NBA TELECONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:
Hornets' Anthony Mason
March 12, 1997

   Q: Are there any special feelings about a possible playoff encounter with the Knicks?
   A: "I don't have any animosity against the Knicks. The Knicks did what they had to do and what they thought best suited them, and the Charlotte Hornets did what was best suited for them. Right now, I'm committed to doing the best I can do for the Charlotte Hornets and that's lifting them to a good playoff position and going far in the playoffs."

Q: What are the reasons for the recent success of the Charlotte Hornets?

A: "There's a lot of character on this team. We have some veterans and young players who want to lose the soft stigma of a team that couldn't play defense, that can only try to outscore people. Both [Hornets coach Dave] Cowens and I came here with the idea that we want to be a hard-nosed basketball team and the team showed a lot of character by picking that up quickly. That's what wins games."

Q: Can you talk about playing against a team that slows it down as much as the Cavs do?

A: "I think the Cavs just play basketball according to who they're playing. I've seen some big numbers from them more than I've seen in the past. That team executes well and they're going to take advantage of whatever mistakes you make. You've got to go in with a perfectly executed plan and play good basketball to beat them. I expect a war and I'm sure that's what they're going to give us."

Q: Are you looking over your shoulders at the Cavs or are you just looking ahead?

A: "No, we're worried about the Charlotte Hornets right now. As long as the Charlotte Hornets are playing good basketball, then we don't worry about anything."

Q: When you were with the Knicks, there was a heated rivalry with the Bulls. Now that you're with Charlotte, is there the same intensity when you step on the court against Chicago?

A: "To get to where you want to go, you've got to go through the best. Right now, they're the best. The Charlotte Hornets were supposed to be a basement team. Losing Alonzo [Mourning] and Larry Johnson was supposed to sink the Hornets' ship. Right now, we're proving that we can hang around this league with the big fellas, and in order to get where we're trying to get to, we have to go through the Bulls, the Knicks and the "elite" teams."

Q: You've always been a really tough player. Where did you pick that up from?

A: "It's just a personality thing. In New York, nothing's given to you. You've always got to work hard for whatever it is -- whether it's basketball or anything else. People are always trying to take advantage of you and you can't be stepped on, so it just translated right over to basketball. I had a long trip from [playing in] Turkey, CBA, USBL, Venezuela and all those things. For me to finally get my foot in the door, I wasn't about to go back."

Q: Talk about your team's play since the All-Star break.

A: "People expected us to sink, people expected us to be in the basement from the beginning and we've been proving people wrong. Right now, the team is solely committed to getting as many victories as we can to put us in a good playoff position. And I think that determination and focus is helping our success. I don't think the All-Star week is a time to slack off or say, "We did a heckuva job up to the middle part of the season, so now it's time to take off." We want to surprise people in the playoffs."

Q: Could you speak about Glen Rice, who is having a great season?

A: "Glen's a very tough player and takes on any challenge. He has all the tools. He's a great shooter, he can handle the ball and he's found his niche right now. He's with a team that knows how to get him the ball and put him in perfect position to score, and he's taking advantage of that. Along with that, he's helping the Charlotte Hornets a lot.

Q: What were your impressions of Charlotte before you got down there?

A: "I didn't have any impressions, really. I didn't want to leave New York because of my family and being able to look in the crowd and seeing my family and friends. It was easy to find fault in leaving New York. But once I got here, people have been so welcoming and so supportive. It's so much more of a relaxed atmosphere, so it was a real welcoming situation for me."

Q: When you first got here, this team didn't appear to be a tight team. There were some incidents on the court, but the team seems to have gotten through that. Do you feel like you personally had to drag this soft team into a hardball team?

A: "I think they picked that up very quickly. Of course, the first few games you're going to go through your problems, first with the jelling process. I don't know about the team not being tight. There's going to be personality conflicts when people are around each other for the first time, but after everybody gets a feeling for each other and learns their likes and dislikes, harmony comes and that's where we're at right now."

