I never took a position we were going to be a good ball club. I took the position we were going to be a winning ball club.
Interpretation
The focus should be on achieving victories rather than merely having potential.
Red Auerbach's quote emphasizes the importance of a winning mindset. Simply being classified as a good team is not enough; true success lies in the ability to achieve victories on the field, which requires dedication, strategy, and a commitment to excellence.
In practice
Use this quote in a motivational speech for a sports team to encourage them to focus on winning.
To be a successful coach you should be and look prepared. You must be a man of integrity. Never break your word. Don't have two sets of standards. Remember you don't handle players-you handle pets. You deal with players. Stand up for your players. Show them you care-on and off the court. Very important-it's not 'how' or 'what' you say but what they absorb.
If you want to be a Champion, you've got to feel like one, you've got to act like one, you've got to look like one.
I don't believe in statistics. There are too many factors that can't be measured. You can't measure a ballplayer's heart.
They said you have to use your five best players but I found you win with the five who fit together the best.
It's not what you tell your players that counts. It's what they hear.
To a father, when a child dies, the future dies; to a child when a parent dies, the past dies.
The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly.
Why hit a conservative shot? When you miss it, you are in just as much trouble as when you miss a bold one.
The World Cup is a very important way to measure the good players, and the great ones. It is a test of a great player.
Success at the highest level comes down to one question: Can you decide that your happiness can come from someone else's success?
A great company is not a great investment if you pay too much for the stock.
A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.
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