One of the great stories about Bird is how he walked into the locker room before the first NBA All-Star 3-point shooting contest and announced, "Which one of you guys is shooting for second place?" He won it, of course. That kind of confidence comes from constant practice and total concentration on what you're doing. Michael Cooper used to say, in reference to Bird's intensity, that looking into is eyes during the last three minutes of a close game was like looking into the eyes of an assassin. Total focus and concentration.