milkyway21
06-02-2005, 02:23 AM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/chris_mannix/06/01/horry/1.html
HONING HIS CRAFT
http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/PNA124060123_lower.jpg
At 6-feet-10, 240 pounds, Robert Horry is the definition of a tweener, a small forward buried inside a power forward's body. He doesn't like to bang. He doesn't like to mix it up. If it were up to him he probably would have his own water cooler set up outside the 3-point line, just in case he gets thirsty hanging around out there. Go ahead, tell Horry he's soft. Just make sure when you do you're not blinded by the glare from his five championship rings.
Life wasn't always this easy for the Spurs forward. Horry's arrival to the NBA came with as much criticism as it did fanfare. Selected 11th overall by Houston in the 1992 NBA Draft, Horry had scouts salivating over his potential while simultaneously wondering if his lack of consistency was a byproduct of a questionable work ethic. Despite starting 160 games in his first two years with the Rockets, Houston jumped at the chance to acquire veteran forward Sean Elliott at the '94 trading deadline. Why? The feeling in the organization was that Horry was too passive offensively and wasn't sacrificing enough for the team. Two days after the trade was announced, Elliott flunked his physical, sending a rejuvenated Horry back to the Rockets, where he played a pivotal role on Houston's back-to-back title teams.
No matter the championships, Horry couldn't shake his reputation as an impossibly apathetic player. He also came to be seen as increasingly petulant, a label he soon lived down to.
After being traded from Houston to Phoenix as part of a deal that sent Charles Barkley to the Rockets, Horry was involved in the most embarrassing incident of his five-year career. During a road game in Boston, Horry reacted to a quick hook from Suns coach Danny Ainge by shouting obscenities at Ainge before throwing a towel in his rookie coach's face. I was five feet behind Ainge that night and I can say without hesitation Horry's outburst was as disrespectful a display from a player as I have ever seen. Suns owner Jerry Colangelo suspended Horry for two games, calling Horry "a shadow of his former self" while comparing him to an unruly child. Persona non grata in Phoenix, Horry was shipped to the Lakers a few days later.
It was in Los Angeles that Horry began repairing his crippled reputation. The scene in L.A. was a familiar one for Horry, playing alongside a dominant big man (Shaquille O'Neal) and an All-Star swingman (Kobe Bryant), reminiscent of his days in Houston with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. Horry settled nicely into his supporting role with the Lakers, rarely rocking the boat while quickly earning a reputation as a big game player. In his first postseason with Los Angeles, Horry set an NBA playoff record for 3-pointers made without a miss, going 7-for-7 from behind the arc in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. It was a harbinger of big moments to come
In Game 3 of the Lakers' '02 first-round series, Horry knocked down a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to give L.A. a 92-91 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Later that spring in the Western Conference finals, Horry delivered a body blow to the Sacramento Kings' championship hopes, hitting a 3 with 0.6 seconds left to lift the Lakers to a 100-99 victory in Game 4. By the time the Lakers had captured their third title in three seasons, Horry had permanently lain to rest the demons of his past and "Big Shot Bob" was officially born.
Though known for his clutch shooting, Horry has developed into more than a one-dimensional player. With the Lakers, Horry often was asked to guard an opponent's best frontcourt player, in part to save Shaq from foul trouble and in part because Horry craftily knew how to use speed and quickness to disrupt the timing of bigger players.
He's done the same thing in San Antonio, where Horry, playing opposite Tim Duncan, has frequently found himself matched against more physical players. While the bruises don't heal as quickly as they used to for the 13-year veteran, Horry has remained reliable from the perimeter, shooting 44.3 percent from beyond the arc this postseason.
