YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → Why Kyrie, Steph, and KD Are Still Torching the NBA | LeBron James

Why Kyrie, Steph, and KD Are Still Torching the NBA | LeBron James — Transcript

by Mind the Game · 10,703 words · 1,621 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:00People say like, "Oh, you know, you have
0:02to have this alpha dog mentality." How
0:04about staying in touch with reality?
0:05>> Coming up on this episode of Mind the
0:07Game.
0:08>> Like last night, a kid slos in a rookie
0:10for Indiana. If I try to take off and
0:13dunk this ball, this kid looks like he's
0:15going to me up.
0:16>> Yeah. Jay Dub and Casem Wallace getting
0:18hurt and missing the majority of the
0:19season. There was a number this week,
0:22tip off, there was 15% of the league
0:26>> was either doubtful or injured. Just big
0:28picture, do you feel like there's more
0:30injuries this year?
0:31>> There's no way [music] that you can
0:34simulate
0:34>> Sure.
0:35>> the way we're playing in today's game to
0:38offseason training.
0:39>> The retirement of Russell Westbrook.
0:42>> Man, one of the most fierce competitors
0:43that the game has ever seen, obviously.
0:46>> Let's do a little scouting report.
0:48Stephen Curry, what's different [music]
0:50from those finals battles to now?
0:52>> Every time you play Golden State, he's
0:53still number one on the scouting report.
0:55>> Thousand%. And Kyrie,
0:56>> what? He's almost 35 years old.
0:58>> Yeah, he's most most skilled I've ever
1:00[music] seen. And I've watched a lot of
1:03basketball and played a lot of
1:04basketball.
1:05>> Could we do the same scout for KD?
1:08What's changed?
1:10>> Nothing.
1:15[music]
1:26Start with Jay Dub and Casey Wallace
1:28getting hurt and missing the majority of
1:30the season if not the whole season
1:31depending what happens.
1:32>> But I think there was a number this week
1:34tip off there was 15% of the league was
1:39either doubtful or injur injured.
1:42There is an analytical data over the
1:46last I think in the last eight t years
1:48that the first two weeks of the season
1:50the pace is is a lot higher and then it
1:53settles in after two weeks.
1:56I mean I want to talk big picture for a
1:58minute but also man that's tough for OKC
2:01I think the betting favorite. Yeah,
2:04absolutely. And obviously we we've
2:05talked a lot about OKC over over our
2:08time here on the pod and um especially
2:11and also JDub, you know, the the
2:13injuries that he had to deal with last
2:14year.
2:15>> He started the season with the wrist.
2:17>> Then he had the hamstring that was
2:19reoccurring all year. So
2:21>> they never really got to see the full
2:23potential of what their team
2:24>> could be last year. Obviously, they know
2:26what they look like when they're whole.
2:28>> Um
2:29>> and then it seemed like he just had a
2:30great off season. And it seemed like,
2:32you know, the wrist was great, hamstring
2:33was feeling good,
2:35>> and to to see an injury like that, a
2:37freak injury injury like that. I've been
2:39a part of a injury like that before. I
2:41was literally on the floor
2:43>> when Gordon Hayward um you know,
2:45fractured his in Cleveland,
2:47>> you know, and it's like the reaction is
2:49the same reaction, you know, you kind of
2:51like
2:52>> what the hell it just happened and you
2:54just feel for that for that for that
2:56player at that particular time. So
2:58definitely a tough blow and obviously we
2:59know with Case what he brings to the
3:01team as well able to either come off the
3:03bench spark him with the defensive
3:04prowess him picking up full court and
3:06being a knack there and
3:08>> you know was shooting the ball
3:09particularly well from the outside and
3:11now for him to go down I think with the
3:12labram I think it was shoulder
3:14>> it's it's it's it's huge blows for them
3:16man and
3:17>> and then with Dort Dort Dorton's gone
3:19you know in Atlanta and so we see what
3:22happens
3:22>> that's the irony right they made all
3:24this cap space in part to sign case
3:26Wallace to lock him up. And then of
3:28course, Lady Luck on the other side. Um,
3:32and then the flip side of that too is
3:34JDub worked so hard to get healthy. You
3:35know, you just mentioned all the
3:36injuries.
3:37>> He did kind of everything right. And I
3:39know injuries are often a perfect storm,
3:41but that doesn't feel like an injury
3:42that was because of the hamstring or,
3:44you know, a freak.
3:46>> Right. Right. Right.
3:47>> Way he landed. And to do that, I mean,
3:49let's hope that this is
3:52>> as straightforward
3:54uh recovery for a terrible injury. And
3:56like it wasn't the worst of the worst of
3:58this type of injury because uh we we
4:00need we need JD on the court. I mean,
4:02this guy's so talented.
4:03>> So talented. Always super highly
4:05spirited, too. Just plays the game with
4:06a lot of joy, a lot of fun. So,
4:08>> you know, definitely, you know, wish him
4:10a speedy recovery and hopefully they get
4:11back to him.
4:12>> Absolutely. And just big picture, do you
4:15feel like there's more injuries this
4:16year? It seems as much. It does. It does
4:19seem as much. And um
4:22>> you know we first two guys I also think
4:25about you think you know Harley you know
4:27who was one of our dear friends on the
4:29show worked so hard to get back
4:32>> you know after the Achilles injury two
4:34years ago and uh now he's dealing with
4:37injuries again is going to keep him out
4:38for the foreseeable future as they're
4:40trying to figure out what the plan is
4:41with him. uh Anthony Edwards uh Ant-Man
4:44out two plus months they say with the
4:47knee
4:48>> it we go back to the the the the
4:52pace in in of the game right now and I
4:55think it has a lot to do with it.
4:57>> Yeah.
4:57>> Um there's no way
4:59>> that you can simulate
5:01>> sure
5:02>> the way we're playing in today's game to
5:04offseason training. Um, you can you can
5:07you can
5:08>> do as much as you can,
5:10>> but to to jump right into full throttle
5:14of how we're playing the game today, I
5:16think is very
5:17>> very challenging. Very challenging.
5:18>> Well, that was going to be my question
5:19for you. Do you think that we need
5:23players in the league need to play more
5:25in the summer? Maybe someone uh at your
5:28stage, [laughter]
5:30>> let's save the miles. But I mean like
5:32guys that are have to play with youthful
5:34exuberance every night. Should
5:36[clears throat] they be playing more
5:36than you know sports and and the body is
5:39about adaptations. You adapt to what it
5:41is. And like you said,
5:43>> you can do all the skill workouts, all
5:45the player development, all the
5:46conditioning.
5:46>> Yeah. All the conditioning
5:47>> and you can start to play, but that like
5:49you said, it's another leap. And then
5:52you know the demands of the game today
5:53on top of that leap. That's a huge
5:55adaptation that I think I struggle I
5:57look at it like the correlation of like
5:59like if I was a sprinter,
6:01>> you know, if I was running a 100 meter
6:03yard dash or the 4x1 relay or whatever
6:05the case may be and those guys, you
6:07know, Hussein Bolt and Justin Gatlin and
6:10all all those all those guys, you go
6:12back to Michael Johnson in like the 90s,
6:15>> if you if you just think that they were
6:17just kind of like
6:19>> running at 50 or 60% during their
6:22practice rounds and then the Olympic,
6:26>> you know, happened.
6:27>> Three rounds to get to the final.