Q: It'll be the first time you play the Magic since the coaching change. The last game under Brian Hill was against you. Is there anything about that game that sticks out as being unusual? Was it a disorganized Magic team out there?

A: "[It] looked like a Magic team that played the same way they were playing when they were successful. You have your reasons why you want to get rid of your coach, that's internal. It's the same talent, the same team they had when Shaq went down before. We expected a tough game and they came and played. We expect the same type of game going down there. I don't think the coach makes a difference in players; he can put a better system around them, but I still think this is going to be a similar team. They've got some different personnel with Derek Strong and the backup point guard, but they're going to be tough at home -- like they always have been. They're going to step it up to try to make the eighth spot. We just have to be on our game and get the job done."

Q: You got a look at Shareef Abdur-Rahim last night. Do you think he's the best rookie in the league this season?

A: "I definitely think he should be the Rookie of the Year. He has a lot of poise, a lot of heart, he doesn't back down from anybody and he doesn't make many mistakes. He's got to work on his passing because he's going to realize later on that he's going to command a double-team because of his talent. Once he's fine with that, he's going to be a great player in this league."

Q: Do you think Muggsy Bogues can stay healthy, and what influence can he have for you in the playoffs?

A: "He's going to stay healthy. He's a warrior; the team's doing everything they can to not make any mistakes by overworking him and letting him get his rest. He comes to play. He knows the game, he's a veteran, he knows how to find the open man on the court and he knows how to cause havoc on defense. Muggsy's going to be a big asset for us in the playoffs because of his know-how and his leadership."

Q: Who are your top four teams going into the Final Four?

A: "I'm really more focused on the Hornets. It's the first year for us together and we're making strides no one was counting on, so my concentration is on the Hornets."

Q: Right now, it seems Charlotte got the better end of the deal between you and Larry Johnson even though most people didn't think so at the time the trade was made. Do you get any satisfaction about that or is it too early to judge?

A: "I always knew what I could do. Everybody can say what they want to. I don't think you'll find a person who can do all the things I can do, especially on the defensive end -- being able to guard five positions for a substantial amount of time and just being unselfish the way I am. I don't really try to compare myself to Larry or to any other player. I think I'm a unique player. I think God has blessed me with unique gifts to be an all-around player. All I'm worried about is that I'm contributing the best way I can to the team that has taken me."

Q: You have the best record in the league since January 10, except for the Bulls. What changed in the middle of the season?

A: "We have enough veterans to realize that we haven't won anything. We're just having a good season, but having a good season and getting dropped in the first round is not a success story. Everybody wants to stay focused and continue to win as many games as we could to get us into a better playoff position and hopefully, go into the playoffs and surprise some people."

Q: Long-term, what do you think the Hornets still need to stay where they are and move up to the top echelon and be a championship team?

A: "I feel we have all the pieces. I think it'll take awhile from the respect standpoint. We still don't get any respect. There are still a lot of calls going against us, but that's from not having a feel for the Charlotte Hornets right now. You have a team that has a soft reputation going out and playing physical ball. The longer we play together and everybody gets a feel for the Charlotte Hornets, calls will start to get more even. I think we can get there, we have all the talent that we need. We have two legitimate 7-footers that most teams don't have. We have a nice forward cast, nice guard cast and nice veteran leadership. We just need to get some games under our belt and more time together."

Q: From a personal standpoint, how do you feel about fitting in and being accepted by the team?

A: "Anytime you go somewhere new where you feel there'll be a fitting-in process, and you fit in as quickly as I did and become successful and contribute in big ways for the team, you feel good about yourself. I don't think I'm a hard player to fit into any system because I do whatever it takes to fit in. I think I can do many things well or to an above-average level. I didn't think it was going to be hard to fit in. I was just worried about whether this team would be able to take on a defensive persona and play hardball -- as they've labeled us. Once that point was reached, I knew we would be successful."