This is the way to compete in the NBA!

[WILLTHETHRILL]

Larry Bird style!




"My thing was when you compete, you're really not friends; you want to keep an edge," Bird said on the show. "I was like that in high school and through college. Ervin is an outgoing guy. He loves everybody; he wants to high five. He's got that big smile. My goal was take home three of them teeth." Indianapolis Star



Read more: NBA Rumors - InsideHoops.com

[alh1020]

A war for 48 minutes, works for me. I gotta wonder how many teeth adorn Bird's mantel at home.

[WILLTHETHRILL]

Originally Posted by alh1020

A war for 48 minutes, works for me. I gotta wonder how many teeth adorn Bird's mantel at home.

I'm sure a lot and Magic got plenty too. That's something I miss about NBA basketball. The fire and all out passion to win. The sweat, blood and tears smeared all over the court. Even the scumbag Pistons walking off the court in disgust. Now it's all party and all money now! Just 97% of them are like that lol Larry Bird was one of those guys who left it all out on the court! A legend! You could see and feel his zest to compete on the highest level.

[alh1020]

Yup. That kind of desire and dedication comes from being surrounded by either good coaches, good friends, even good family or even overhearing a conversation that somewhere along the line a thought was planted in that ballers mind that you have to give maximum effort and a whole lot of practice in order to achieve your goal and maintain it. Some ballers get the message, and unfortunately, some don’t. Like anything in life, you have to start with a good foundation and build on it and never give up when the road gets tough. You look at the players who initially played in the NBA, they travelled from city to city on buses and slept in cheap motels because of a tight budget. They got paid nowhere near what these kids today get paid. Regardless of the pay or the injuries they may have sustained, they loved the game of basketball and busted their butts to play. No guaranteed contracts, just give your best each and every game. Those were the good old days.

[spursfan9]

spurs are probably the worst ... for those who "love" that old school style competiveness.

having lunch w/ ur 'boy' chris paul before games... sleeping over at diaws before the suns game. inviting over roy hibbert so u can teach him some bball tricks over the summer. wtf.

[theinswes]

Originally Posted by spursfan9

spurs are probably the worst ... for those who "love" that old school style competiveness.

having lunch w/ ur 'boy' chris paul before games... sleeping over at diaws before the suns game. inviting over roy hibbert so u can teach him some bball tricks over the summer. wtf.

lol, you're totally right. the spurs are definitely the "nice guys" on the court which would not work in the old days. pat riley didn't let his players shake hands with MJ before games, and then there's the cardinal rule of old school basketball where you never help up the opposing player. we're pretty much friends with everyone, which is why i like having a stephen jackson to add that lil bit of crazy to the team.

[WILLTHETHRILL]

Manu is a bit of a throwback though. He has the fire in his belly and competes hard.

[grizzly_bexar]

You can have the fire and still be friends off the court. I think most of us who have jobs that involve conflict deal with that dynamic every day.