6:28>> Yeah. And now the the gun goes off and
6:31they're taken off full speed. There's I
6:34feel like there could there's going to
6:36be some potential injury
6:38>> that happens, you know, and and and it's
6:40the soft tissue, it's the hamstring,
6:42it's the it's the quad, it's the the
6:44ankle, it's the it's the the calf, you
6:46know, it's
6:47>> So I I I do think that
6:51there Yes. play playing more in the off
6:54season, actually getting up and running
6:56up and down and actually having physical
6:57contact. Y
6:58>> because a lot of times in the offseason
7:00there's not much physical contact and
7:02workouts.
7:03>> You know, you have your certain coaches,
7:04they give you one bump, they need
7:06another bump maybe, but other than that,
7:07it's not the same
7:08>> cuz you know, offseason trainer, the
7:10last thing he wants to do is you step on
7:12his damn foot. Yeah, it's not his job,
7:14>> you know. Um, but also too the I know we
7:18hated it as players when we're in it,
7:22but the the shorting pre the shortening
7:24of the preeason
7:26>> could be it as well. You know, the
7:28>> there's really not many two a days
7:31anymore. Um there's
7:34the the the performance teams, the level
7:39of we've tal touched on this, the amount
7:41of people around [laughter]
7:44>> the amount of like
7:46>> performance teams that's now telling you
7:48guys to not,
7:51you know, play as much
7:53>> is actually it might be a little bit
7:56more detrimental to to to our players.
7:59It's it's a it's an interesting point
8:00because like I I think it's amazing the
8:03evolution of having physical therapists,
8:05sports scientists, multiple strength and
8:07conditioning coaches, and they all have
8:09incredible resumes and degrees nowadays.
8:11>> But it it is an interesting one. You
8:13know, I think [snorts]
8:15>> science, first of all, science is the
8:18consensus. Doesn't necessarily
8:20>> So what what I I I'm all for it
8:24>> 10,000%. Let's always lean on the
8:25science, but it's very hard like for it
8:27to be You know one plus one equals two
8:31in basketball because how many studies
8:33are done around the NBA? The NBA we play
8:35in three different time zones. We play
8:37three games a week minimum. You are
8:40playing at different elevations,
8:41altitudes, different all sorts of
8:43different things. Different teams play
8:44different styles.
8:45>> I think it's very difficult to you can
8:47only lean on the science. It's not you
8:49know
8:50>> it shouldn't be the all be all. And so I
8:52think that is tricky because if if I
8:54were a scientist, I'm assuming that I
8:56would lean on it extremely heavily. But
8:58where's the art in it, you know, because
9:01there it is different the proposition of
9:03the MBA. So I may be speaking way out of
9:05school here. Uh having no education.
9:07>> This is your this is this is you could
9:10be we could be but also we also have
9:12what's called a field of the game.
9:14>> Sure.
9:14>> That analytics does not account for
9:17>> right. uh the analytic department does
9:19not account for the feel and the and the
9:22the pulse
9:23>> of being a player and actually
9:26>> being a part of that feeling
9:28>> you know and it also goes back to the
9:30game play as well you know
9:32>> the analytics have told you know all of
9:34us to you know layups free throws threes
9:37or dunks layups free throws and threes
9:40>> but it's also there's a time and and and
9:43and and and time and pace for you know
9:47the mid-range game the the you know
9:49getting to the lane and and and being
9:51able to shoot the floater over a big or
9:53or being able to do certain things that
9:55maybe analytically
9:57>> because of what the whole case study has
9:59shown it takes the pulse out of the game
10:01sometimes too. So
10:03>> yeah, we could we could be I mean we're
10:05not we're not doctors at all but I would
10:07say we are professors of
10:10>> there you go
10:10>> of our profession and we've we've done
10:14this for quite a while. There is
10:15something to it, I think, of just like
10:17and it's the pace is important, but also
10:20the the playing in the summer. It's the
10:21unpredictability, right? It's you don't
10:23know when you're have to take off from
10:25this angle and meet this person in the
10:27air and land by this and you can't
10:29really do that in in offseason workouts,
10:31right? You have to play.
10:33>> Uh so, I do think there's something to
10:34it. I do think a lot of teams are
10:36thinking about it. Um but it is really
10:38hard to figure out what is the right way
10:39to approach the season. Yeah, I have
10:41been seeing a lot of teams before we end
10:43this part before we have uh the analytic
10:46department security FBI agency on our
10:48ass. Um you are seeing a lot of more
10:51franchise like they're trying to get the
10:53groups together
10:54>> in September.
10:56>> They're trying to get everybody they
10:57trying to get them together a month
10:58before like the season starts or even
11:01like late August to get them together
11:02and like you're seeing them run and said
11:04having runs or you're you're hearing
11:05about it
11:06>> getting everybody together. Let's get
11:07out on the floor. Let's let's get out
11:08and run. So the first time that it's
11:10happening is not the day after media
11:13day, you know, which is which is it's
11:15tough on
11:16>> I mean it's tough on as we can see it's
11:19tough on 20 year olds, you know, just as
11:21much it is on on 40 year olds. So
11:23>> yeah.
11:24>> Well, let's hope that uh we get uh rec
11:27speedy recoveries.
11:28>> Yeah. For all the guys. For all the
11:29guys. The league is better when the
11:31league is whole
11:32>> and less injuries going forward because
11:33uh we have a great league. We need guys
11:35on the floor.
11:36>> Absolutely.
11:36>> All right. Well, on a on a slightly sad
11:38note, but let's turn this into a
11:40positive. The retirement of Russell
11:42Westbrook,
11:43>> man. Well, first of all, we got to give
11:44him his flowers. [applause]
11:47>> Cheers to uh the Brody, man. Um one of
11:50the most fierce competitors that the
11:52game has ever seen. Obviously,
11:54>> triple double king, MVP, gold medalist,
11:58>> you know, been to the finals, have um
12:02>> scoring champ.
12:02>> Scoring champ. Yeah,
12:03>> I think you and he you you and him are
12:06the only two players ever with 25,000
12:09points, 8,000 rebounds, 8,000 assists.
12:11>> Oh
12:12>> So, um [clears throat] he he's he snuck
12:14into that rare category, which which I
12:17mean not surprising given uh
12:19>> he played a long time and I mean what a
12:22tough tough competitor.
12:24>> Uh incredible athlete.
12:26>> Incredible.
12:26>> Um the just that kinetic explosiveness.
12:30Um, I played the same position as the
12:32guy.
12:34>> You guys were like literally the
12:36complete
12:37>> If it was the decathlon, I was in the
12:39junior Olympics. [laughter]
12:40>> He was in the big the the main deal. You
12:43know what I mean?
12:44>> I was with the kids.
12:46>> Oh man.
12:47>> So, playing against him like the force,
12:50>> the ferocity, the competitiveness like
12:54uh it was a lot.
12:55>> Yeah.
12:55>> It was a lot. So, uh, you know, trying
12:57to like battle someone that strong that
12:59fast. Absolutely. And also that
13:01developed his game
13:03>> from an athlete to somebody that's
13:05>> averaging tennis tonight, that's making
13:07plays, that's making shots, that's doing
13:09all those things well beyond his
13:11athleticism. Incredible.
13:13>> And we and I call him even young in a
13:15finals appearance, too. Like my my
13:17second finals appearance is verse,
13:19>> you know, him, young young him, young
13:22Katie, young James. And I don't remember
13:24which game it was, maybe game five maybe
13:26or game four where he lit our ass up for
13:29like a 40 piece
13:30>> like and it was just like bang bang bang
13:34like just force after force after force.
13:36It's like non-stop energy. And I think
13:38one of the things about Russ that
13:40doesn't get talked about is like the guy
13:41never wanted to take a night off.
