I never saw a football player make a tackle with a smile on his face.
I play basketball hard-nosed and if you're not on my team, during that 48 minutes we're enemies.
Every game's a championship game. When we focus that way, get prepared that way-that this is it, you know, this is the last one, the biggest one-you get ready, you get amped up, you get that laser focus and you're ready to play.
What people see on court is another side of me; it's not me.
When you're at your absolute, most exhausted... That's when you have to be at the top of your game.
Regardless of where you're pitching, regardless of what goes on before or after your game, you still have to be ready.
I've got the same mentality every time I step on the floor - play my hardest and just be locked in.
When I walk into the arena, I get excited and emotional, when I see the fans rise and start cheering. But then I get into the ring and it's all business for me.
Anytime I play another rookie, there's that extra edge.
I'm not the same person on the court. I'm different when I'm off the court. Off the court, I don't need to be aggressive or anything.
Once I step over that white line I become The Bowler.
You always want to make sure that you're not the weak link. You're surrounded by really talented, great actors and singers, so just staying on your game is the main thing.
Sometimes I don't know what takes me over during a game. Sometimes I just feel I have moved to a different place and I can make the pass, score the goal or go past my marker at will.
You've got to really check on what you're doing: check and recheck it seven other times to be prepared. Sometimes, people get carried away with the artistic-ness of the endeavor and don't quite have their game face on when the time comes. It's always a pretty costly mistake.
A lot of guys are able to separate how they act off the court versus how they act on the court.
My belief is whether I'm the starter, whether I'm the backup, I'm going to show up the same exact way. I'm going to prepare the same exact way, and I'll always be ready to go.
I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious.
When I put my helmet on, I'm ultra competitive, talking trash.
Some people seem to think football is like theatre and that everyone has to play the good guy. But I think that you transform when you cross the white line: you're not the same person as off it.
There will always be rivalry on the field. Off the field, we are friends, but on it, we have to do our job.
You rewind. You think of your preparation. You think of everything you did throughout the week, your life, the practices, the intensity. Everything flashes, and you come right back to that point. And it's like, game on.
Off the court, I'm a totally different person. I've heard people be like, 'Oh, so sweet, like a big ole teddy bear.' But I guess I still have that look on my face in a game. I guess I still have a vibe where it's intimidating.
I'm very easy-going off court, but I really want to win once I'm walking on to the court.
When I'm smiling, I'm supposedly not taking the game seriously. When I'm not smiling, then it's like, "He don't care. He's just out there."
I've played in Boston and New York, and it doesn't matter if you're sick, aching - once you step on that field, you're a completely different animal.
