him later this month over concerns that outsiders will flood the streets of their small town. it's a homecoming on hold. jake tapper for continuing coverage of sergeant bowe bergdahl's long journey back, stay tuned to cnn. tonight on "unguarded." unflinching, after making the miracle shots that saved the miami heat last year, ray allen reveals just what kind of burden his team is carrying now. >> it's always laughable when people see you and they say pressure. >> uncommon. tomorrow, california chrome tries to win the first triple crown in 36 years. and there's a tremendous amount at stake. >> if california chrome wins, i think it will bring a lot more people to the sport. >> unprotected. morgan spurlock discovers firsthand how tough it is in the world of college sports. >> it has to be the way.

welcome to "unguarded" texas style. we are coming to you on location from the nba finals where last night the san antonio spurs beat the miami heat in game one. it was a first step in a revenge plan when ray allen shocked them with a miracle shot with six seconds on the clock. looked like a sure fire spurs title and as the heat went on to claim the championship instead, allen's shot became an instant classic. i sat down with the future hall of famer to talk about the grudge match he's created here this week. and, of course, that shot. >> back out to allen. >> your shot in last year's nba finals became one of those iconic moments.

we all remember michael jordan's shot, the catch in the super bowl. most of us will never feel what it's like to be inside of one of those moments. take us there. >> some of it you think about as a kid. you did the five, four, three, two, one count down and make the crowd noise and want to make the shot at the buzzer. still to this day, people talk about it. >> so there's going to be little kids all over the country pretending to be ray allen pretending to be hitting that shot for years. >> yeah. and social media allows us to understand that more. because people send me stuff on instagram all the time about that shot, about them hitting the shot. a shot of them shooting and me shooting. and more importantly, not just america. you have these kids that are coming from all over asia and europe. and they're talking about these games. >> and that shot. >> and that shot. >> as if it was in their

backyard. >> you needed a three-pointer in that moment. if you hit a two-pointer, you would lose the nba finals. but you look at images and never made sure your feet were behind the arc. it was like an inch. and you never looked down. >> yeah, i shoot it all the time. and my temperament is one that i always expect for it to go in because i work on it so much and shoot so many shots that day. i put myself in that situation quite often. >> it's legendary. you get to the arena same time every day. and you're particular about what you do not just on the basketball court or once you get to arena, you eat the same food every day during the season, right? >> yeah. you want to go to the free throw line and not twitch. you want to run down the floor and not feel winded. how do you get that consistency? your body and mind?

i put the same things in my body every day so i know how far to push my body. >> of course, i know that one exception is when your mom cooks. she comes and brings in an entire home cooked meal into the locker room. that's like the school mom at the pta bringing in homemade cupcakes. what's that like? >> it's awesome. because my mom to be able to do that, you know, we could sit around after a game win or loss. >> i've got gumbo, chicken, shrimp, turkey sausage. >> and we just get to eat this great food and we can talk. and i think to be able to eat her food and talk and share stories is great. and i think my mom is allowed that, provided that to us as a team. >> your own family, your kids play a huge part in your life. your 7-year-old son has diabetes.

>> type i diabetes. >> he was rushed to the hospital in both the 2008 and 2010 nba finals. sitting here in the finals again. how do those experiences change your perspective when we're in one of these environments and everyone says the stakes are so high? and you have those moments? >> it's always when people on the outside and see and say pressure. and we just had about maybe three months ago where we had to rush him to the hospital and to me that's pressure. when we have this child in our hands that doesn't know -- we don't know what's wrong with him. and i'm always worried about him. so always puts it in perspective. >> perspective, indeed. and you know, it was pretty interesting when the air-conditioning broke during game one here last night. as other players struggled, ray allen crediting that preparation and diet says he felt just fine. you're going to want to stick around. when we come back, i'll talk to one of the greatest players of

all time. the admiral david robinson, a minority owner with the spurs and has some strong opinions. >> the league has to do it with owners, too. and as an owner, i'm 100% fine with that. >> "unguarded with rachel [male vo] inside this bag exists over 150 years of swedish coffee experience. that's 150 years of experience in refining and perfecting the rich, never bitter taste of gevalia. and we do it all for this very experience. this very second. this exact moment.

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i'm rachel nichols, and welcome back to our nba finals edition of "unguarded." coming to you tonight from the san antonio spurs practice gym. one of the biggest stars to come through here, david robinson, the ten-time all star who won two nba titles and two olympic gold medals, one is a member of the historic dream team. and his post playing career hasn't been too bad either.