13:43>> Wanted to play in every single game.
13:45Being a teammate of his for that year or
13:48two, I think it was year and a half,
13:49maybe two years in LA. He never wanted
13:52to take a game off. Never wanted to take
13:53a practice off. Um, great dude. You can
13:57never, it's not going to be one person
13:59that played with him in the locker room
14:01and be like, man, he wasn't a good like
14:03everyone raves about him, including
14:05myself.
14:06>> And um,
14:07>> I'm, you know, kudos to him and, uh,
14:09that that that jacket, that Hall of Fame
14:11jacket is next.
14:12>> Absolutely.
14:13>> You know, for him. So,
14:14>> absolutely.
14:14>> You know, super super happy and happy I
14:16got to share the floor with him uh, for
14:18the time that we had.
14:18>> Yeah. Amazing. Congrats, Russ. Yeah,
14:20absolutely.
14:21>> What a player. Privileged to get uh
14:24>> dragged around the court by [laughter]
14:25him a few times.
14:28Um, well, speaking of uh more living
14:31legends, you know, there's a lot of kind
14:32of, let's can we say postprime
14:35superstars in the league? Your your
14:37contemporaries, yourself included,
14:40>> uh,
14:41>> Steph, KD, Kyrie,
14:43>> Dame,
14:44>> Dame, Paul, George,
14:47>> uh, James, uh,
14:50>> you know, Al Horer, guys are still doing
14:52it to different degrees. Um there was a
14:54time in the late 90s, early 2000s where
14:57there was a bunch of 35 and older guys
14:58playing well, but the pace of the game
15:01it slowed way down to like 89
15:02possessions, you know, which is, you
15:04know, it's these games were in the 80s
15:06and 90s.
15:07>> Say that static what is
15:08>> 89 possessions per game in 1999.
15:12>> I mean, there's I mean, I believe
15:14there's over a hundred now. So,
15:16>> yeah, for sure. um
15:18>> you know that that there was a record 16
15:2135 year olds played at least 1500
15:22minutes per year. Uh that year the MVP
15:25voting was Carl Malone 35 and a half.
15:27Hakee who was who was MVP? Hakee was 36
15:32um was 13th and David Robinson 35 and a
15:35half as well was 10th.
15:38>> Um but the game was slower right you
15:40know it was two bigs it was
15:43>> clogged up and a defensive game. Yeah, I
15:45remember. I remember. I mean, you said
15:46you you said 99 and 01. I came in 03.
15:49So, I remember
15:50>> when it was literally two bigs, which
15:53was technically four bigs cuz Yeah, you
15:56had you had guarding them. So, it was
15:59four guys in the lane at all times. And
16:01there was times where there was six guys
16:03cuz the small fours could be down there
16:05as well. You know, I mean, one of the
16:09most popular sets was the floppy action
16:12where it was literally eight guys. It
16:14was [clears throat] the point guard and
16:15the guy that was guarding the ball at
16:17the top of the key. And those were the
16:19only guys outside the three-point line.
16:20It was eight guys in [laughter] the
16:22paint pretty much.
16:23>> It was like uh literally at one point
16:26you could have all eight guys within 3
16:28ft of the basket. [laughter]
16:29>> Absolutely.
16:30>> Five ft of the basket. Absolutely.
16:31>> And then half the time turning, throwing
16:33it in the post, other post guy on the
16:34other block.
16:35>> Uh totally different game, different
16:37demands. So, but like let's let's talk
16:39about this. I mean, it kind of goes with
16:40our injury convers. is almost the flip
16:42side of our injury conversation is you
16:45know these guys like Katie 35 plus you
16:4740.1
16:49>> into 25 now 41 uh that we're talking MVP
16:53voting so Katie was 35 ninth in in 2024
16:56you were 40 sixth in 25 Steph was ninth
17:00in 25 Harden 10th in 25 Kawawaii seventh
17:03in 26
17:05>> um you know and and man like that those
17:09guys are playing at a high level still I
17:10mean you you you led your team to a
17:13playoff series win last year. I mean,
17:15this is rare territory. Uh I'd like to
17:18talk a little bit about how guys are
17:20able to do it, which I think is the flip
17:21side of the sports science, all the
17:23positives they bring,
17:25>> all the knowhow. But I one thing that I
17:27think is is coupled with all the names
17:31you just mentioned,
17:32>> it doesn't matter how much sports
17:34science there is if you don't have a
17:35love love for the game because the love
17:38allows you the discipline.
17:39>> Yeah. to do the little things that you
17:41do on a daily basis. And those guys we
17:43named having been around
17:45>> Steph, Katie, Kyrie, their passion for
17:48the game and the details
17:50>> just like yourself.
17:51>> It doesn't like
17:52>> Yeah.
17:53>> Sports Science doesn't matter if you're
17:54not willing to do all those extra.
17:56>> No, absolutely. I think you just said it
17:57perfectly. I think the the love of the
18:00process and the love of the game that we
18:02all share
18:03>> is the reason that we're able to still
18:05play at a at a at a high level, you
18:08know, at [clears throat] our ages.
18:10um with the miles, with the minutes,
18:12with the games,
18:13>> faster game,
18:13>> you know, the faster game, and we're
18:15able to still go out there and
18:18>> um be a presence. And you know, you look
18:20at last night, Steph 44 last night in
18:23Minnesota. Um, you know, and you know,
18:27if if if it wasn't for the love of the
18:30game or the love of the process, I think
18:32our b all of our bodies would have
18:33probably been broke down cuz we wouldn't
18:35have put in like the little small stuff,
18:37the extra work, the,
18:38>> you know, the stand after practice to
18:40get the work done, the stand or get
18:42super early before the games or the
18:44practices to get the body work done and
18:46the mind work done. So yeah, I mean we
18:49we we hope you know and I I don't want
18:51to speak for all of us, but you know, we
18:54hope that we can like inspire the
18:56younger generation behind us to kind of
18:58like if you want to have a longlasting
19:04dominating career, you know, a longevity
19:07career that it's not just about like
19:09just showing up and just putting the
19:11uniform on and playing. It's so much
19:13more ins and outs to go with it. So I
19:15would I would say that probably is the
19:17you know to piggyback what you said it's
19:18just about the love the love that
19:22we want to be available to our teammates
19:24but we also want to be available and
19:25accountable to ourselves to put
19:27ourselves in a position to go out and
19:28play.
19:29>> Yeah. [music]
19:38>> Some cities shape you as a player but
19:40the places that shape you as a parent
19:42hit different. My daughter's out in
19:44Madison, Wisconsin, and any chance I get
19:47to visit her, I take it. Last time I was
19:49out there, I booked a place on Airbnb
19:52right near the Capitol. We hit the
19:53farmers market on Saturday morning,
19:55grabbed cheese curds from one of the
19:57stands, and spent the afternoon at
19:58Memorial Union Terrace, just sitting by
20:00the lake. No real agenda, just spending
20:03time together. That's what I love about
20:05traveling that way. You get to
20:06experience a little piece of what life
20:08there is actually like. And if you're
20:10heading out of town, you can list your
20:12space on Airbnb and help visitors
20:14experience your city like a local.
20:17Especially when a big game, concert, or
20:19festival brings people to town. You can
20:22earn some extra cash to put toward your
20:24next trip, too. Your home might be worth
20:26more than you think. Find out how much
20:28atbnb.com/host.
20:35Let's
20:41let's do a little scouting report.
20:42[laughter]
20:43Let me hear uh
20:44>> I see that little smirk on your face.
