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11/15/2001
A 20-second timeout with Gary Payton
USA TODAY NBA writer Roscoe Nance sits down with Seattle SuperSonics guard Gary Payton — never shy about letting an opponent know exactly how he feels — and discusses the art of trash talking. Payton says no one in the league really talks trash anymore, except Indiana's Reggie Miller.
Q. Is there a line that you don't cross when you're talking?
A: It's a lot of stuff people don't say. All the trash talking, we don't have to do that now. We're letting our game speak for us.
Q. Has there ever been anything that you said to an opponent that you wish you hadn't?
A: No. I don't go past the line. I don't talk about anybody's parents. I don't go past no lines like that.
Q. Does trash talking come naturally or is it an art?
A: It's something that just happens. People categorize us like that because they see us talking to the referees or to other players. We could be talking about what's going on, how's your life and everybody thinks you're talking trash.
Q. Who would you say are the top three trash talkers currently in the league?
A. Who's always talking? Reggie Miller is always talking. Most guys now don't talk. Reggie Miller is the only one saying things now.
Q. What makes for a good trash talker?
A. People see it in a different way. When you see people talking, it's because other people are saying something. It's not that we're saying anything bad. People take it out of proportion.
Q. Has trash talking become a lost art?
A: Yeah, that's over with now. People are just playing basketball now. That's a good thing. Now you're just seeing everybody play basketball.
USATODAY.com - 11/15/2001
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