Reggie43
12-08-2021, 08:39 PM
https://youtu.be/UE8fZvOalvw
Mark Pope:
I was a fan at the end of the bench on that team. Coach was very much like, "Nobody is getting a free ride here, it doesn't matter how bad a player they are." He would sit me the whole game and it would be a close game and there would be seven seconds left and we had to get it inbounds to seal the game or get a game-winner and he would call me off the bench to inbound the ball. He was like, "Bro you're not going sit there and chill out. You're going to sit there and be nervous and see if you're going to come in to inbound the ball."
We were in Phoenix and the game was tied. There's a timeout (with two seconds remaining) and Larry Bird puts me back in the game. Reggie comes off a weird screen and ends up in the corner and I throw him the ball from the sideline. He shot fakes and dribbles and bangs the shot on the baseline. I run in and start jumping up and down and celebrating. Sure enough, I'm on SportsCenter like a real player. Like, "Reggie and I just won the game!"
I was the luckiest guy in the world to be on that team.
Loved how Larry Bird was putting pressure on the literal last guy on the bench who was also a rookie just to instill that mentality that you have to be prepared at all times regardless of your role on the team.
Mark Pope:
I was a fan at the end of the bench on that team. Coach was very much like, "Nobody is getting a free ride here, it doesn't matter how bad a player they are." He would sit me the whole game and it would be a close game and there would be seven seconds left and we had to get it inbounds to seal the game or get a game-winner and he would call me off the bench to inbound the ball. He was like, "Bro you're not going sit there and chill out. You're going to sit there and be nervous and see if you're going to come in to inbound the ball."
We were in Phoenix and the game was tied. There's a timeout (with two seconds remaining) and Larry Bird puts me back in the game. Reggie comes off a weird screen and ends up in the corner and I throw him the ball from the sideline. He shot fakes and dribbles and bangs the shot on the baseline. I run in and start jumping up and down and celebrating. Sure enough, I'm on SportsCenter like a real player. Like, "Reggie and I just won the game!"
I was the luckiest guy in the world to be on that team.
Loved how Larry Bird was putting pressure on the literal last guy on the bench who was also a rookie just to instill that mentality that you have to be prepared at all times regardless of your role on the team.