20:46>> Let me hear LeBron James midc career to
20:49LeBron James now. Like give me like what
20:53like legit what was what would your
20:54scouting report have been in the middle
20:56of your career versus now?
20:57>> Okay, so year 12. So year 12 would have
21:01been
21:01>> right in the middle of your career.
21:02>> Yeah, right in the middle of my career.
21:03>> That's crazy. That's like people's
21:05[snorts] two careers,
21:06>> right? [laughter] So year 12 would have
21:08been
21:10So I went to Miami year 8, 9, 10, 11. So
21:14year 12 would have been my first year
21:16back in Cleveland.
21:18>> So I mean I I I was feeling like really
21:23I mean I was 30.
21:24>> Did Did was that the year? Did you have
21:2645 game one of the finals?
21:28>> Yes.
21:31>> So what who was that player?
21:33That player was someone who
21:35>> What's on the board? Other team's board.
21:36Golden State game one.
21:38>> Game one. So that's my So game one.
21:40Kevin Love is hurt. No, I don't think I
21:42have 45 that game.
21:44>> But [clears throat] maybe the next year.
21:44>> Yeah, the Kevin Love got hurt my first
21:46year in Cleveland. Tory shoulder
21:49separated his shoulder. Kyrie in
21:51overtime
21:53um fractured his kneecap. Um I played
21:56pretty well. didn't shoot the ball
21:57particularly well, but it was a that guy
22:00was someone who had went off to college,
22:05learned a lot uh on
22:09everything that he wanted, everything
22:11that he that he knew he wanted, he was
22:14able to go and find it and then bring
22:18that mentality and that knowledge back
22:22home. Um,
22:25>> meaning Miami college. Yeah, exactly.
22:28And um
22:30I I I think the I guess the only thing
22:34that I would say to him is that
22:38I mean, you you don't really
22:43understand or know like how many more
22:47cracks at it.
22:48>> Yeah.
22:49>> At this level, how many more cracks at
22:51it you got being in the finals? And
22:53>> were you aware at that time? No, because
22:55I was just living in the moment. I was
22:57just living in the moment and,
22:59>> you know, just trying to make an imprint
23:02on an organization and a franchise that
23:04hadn't been there and making an impact
23:06and a uh on a on a group of guys, the
23:10majority that haven't been there. Um, we
23:12had some guys that been to the finals um
23:14that came along that year, but yeah, I
23:17mean, he was just super like super laser
23:19focused. Um,
23:22I can for sure sit there and say that
23:24that that the for almost 42 year old
23:27LeBron
23:29has no idea that he can actually even be
23:31talking to that guy because
23:34>> there's no way if you would have told me
23:35in 2014 15 that I would be playing in
23:382026 27 just that doesn't even sound it
23:42doesn't even sound right.
23:45Well, yeah.
23:47>> I mean, that that it's gotten out of
23:49hand how how far it's gone. But, uh,
23:51[laughter]
23:52but it's still going. Um, but I would
23:54say a couple things on the board. If I
23:56were the Warriors, I could transport
23:57back to those first two, three series.
23:59>> Yeah.
23:59>> In Cleveland,
24:00>> the return to Cleveland, uh, build a
24:03wall in transition.
24:04>> I mean, the speed, strength, ball
24:07handling, playmaking, devastating in
24:09transition. Um, pick and roll. gonna
24:13pick the gym apart but can't let him get
24:14in the paint. So, are we shocking going
24:17under? Uh, probably gonna mix in a
24:19blitz, but shock go under high hands
24:21because you're gonna pick people apart.
24:24>> Post bully to the left shoulder, fade to
24:26the right.
24:27>> Um,
24:29>> and just make it crowded
24:32and keep you off the rim, but have to
24:34spray out the ball's coming out. So, you
24:36got to pick your poison. But for me, it
24:37was about
24:39>> trying to limit rim attempts and free
24:41throws for you. cuz if I saw the ball
24:43going through the hoop on a rim attack
24:44or a rim attempt, then it opened up the
24:46rest of the game.
24:47>> Well, it's not like you you you weren't
24:48a bad shooter, but that was the weaker
24:51part considering your skill,
24:53athleticism, size, strength. Getting to
24:55the rim was death.
24:56>> So, we're going to have to live with
24:57some of those until you've made too many
25:00and it's time to trap. It's whatever.
25:02>> But, um
25:03>> now, okay, so that would be off the
25:05cuff, you know, 12 year later scout
25:08report. Who who are you now and how have
25:10you adapted? Like that's what's
25:11interesting about this is you're still
25:14>> doing the same things in a different
25:16way. So, how have you adapted? What's
25:18the difference?
25:19>> Yeah, now it's just more like picking my
25:20spots. I'm able to do pretty much
25:23everything I was doing 12 years ago, but
25:25more is it's just more in like spurts
25:27and picking my spots and understanding,
25:30you know, now what
25:32>> I mean I wasn't playing with Joel Embiid
25:35and Tyrese Maxi, you know, or like last
25:37year playing with Luca Donic, you know,
25:40um you know, obviously I had Kyrie, but
25:4212 years ago he like you said, he hurt
25:43his knee and
25:45>> um you know, played the next year, got
25:47to the finals, won the finals. Obviously
25:48Kyrie is an unbelievable player, but
25:50it's just I'm just from my
25:51>> You have to carry the load.
25:53>> Yeah, exactly.
25:54>> Your responsibility, [clears throat]
25:54>> my responsibility, my usage is a lot
25:59>> lower than it was 12 years ago and and
26:01rightfully so. Um and that's just a
26:03borderless growth mindset. So like
26:06>> yeah, still still being able to do all
26:08the things,
26:09>> but I don't have to force the action or
26:13feel like I have to carry the load of
26:15the action. Mhm.
26:16>> You know, I can be more of a table
26:18setter, you know, [clears throat] um,
26:20you know, now 12 years later in year 24.
26:23>> Yeah. I mean, I see a player in you now
26:25that is happy to be a connector.
26:29>> Yeah.
26:30>> Not have to create always the advantage,
26:32but happy to take what little advantage
26:34someone created and now be the player,
26:36be the connector. Do I make like last
26:38night you had a couple
26:39>> one more pass where you could have in
26:41the old days felt the responsibility I
26:43got to drive this ball on the rotation.
26:44Yeah. or shoot it. You just one more
26:46simple pass and then nothing on your
26:48legs, nothing taxing, but you made the
26:50thing all work. Um I think
26:53>> the the quarterbacking at both ends,
26:56>> you know, defensively, you know, you
26:59instead of having to, you know, take on
27:02like that role, you can quarterback the
27:05defense, you can talk, point, lead. And
27:07then I think also the acceptance, the
27:09acceptance that I don't need to be the
27:11same. I can still have the impact the
27:13understanding of the analytics and where
27:15the game's gone to know what's good
27:17basketball, what's bad basketball,
27:18obviously using your feel, but it's
27:20>> so there there's a it's it's it's fun to
27:22watch in that respect. It was fun to
27:24watch you go coast to coast in the old
27:26[clears throat] days.
27:26>> Yeah. [laughter]
27:27>> It's now it's fun to watch you just
27:29thinking up here.
27:30>> Yeah. Just trying to think the game.
27:31Yeah. Yeah. Thinking the game out more.
27:33Not only not
27:35>> not even particularly for myself cuz I
27:36kind of been there and seen it all.
27:39>> Yeah. but more thinking the game for my
27:42teammates.
27:42>> Yeah.
27:43>> You know, that that haven't seen it all.
27:45Yeah.
27:45>> Or some of the guys that's still
27:46learning, you know, so trying to think
27:48the game from a a broader aspect for
27:50them as well.
