Kevin Durant: Part 1

Summary

Podcast Summary: Mind the Game – Kevin Durant: Part 1

Podcast Information:

• Title: Mind the Game
• Hosts: LeBron James and Stephen Curry
• Guest: Kevin Durant
• Episode: Kevin Durant: Part 1
• Release Date: July 1, 2025
• Description: Presented by Uninterrupted and Wondery, Mind The Game with LeBron James and Stephen Curry continues its mission of dissecting the intricacies of basketball, celebrating the dedication required to excel in the NBA, and honoring the beautiful game.

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1. Introduction and Setting the Stage

The episode opens with a warm welcome from hosts LeBron James and Stephen Curry, highlighting Kevin Durant as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

• Stephen Curry (00:30): “We have the privilege of one of the greatest players in NBA history here today.”
• LeBron James (00:38): “Appreciate you, Yes, sir.”

2. Kevin Durant's Scoring Efficiency

LeBron and Stephen delve into Durant's remarkable scoring efficiency, emphasizing his ability to maintain a shooting percentage above 50% since 2012—a rare feat in the NBA.

• LeBron James (01:39): “He hasn't shot under 50% since, like, 2012. And in a league that doesn't talk about efficiency enough... you’re going to have those nights for sure.”
• Stephen Curry (02:32): “...there isn't, I don't think, a spot, an action or a style of play that you couldn't be yourself, be efficient in.”

3. Evolution of Durant's Game: From Catch and Shoot to Versatile Scorer

Kevin Durant discusses his transition from a primarily catch-and-shoot player to a more versatile scorer involved in pick-and-rolls and decision-making plays.

• Kevin Durant (03:31): “That was the main thing, wanting to expand my game... I started to understand my teammates more in the game more.”
• LeBron James (05:29): “...when coach says, okay, let's run it from the left side, we've been running from the right side. Three dudes are lost... What are we doing?”

4. The 50-40-90 Club: Achievements and Mental Challenges

The conversation shifts to Durant's achievements in the prestigious 50-40-90 shooting club, highlighting both his successes and the near-misses that have haunted him.

• LeBron James (09:23): “...there's only been a small, select few of guys to do this in NBA history.”
• Kevin Durant (10:16): “...I was thinking about it, too. I wanted it so bad. And it's just like, that's another part of the mental game you can get in your own way.”

5. The Importance of the Mid-Range Game

LeBron and Stephen discuss the resurgence of the mid-range game, with both stars acknowledging its value despite modern analytics favoring three-pointers and layups.

• Kevin Durant (15:45): “Do you feel like you, if you take mid range you settle in like throughout your career?”
• LeBron James (19:00): “...the mid range is above his threes. But he's still a good shooter too, right?”

Notable Quote:

• LeBron James (19:43): “...it's something I haven't been able to master in my career. I work on it.”

6. Transition to Golden State Warriors: Team Dynamics

Kd shares insights into his seamless transition to the Golden State Warriors, emphasizing the ease due to his previous experiences and the team's strong emphasis on playing off teammates.

• Kevin Durant (23:36): “It was pretty easy... I was playing off my teammates up until then.”
• LeBron James (24:10): “...we were the Seattle Sonics, we were an expansion franchise. So you know, you just, they understand everything from building up from the ground up.”

7. Evolution of the NBA: Organized Chaos and Defensive Creativity

The hosts and Durant explore how the NBA has evolved into a game characterized by "organized chaos," where teams employ creative defensive and offensive strategies to outmaneuver opponents.

• Kevin Durant (33:15): “Strategically, as a team, we've come into organized, random basketball.”
• Stephen Curry (36:10): “It's chaos. It's organized chaos.”

Notable Quote:

• LeBron James (36:17): “Exactly right. And you see and you know, being in the finals, a lot of times you not talking a lot to your teammates... reading off of one another.”

