Sublime

Nearly all my teammates understood Celtic Pride in terms of what needed to be done to make us winners. John Havlicek, who was our other great sixth man, told a reporter one time that starting wasn’t as important as finishing. How to win meant doing exactly what was called for. John was completely devoid of pretension.

Highs and lows are what it takes to break the mold of previous consciousness and allow world-shattering ideas to be birthed. Not only did Steve have a big hole in him from the adoption, he had an enormous id that fed on nearly everything to fill it up. Looking for the love he missed, he made sure all eyes were on him so he could get what he needed.

With Jackson, O’Neal, and Bryant, they had posted a 13-1 mark in the NBA Finals. The Pacers, Sixers, and Nets were all roadkill for a franchise destined for greatness, and 2004 appeared to be no different.

The most interesting thing about Bill Bradley was not just that he was a great basketball player, but that he succeeded so amply in other things that he was doing at the same time, reached a more promising level of attainment, and, in the end, put basketball aside because he had something better to do.

We won all those championships in part because we knew how to let other teams’ stars do their thing and at the same time take that style of play and convert it to our advantage. My battles with Wilt; our series against the great Bob Pettit; the games we played against “The Big O,” Oscar Robertson, one of the greatest players ever; and, of course, o

When I mentioned how Bryant had coined his own nickname (“Black Mamba”) and referred to himself as “Mamba” with odd earnestness, O’Neal grimaced. “Now,” he said, “you understand what I had to deal with.”

Johnson had certain characteristics that no leader of a Great Group is without. He loved excellence, and, as a result, he had an unerring eye for talent. And because he understood why talented people work, he was able to create an environment in which they thrived.