27:50>> Yeah. Like I I use the word health. You
27:54>> you're you're adding to the health.
27:57>> Yeah.
27:58>> The offense and the defense by using
28:00your
28:01>> your understanding, your experience.
28:02What about um could we do the same scout
28:06for KD? What's changed?
28:09>> What's
28:13Nothing.
28:13>> I know. One thing that's not changed.
28:15So, I do think a couple things have
28:16changed. Well, one thing that's not
28:17changed, his shotmaking.
28:18>> His shot making. His efficiency is
28:21crazy.
28:22>> He's so efficient. I think we talked
28:23about this like a few episodes ago, how
28:25efficient he is.
28:26>> He He can still rise up and shoot. He
28:28can still one dribble pull. He can still
28:30two dribble. He's got the one leg. He's
28:32got the fade. All that stuff is very
28:34similar. I would say that just the the
28:36only difference is
28:37>> volume of attacks, you know, not going
28:39to get downhill, not going to try. He's
28:42going to not and I don't want to say
28:44settle wisely,
28:45>> go to where he's comfortable, not overt
28:47tax himself. Um I would say though in
28:50his younger years, he could be
28:52devastating force going to the rim for
28:54someone who was so deadly as a shooter
28:55at 610.
28:56>> Right. Right. Right.
28:57>> Um now he picks his spot. He does. And
29:00he uses his his his dribble ability and
29:04his quick twitch punches
29:06>> to back the defense up just a little bit
29:09for him to
29:10>> and they can't get back.
29:10>> And you can't get back. I mean, I saw
29:12one move he had against Wimby the game
29:14when the Thompson twin made that
29:16unbelievable block.
29:17>> Unbelievable block at Duro Wimby,
29:19>> but uh he had a a double cross, you
29:23know, against Wimby. shot fake and Wimby
29:26was right there and he just gave a
29:28little slight fade and shot it over top
29:29of him. I was like
29:31>> he's probably the only guy in the league
29:33that could probably make that move
29:34versus Wimby.
29:35>> Okay. What about uh Stephen Curry? Uh as
29:38you said at 44 this week.
29:40>> Yeah.
29:41>> What's different from those finals
29:43battles to now?
29:44>> It's it's hard because every time you
29:47play Golden State, he's still number one
29:49on the scouting
29:50>> thousand%.
29:52>> Number one and number two. It's like you
29:54have to pick him up. You have to find
29:57him early in transition with him with
29:59the ball and even more when he's off the
30:01ball. If you pick him up too high in the
30:05back court and you got to watch for
30:07Draymond because there's going to be a
30:08pick in the back court and if the big is
30:10not up, he's shooting it.
30:11>> Yeah.
30:13>> But there's not much
30:16that has changed. You look at his
30:18conditioning, he's still in super ultra
30:20condition.
30:22Um,
30:24>> if anything, would it be just the
30:25attacks at the rim maybe
30:27>> like the rest of us? But
30:29>> yeah,
30:29>> he's still super efficient.
30:31>> He still shoots the ball better than
30:33anybody in the league.
30:35>> He still has the uh the guy seems like
30:38he never gets tired.
30:42>> Not much is not much.
30:43>> No, you're right. I mean, this is a
30:44common thread, right? It's like all of
30:46you guys are doing a pretty damn close
30:51factimile or interpretation of what you
30:54always did. I do uh
30:56>> like and especially you said like the
30:57the the scouting report on Steph is to
31:00beat the crap out of him.
31:01>> Try to wear him out otherwise you you're
31:03dead cuz he's going to fly around and
31:05like you said I know you were saying as
31:06a joke he's number one and two but he
31:09kind of is because it's the actions he's
31:11in where he doesn't receive the ball
31:13that in a sense is getting layups for
31:15other people or getting wide open threes
31:17for other people. So, it's like he is
31:19this force of energy and gravity. Yeah.
31:22>> Um that makes it tough,
31:25>> you know. But you brought up a good
31:26point about the rim finishing. We said
31:28it about KD picking your spots. That is
31:30something that I we saw with Russ. I
31:32think that is after all the miles, all
31:35the XL's, all the dels, all the landing.
31:38That is one thing that I don't think the
31:39body can do forever.
31:41>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
31:42>> You know that taking off and not
31:44worrying about where you land.
31:45>> Exactly. that that del to lift to land
31:49like
31:50>> tell me a little bit about that like
31:52that.
31:52>> I know for sure [laughter] that
31:54>> No, for sure. I mean, listen, like the
31:56the the the LA you never worried about
31:58like
32:00stepping on somebody when you were
32:02younger or if it was multiple bodies in
32:04the lane, you like
32:06>> want to jump over them or I'mma euro
32:08step past them. I'm a dail back or I'mma
32:10pull the like
32:12>> you had all those
32:14>> you had everything in the bag. And then
32:16like as you as you get a little older or
32:19you get a lot older in my case and you
32:20know you you you have to think about
32:23like last night like I was telling my
32:25teammates so we was playing in a game
32:27and the kid slos in a rookie for
32:30Indiana. I got a steal and in my
32:35rearview mirror I seen him hauling ass
32:37to get back on defense.
32:40The first thing in my mind was like,
32:42>> if I try to take off and dunk this ball,
32:45this kid looks like he's gonna me
32:47up.
32:47>> Yeah.
32:48>> Because he messed up the play. Yeah.
32:49>> They swung it to him. He wasn't ready
32:51for the ball. I stole it. So now he's
32:53like, I got to get back because
32:54>> I'm thinking like Rick Carlile is going
32:56to be on his ass. He's not going to play
32:58again. He's like, I got to get back.
33:01>> I'm like, there's no way I'm about to
33:02take off. I can't afford if I try to
33:05take off the risk versus the reward.
33:07>> I'm going to lay this ball up. And he
33:08block. He got back and blocked it. I'm
33:09like,
33:10>> they reviewed it?
33:10>> Yeah, they reviewed it. I'm like, it's a
33:12clean block. It's no foul, whatever.
33:14>> Great review. I mean, great, terrible
33:16call by the Revs. Great review by Rick,
33:18but I'm like
33:19>> a business decision by you.
33:20>> If I go up and try to dunk this ball and
33:23this kid me up,
33:25>> we land on each other and
33:26>> yeah, I'm out two to four weeks for no
33:29question. I was like, I'm not even going
33:30to do that. So like those are the type
33:32of things like that clicks into your
33:34head
33:35>> that would at 12 years ago or
33:39>> I mean for me it could have been
33:40even 5 years ago four years ago I would
33:42have probably taken off but
33:44>> early in November as you building up
33:47>> you're like
33:47>> that's the risk part and and naturally a
33:50little less lift a little less del
33:53strength all that stuff it is a risk and
33:56so it actually is uh what do they say
33:59youth is wasted on the Mhm.
34:00>> You know, but you you guys use your
34:04>> intelligence, you pick your spots, you
34:05get the same thing done generally, like
34:08you know, like we said about Steph, like
34:10kind of the same.
34:10>> Yeah.
34:11>> That's what kind of makes it so like
34:13>> right
34:13>> in awe and and special still that
34:16>> our group, our guys Katie and myself and
34:20Steph.
34:21>> It's great to see Dame back.
34:22>> Dame killing,
34:23>> you know, Dame killing
34:24>> after after a brutal injury.
34:26>> Yeah, exactly.
34:27>> Kawawaii.
34:27>> Kawawaii. you know, James is, you know,
34:30like all all of the the the the
34:33>> late guys, the elder statesmen
34:35>> are still able to kind of like
34:38be themselves, but
34:41>> you know, it's like a little
34:42>> find a way.
