Practice habits were crucial to my development in basketball.
LARRY BIRDBefore every game I used to go out and shot the same shots over and over and over. In the summer time I spent a lot of time just shooting. So really it just came natural.
More Larry Bird Quotes
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I didn’t play against the toughest competition in high school, but one reason I was able to do well in college was that I mastered the fundamentals.
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I mean, the greatest athletes in the world are African-American.
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I wasn’t real quick, and I wasn’t real strong. Some guys will just take off and it’s like, whoa. So I beat them with my mind and my fundamentals.
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I don’t know if I practiced more than anybody, but I sure practiced enough. I still wonder if somebody – somewhere – was practicing more than me.
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Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you’re not giving it all you’ve got.
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What’s better? Dogs or broomsticks? I mean will the world really ever know?
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I learned what my weaknesses were and I went out the next day to turn those weaknesses intro strengths.
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In the closing seconds of every game, I want the ball in my hands for the last shot – not in anybody else’s, not in anybody else’s in the world.
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My goal was just to try and be the best player on my high school team, and look where I am now. And that was still my goal as a young kid, just to try and be a little better than my brother was.
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I think it’s good for a fan base because as we all know the majority of the fans are white America. And if you just had a couple of white guys in there, you might get them a little excited.
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I’ve got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.
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I’m a firm believer in that you play the way you practice.
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My name’s been on this check for a week now.
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I always know what’s happening on the court. I see a situation occur, and I respond.
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I can see why fans don’t like to watch pro basketball. I don’t, either. It’s not exciting.
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I was always making decisions and they were easier decisions because I had control of the game.
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Leadership is diving for a loose ball, getting the crowd involved, getting other players involved. It’s being able to take it as well as dish it out. That’s the only way you’re going to get respect from the players.
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You’re all playin’ for second place.
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I think a lot of blue collar people related to me because a lot of people work for their money.
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When I was a player, I didn’t expect my teammates to play the way I did. I did expect them to work hard every day and get better. And I never learned anything by losing.
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When I was a kid, like 14 or 15, I played with the waiters from the hotel, ’cause that was the best game. And these guys, they’d let me play. And they were black guys.
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There are many times when you are better off practicing than playing; but most people just don’t understand that
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Strength is not nearly as important as desire. I don’t think you can teach anyone desire. I think it’s a gift. I don’t know why I have it, but I do.
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If you tell a teammate you’re ready to play as tough as you’re able to, you’d better go out there and do it.
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When I was young, I never wanted to leave the court until I got things exactly correct. My dream was to become a pro.
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Don’t let winning make you soft. Don’t let losing make you quit. Don’t let your teammates down in any situation.
LARRY BIRD