Robert Horry recalls talking trash with Eminem at 2005 NBA Finals

The fierce battle between the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs back in the 2005 Finals had Detroit legend Eminem watching and supporting the Eastern Conference champs. Making a fortune out of his impressive way with words, Slim Shady talked trash against the visitors. Robert Horry recollected being targeted by Eminem in Game 5 of the series during recent interview on Games with Names, hosted by former Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman.

“I noticed in the clip earlier that you had you show Eminem up there. And I never talked trash, and Eminem was behind the bench saying, ‘You won’t be getting No. 6 tonight, buddy.’ I looked at him, and so I started talking trash to Eminem. After I hit my first shot, I said, ‘You in f–king trouble now, dawg. They better f-king get me.’ I said, ‘It’s on.’ … He just started smiling. He didn’t say much. And then after I did this dunk on Rip (Richard Hamilton), I looked at him like, ‘Told you. It’s f–king over.’ It was just one of those things I never talk trash but when someone talks trash to me and it’s Eminem, the one of the greatest rappers of all time, I had to talk trash back to him.” said Robert Horry. And the Julian Edelman added: “We gotta rename this game. It’s the Eminem Game. Eminem, thank you for talking s–t to Big Shot Bob cause it made him talk himself into a moment.”

Eminem was probably hyped for his hometown team, as the Pistons were gunning for a two-peat then. The artist was also sighted in the 2004 Finals and likely celebrated delightedly when they slayed the giant, the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 2005, though, they faced off against a squad that was also defensive-minded and played physically…As many folks expected, the series turned out to be a bloodbath, and the Spurs were fortunate that Horry found additional motivation in Game 5, which was the last contest hosted by Detroit because the Finals was played under the 2-3-2 format at the time and San Antonio had home court advantage. So, you can only imagine how rowdy the home crowd was.