>> well, as we sit here and watch the spurs try to win another title, it's hard not to think about the title you won and then walked off the court. i mean -- >> yeah. >> this is supposedly the athlete's ultimate dream, right? to walk away and retire a champion. we hear that a lot. does it actually make it easier? >> yeah. it's amazing. it's great experience. and especially since you work through your whole career, you're trying to build up to that one great moment. it is kind of the ultimate achievement. and it's a nice way to walk out. >> a lot of the athletes have trouble retiring. >> the first year or two after you retire, it's difficult because there's no place you can get that same kind of energy level. there's nothing in your life that gives you that type of instant feedback. you got a job, but everything moves slowly. so there's a lot of excitement you missed and a lot of intensity. >> this is what transforming education looks like. >> this next phase of your life

has been largely about the kids that you work with through the schools that you started. >> yeah. >> you spent more than $10 million into schools, you've got four or five schools going now on your way to 20? >> back in d.c., we used to go all the schools in the d.c. and maryland area with the police athletic league and talk to them and say, say no to drugs and a lot of that stuff. but a lot of kids were in those situations where drugs was the only way they saw out of their neighborhood. you're not giving them a great option. and when i came back, i said, well, let's start right now, giving these kids a better option. and it's been fairly successful. why do you like him? because he's fast? and he's handsome? >> you do still get to be part of the league, you're a minority owner in the spurs. >> that's right. >> it's an interesting time to be an owner in the nba. >> it's been very interesting. both good and bad.

>> what did you think when the donald sterling recording surfaced? >> well, i thought it was obviously a huge negative for the league. i thought adam silver did a great job responding quickly and getting ahead of all of the speculation and all the foolishness that surrounds that. but the league has to protect its reputation. they do it with players, they have to do it with owners, too. and as an owner, i'm 100% fine with that. i think we need to understand that the things we do reflect on this nba. >> and you've been very outspoken against bigotry. not just racism, but homophobia. jason collins, he's the first gay player -- openly gay player in the nba, michael sams coming into the nfl. what do you think about the environment and the way things have changed since you were playing? >> i truly don't think it matters to most players. when you're out there, you're not thinking about what this guy's sexual orientation is. are we getting this job done? can i trust you? those are the bottom line

questions that you ask your teammates. and if those answers are yes, then, you know, it doesn't matter what their preference is. i think if your heart is right, you know, you handle things with the appropriate response. right now, we're just so sensitive to everything. i think politics has made us that way. you know, you can't even tell politics to go places now. we have trouble having intelligent discussions now because people, you know, get overly upset about different things. but if you disagree, it's find to disagree. just disagree and respect one another and move on. >> are you amazed at the state of politics right now? something you spend a lot of time thinking about? >> well, yeah, i spend a lot of time thinking about it because our nation puts so much in our politicians' hands to solve our problems. and if our politicians are nonfunctional, then we're not going to make a lot of headway. and that's kind of what's happening. >> a verdict from the american people. and it can be summed into three words.

worst congress ever. >> got this national debt. we've got this, you know, all these different issues socially. and we've got a political system that's struggling to make decisions, to get things done. >> well, you've already served your country once in the navy, why don't you run for office? >> people have said that to me, but i don't have an interest. especially at this point, i've got kids in high school, i love being at home, love being a dad and husband and that's what i'm going to do until they don't want me around anymore. >> i don't know. david's youngest son is already in high school. we're going to have to see about that political career. all right. coming up next, the latest on california chrome's attempt at a historic triple crown. and later in the show, our own morgan spurlock is going to put his body on the line to give us the inside story on college sports. >> i got clocked.

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welcome back to "unguarded" i'm rachel nichols. we're on location here at the nba finals where the heat and spurs are battling for the nba championship. but tomorrow in new york, the competition will be for a very different kind of title. california chrome is trying to become the first horse in nearly four decades to win the triple crown. richard frost brings us the story as his journey. >> reporter: the year was 1978. gas was 63 cents a gallon, "grease" was the word. and affirmed was the horse. >> affirmed's got a nose to the front. >> affirmed won the most prestigious prize, the triple crown. at the time, winning the triple crown seemed easy. secretariat was one of three horses in six years to take the triple crown. only 11 horses have done it since 1919.

now it's 2014 and california chrome could be the horse. a triple crown is made up of three elite races. he took the first leg on the first saturday in may. >> california chrome! >> and triumph two weeks later in the second jewel in the crown. >> california chrome has won the preakness! >> the belmont stakes in new york is the final hurdle before triple crown glory. >> you expecting him to win on saturday? >> yes, i do. i really do. >> 3-year-old racehorses face challenges to bring home the crown. >> you have to have speed and stamina to win the belmont. and it's rare to have that package in one horse. >> the belmont is called the test of a champion because of its rare 1 1/2 mile distance to

cover. in 1998, real quiet looked like a triple crown winner. >> it's going to be very close. here's the wire! it's so close to call! >> here at the finish line at belmont, the frustration has grown every year. since 1997, seven different horses have been on the verge of winning the triple crown but something went wrong. >> in 2008, big brown was a big brownout as the heavy favorite. >> and big brown is plummeting. >> two years ago, i'll have another didn't even start the race, withdrawn the day before with physical ailments. california chrome cleans up nicely preparing for his belmont. he was breathing easier after okayed use of nasal strips and competing owners had no objection. chrome had been compared to sea biscuit. there is a bit of a rags to riches aura since his mother was purchased for a meager price. gambling competition and changing entertainment tastes.

