Big Shot Rob

From a reader, printed with permission:

Check this out…

Years ago I was watching some NBA game. T-Mobile (or some carrier) had this Five Friends, or some damn thing, promotion.

They were asking players to name their top five moments.

So, Horry listed five of his big game winning shots, and of course, you know his nickname is Big Shot Rob.

The interesting thing is he said that in one game he was 0-for-10 going into the final period and another game he was 0-for-11. So, two of his five career defining successes came when he was on the brink of total failure. Had the teams lost these crucial games, his complete 0-for meltdown would be brutally scrutinized. ESPECIALLY, if he had taken the final shot and missed. Coaches could be fired. Players traded. Obviously, this shit happens when teams lose a playoff or finals game.

So, some observations...

First, the coach was willing to put a player in who was DEAD FUCKING COLD that game. In the fourth quarter, at a key moment, in a huge game. That says everything about Horry’s reputation.

Second, Horry himself took the shot and did not let his previous failures affect him. As someone who has played basketball for decades, I know that when you start to miss, it gets in your head. But Horry (and most professionals) play their average. They know if they miss five, they can easily make five in a row and get their 50%.

Third, NOBODY remembers Horry going scoreless in those games, leading up to the final shot. I’m a lifelong Lakers fan and I didn’t know it. All they remember is he’s Big Shot Rob and that’s all that will ever stick to him.

I remember one game where they showed the Lakers locker room before some big showdown with the Kings or someone. Everyone was jacked up or anxious and Horry was stretched out on a bench, asleep.

Big Shot Rob.

14 thoughts on “Big Shot Rob”

  1. One more thing:

    Most people don’t realize that Horry won seven titles.

    More than Jordan. More than Kobe. More than Magic.

    the most of any player not to have played on the 1960s Boston Celtics.

    … according to Wikipedia.

  3. While no one else remembers that he was 0 for up to that point, he does. That’s another part of the puzzle. Horry had no illusions. He didn’t let the success blind him to the failure any more than he let the failure blind him to the success. While we see as tragic people who fixate on their failures and thus deny themselves future success, it is equally problematic to fixate on one’s great accomplishments without seeing them in the context of the failure happening on the way there.

    tl:dr Don’t believe your own press.

  6. There’s also something to be said about having a player willing to pull the trigger in the big moment. Just how many are there on a team? Usually, 1 or 2.

  7. As a San Antonio Spurs fan, I despised Horry during the early to mid 2000s. He always made those late shots and crazy 3 pointers that killed my Spurs. Then he was signed by the Spurs, and used his magic to help us win 2 titles. It’s true what they say, winning covers a multitude of sins.

  10. Last week i watched the National Rugby League Grand Final here in Oz. I was blown away by the Goal Kicker for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Adam Reynolds. 43 years since they won a Premiership. 40 years since they made a final. Over 80 000 people in the stand, half willing him to miss, half desperate for him to get it. So much emotion and pressure, and young Adam converted every single goal but one. Talk about match temperament! If humanity’s ability to handle pressure were put on a scale, Reynolds would be right up one end, and I’d be right down the other. That’s ok, we can’t all be the same. Everyone has something to contribute. But, I do admire and wonder at that sort of focus and drive!

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