Bill Walton is a verbal acid trip: Arizona at UCLA edition

Once again, Bill Walton was the gift that kept on giving Thursday night. Assigned to the Arizona-UCLA at the fabled Pauley Pavilion on ESPN2 with regular Pac-12 partner Dave Pasch, the game which was mostly a UCLA blowout for much of the second half turned into a barnburner at the end requiring a Bryce Alford three to win the game for the Bruins, 87-84. Great call by Pasch here.

Bryce Alford game winner! pic.twitter.com/dFSDi8papg

— Michael Shamburger (@mshamburger1) January 8, 2016

Bill Walton was his usual self, intertwining Bondi Beach in Australia with Los Angeles and Temecula all in one story, then making Temecula a recurring theme throughout the game.

And of course, there were his one-liner gems sprinkled throughout like this one:

"That was one of the five worst possessions in the history of UCLA basketball." – Bill Walton

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 8, 2016

After seeing his UCLA #32 jersey hanging from the Pauley Pavilion rafters and also talking about the upcoming anniversary season of the 1977 Portland Blazers NBA Championship, Pasch and Walton had the following exchange:

Pasch: Is this the 40-year anniversary of your (NBA) MVP Award?
Walton: (pause) No.
Pasch: Are you sure?
Walton: (even longer pause) I don’t know! I know I’m 63!

At halftime, UCLA alum and Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook was in Pauley along with teammate Kevin Durant. Both Pasch and Walton took the opportunity to don the signature glasses that Westbrook has become known for during his postgame press conferences:

And during a segment of Walton’s World where Bill discussed his son Luke, now the interim head coach of the Golden State Warriors, ESPN2 showed a picture of Bill wearing a tank top while playing chess with Luke. Pasch asked Bill about it and Walton said, “I love that tank top. I almost wore it tonight!”

To top it off, ESPN2 ended the Walton’s World segment with the following quote:

Pasch asked Bill if he was suggesting that Luke live like a frat boy, but Walton replied that he was misquoted in the first half, but the second half about having the time of his life was correct.

To top it off, Pasch and Walton talked with Bryce Alford after the game-winning shot to discuss his thinking and about having Westbrook in the house:

Certainly a stellar night for UCLA and one to have Bill Walton calling the games with Dave Pasch once again.