34:43>> Find a way.
34:44>> Find a way.
34:45>> Find a way. And not in like a
34:47disrespectful game god's way. It's like
34:49still purity. Still purity. So
34:51>> yeah, it's it is uh it is it's great. I
34:55mean, that's the thing. Uh
34:58what I love about that those names you
34:59just mentioned is that uh there's a such
35:02a love for the game and you mentioned it
35:04earlier you you want to show the model
35:06to this younger generation what it takes
35:08to be great how you should approach the
35:10game and it is it is you know that those
35:136 10 12 names we we we've thrown out
35:15there
35:16>> um represent not just the game of
35:19basketball but the approach to playing
35:21and that's why the reward is there still
35:23doing at this level. I mean, uh, yeah. I
35:26mean, Dame 36, Drew Holiday still in the
35:29playoffs last year. It was unreal, I
35:31thought, against, uh, San Antonio. I
35:33mean, that's a tough matchup, but he's
35:34still making plays.
35:36>> U, Brooke 38 and a half. Um, Horford 40
35:41and a half.
35:43>> You know, I mean, they let's look at
35:46Brooke and Horford in in two different
35:47ways. Okay, so those are guys that
35:50they've adapted. They're not they're not
35:52like Steph. uh they're not like you in
35:55the Houston series last year like KD
35:57that are still like if you squint you're
35:59like that's the same guy like you can
36:01still see it even though we know that's
36:02like a little bit less
36:04>> picking your spots business decisions
36:06but a guy like Horford has reinvented
36:08himself a guy like Brooke was a post
36:10player early in his career the analytics
36:11change became a three-point shooter rim
36:13protector like
36:14>> talk a little bit about like how some of
36:16those guys have been able to reinvent
36:19and have the big impact
36:20>> yeah I mean one word I always talk about
36:23is like the just growth mindset,
36:25>> you know, when you look at Brooke and
36:27you look at Al, you know, just that
36:28those guys just having growth mindset of
36:30being able to reinvent themselves, you
36:34know, um, you know, there's a time
36:36obviously when, you know, Al was in
36:38Atlanta that you, you know, you get a
36:40switch on him, you throw the ball in the
36:41post, he's going to punish the small,
36:43you know, and the same with Brooke.
36:45Brook, like you said, Brooke was low
36:47post threat, you know, you can give it
36:48to him multiple possessions in a row,
36:51you know, and he would, you know, make a
36:53play. And I think, you know, for them to
36:55just have growth mindset and seeing the
36:57way the league has changed over over
36:58time and them to still be able to be on
37:00the floor and still make plays in a
37:03different role and still be effective.
37:05Um, it's just a
37:07>> it's a commend to them. It's a tribute
37:09to them on just like you said, just
37:10having that growth mindset and being
37:11able to still adapt. You know,
37:13adaptability is is is very key in our
37:15league, you know, if you want to stick
37:17around and those guys have done it.
37:18>> Yeah. Because, you know, like
37:21>> you can easily get played off the floor.
37:24>> Yeah.
37:24>> You know, the speed of the game and for
37:26Al, I mean, I thought Al and those
37:27Boston teams and he obviously I think he
37:29hit five, six threes in the playing game
37:31last year, you know, after having a very
37:34injury plague season. I mean it is a
37:37maximum respect for again the
37:39discipline, the intelligence, the
37:41self-awareness to to adapt like you
37:43said. So yeah, there's a lot of ways to
37:45get it done. Yeah. And uh
37:46>> absolutely
37:47>> we've seen I mean
37:48>> that's why all your stories are so
37:49interesting. You're at a slightly
37:50different stage than Steph to KD to Dame
37:54coming off the injury um to guys like
37:56Brooke or Al uh Kawaii when healthy
37:59still all league.
38:00>> Yeah. last year. I mean, that that that
38:02is an impressive let's can we call it a
38:05generation? I mean, you're you're a
38:06couple years older than these guys, but
38:08you're still you're still still hanging
38:10in there in [laughter] that generation.
38:12>> You you you multigenerational.
38:14>> I'm multigeneration for sure. I'm
38:15multigeneration. Speaking of
38:17self-awareness, Paul George had a quote
38:18a few years ago saying that he realized
38:22and he's still I mean a few years ago
38:24and he's still now, but a few years ago
38:26he was still really playing at a high
38:27volume, high high efficiency that he
38:29realized that if he was going to win a
38:31championship, he couldn't be the best
38:32player on the team, meaning he he needed
38:34to be second or
38:361A. Uh that self-awareness is so
38:39undervalued and appreciated. You you see
38:41that a lot in everyone, not just Paul.
38:43But I don't think we have that enough in
38:45sports actually
38:46>> or in life.
38:48>> We talk about sports and in life like
38:49just being
38:51>> self-aware
38:52of
38:54not what you're capable of cuz he's not
38:57saying that he's not capable of being
38:58the best player
38:59>> winning finals game or two.
39:01>> Exactly. But the self-awareness saying
39:03that and I think where I'm at in this
39:06point in my career, if I'm the highest
39:09usage guy on a team or I'm shooting all
39:12the balls or if I'm the main everything,
39:14you know, I have to do all this, then I
39:17don't believe that that's a the best
39:19ingredients to win a championship. Um,
39:21that's commendable to to anybody. I
39:24think it's just I mean, shout out PG for
39:27that for sure. it [clears throat] it's a
39:28little bit like uh
39:31like vulnerability is strength.
39:32>> Yeah, man.
39:33>> But we're we're we're taught not to be
39:35vulnerable as athletes.
39:37>> I already know he probably got killed
39:38for saying it too. And I I don't even
39:40remember him saying that. But like,
39:42>> you know, they
39:44>> Yeah. And and especially in today's
39:46world where you're not in sports, you're
39:47not allowed to show no vulnerability.
39:49You're not not allowed to show like,
39:51okay, I'm not able to do this. I need
39:54help.
39:54>> Yeah. Um, everyone gets killed for that,
39:58>> you know. I know it firsthand,
40:00[laughter]
40:01>> you know. But, um, that I mean PG that's
40:04that's commendable. I didn't I didn't I
40:06don't remember him saying that clip. Um,
40:09um, but that's that's awesome.
40:11>> Yeah. I mean, it's uh there's like um
40:16people say like, well, you know, you
40:17have to have this alpha dog mentality.
40:20How about staying in touch with reality?
40:23uh like that that is more valuable than
40:26always pretending you're 1,000.
40:28>> You're a smart man.
40:30>> I would I would I don't know if I'm
40:31smart, but uh
40:32>> listen, my mama always say if common
40:34sense was common, we all have it.
40:37>> All right. So,
40:38>> there we go. [laughter]
40:40>> People just
40:42>> Yeah, we we
40:43>> you got to run your own race, you know.
40:44>> Yeah, it's hard product of our our
40:46environment. Our environment is one that
40:49unfortunately is
40:50>> Yeah.
40:52bravado of masking insecurity.
40:54>> Yeah.
40:55>> Getting on the couch. Psych psychology
40:57101 here.
40:58>> Yeah, exactly.
40:59>> I'm not a sports scientist or a
41:00psychologist, but I seem to think I am.
41:03>> Yeah. [laughter]
41:05>> And Kyrie 34 and a half.
41:07>> What? I can't He's almost 35 years old.
41:09>> Yeah. Uh Holy And and
41:12>> at about 33
41:14tore his ACL. I think he's about a year
41:17and a half over that now. just the way
41:19it happened. Early signs are he's moving
41:22just like he always did.
