Once again, another good game. It always excites me so much, when I see younger, smaller players play such a gritty game against a superior opponent. There were no quitters today -- a tremendous effort all the way around. When one looks for reasons to explain superior effort, to explain why teams play the way you did today, usually one never has to look any further than the leadership -- the captains and the ninth grade. We had it in spades, today. It really looked like we wanted to play -- and, PLAY we did. Congratulations on a great effort.

Larry Bird is one hell of a competitor. You can tell he is hurting, he's not running as well as he should, he's pulling back. But you say, "Larry, are you all right?" And he says, "Yeah," and goes out there and does his job. Those are the kind of guys you go across the river with, guys you go over the mountain with. I've never known another player so loyal. If you're Larry's teammate, you're one of the most important people in the world to him. -- Kevin McHale

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. -- Vince Lombardi

It isn't hard to be good from time to time in sports. What's tough is being good every day. -- Willie Mays