Kori Ellis
08-29-2005, 06:59 PM
Robert Horry Interview
The greatest clutch shooter of our time spends his downtime with Tiger.
by Jon Robinson
http://sports.ign.com/articles/646/646183p2.html
August 29, 2005 - Robert Horry is a heartbreaker. Maybe the coldest clutch shooter of his generation. And when I say cold, I'm not talking can't hit the rim cold, I'm talking cold blooded, ill, will kill your title shot and your dreams from behind the arc, or occasionally, even from above the rim.
That's right, above the rim, and if you didn't think the veteran still had hops, just ask Detroit about Game 5. You see, above the rim used to be Horry's claim to fame on the Rockets as the man filled highlight reels and mix tapes by throwing down on some of the biggest and best shot blockers clogging the lane. But Horry will forever be remembered by basketball purists (not to mention fans from Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento and Detroit) for what he's accomplished from three-point land. That's where he's left his mark, like a dagger stuck into the hearts of his opponents.
But where does Horry find his competition during the offseason? All you have to do is look for the nearest PlayStation 2. Robert Horry is a self-proclaimed gamer, but it's not baskets he likes to sink in his spare time, it's putts, or more specifically, you'll find him strolling the virtual greens of the latest game in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series.
IGN Sports caught up with the man who boasts six championship rings (even if he doesn't have a boastful bone in his body) to talk Tiger, the Spurs, and what it's like to be Big Shot Rob.
IGN Sports: I hear that when you're not winning championships you're usually playing videogames.
Robert Horry: Yeah, I love playing videogames. They keep you out of trouble. [laughs] I probably play Tiger Woods the most ever since that series started a few years ago.
IGN Sports: Are you a big golfer in real life as well?
Robert Horry: You know what, I'm not a big golfer but I love to go get a bucket of balls and just smack the balls around. That's my type of game. When I do play, it's mostly in charity tournaments. I'm just getting prepared for when I retire. Golf is something that will keep me occupied.
IGN Sports: Why are so many pro athletes obsessed with playing golf?
Robert Horry: I think the fact that it's so challenging. Athletes love challenges and golf is something you can never master. You can master videogames, you can master the Tiger Woods game, but you can never master the real game of golf. Plus, from back in the day, they always used to say that all of the best business deals were done out on a golf course, so I think that has a little bit to do with it as well.
IGN Sports: What size TV do you usually hook your Tiger Woods game up to?
Robert Horry: I play in my theater. I have it hooked up where I have my Xbox hooked up to one slot and my PlayStation hooked up to the other slot so I can switch back and forth between games depending on my mood. But the screen in the theater is about 100-inches. [laughs] It's huge. The men actually look like men when you're playing something.
IGN Sports: Do you ever pop in NBA Live on the big screen and see how you look?
Robert Horry: Actually I do just to see if it'll look like me. I'm always the MVP because I shoot all of the balls. When I have the controller, the play is to get the ball to Robert and get out of the way. [laughs]
IGN Sports: So who's better looking, the Robert in the game or the Robert in the mirror?
Robert Horry: I think I'm still a little better looking, so I'll take the guy in the mirror. It's close…it's getting real close, but nothing beats the live version.
IGN Sports: How about in Tiger, do you create yourself with the Game Face or do you just play as Tiger?
Robert Horry: I like to create my own character. I like to give my guy earrings, sunglasses and a big afro. I sort of look like the old, old, old Artis Gilmore look.
IGN Sports: What's the toughest shot for you to hit in the game as opposed to real life?
Robert Horry: In Tiger, it gets tough on my fingers after a while, but I can hit all of the shots. In real life, everything is tough. You know what's funny, I really hate Par 3's. I feel like you have to be perfect from jumpstreet. But on Par 5's, you can mess up a little bit, but you still have time to adjust before you get to the hole and still end up with a birdie or a par.
IGN Sports: Do you have a favorite course in the game?
Robert Horry: I have a couple, but I really like the St. Andrews course. That's the man's favorite course, that's Tiger's favorite, so that's what I want to play. I'm just trying to get as good as him.
IGN Sports: Did you ever drag Shaq out on the golf course?
Robert Horry: No, his hands are too big. He can't play golf…that's a big brother right there.
IGN Sports: All the rumors had you going to play with Shaq and the Heat, but then you ended up back with the Spurs. What happened?
