--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is nice to start a game and feel the…" description: "\"It is nice to start a game and feel the game from the beginning, but I have to pick up the pace when I come off the bench.\" — Toni Kukoc" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/toni-kukoc-5248_beginning_it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the_1871654.png" --- # It is nice to start a game and feel the game from the… ![“It is nice to start a game and feel the game from the beginning, but I have to pick up the pace when I come off the bench.” quote by Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/toni-kukoc-5248_beginning_it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the_1871654.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/toni-kukoc-5248_beginning_it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the_1871654.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/toni-kukoc-5248_beginning_it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the_1871654.png) > “It is nice to start a game and feel the game from the beginning, but I have to pick up the pace when I come off the bench.” [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting a game slowly is fine, but when entering from the bench you must quickly adapt to the game's pace. **In simple terms:** Adapt quickly when joining a game late. Key Takeaway Focus on rapid adjustment. Themes sports team dynamics performance adaptation Mood determined focused Type advice strategic When to use this quote - basketball - e‑sports - team meetings Key Concepts game theory situational awareness Questions to Reflect On - How do you accelerate learning on the fly? - What strategies help you sync with team tempo? A Different Perspective Fast adaptation may cause errors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) ## Related quotes > [Sugar, it's no parade but you'll get down the street one way or another, so you'd just as well throw your shoulders back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/sugar-it-s-no-parade-but-you-ll-get-down-the-street-one-way-or/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [“Don't waste time with people who lack the ability to pick up the pace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/don-t-waste-time-with-people-who-lack-the-ability-to-pick-up-the-pace/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [I watch the game. I can feel the game. I don't need to be finessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-fournier/i-watch-the-game-i-can-feel-the-game-i-don-t-need-to-be-finessed/) [Evan Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-fournier/) > [When I face the media, maybe I don't feel it now, here with you, because it's a different sort of interview, but when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mourinho/when-i-face-the-media-maybe-i-don-t-feel-it-now-here-with-you-because/) [Jose Mourinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mourinho/) > [“Grandmaster games are said to begin with novelty, which is the first move of the game that exits the book. It could be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-christian/grandmaster-games-are-said-to-begin-with-novelty-which-is-the-first/) [Brian Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-christian/) > [“If you are feeling left behind, that means you need to pick up the pace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/if-you-are-feeling-left-behind-that-means-you-need-to-pick-up-the-pace/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [When you start the game, coaches will tell you to do stuff in a particular way, and kids do that. But the moment you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virender-sehwag/when-you-start-the-game-coaches-will-tell-you-to-do-stuff-in-a/) [Virender Sehwag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virender-sehwag/) > [I don't like feeling full when I start a game, so that's why I have a bigger meal in morning or four hours before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-o-hara/i-don-t-like-feeling-full-when-i-start-a-game-so-that-s-why-i-have-a/) [Kelley O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-o-hara/) > [I want to start every game I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ward-prowse/i-want-to-start-every-game-i-can/) [James Ward-Prowse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ward-prowse/) > [It's always nice to get off to a good start, but one game is one game, you know. Good or bad, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-gostkowski/it-s-always-nice-to-get-off-to-a-good-start-but-one-game-is-one-game/) [Stephen Gostkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-gostkowski/) > [Hard work doesn't start during the game. Hard work starts the night before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/hard-work-doesn-t-start-during-the-game-hard-work-starts-the-night/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [We're going to start the game at nil-nil and go out and try to get some goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-robson/we-re-going-to-start-the-game-at-nil-nil-and-go-out-and-try-to-get/) [Bryan Robson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-robson/) > [“Step 4: Practice Your Reaction Time! All that’s left is to connect the battery to the supply columns. The button at the bottom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oyvind-nydal-dahl/step-4-practice-your-reaction-time-all-that-s-left-is-to-connect-the/) [Oyvind Nydal Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oyvind-nydal-dahl/) > [You can't start in this game saying, 'I'm gonna make money playing it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/you-can-t-start-in-this-game-saying-i-m-gonna-make-money-playing-it/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, Straining upon the start. The game's afoot; Follow your spirit: and upon this charge, Cry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-see-you-stand-like-greyhounds-in-the-slips-straining-upon-the-start/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Toni Kukoc > [I would watch San Antonio play and see plays I recognized from the Russian team, the Yugoslavian team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-would-watch-san-antonio-play-and-see-plays-i-recognized-from-the/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [I feel as long as I'm playing productive minutes, I'll play. But if I'm sitting on the bench and not doing anything, then I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-feel-as-long-as-i-m-playing-productive-minutes-i-ll-play-but-if-i-m/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [It is a much bigger thing to have a world championship with Chicago than this one in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/it-is-a-much-bigger-thing-to-have-a-world-championship-with-chicago/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [It's easy. You just shoot the ball and then hope it's going to go in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/it-s-easy-you-just-shoot-the-ball-and-then-hope-it-s-going-to-go-in/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [I always felt like I needed to play basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-always-felt-like-i-needed-to-play-basketball/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [When my game is going well, everything gets much easier, offensively and defensively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/when-my-game-is-going-well-everything-gets-much-easier-offensively/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [I've always said that besides the NBA, the Yugoslavian league and a Russian league were the best basketball leagues in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-ve-always-said-that-besides-the-nba-the-yugoslavian-league-and-a/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [I've been playing 10 years and I know it's easier starting the game. You have the opportunity to play much more aggressively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-ve-been-playing-10-years-and-i-know-it-s-easier-starting-the-game/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [I know that three months before the season is not enough to become a good NBA player, but it's a start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-know-that-three-months-before-the-season-is-not-enough-to-become-a/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [When you reach triple-double, you know you were involved in every part of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/when-you-reach-triple-double-you-know-you-were-involved-in-every-part/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [I always thought about the NBA.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-always-thought-about-the-nba/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [My generation, with Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic, Arvydas Sabonis, that was the first wave of European players that kind of opened the door for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/my-generation-with-vlade-divac-drazen-petrovic-arvydas-sabonis-that/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [I worry for the future of the world. For my children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-worry-for-the-future-of-the-world-for-my-children/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [I think it's very important for every player after a long season, whether it's good or bad, to get total rest. Not just physically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-think-it-s-very-important-for-every-player-after-a-long-season/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [One score makes happy ONE player, one assist makes happy TWO.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/one-score-makes-happy-one-player-one-assist-makes-happy-two/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) [Explore all 102 Toni Kukoc quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) ## More Beginning quotes > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) Adam Imad > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/) [Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/) > [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/) Manae Poet Of Carisis > [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/) [Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/) > [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/) Jacklyn H Lucas [Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is nice to start a game and feel the game from the beginning, but I have to pick up the pace when I come off the bench.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Toni Kukoc" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the-game-from-the-beginning-but-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beginning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the-game-from-the-beginning-but-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/toni-kukoc-5248_beginning_it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the_1871654.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/toni-kukoc-5248_beginning_it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the_1871654.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c2/toni-kukoc-5248_beginning_it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the_1871654.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is nice to start a game and feel the game from the beginning, but I have to pick up the pace when I come…” — Toni Kukoc", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Toni Kukoc", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is nice to start a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the-game-from-the-beginning-but-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/it-is-nice-to-start-a-game-and-feel-the-game-from-the-beginning-but-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```