "Rudy" is up there, too.
DP: Did you cry at the end of "Rudy"?
RA: I felt a little tingling in my heart.
DP: Just a little tingling.
RA: Yeah. Just a little tingling.

DP: Favorite nicknames in the NBA. Who would you say -- the top two or three nicknames?
RA: You might have to jog my memory on some of the nicknames.
DP: Whatever happened to good nicknames?
RA: I don't know. I think -- you know what? One of the up-and-coming nicknames I have to give you, so you can put it out there, is the Eraser.
DP: But that's not new.
RA: But that's our rookie. His name's the Eraser.
DP: Joel Pryzbilla?
RA: Yeah, because he blocks everything. He's the Eraser.
DP: But do you know that Marvin Webster, who used to play for the Knicks, was called the Human Eraser?
RA: He was?
DP: Yes. Just wanted to let you know.
RA: OK. I have to take that back. But we've still got to call him the Eraser, because he eliminates a lot of the shots coming in. Give me some good nicknames, I don't know.
DP: The Answer?
RA: No, I don't really like that one.

DP: Have you heard Iverson's new CD?
RA: No, I haven't. I've heard the lyrics, though.
DP: What would happen -- how quickly would your mom be on the phone if you recorded a CD like that?

“

The worst thing about [Iverson's CD] is all the stuff that Paul Pierce went through. [The CD] is advocating violence ... He's writing about it or singing about it, saying that it's great, to do stuff like that. ”

RA: I think she would be on a plane. ... The worst thing about it is all the stuff that Paul Pierce went through. And [Iverson's CD] is advocating violence. ... And then you've got guys doing it. ... And then, now he's writing about it or singing about it, saying that it's great, to do stuff like that.
DP: Is Iverson an artist, though? Would you say that when John Rocker said what he said? Is that any different than what Allen Iverson did in his rap CD?
RA: I think it is ... because Rocker was, you know, I think he was displaying hatred toward different ethnic groups. ... I don't think Allen is showing any hatred.
DP: But if he's singing about it, can't we read between the lines? And say, maybe he feels that way?
RA: Not really. Because I think everybody has a skewed up perception of what society is like.

DP: Are you a Packers fan or a Brewers fan?
RA: Neither. I like some of the players on the Packers and on the Brewers. I know a couple of the guys ... my football team, I like the Patriots. And I'll watch the Yankees. I like the Yankees more than anything.
DP: As a former UConn guy, do you have a better appreciation of women's basketball?
RA: Oh, yeah. I'm one of the guys that, when our women's team played, I was at every game. I would be in my apartment, and then I was like, I've got to get down there. At halftime, I'd be at the game, sitting at courtside, watching them play. Because, you know, those women, especially our women's team, they are so dominant and they play the game well. And when [a good player] plays basketball, it doesn't really matter if it's a man or a woman.

DP: Give me the NBA players you would pay to see.
RA: I'd pay to see Vince. I'd pay to see Shaq. And I'd pay to see Garnett. I'd pay to see Tim Duncan. I'd pay to see Jason Kidd.
DP: That's a pretty good group. Of course, you're going to piss off all the other guys you said you wouldn't see play. You know, Gary Payton will say, "What's up with that?"
RA: No, I'd pay to see Gary Payton.
DP: Oh, no. See, you can't bring him in after you didn't mention him in the beginning. That's the way it is.
RA: We've got a slew of guys. We've got -- I mean, when you make an Olympic selection, there's always guys left off the list.
DP: I know. Is there -- what's one rule you would change about the game?
RA: One rule. I think I would institute the forearm again. Institute the forearm back in the game, on defense.
DP: You need all the help you can get on defense, don't you?
RA: Oh, yeah.
DP: How about the hand check? Bring that back.
RA: No. Hand checking, that's too much of a disadvantage. Especially if you've got somebody that's strong, they just come in and just move you around however they like.

DP: Is there a favorite city you go to?
RA: Miami.
DP: Is that because of the obvious reasons?
RA: I don't know. It's so lively to go down there. Especially when it's 50-below in Milwaukee, and you go to Miami, and it's like 85 outside.
DP: So, Miami is the favorite city. Would you say that would be pretty much universal with all NBA players?
RA: Yeah, I would say that that would be a consistent city.

DP: If I was in the car right now with you, what CD would I hear that might surprise me?
RA: I've got, I've got this CD called "Now."
DP: And why would that surprise me?
RA: Because it has everything on there, from Britney Spears, to Santana, Jacob Dylan, Smashmouth.
DP: Are you a Britney Spears fan?
RA: Well, you know, I took my daughter to see her in concert, here in Milwaukee during the summer. And I must say, I enjoyed her.

DP: Does anybody call you by your real first name [Walter]?
RA: Yeah, they do.
DP: Who calls you that?
RA: Gary Payton called me Walter all summer. When he found out that was my name, he couldn't stop calling me Walter. Even if he didn't need me, he called me Walter. I think some of my close friends call me Walter, and that's it.
DP: But are you in trouble, when you hear your mom, when she gives you that -- "Walter Ray Allen"?
RA: No, my mom never really did that. ... The belt came before she even said any of that.
DP: I'm going to call you Walter on Sports Center, alright?
RA: I'm sure I'll be laughing.