8. The Future of the Game: Three-Point Line and Player Profiles

The discussion concludes with speculations about the future of basketball, including potential changes to the three-point line and evolving player profiles to adapt to modern strategies.

• LeBron James (47:14): “...no three point line at all. You catch it in the corner. Long too. This is a super long too.”
• Kevin Durant (43:52): “...you gotta have the personnel to do it... you just gotta have the personnel.”

Notable Quote:

• LeBron James (43:30): “They get mad if you below 35, 40, man. So do you think the profile of players changed?”

Conclusion

In this engaging episode of Mind the Game, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry provide a deep dive into Durant's evolution as a player, the psychological aspects of maintaining elite performance, and the broader strategic shifts within the NBA. From discussing the nuances of shooting efficiency and the importance of the mid-range game to exploring team dynamics and the future landscape of basketball, the trio offers invaluable insights for both avid fans and newcomers alike.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Stephen Curry (00:30): “We have the privilege of one of the greatest players in NBA history here today.”
• LeBron James (01:39): “He hasn't shot under 50% since, like, 2012.”
• Kevin Durant (03:31): “That was the main thing, wanting to expand my game.”
• LeBron James (09:23): “...there's only been a small, select few of guys to do this in NBA history.”
• Kevin Durant (10:16): “That's another part of the mental game you can get in your own way.”
• LeBron James (19:43): “...it's something I haven't been able to master in my career. I work on it.”
• LeBron James (36:17): “Exactly right. And you see and you know, being in the finals, a lot of times you not talking a lot to your teammates... reading off of one another.”
• LeBron James (43:30): “They get mad if you below 35, 40, man.”

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the podcast episode, providing a clear and engaging overview for those who haven't yet listened.

Transcript

[Kevin Durant]

Mavin here today must be a special day. We don't ever show up.

[LeBron James]

We come to one session.

[Kevin Durant]

First season.

[Stephen Curry]

Welcome back. Mind the game.

[LeBron James]

Back, baby.

[Stephen Curry]

Opening bottles.

[LeBron James]

You know it.

[Stephen Curry]

We have the privilege of one of the greatest players in NBA history here today.

[Kevin Durant]

No question.

[LeBron James]

Welcome.

[Kevin Durant]

Appreciate you.

[LeBron James]

Appreciate you. Yes, sir.

[Stephen Curry]

Yes, sir.

[LeBron James]

I think. I mean, while I'm opening this wine, I think the best way to start is like. You guys got anything you guys want to talk about?

[Kevin Durant]

Maybe.

[Stephen Curry]

So we're getting up.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, you might. You think I got enough wine?

[Kevin Durant]

This is the place to do it. This will be the place.

[LeBron James]

Mostly just started there, you know.

[Stephen Curry]

No, I mean, for. There we go. Pour that. But, you know, LeBron is the greatest, the leading scorer of all time in NBA history. But I think even you would admit there's things about Kevin's game you wish you had.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, for sure.

[Stephen Curry]

One of the most smoothest, most efficient scorers we've ever. Maybe we've ever had. Like, is there anyone that can do it at every level?

[LeBron James]

Not to the capacity. He's done it. And I was reading the stat earlier, the fact that he hasn't. I don't want to speak like you're not here, but you're so great. I like to do it sometimes.

[Kevin Durant]

Thank you, brother. Appreciate it.

[LeBron James]

He hasn't shot under 50% since, like, 2012. And in a league that doesn't talk about efficiency enough, because I'm one of those efficiency guys. Like, I hate going out there just chucking up shots or, you know, looking at the box score, and I was maybe 8 for 23 or 9 for 25 or 6 for 18. Like, you're going to have those nights for sure.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah.

[LeBron James]

You know, but for the majority of the season, like, being efficient, you know, is something I've always prided myself on. And this guy is when it comes to three level score, three pointers, mid range, below, below the Gary Payton area, below the Malone area. And fiddishing is we haven't. We haven't had a score as equipped as KD in our league ever.