Robert Horry: It's the funniest thing, everyone thought I was going to the Heat, but the Heat never called me. The only team that was really pursuing me hard was the Dallas Mavericks, but winning the championship with the Spurs was great and I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay right in San Antonio.
IGN Sports: What teams do you think got stronger in the offseason through trades and free agency?
Robert Horry: You know what, it's all going to depend on where Michael Finley drops. If he goes and plays in Miami, then I say Miami because they have a lot of new additions that are great. But if he drops with us, then I say us because he's a very talented player. It all depends on where he goes, so we'll just have to wait to see.
IGN Sports: From the Kings to the Pistons, it just seems like any time you need to knock down a game-winner, you nail it. Do you think you might have shot yourself into the Hall of Fame with all of these clutch buckets?
Robert Horry: A lot of people have said that, but I don't think so because there are a lot of other players better than me who aren't in the Hall. There are a lot of guys who have done a lot of great things who are still waiting to get in the Hall right now. It's a long shot, but if I do, I'll be very proud of the moment.
IGN Sports: What is it about you that enables you to hit so many clutch shots?
Robert Horry: It all depends on a person's mentality. There are a lot of guys who want to take the shot but they have that fear where if I miss it, people are going to hate me, and if I make it, people are going to love me. To me, if I make it or miss it, I don't care. I know my friends and family are still going to treat me the same, they're still going to love me the same, so I'm cool with that.
IGN Sports: When it's the end of the game and you're in a zone, how big does the hoop look to you?
Robert Horry: To me, it's not how big the basket seems, it's all about a certain feel. Everything feels good, and no matter what you do, it feels good. It's hard to explain. The basket doesn't get bigger, but the shot feels good, and that's the thing, if it feels good, shoot it.
IGN Sports: Ever get that feeling on the golf course?
Robert Horry: Man, no. [laughs] As soon as you get that feeling on the golf course, that's when you hit that mug in the water or the sand.
IGN Sports: So is it harder for you to hit a put with money on the line or a game-winning three?
Robert Horry: The putt is harder. Basketball is my profession…I can do that.
IGN Sports: Ever try on all of your rings at the same time?
Robert Horry: No, actually I don't. People always want to know which one is my favorite, but the only one that's my favorite is the ugliest one, and I don't ever wear any of them. Besides, it's too hard to play videogames if you're wearing a big ring.
The greatest clutch shooter of our time spends his downtime with Tiger.
by Jon Robinson
http://sports.ign.com/articles/646/646183p2.html
August 29, 2005 - Robert Horry is a heartbreaker. Maybe the coldest clutch shooter of his generation. And when I say cold, I'm not talking can't hit the rim cold, I'm talking cold blooded, ill, will kill your title shot and your dreams from behind the arc, or occasionally, even from above the rim.
That's right, above the rim, and if you didn't think the veteran still had hops, just ask Detroit about Game 5. You see, above the rim used to be Horry's claim to fame on the Rockets as the man filled highlight reels and mix tapes by throwing down on some of the biggest and best shot blockers clogging the lane. But Horry will forever be remembered by basketball purists (not to mention fans from Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento and Detroit) for what he's accomplished from three-point land. That's where he's left his mark, like a dagger stuck into the hearts of his opponents.
But where does Horry find his competition during the offseason? All you have to do is look for the nearest PlayStation 2. Robert Horry is a self-proclaimed gamer, but it's not baskets he likes to sink in his spare time, it's putts, or more specifically, you'll find him strolling the virtual greens of the latest game in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series.
IGN Sports caught up with the man who boasts six championship rings (even if he doesn't have a boastful bone in his body) to talk Tiger, the Spurs, and what it's like to be Big Shot Rob.
IGN Sports: I hear that when you're not winning championships you're usually playing videogames.
Robert Horry: Yeah, I love playing videogames. They keep you out of trouble. [laughs] I probably play Tiger Woods the most ever since that series started a few years ago.
IGN Sports: Are you a big golfer in real life as well?
Robert Horry: You know what, I'm not a big golfer but I love to go get a bucket of balls and just smack the balls around. That's my type of game. When I do play, it's mostly in charity tournaments. I'm just getting prepared for when I retire. Golf is something that will keep me occupied.
IGN Sports: Why are so many pro athletes obsessed with playing golf?
Robert Horry: I think the fact that it's so challenging. Athletes love challenges and golf is something you can never master. You can master videogames, you can master the Tiger Woods game, but you can never master the real game of golf. Plus, from back in the day, they always used to say that all of the best business deals were done out on a golf course, so I think that has a little bit to do with it as well.