if california chrome wins, i think it will bring a whole new generation of fans to this great sport. >> wow! >> reporter: cnn, at belmont park, new york. >> wow. what a horse. and it's supposed to be a beautiful, sunny day at the track tomorrow. great chance to see history. all right. after this break, i'm going in search of our award winning documentarian. morgan actually lived it. you are going to want to see this. ups is a global company, but most of our employees

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every sunday here on cnn, morgan's show gives you the feeling of what it's like to participate in all aspects of american life. this week, he's looking at college athletes and whether they should be paid. as usual, he's willing to suffer for his art. take a peek. >> morgan, you all right? you all right? >> i'm all right. i'm all right. >> you all right? >> welcoming in morgan now. and morgan, i'm going to say it, that looks like it hurt. >> just when you think you have

some athletic ability that you're not too old, guys like this to prove you wrong. >> absolutely. that video of you was embedding yourself with the ole miss football team. and spending time if those players actual shoes and tell you and teach you what you wouldn't have known as a sports fan. >> i think it shows you, the idea of being a student athlete, i think, is actually flipped. i mean, when you come to being student athlete in the ncaa and at that level of being a player, you were an athlete for an athlete student. it dominates your time at the university. >> and you delve into this issue of payment. for people who aren't as well versed, what would you break down as the main thing they should know? >> i think the biggest thing is that, you know, players -- a large group of players now who were saying that the ncaa and college for themselves are making millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars. and the players are saying, shouldn't we be able to get a piece of that? not paid, but how often do you incentivize the players to

benefit from all the money the school's making. >> and you had an interesting discussion about this. i want to take a look at this clip here. >> great. >> being in college and making ends meet and everybody saying that, you know, now is the time when we should start paying college athletes. >> i think soon. >> yeah. >> we drawing the crowd. how much are y'all making off us? it has to be some kind of way where we're barely compensated. >> people are saying, you are getting paid, an education. >> at the end of the day, we're playing the game, we're paying our knees, messing up our shoulders. that's us. >> yeah. >> getting educated, that helps, but i had two knee surgeries. who knows what kind of effects i might have later on in life. might need a cane. and i feel like, they take care of people in the nfl after they retire, we should be getting taken care of also after we graduate, too.

>> you're saying, things how old change. where should that change come from? the university, from the ncaa? should that change come from players? who the the person that should lead the charge? >> ncaa rule all. they rule all, but there's power in numbers. >> yeah. >> i'll tell you what, first game of the season. us and boise state decided not to play the game. it'll be all right. >> it'll be crazy. >> we have more control than we think we have. >> all right. that's fascinating. them discussing the power they have just to walk off the field. and that touches on this idea of unionizing, which is, of course, something already at the quarterback of the university has moved to do. do you think that's the right approach here? >> i think they have to realize they have the ability to control the conversation, the narrative, and they have the ability to switch this in a way that is both beneficial for them, for colleges and for the players. i think they need to actively engage this. and they can't ignore it. players are at the point where they do realize they have power, influence. that's what happened at

northwestern. and if they don't nip it in the bud, it'll be a bigger issue in the next year or two. where we take these kids to college, where they are getting scholarships, while the universities are making so much money. i think it's something important we have to address. if you had 15,000 guys playing college football, 250 of them will get to go to the pros. there's 14,750 that are not. or some of them will get to go to camp. these guys will have lifelong injuries, health problems as a result of playing in college. who is going to take care of the medical bills when they're gone. the university's going to keep making money, what's going to happen to them? you have to figure out a way to educate and take care of these guys. >> by the way, the guys that do make it in the nfl, that's a three or five-year career. it's a big topic. absolutely. thank you. there is so much more ground to cover in this topic. i cannot wait for everyone to see your whole show "inside man." and that's going to be it for our show.

you can follow me on twitter, like us on facebook, or find us on the web on cnn.com/unguarded. and join us next friday night on "unguarded." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com when firefighters found an entire family dead inside their home, it looked like a murder/suicide, but there were several inconsistent clues in the rubble. could ballistics, a time card and some secret audio tapes unravel the mystery? just before daybreak on august 29, 1994, firefighters in venton, virginia, were called to a house fire on virginia avenue.