[Kevin Durant]

Appreciate that.

[LeBron James]

Ever.

[Stephen Curry]

Yeah, I mean, add to it pick and roll with the ball, without the ball, catch and go, transition with the ball, catch and shoot, off the move, pin downs, nail, you know, literally, there isn't, I don't think, a spot, an action or a style of play that you couldn't be yourself, be efficient in.

[LeBron James]

And is that something like Katie, like, you over the years, obviously, I've seen you continue to get better and like, better with your game. Like, you know, when you first came in, you wasn't much of a pick and roll guy, you know, just a natural score, you know, catching goals always had to bounce to your game, obviously. But I feel like over the last like five to seven years, you know, you start handing the ball, picking rolls, making decisions, making reads, you know, and still being able to be efficient as scorer, the dynamic scorer. You've been like, was that conscientious with you or just like, you know, I want to continue to expand my game.

[Kevin Durant]

That was the main thing, wanting to expand my game. Early on when I came into the league, my first, if I could think about my first 20 games in the league, I felt like I was just catching and shooting. A lot of it was catch and shoot threes, catch and shoot mid range. I was playing fast.

[Stephen Curry]

So you felt it was happening so quick, you just felt comfortable rising up.

[Kevin Durant]

That's all I, that was my game, just shooting, you know what I'm saying at that point. So that's what I fell back on when nothing else worked. I get stopped. I'm not strong enough yet. Gotta hold me up. I'm just gonna shoot over you. And I didn't shoot well my first two months, three months, maybe my first six months of the season. I think I started to figure out the pace of the game, understanding the pick and roll. I was getting more pin downs and when I was coming off pick and rolls early in the season, I was just shooting and I'm looking at my teammates faces, I'm like, damn, he was open, you know what I'm saying? So like I just started to understand my teammates more in the game more. And I wanted to be trusted in every situation on the offensive side of the ball. Coach say I didn't want a coach to come back to the huddle. Steve. No. What side you want it on? I'm like, it's your team, coach the team, whatever side you want to call this play on. I gotta be ready to come off this on either angle and shoot from either side. So I never liked being limited that way. So I was wanting the coach to just have a use me in any way that he wanted me anywhere on the floor. Yeah. So I didn't want him to feel limited with me. So that was always been my thing.

[LeBron James]

I think it's funny you say that. I was one of, the, one of the conversations we had previously about coming to the sideline and a coach is afraid to flip the play because he know that certain guys can't run it on the opposite side. And I attest to that. And you can get in practice too. We can run the same play over and over and over. And if the coach say, okay, let's run it from the left side, we've been running from the right side. Three dudes are lost, big guys like what are we doing?

[Kevin Durant]

You know, then the main guy, then the main.

[Stephen Curry]

Cheers.

[LeBron James]

Cheers.

[Kevin Durant]

Absolutely appreciate you. And then it's like as the best player or the most efficient scorer or the, you know, who got the best matchup, whoever you call him to play for. It's just like when coach says, oh, he can't, we can't do this because he not strong going left or he can't go right. That just always did something. It was tough for me to go left sometimes and pull up for the jump shot, especially early on my first few years. And I think I started to understand the footwork, the balance, what it takes to shoot going right from inside the paint, free throw line, Extended College 3, NBA 3, you know, so. And that's why. And that small detail is the reason I think my game is, you know, rounded.

[Stephen Curry]

You prefer going left.

[Kevin Durant]

I actually now I do.

[Stephen Curry]

But you started going right. Yeah, but this is, this is actually that's interesting to me. Right, because you, you, it bothered you that you had one side that was weaker than the other. But statistically he preferred and prolific going left. But actually statistically as good or better going right.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah.

[Stephen Curry]

Now sometimes that's because people know you want to go left.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

But it also proves like it's just a habit to go left. You just prefer. I used to play that way too. I play out of a hesi to the left. I could still do it to the right, but I was just comfortable.