Should San Antonio advance to the NBA Finals, Horry would have the chance to play for his sixth NBA title, the highest total among active players. You won't have to look too far to find him either. He's the old guy hanging out at the 3-point line, still breaking people's hearts:cry
..well, Big Shot Rob if by any chance we meet Miami in the finals..YOU ARE GOING TO FACE STEVE SMITH, THE player the Spurs ditched(thank you for that), because of you. :angel
HONING HIS CRAFT
http://images.sportsline.com/u/ap/photos/PNA124060123_lower.jpg
At 6-feet-10, 240 pounds, Robert Horry is the definition of a tweener, a small forward buried inside a power forward's body. He doesn't like to bang. He doesn't like to mix it up. If it were up to him he probably would have his own water cooler set up outside the 3-point line, just in case he gets thirsty hanging around out there. Go ahead, tell Horry he's soft. Just make sure when you do you're not blinded by the glare from his five championship rings.
Life wasn't always this easy for the Spurs forward. Horry's arrival to the NBA came with as much criticism as it did fanfare. Selected 11th overall by Houston in the 1992 NBA Draft, Horry had scouts salivating over his potential while simultaneously wondering if his lack of consistency was a byproduct of a questionable work ethic. Despite starting 160 games in his first two years with the Rockets, Houston jumped at the chance to acquire veteran forward Sean Elliott at the '94 trading deadline. Why? The feeling in the organization was that Horry was too passive offensively and wasn't sacrificing enough for the team. Two days after the trade was announced, Elliott flunked his physical, sending a rejuvenated Horry back to the Rockets, where he played a pivotal role on Houston's back-to-back title teams.
No matter the championships, Horry couldn't shake his reputation as an impossibly apathetic player. He also came to be seen as increasingly petulant, a label he soon lived down to.
After being traded from Houston to Phoenix as part of a deal that sent Charles Barkley to the Rockets, Horry was involved in the most embarrassing incident of his five-year career. During a road game in Boston, Horry reacted to a quick hook from Suns coach Danny Ainge by shouting obscenities at Ainge before throwing a towel in his rookie coach's face. I was five feet behind Ainge that night and I can say without hesitation Horry's outburst was as disrespectful a display from a player as I have ever seen. Suns owner Jerry Colangelo suspended Horry for two games, calling Horry "a shadow of his former self" while comparing him to an unruly child. Persona non grata in Phoenix, Horry was shipped to the Lakers a few days later.
It was in Los Angeles that Horry began repairing his crippled reputation. The scene in L.A. was a familiar one for Horry, playing alongside a dominant big man (Shaquille O'Neal) and an All-Star swingman (Kobe Bryant), reminiscent of his days in Houston with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. Horry settled nicely into his supporting role with the Lakers, rarely rocking the boat while quickly earning a reputation as a big game player. In his first postseason with Los Angeles, Horry set an NBA playoff record for 3-pointers made without a miss, going 7-for-7 from behind the arc in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. It was a harbinger of big moments to come
In Game 3 of the Lakers' '02 first-round series, Horry knocked down a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left to give L.A. a 92-91 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Later that spring in the Western Conference finals, Horry delivered a body blow to the Sacramento Kings' championship hopes, hitting a 3 with 0.6 seconds left to lift the Lakers to a 100-99 victory in Game 4. By the time the Lakers had captured their third title in three seasons, Horry had permanently lain to rest the demons of his past and "Big Shot Bob" was officially born.
Though known for his clutch shooting, Horry has developed into more than a one-dimensional player. With the Lakers, Horry often was asked to guard an opponent's best frontcourt player, in part to save Shaq from foul trouble and in part because Horry craftily knew how to use speed and quickness to disrupt the timing of bigger players.
He's done the same thing in San Antonio, where Horry, playing opposite Tim Duncan, has frequently found himself matched against more physical players. While the bruises don't heal as quickly as they used to for the 13-year veteran, Horry has remained reliable from the perimeter, shooting 44.3 percent from beyond the arc this postseason.
Should San Antonio advance to the NBA Finals, Horry would have the chance to play for his sixth NBA title, the highest total among active players. You won't have to look too far to find him either. He's the old guy hanging out at the 3-point line, still breaking people's hearts:cry
..well, Big Shot Rob if by any chance we meet Miami in the finals..YOU ARE GOING TO FACE STEVE SMITH, THE player the Spurs ditched(thank you for that), because of you. :angel