Top 95 Finals Quotes

The Process is never going to end. It’s an ongoing thing. I don’t think it’s ever going to stop. As I have explained before, it’s a process for making it to the playoffs, it’s another one to make the conference finals, another one to actually go to The Finals and win the championship.

With what I’ve already achieved in my career – winning trophies and playing in finals, important matches against Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning the Europa League and the Super Cup, and in the Champions League – sometimes you’ve earned the right to say something.

It was quite the intimidating Sunday afternoon, US Open finals day for me. Sixteen years old, the 16th seed, second major, first US Open, as an amateur, playing Chris Evert.

It was my proudest moment as a manager when England drew 0-0 with Italy in Rome to qualify for the World Cup finals. Fifteen years later, the stakes are equally high for both countries as they go head-to-head for a semi-final place at the European Championship.

I wanted to be in a band that gave bang for the buck. I wanted to be in the band who didn’t look like a bunch of guys who, you know, should be in a library studying for their finals.

In New Jersey, we won in ’95, but after that for four years we never had a sniff at it. The next thing you know we went on a run of three Stanley Cup Finals in four years in 2000, 2001 and 2003.

The intensity of the Super Bowl is one-of-a-kind. An NBA finals is best-of-seven. But the Super Bowl, one game, winner-take-all. The intensity is off the charts.

It hasn’t always been a sweet ride. When I was 15, I almost hated racing in finals because I was so nervous. But as I got more experienced, I had to choose between fight and flight – and I’ve fought every time.

In that match for Holland I asked for a big responsibility, I got it and I dealt with it. I played well, I scored goals and the team qualified for the Euro 2004 finals. It was a big night and an important moment for Holland.

A lot of people would be happy that they got through a long career and had a chance to play as many times in the finals. To me, I wanted to win for the franchise and for the people. And when you can’t do that, it’s devastating, particularly for someone like me.

My goal is to play better than my seed. If I’m seeded sixth, I want to try to go to the semifinals. If I’m seeded third, I’m going to shoot for the finals.

When games get tight in the playoffs, especially in the Finals, there’s no space. There’s no clean looks.

My son was born during my last semester in college. His due date was Thanksgiving, but he didn’t show up until finals week. I brought my books to the hospital and didn’t think anything of it. That is what a father is supposed to do.

There was a tremendous amount of disappointment in missing the World Cup finals in 1998, so they’re getting excited about this one and I really think we could do well in the Far East.

Success breeds success and the more you are around a healthy and thriving athletics team, the more the people who only think they can make semi-finals will be inspired to want to aim for finals and go for medals.

I played over 130 matches, including four finals, so there have been many great moments.

Even the best and biggest teams in the world do not reach finals of tournaments.

I believe that every single game in the Playoffs, round 1 to Eastern Conference Finals, every single game is a different game.

When I used to fight in the amateurs, guys wouldn’t show up for the finals and I won the tournament. They wouldn’t call my name when it was time to get the trophy. They called everyone else’s name. Believe me, you remember things like that. I’d say there was disrespect there. It’s followed me into the pros.

I don’t make a habit of watching tennis matches, but I try to watch all the major finals. I try to make time for that. So unless I have something going with the kids where I can’t, I try to watch, and I enjoy that.

Sometimes it does upset you when you lose in the finals, or even in a quarterfinal or semifinal, especially when you think, ‘Maybe I could have played better,’ or even if you gave your 100 percent, and even then, you lose.

You want to play in finals, and they don’t come much bigger than the Champions League final.

It was a tough year for me, ’89, losing two Slam finals and losing another five finals. It wasn’t until I won the Masters, or what’s now called the ATP Finals, that things changed again. Suddenly I won seven tournaments in 1990 and became No. 1.

I was lucky in my rookie year to play in the NBA Finals, to have that experience, to see what it was like to get to that stage.

In the World Cup finals, you’re unlikely to meet a continental rival. In Copa America, you know they are just around the corner and that you will have to beat them to win the competition.

Especially after going through an 82-game season, the team that’s more mentally locked in and focused is usually the team that makes it to the Finals and wins the NBA championship.

LeBron’s had so many legendary moments because he was in the NBA Finals eight or nine years straight, and because to that his brand will endure and keep growing.

I just try to play every game like it’s Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

When I was playing Jimmy White in those finals, I could tell when he was under pressure.

I’m just playing basketball. I just want to be a great player. That’s it. That’s all I’m thinking about. If the other stuff comes, it comes, but I’m just fortunate to play in the NBA Finals and just to play basketball, period.

I’ve left Boro in the Premiership, which was always what I wanted to do. Actually that’s not quite true. I took them to three cup finals, where they’d never been before. But I had set my eyes on being the first manager in their history to deliver a major trophy.

I’d rather be able to play great tennis at a slam than make eight finals of little tournaments and then lose first round of a slam. That doesn’t sound too good.

I did feel support right from the start from LeBron. He’s always shown me a great deal of respect dating back to our battles when I was in Indiana and competing with the Heat in the conference finals, and coaching him in the All-Star Game.

All that matters is that China wins the finals, and not which one will be playing.

A lot of players have had it worse than me. Look at a guy like Andy Roddick, incredible Hall of Fame player, but he ran up against Roger so many times in big finals.

A club like Liverpool should always expect to be in finals.

I lost a lot of finals, so it was difficult. It’s sad, and that sadness stays with you, but I always enjoyed the game.

Making it to the Finals was the hardest work. You have to go out and play the physical and mental game.

I’ve never had a chance to go to the Finals, and I don’t have a ring – and that would be the only thing that would get me to think about it.

By the time you get to the conference finals, you can’t hide. It’s not like your opponent is going to be experienced on how to try to exploit you. You have to have the right kind of habits and hopefully have been tested enough in those habits… to be able to still get to your identity.

Our under-19s, under-20s, under-17s teams are all getting into Euro finals, World Cup finals, winning bronze medals. We’re winning bronze medals; it’s about that final step now. We’ve got to punish teams. In every game – youth games, senior games – just to push the game further.

When I come home from training, my attention immediately has to focus on my school courses, which helps keep the stress level balanced. I mostly balance both by drinking a lot of coffee and making sure I time manage well, which doesn’t happen all the time, especially during finals week.

This is why cup finals are so special because on the day anyone can beat anyone. That’s what it’s all about and that’s why for me the FA Cup and the Carling Cup are the best cups in the world. That’s the beauty of the cup.

A lot of people don’t understand that playing in the NBA, the toughest thing is to win an NBA championship. I was in the NBA 15 years. I’d been in the playoffs. I’d been in the Finals. But it took me 15 years to finally win one.

I didn’t come back to Indiana just to compete. I want to win the finals.

This is what playing football is all about – trying to reach finals and trying to lift trophies.

I’m the only player in history to have played in three consecutive World Cup finals.

I get this call and they go, you know, ‘Do you want to do the finals?’ and I go, ‘Yeah, I guess, I’ve never, never done the finals.’ Especially for somebody who’s done as many thousands of games as I have, it kind of takes you one step further.

A burning ambition of mine is to take Scotland to a major tournament. It should be the pinnacle of any players’ career to get to a World Cup finals with their country.

I’ve scored five goals in the most important three finals, and we won all of them.

It is always nice to get to finals, but never nice to lose in them.

Getting to two finals is difficult in the same season.

My record of 13 goals in the World Cup finals still stands.

A chance, as a coach, to take a team to the World Cup finals is probably as high up the tree as it gets, certainly with one-day cricket.