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You can make all the excuses you want, but if you're not mentally tough and you're not prepared to play every night, you're not going to win.

Larry Bird

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Larry Bird
Age: 67
Born: 1956
Born: December 7
Basketball Coach
Basketball Player
Coach
Larry Legend
The Great White Hope
The Hick from French Lick
Larry Joe Bird
Mr. Wonderful
Kodak
Every
Excuse
Make
Basketball
Prepared
Tough
Winning
Night
Larry
Play
Excuses
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More quotes by Larry Bird

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Michael Jordan is God disguised as a basketball player.
Larry Bird
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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.
Larry Bird
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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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Push yourself again and again. Don't give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.
Larry Bird
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You're all playin' for second place.
Larry Bird
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You know when I played, you had me and Kevin (McHale) and some others throughout the league. 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.
Larry Bird
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The one thing that always bothered me when I played in the NBA was I really got irritated when they put a white guy on me.
Larry Bird
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If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the children always came first.
Larry Bird
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Practice habits were crucial to my development in basketball. 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. You've got to have them down before you can even think about playing.
Larry Bird
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I think a lot of blue collar people related to me because a lot of people work for their money.
Larry Bird
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I don't think that once you get to one level, you can relax. You've got to keep pushing.
Larry Bird
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Leadership is getting players to believe in you. 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. Players will see right through a phony. And they can tell when you're not giving it all you've got.
Larry Bird
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I learned what my weaknesses were and I went out the next day to turn those weaknesses intro strengths.
Larry Bird
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I hate to lose more than I like to win.
Larry Bird
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The more you win, the better you're gonna get. It grows on itself.
Larry Bird
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The best basketball announcer is one who allows you to close your eyes.
Larry Bird
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My opinion about basketball, the way I was taught, was when you step on the court, you play to win.
Larry Bird
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Eminem. My son was listening to that and I was like, “What is that junk?” Then I started listening and I thought, You know, that kid is pretty good. It's the storytelling.
Larry Bird
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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
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The best player I ever played with was Dennis Johnson.
Larry Bird