"You've got to have heart..." (January 20, 1998)

After watching some more basketball, I think I've caught onto something. I know this may sound obvious to some, and it is, but a lot of players lack heart. I will give you an example. The Raptors have 12 players on the roster. Most are healthy. They only have one player with heart. Damon Stoudamire has the heart. Sure, he whines and bitches about wanting changes and being traded, but its because he wants to win now. If he didn't he wouldn't be the man he is now. The Raptors would be much better if everyone was healthy, but they are not and that's the reality. Look at the Bulls. Steve Kerr is out for 6-8 weeks. Scottie Pippen was out for a long while. The Bulls pulled it together to win. Some would say it's because they have Michael Jordan. I would say it's because they have Michael Jordan is the reason they won. He has the heart of a champion. Anyone who saw Jordan's performance during Game 4 of the of the NBA finals of last year when he was sick with the flu knows how strong his will to win is. That was probably the greatest single effort of all time in NBA history. While ill with flu, and barely able to stand, he rung up 30 plus points and scored the game winning basket. That's up there with Willis Reed in 1970 in the finals and Larry Bird in 1988 when he came back into the game versus the Pacers. That matchup of Bird versus Person was one the great one-on-one confrontations. Person and Bird locked horns and put on a show. Bird, bad back and all, dove for loose balls, gave up his body, all to win. The truly great players have that will.

After watching and reading about the Raptors, they do not. Here's the example. Their last game against Charlotte, they gave up in the second half. They just packed it in. You have semi-talented players who on good days put up good numbers. When the ball is falling for them, they are in the game. When it is not, they are not. Marcus Camby is a good example of a player without heart. He is often injured and seems to float, a lot, a lot! He has talent coming out of his ass. He can play. It's too bad he hasn't realized his potential. While players like Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Antoine Walker are leading their teams into the next century, Camby is not. The best teams always have players full of heart. Houston's repeat championship teams had players full of heart. First it was Hakeem Olajuwon, who has a burning desire to be the best, then Clyde Drexler the next year. Even a role player like Mario Elie has that burning desire. The Bulls not only have Jordan and Pippen, but Dennis Rodman, who has an intensity that is unsurpassed when it comes to winning. He often disrespects the young players by saying they aren't worth the money and they haven't done nothing, because in his mind, as is the old way, you must win to be respected. No one respected Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time until he won his first championship. The same goes for Hakeem. Magic and Bird, Kareem and Parrish and McHale and Worthy, all considered one the all time greats, not only for their ability, but their heart and will to win. They all picked it up a notch when the game was on the line. When the ball wasn't falling, they were passing more, running harder and playing better defense. It seems to me, the uneducated observer, that players seem to float more and play less hard when things aren't going their way. I know when I play and the ball doesn't fall, I tend not to play as hard, so it's only natural right? Usually, when I realize the ball isn't falling for me, I cut my losses and try to play another game, within the game. If I can't hit the open jumper, I try a low post game, or play harder defense or run harder for some easy baskets. I don't know if that's the case in the NBA.

Darrell Walker said his team quit against the Hornets. I tend to agree. What makes a team great. Winning the close game. Minimizing mistakes. I have seen a few games where the Raptors could have won games that were going down to the wire. I just don't think they have players to do that. I think the opposition players had bigger hearts. Some players are just so damn naturally talented, they were able to coast through high school and college. They go to the pros and are able to put up 15-20 ppg and 7-9 boards a game. But at what cost? 40% shooting? 60% from the line? 5 turnovers a game? Glenn Robinson is so talented and I would have questioned his heart until recently. I saw a game versus Chicago when he was visibly sick, but wouldn't give up. He was the only player who was scoring for the Bucks. He was scoring on Pippen, which is no small feat. He was expending a lot of energy on the offensive end, so he didn't have much on the defensive end. The other Bucks should have helped him more, instead he was looking foolish because he just didn't have the energy to keep up with his man. It was up the other players to take it up a notch and show some heart.

Heart is doing whatever it takes to win. At all costs. It is necessary. The Bad Boy Pistons were full of heart. They were not the most talented team in the NBA. Besides Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas, who on that team was really talented. No one. Some players had specialized skills, but I'm talking about the talent which takes over a game and sends you to an all-star game. It took the Bulls three years to beat the Pistons. They were bloodied and bruised after years of banging with the Bad Boys, but the Bulls showed heart winning their first of many championship.

I think some players, and this may sound stupid, rely too much on their talent and not enough on playing hard. The great players on the great teams play hard all the time. They run, pass, rebound and make plays necessary to win. If one part of their game is not going well, they make up for it in other areas. Their desire to be on the court is unmatched. They have the heart of a champion.

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