41:24>> Yeah.
41:24>> Yeah. I saw that that preseason game
41:26that he played in
41:29>> uh verse Houston and he looked really
41:31good in that preseason game. Looked very
41:32spry.
41:34>> Still had all the stop and goals, you
41:37know, the the stop on a dime, you know,
41:40the onelegged runners like
41:43>> seems pretty pretty comfortable. I
41:45haven't seen any of their games, their
41:46regular season games this year. Uh, thus
41:49far, um, I'm still tripping out that
41:52he's almost 35,
41:54>> right?
41:55>> That was 12 years ago when I went back
41:56to Cleveland.
41:58>> Damn, he was 22 years old.
42:00>> He's the youngest of the names, but uh,
42:02he's
42:02>> he was 22 when I went there.
42:03>> He's knocking on the door of that
42:05generation.
42:06>> Uh, but but [clears throat] you're
42:07right, like I think I was feel like
42:09Kyrie's maybe the most probably the most
42:11skilled player to ever play our game.
42:13just the breadth of skills,
42:15>> handling, shooting from all angles,
42:19finishing.
42:20>> Uh,
42:21>> but I but I think what makes him that
42:24like he could play a long time just on
42:26that, but I think what makes him really
42:27special is one of the best movers. You
42:29know, we think of athletes in our league
42:31as guys that are just dunking on
42:32everyone. But
42:33>> his quickness, his change of direction,
42:36>> his change of direction,
42:37>> deceleration, his ability to control his
42:40body and air, whether it's shooting or
42:42finishing.
42:43>> Uh special special athlete.
42:45>> We just we don't always lead with who's
42:47the best athlete in the league, Kyrie,
42:48because he didn't dunk on nine guys.
42:50>> Yeah, exactly. There's one clip that we
42:52going that we can bring up in post
42:54production and show it, but there's one
42:56clip. I believe it was Dallas two years.
42:59It was Lucas last year there maybe in
43:02the playoffs verse the Clippers and
43:05Kyrie made a move to the basket and they
43:07put it in slow motion and he like jumped
43:11and he like moved the ball and then PG
43:14was like behind him and he like moved it
43:16again and and finished over both of
43:19them. You got we got to pull this clip.
43:21It's and it's in slow motion. I was
43:23like,
43:24>> how in the did he make this?
43:28>> And I don't even know why I'm saying how
43:29in the cuz I seen it for three
43:31years, you know, being his teammate. So
43:33like
43:33>> still. Yeah. I'm like, "Oh, wow. That
43:37was in incredible." So
43:39>> yeah, he's most most skilled I've ever
43:41seen. And I've watched a lot of
43:43basketball and played a lot of
43:45basketball.
43:46>> Yeah. crazy crazy athlete on top of the
43:49skill, just not our typical,
43:51>> right?
43:51>> You know, we always think that, you
43:52know, whoever dunks on everyone is the
43:54best athlete, but athleticism comes in a
43:56lot of different forms. [music]
44:03[music]
44:05>> On the court, you want someone
44:07protecting the rim before the play even
44:09develops. That's what Infinity Cyber
44:12Secure does for all your devices. It's a
44:14security feature built into your
44:16Exfinity gateway and included with your
44:18Wi-Fi at no extra cost. From the moment
44:21you connect, Cyber Secure works in the
44:23background, blocking billions of online
44:25threats before they ever reach your
44:27devices, phones, laptops, the kids
44:30tablets, all of it covered. You don't
44:31have to think about it. Just activate it
44:33through the Xfinity app and you'll get
44:35proactive alerts whenever a threat is
44:37detected, so you're always in the know.
44:40Always on protection so you can focus on
44:42everything else. Plus, you can lock in
44:45your Wi-Fi price for 5 years guaranteed
44:47with equipment included. No contracts,
44:50no commitments. Get Exfinity Cyberscure
44:53now at Xfinity.com/shield.
44:56Restrictions apply. Not available in all
44:59areas. Exfinity CyberScure requires
45:01Exfinity Gateway. 5-year price guarantee
45:04on select plans only.
45:07[music]
45:14PJ sent some questions in.
45:16>> Yeah, we did. Our fan question today
45:18comes from PJ Tucker. [laughter]
45:20>> Push play. Lean in, boys. Watch it.
45:22>> All right.
45:23>> All right,
45:24>> Brian. I got a I got a question for you,
45:26bro. We both OG's in the game. Came in
45:29class of 2003. You already know. Uh, so
45:32we seen the game come and go and come,
45:34right? Pause. I want to know what you
45:37think and how you see the game going
45:40from when we started in the early 2000s
45:43to um you know kind of our primes in the
45:46mid 2010s to now um where do you see the
45:50game?
45:51>> Okay, so shout out PJ um
45:54>> fan question from PJ PJ Tucker. So the
45:57question was PJ asks
46:00how have I seen the game and where have
46:02I seen the game from the time that we
46:04entered the league pretty much in 03 and
46:06obviously Steve was already in the
46:07league to you know kind of like a
46:10halfway point of like the the 2010s to
46:14basically to now
46:15>> and and we've we've discussed this like
46:17in in some of our episodes is
46:20>> yeah the game was obviously much slower
46:23paced when I first came in there was
46:25literally
46:27really two bigs.
46:29>> And and when you when you played in
46:31those days, the it it really was like
46:33point guard, shooting guard, small
46:35forward, power forward, center.
46:38>> There wasn't like positionless
46:40basketball just yet when I first came
46:42into the league, and you probably could
46:44attest to it as well. I mean, my first
46:46game
46:47>> um first NBA game obviously was vers
46:50Sacramento, which is well documented,
46:51but it was Mike Bby. He was the point
46:53guard. You know, Doug Christie was a two
46:56guard. Pasia was a small forward.
46:58>> Doug and Pasia didn't really handle the
47:00ball as much. They the the
47:02responsibility was in Mike Bibbyy's
47:04hands.
47:04>> And then obviously Seb was he was
47:06injured to start that season, but it was
47:08Brad Miller at the power four and it was
47:10Vlad at the center.
47:11>> Mhm.
47:11>> There was no like ifs or buts who was in
47:14what position. It was like, okay, if the
47:17fiveman is in the middle of the he's
47:19he's trailing. the point guard is
47:20bringing the ball up, the wings run to
47:22the side and wherever the uh the one of
47:25the bigs, whatever big was there first,
47:27you take the ball out, the other big run
47:28all the way down the floor and get to
47:29the dunker.
47:30>> Um and it was not much
47:34pace and space. There was a couple
47:35teams, I mean, Sacramento could will run
47:37a little bit. Um you guys with with
47:40Nelly at the time will run a little bit
47:42when you was in Dallas.
47:44>> We were kind of like a young team. It
47:46was me, it was myself, De Mouse, you
47:48know, um, you know, um,
47:51Dwan Wagner, Ricky Davis, like we would
47:53Carlos Boozer was young, so
47:55>> we would try to run a little bit,
47:57>> but it wasn't it wasn't the same.
47:58>> It wasn't the same. It wasn't the same.
48:00So,
48:01>> in that sense, when you first got into
48:03the league, it was more just like
48:05bruiser ball, you know, you had to have
48:08>> four or five bruisers.
48:11>> Mhm.
48:11>> The physicality to just like
48:14people.
48:16You know, and it was like if you was
48:18super skilled,
48:20>> you can kind of see it because it was
48:22not much wiggle room and not much space
48:24to kind of maneuver. Like, so when you
48:27were one of the skilled guys on the
48:28floor, they was like, "Holy that
48:31that looks different."
