Is "heart" something that can be acquired or is it what you are born with?

Heart can be acquired.
Brain can be washed.
Belief can be dictated.
People can be motived.
God can be created.

Admit it. We've been doing this for years.

 

What's up with all these T-Mac threads again.
Come on people, let's move on.

Welcome Brad.

Yao for Paul+Scrubs.

 

There's really no answer to this. This is based more on someones personality rather than just "heart." In regards to personality, psychologists have been debating this topic for hundreds for years and you can most likely find it in almost ANY psychology book. It's "Nature VS Nurture." Are people born with it or do people acquire it?

 

It's a combination of a lot of things.

A lot of it has to do with how someone was raised.

It's tough to answer. There is no right or wrong answer.

 

Depends. It can be born with and can be aquired through experiences. Someone around you must have it to teach it though. Very rare it isnt taught by someone unless its a dramatic experience that fills the person with determination. Which can alkso be called "heart". Its merely ones resolve or lack thereof or determination rather.

 

I think most people born with it, but with time and effort some people might acquire it.

 

Born with it inside you, period. Some people are competitive and will do everything in their power to compete, whereas many people give in when facing a challenging situation (See Atlanta Hawks this past year in the playoffs - No fire in those guys, I would not have let JJ the Zombie walk after his gutless performance, zombie-like leadership, and ripping the fans on top of that). (Only 10 to 20 % of athletes in my estimation have true Spartan heart). Don't confuse hard work or talent with hard work either.

 

Yes, you are born with a fully-functioning heart.

In all seriousness though. Everyone can have "heart" out on the basketball court. Heart in fact is nothing more than sheer determination and effort. It just depends all in all what individual are playing and fighting for that determines how much "heart" translates out onto the court.

Typically teams that have nothing to prove aren't going to go out there with the same determination and premise of those that are either:

a) backed into a corner; borderline 8th seed, etc. etc.

or...

b) have something to prove. Redemption, trying to gain respect from peers, etc.

Teams like the Lakers as good as they are, are going to have heart due to all the haters that surround them. All the critics that tell them that they aren't good enough, that they can't beat the Celtics, that they can't do this; they can't do that. Kobe especially, whilst many on this board may not like him, he shows a lot of heart out there on the basketball court which often results in poor sportsmanship yes...

More than often it'll be teams that happen to be underdogs that show the most heart. And is often the team that most NBA fans find themselves cheering for. It's always the David vs. Goliath situations that brings the most out of the Davids in the league and the least out of the Goliaths in the league.

Take the Lakers vs. Rockets matchup in the Western Conference Quarterfinals a few seasons back. You could almost visibly see the "heart" determination, passion, and perseverance displayed by the Houston Rockets especially after they lost their own, Yao Ming. Heavily considered underdogs, they fought. The series was pretty much a rollercoaster ride... huge win followed by devastating loss; but the Rockets always fought back.

So the answer to your question? I think while some individuals seem to always bring the same amount of determination and passion (heart) to each and every game. Many and most seem to only bring it when they are in moments of desperation. And they are all influenced by the environment in which they play in.

 

I wanted to add a note that I think "heart" can be described in many ways.

Competitve fire and excelling under pressure (hakeem and mj)

Getting knocked down and still getting back up no matter what (big deficit comeback wins, underdogs, the reason we all like Rocky movies)

And Long term drive and persistence to add on to your game/maximize your talent to win.

This last one would be like Hakeem and Karl Malone. Hakeem was more of a traditional power big man who dunked more in the early years of his career. Karl Malone very raw in the beginning and did not have the jump shot or any of the all around game we hated in the playoffs. They both (like mj) spent years improving and adding on to their games. (One of the reasons I respect Carl Landry and think shaq never really tried to maximize his talent like Hakeem.)

 

I agree with your point that when people have something to prove or they need redemption they'll have heart. T-mac never had to prove anything in the NBA, he went from a defensive stopper to prolific scorer in what seems like one summer. He's had the talent and the natural ability and IQ to dominate most any sport most likely. His lack of heart is simply because he was never backed into a corner, he never faced a defender he couldn't score on a team he wasn't more talented then. In his mind he believed his team was the root of all his loses. It was his teammates that were finishing the plays he gave them and so on. I think in this past year we are finally seeing a 31 year old Tracy Mcgrady developing heart, it is far too late. Anyway, that's just my opinion on his mentality when it comes to basketball.

 

This..I changed completely after second divorce of my dad and the immigration to Canada.

 

I think this is something you learn in school, especially in gym class.