Walton: "Missed free throws haunting New Jersey!" Brad Nessler: "First missed free throw of the night for New Jersey!" (4th quarter, Game 6, 2003 NBA finals)
When someone shoots an airball and his teammate grabs the airball. Bill Walton's response, "nice pass".
"This may be the quickest substitution in the history of the nba" - Bill Walton after Manu Ginnobili gets set to check in for Stephen Jackson after Jackson turned the ball over twice to start game 6 of 2003 finals.
"Throw it down....." is my favorite, but I also like when he says "That's horrible. That's just HORRIBLE!"
"I have seen it all.. Kelvin Cato with the no-look drop pass." "Throw it DOWN K-MART!!! Throw it down." "James Posey playing out of control." "Posey just looked at Nowitzki as to say it was all his fault." "The ref just went over to Rudy T and told him to take Posey out or we will take him out." "That has got to be the worst pass in franchise history." "Those has got to be the two worst shots...in franchise history." "The Laker forwards... are so much better than the Rockets..."
"I have seen it all.. Kelvin Cato with the no-look drop pass." & "where would the la clippers franchise be without sean rooks?" walton is absolutely hilarious. the undisputed king of hyperbole.
Walton during the ESPN broadcast of our home wian against Indiana: "Hakeem's early numbers with the Rockets were amazing. He would regularly get 45 points, 25 rebounds, 10 blocks, 6 assists....and they would lose by three to Seattle or some team like that."
"No matter how good you get, there's always something further out there." Considering that this guy had such a serious speach impediment in college that he wouldn't even talk to teammates, I think Walton is an awesome illustration of what heights you can get to if you perservere.
" Arvidas Sabonis is the best 'young' center I've ever seen" "Arvidas Sabonis, a magnificant body in his younger days now racked with injuries.." "___________(insert a list of names from a team--past or present)...such grace and atheletic ability..."
I like when he's searching for some freaking words to praise a player....it goes:"Oh, Kobe! look at the shot. You can feel his heart, his desire...his....emotion...his...his...determination...his... eh...his....greatness...and...his...."(silence)..
"In this country, you are considered strange or weird if you go aginst the norm. Yao Ming is here to change ALL of that."
The stuff Walton comes up with is so off-the-wall I need to remember to have a pen and pad with me during his broadcasts. By far the funniest thing he ever said came after Shaq blocked a shot, then the Lakers quickly set it up for him in the low post, something like: "They made the mistake of entering Shaq's wheelhouse...(ball advanced, Shaq backing down defender)...he's got enough oxygen, it's his world..." On Long Strange Trip, at home with his two sons watching a Lakers game, Bill said, "Rick Fox is as good as any player to ever play the game of basketball." Of course, his sons just looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Plenty of Woodenisms, the best being "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." I also liked it when he said he voted for Mario Elie as Defensive Player of the Year--I think the year Elie was Second Team. Walton always liked the Rockets (probably because he knew Rudy and Calvin in San Diego), so you gotta love him. As for Tolbert, you guys are crazy--he's hysterical. Anyone see what the very first thing he ever said on NBC was? They were doing that 24 second thing with the panel (Hannah Storm, whoever else) on Wilt Chamberlain. Tolbert says, "Forget the 100 point game, I'm interested in another scoring record...20,000?!...I haven't heard of an athlete getting that much action since Fusaichi Pegasus."
One time Bill Walton and Tom Tolbert, I believe, were covering a game and during halftime, there was a clip shown of someone dunking on Walton when he was with the Celtics. Referring to Bill getting posterized, Tolbert said "Throw it down... big guy... THROW IT DOWN." Humorous, Very Funny
That just reminded me of another quote - a quote about the Rockets that he had when the Rockets played the Lakers. There was one second left on the shot clock and someone inbounded the ball to James Posey (must of Bill's quotes about the Rockets somehow involves James Posey), who immediately threw up a shot which didn't go in. Bill said: "Rudy...must be thinking...that was quickest one second in the Compaq Center." That game was probably the best Rocket game that I ever watched. It was Yao-Shaq I and the game where Francis scorched the Lakers for 44 points. On top of it all was Bill's quotes.
This quote was during the Rockets vs Lakers game three this year. When Yao scored a effortless (calmely) hook right after being dunked on by Kobe, and quieting the crowd down. I personally like the quote about 'Webber running away from the ball.' and "I have seen it all; Cato with a no look pass..."
