Name another person who has accomplished so much in his field while expending the minimum amount of energy to do so. Horry isn't lazy, but he'll never be accused of overexerting himself, either. It's a sort of "Efficiency of movement?" Horry suggests. Exactly. How else to explain the disparity between output and results? He has averaged 7.5 points for his career, yet only 11 players in NBA history have a larger championship ring collection than Horry's five, and no active player has as many. He wasn't the driving force behind those championships, but he wasn't along for the ride either. He made his share of big shots (with three more three-pointers he'll break Michael Jordan's Finals record) and made unheralded contributions to help the Houston Rockets win in 1994 and '95 and the Lakers three-peat from 2000 to 2002. With the San Antonio Spurs holding a 1-0 lead over the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, Horry is three victories away from winning No. 6. That would put him in the same class as Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Scottie Pippen, Bob Cousy and John Havlicek. Only six players, all members of the Boston Celtic dynasty in the 1960s, have won more, topped by ringmaster Bill Russell's 11. But none of them enjoyed themselves more and stressed out less than Horry. And I'm not the only one who wants to live La Vida Horry. "I wish I could be more like him in some ways," Spur Coach Gregg Popovich said, "because he is happy every minute, win, lose, rain, sun, doesn't matter. He's great for a basketball team. Our guys love him. He keeps everybody loose. They all respect his basketball abilities and knowledge, and he's been important for us in that regard." So what's the secret? "You've got to have a nonchalant attitude, to a certain degree," Horry said. "You've got to have fun and enjoy. Playing with Kobe [Bryant], he took stuff so serious. There's more to life than just basketball. There were some days in practice, he'd be mad because he would be losing in practice. You've got to enjoy yourself. I think that's the thing that I learned most." That said, Horry doesn't go around the locker room trying to spread the word. It's something that must be found within. "I can preach that, but it might not work for you," Horry said. "Everything doesn't work for everybody. Some guys need that extra push. I don't think [it] would work for Kobe. His attitude is what makes him good at what he does. For me, it's like, just blow it out, just start over." See, playing basketball wasn't a lifelong dream of Horry's. He loved baseball as a kid in Andalusia, Ala., but then he grew early, sprouting four inches one summer. In the elementary school class pictures he stood almost as tall as the teacher; people would look at the photos and ask if he was an assistant. One day his older brother Ken said, "You're tall, let's play." "I started getting better at it," Horry said. "I thought, 'OK, I can get a free education out of it.' " He came from a family of teachers, and that's what Horry figured he would do. At least he could get a college scholarship. He went to Alabama, because it was close to home and his mother told him to, and during a conversation with teammates his sophomore year they told him he would make it to the NBA. The Houston Rockets chose him with the 11th pick in the 1992 draft.
I do miss Horry in the Purple & Gold, he was always "Johnny on the Spot" for the team. He has a great attitude towards life, because you do need to enjoy yourself. He should be remembered as being one of the all time greats in clutch playoff moments.