48:32>> Yeah.
48:33>> You move to the 2010s now, you kind of
48:37have you're starting to get a little bit
48:39more
48:40>> speed.
48:41>> And that that era, you just left. Mhm.
48:43>> Not everyone was shooting threes, right?
48:45Like even premier guys, they weren't all
48:48unless they're wide
48:48>> wide open. Right. Right. And the damn
48:51show wasn't a lot of big shooting
48:52threes. We like when Vlatty used to
48:54shoot the three. We were like, "Oh,
48:56Blotty shooting the three. Calm down
48:58Vlatty. Take two a game." Like, "Calm
49:00down Vlatty. Why you taking so many
49:02threes?"
49:02>> Like I I mean I had Big Z
49:05>> and he would never shoot the three. you
49:07shoot the 17 18 foot, you know, you
49:09know, shot right inside and it was it
49:11was money, but nobody was really
49:12shooting threes like that.
49:14>> And then you move to the 2010s,
49:17you know, obviously you have you guys,
49:20you you move on to Phoenix, you have the
49:23birth of Steph Curry, you have Russell
49:26Westbrook and Kevin Durant, those guys
49:28coming into the league. you have a lot
49:31more like the league is starting to
49:34shift a little bit as far as like speed.
49:37>> Yeah.
49:38>> You know, it's not it's not a lot of now
49:42like
49:43>> like grow, you know, bulk and strength.
49:46And you had a couple of those teams like
49:48even the teams that I played against um
49:50in Indiana, you had the David West and
49:52the Roy Hibbers
49:53>> in Detroit, they they they kept it going
49:55a little bit. You had kind of the Ben
49:57Wallace still was kind of still there,
49:59the Jason Max, the Rashique Wallace. You
50:00kind of
50:01>> you had a couple of those teams,
50:03>> but you could see what what speed would
50:05do to some of those teams
50:07>> and the rules were changing.
50:08>> And the rules were chang
50:10Yeah, the rules were changing.
50:12>> Um, so yeah, the game and and obviously
50:16it became more threes, it became more
50:17patient space. We give a lot of credit
50:19to uh to you guys in Phoenix and
50:21obviously what what Dan Tony and you
50:23know what you guys were bringing to the
50:25game. So
50:26>> you could just start seeing a shift.
50:28>> You start seeing a shift from like,
50:31>> oh man, you know, you had to be a
50:33certain weight and have a a little bit
50:34more strength to survive in the league
50:36to where it's more like fun strength.
50:39It's like, okay, you can Yeah, you can
50:41be a skinnier guy. You could be 6'11
50:45>> and not have to be 245 or 250 and
50:48survive. you can be 611 and beat 220 and
50:52survive in our league because now that
50:53the rules are changing, it's more space,
50:55it's more pace, the skill is even
50:57picking up some more. So,
50:59>> yeah, that's what and obviously we know
51:01what today with the game
51:02>> analytics and everything. Yeah. And
51:04everything. So
51:05>> So what do you where to to add the end
51:07of that? What do you where do you think
51:09it's going, [laughter]
51:11>> man?
51:11>> Just continuing in this direction like
51:14here's another thing. So that Sacramento
51:15team you played up, they played out the
51:16elbows, elbow split game.
51:18>> So they had a style and you play Utah,
51:20they played out UCLA and then you know
51:21UCLA, everyone had like these different
51:24uh sets or systems,
51:26>> you know, now everyone's pretty simple.
51:28The biggest change is
51:30>> playing space and space, playing faster
51:31before the defense set and playing out
51:32of principles.
51:33>> Yeah. And playing out of principing
51:34packages.
51:35>> Yeah. There's only a few teams now that
51:37really like that kind of play out of I
51:40mean Golden State still plays the throne
51:43into the post. they get to their split
51:44action and stuff
51:45>> and and it works very well for them.
51:48>> You know, they're starting to bring a
51:49little bit more pinch post into the game
51:50as you saw what New York did last year.
51:52We call Anthony Towns,
51:54>> but ultimately our game is more just
51:56like it's get the ball up the floor. If
52:00you have a quick gap, shoot the gaps.
52:03>> You got two guys on you, get it,
52:05>> shoot, drive,
52:07>> respace, pass, and kick.
52:09>> Yeah. you know, and there are some
52:11concepts and we always talked about it
52:13like, you know, everyone thinks it's
52:15>> chaos,
52:16>> but it's definitely controlled and very
52:20like
52:20>> guys know exactly what's going on in the
52:22midst of what people think is chaos.
52:25>> But where does it go from here, Steve? I
52:26don't know because if you would have
52:28asked me in 2010 or 2012,
52:31>> could I foresee it coming to this point?
52:33I don't know if I would have been able
52:34to answer that. Let me actually little
52:37sidebar, but what's your opinion on the
52:40approach Memphis takes? They say we're
52:42going to play more guys and we're going
52:43to sub in faster
52:44>> and just play hard as
52:46>> cuz it it on paper it makes a lot of
52:49sense. You know, a lot of games, play
52:51more guys, pick up play harder and
52:54shorter stretches. At the same time,
52:56>> if you're a guy that likes to feel the
52:59game in their hands, you're gonna have
53:00to bring it home.
53:01>> Yeah,
53:02>> it is tricky.
53:03>> Yeah, it is trick.
53:05I mean, you look at Memphis right now,
53:06they got the I mean, shout out Ty
53:08Jerome, who's number one in the league
53:10is scoring [laughter] scoring right now
53:12points per game. But, I mean, they
53:16they don't really have, I would say, of
53:18like a you know, a guy that you could
53:21just like you want you want the ball in
53:23his hands at all times. Like a guy
53:24that's super high usage. I mean, Ty
53:26Jerome is doing it right now. Um, and
53:28he's a damn good player obviously, but
53:30you know the J's not there anymore or
53:33you know Jiren Jackson or you know they
53:36they're not there anymore. So I think
53:37their coach has looked at their roster
53:42and
53:44>> understood like in the Wild Wild West
53:46too if we want to kind of survive or we
53:49want to be able to
53:50>> match up with these teams the best way
53:52to do it is to stay fresh
53:54>> as much as possible throughout a
53:5648minute game. just keep hitting you
53:57with waves and waves and waves and
53:59waves. And hopefully by the fourth
54:02quarter, we've done enough that we've
54:04broken the team down because maybe we
54:06can't match them with the talent,
54:08>> but we can match them with the with the
54:10speed and mess them with the depth and
54:11match them with the the the intensity
54:13that we're going to play at. So, I I can
54:15see
54:16>> Yeah,
54:17>> maybe I I'm not in their locker room.
54:18Obviously, we're not in their locker
54:19room, but we're we're kind of smart
54:21enough to kind of get a sense of what
54:22why they may be doing it.
54:24>> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's hard to beat
54:25people uh that are just better than you
54:27and more talented. So, you got to do
54:28something different.
54:29>> Yeah. You can't play their You can't
54:30play their style. You can't play their
54:32game. If you're not as talented as them,
54:33you won't last.
54:35>> They are a talented team, though.
54:36>> Yeah.
54:37>> It's just like they don't have that one
54:38two. Absolutely. Absolutely.
54:41>> Like multiple time allars.
54:42>> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly.
54:48[music]
54:51>> Thanks for watching Mind the Game. New
54:53episodes drop every other Tuesday.
54:55Remember to like, subscribe, or follow
54:58wherever you're watching.
55:00[music]

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of Why Kyrie, Steph, and KD Are Still Torching the NBA | LeBron James by Mind the Game, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 10,703 words across 1,621 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.