IGN Sports: What size TV do you usually hook your Tiger Woods game up to?
Robert Horry: I play in my theater. I have it hooked up where I have my Xbox hooked up to one slot and my PlayStation hooked up to the other slot so I can switch back and forth between games depending on my mood. But the screen in the theater is about 100-inches. [laughs] It's huge. The men actually look like men when you're playing something.
IGN Sports: Do you ever pop in NBA Live on the big screen and see how you look?
Robert Horry: Actually I do just to see if it'll look like me. I'm always the MVP because I shoot all of the balls. When I have the controller, the play is to get the ball to Robert and get out of the way. [laughs]
IGN Sports: So who's better looking, the Robert in the game or the Robert in the mirror?
Robert Horry: I think I'm still a little better looking, so I'll take the guy in the mirror. It's close…it's getting real close, but nothing beats the live version.
IGN Sports: How about in Tiger, do you create yourself with the Game Face or do you just play as Tiger?
Robert Horry: I like to create my own character. I like to give my guy earrings, sunglasses and a big afro. I sort of look like the old, old, old Artis Gilmore look.
IGN Sports: What's the toughest shot for you to hit in the game as opposed to real life?
Robert Horry: In Tiger, it gets tough on my fingers after a while, but I can hit all of the shots. In real life, everything is tough. You know what's funny, I really hate Par 3's. I feel like you have to be perfect from jumpstreet. But on Par 5's, you can mess up a little bit, but you still have time to adjust before you get to the hole and still end up with a birdie or a par.
IGN Sports: Do you have a favorite course in the game?
Robert Horry: I have a couple, but I really like the St. Andrews course. That's the man's favorite course, that's Tiger's favorite, so that's what I want to play. I'm just trying to get as good as him.
IGN Sports: Did you ever drag Shaq out on the golf course?
Robert Horry: No, his hands are too big. He can't play golf…that's a big brother right there.
IGN Sports: All the rumors had you going to play with Shaq and the Heat, but then you ended up back with the Spurs. What happened?
Robert Horry: It's the funniest thing, everyone thought I was going to the Heat, but the Heat never called me. The only team that was really pursuing me hard was the Dallas Mavericks, but winning the championship with the Spurs was great and I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay right in San Antonio.
IGN Sports: What teams do you think got stronger in the offseason through trades and free agency?
Robert Horry: You know what, it's all going to depend on where Michael Finley drops. If he goes and plays in Miami, then I say Miami because they have a lot of new additions that are great. But if he drops with us, then I say us because he's a very talented player. It all depends on where he goes, so we'll just have to wait to see.
IGN Sports: From the Kings to the Pistons, it just seems like any time you need to knock down a game-winner, you nail it. Do you think you might have shot yourself into the Hall of Fame with all of these clutch buckets?
Robert Horry: A lot of people have said that, but I don't think so because there are a lot of other players better than me who aren't in the Hall. There are a lot of guys who have done a lot of great things who are still waiting to get in the Hall right now. It's a long shot, but if I do, I'll be very proud of the moment.
IGN Sports: What is it about you that enables you to hit so many clutch shots?
Robert Horry: It all depends on a person's mentality. There are a lot of guys who want to take the shot but they have that fear where if I miss it, people are going to hate me, and if I make it, people are going to love me. To me, if I make it or miss it, I don't care. I know my friends and family are still going to treat me the same, they're still going to love me the same, so I'm cool with that.
IGN Sports: When it's the end of the game and you're in a zone, how big does the hoop look to you?
Robert Horry: To me, it's not how big the basket seems, it's all about a certain feel. Everything feels good, and no matter what you do, it feels good. It's hard to explain. The basket doesn't get bigger, but the shot feels good, and that's the thing, if it feels good, shoot it.
IGN Sports: Ever get that feeling on the golf course?
Robert Horry: Man, no. [laughs] As soon as you get that feeling on the golf course, that's when you hit that mug in the water or the sand.
IGN Sports: So is it harder for you to hit a put with money on the line or a game-winning three?
Robert Horry: The putt is harder. Basketball is my profession…I can do that.
IGN Sports: Ever try on all of your rings at the same time?
Robert Horry: No, actually I don't. People always want to know which one is my favorite, but the only one that's my favorite is the ugliest one, and I don't ever wear any of them. Besides, it's too hard to play videogames if you're wearing a big ring.