Rip was aggressive early. And once he got it cooking, we kept going to him and we fed off him. When he gets hot, I don't know anybody who can slow him down.

When he's aggressive and he's playing like that, it takes the pressure off everybody. Rip (Richard Hamilton) doesn't have to worry about scoring so many points, I don't either.

I'm just mad I missed those two free throws. We had a letdown against Cleveland, and we needed to turn that around. We couldn't let it continue.

I persevered, sustained, and continued to work hard and finally got my opportunity in Detroit, and I never turned back from that point. That's what made it so sweet to me to win a championship after what I went through. I had to scrap and fight to get through it, and to reach the pinnacle made it even sweeter.

Quite frankly, Minnesota was where my career kind of turned around, and it all had to do with Flip Saunders and his coaching prowess and his system.

I drive a Range Rover almost every day, but my favorite is my '69 SS Camaro.