[Kevin Durant]

Do you feel like you got more leverage in your body going left for some reason?

[Stephen Curry]

You know, this is a weird one to say, but like when I was in the 10th grade, I sprained my left ankle as a right handed player, left handed jumper. I never, I didn't want to stop playing. So I played limping around for six months. That ankle's never quite been the same. So I think like pushing off my right became my. That makes sense. And so I could do the rhythm going to the right, but you know, to take it one step farther above me. But when I went to Phoenix in 2004 that summer I was like, I can't play this way anymore where I just go all the way left and pull up right. And it bothered me. So I spent that summer saying like, I have to figure this movement pattern out. Like left Hard pull up. And it took a summer of, like, every day trying to get the footwork, the balance, the stability. That sounds like you kind of did that early in your career.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, I mean, it's crazy you said that. Cause when I got to Golden State and we started working out more, you told me that. And it's always stuck in my mind that, like, yeah, the defense know if you're going left, most of the time, you going all the way to the cup. So that one, two, dribble, pull up, going left has been a staple for me. But it's more so about the pickup of the ball, you know what I'm saying? Going left. Sometimes I try to pick the ball up right here like my normal shot. They swiping that down instead of. We did this a lot, too. I start, you know, changing my pickups, and I'm shooting the ball this way now. So a lot of that stuff is just adjustments to how physical the defense was. And, you know, me just wanting to get shots off.

[Stephen Curry]

But you make it sound simple. The reason he's able to do that, like, take the ball up in different areas is because, especially at your size, your balance is so good. Your feet are so good.

[LeBron James]

That's where it all starts with.

[Stephen Curry]

He gets on balance. So, like, he still has legs under him. So it doesn't matter if he brings it up normal. He brings it up here, he brings it up there. He's always still got legs to get under his shot and get that thing up in the air. That's like, those are the little bits that people don't understand. You have to work every day getting down, getting deeper, getting in a position to have your legs under you.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah. I mean, just being able to understand the power that you have under you and your legs and letting that flow through your whole body to get to your jump shot. It take a while for you to understand how much power you really have. But the lower you play, the harder you dribble the ball back up into your pocket. All that small stuff matters if you want to be a good shooter. Right.

[LeBron James]

And it makes sense. I mean, all the detail that you're talking about is, you know, when we talk about efficiency, you know, and there's only been a small, select few of guys to do this in NBA history. The 90, 50, 40 club, or 50, 40, 90, however you want to break it down, you've done it twice. You've done it twice. And it was actually 10 years apart from when you did. I think the first time you did it was in 13 I believe the last time was 23.

[Kevin Durant]

Yep.

[LeBron James]

But you want to know who's actually the leader in the 50, 40, 90 club?

[Kevin Durant]

I think this guy. Was it four.

[LeBron James]

Four.

[Kevin Durant]

And I feel like I missed like, three.

[Stephen Curry]

You know what? That's funny. We were talking about it. We were talking about it my first year with the Lakers here at the end, I was fucking 100 years old. But no offense, but I think I missed it by a layup. Like one field goal, man.

[Kevin Durant]

And that stings every time.

[Stephen Curry]

And I think earlier in my career, I missed it. Like, I shot 8. 97 from the line. And you think back, it's like one or two free throws for a whole season. That's crazy.

[Kevin Durant]

That's crazy.

[Stephen Curry]

So I don't think about the four times doing it. I think about the two times.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, yeah, right there.

[LeBron James]

How many more times were you close to that? You can remember off the top.

[Kevin Durant]

I think it was another time in Brooklyn where I had. I was like 39% from the three going into the last game. I had to make like four out of six. I was like one for eight.

[Stephen Curry]

I was just.

[Kevin Durant]

Man. And I was thinking about it, too. I wanted it so bad. And it's just like. That's another part of the mental game you can get in your own way.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, for sure.

[Kevin Durant]

Thinking too much about stuff like that. So, yeah, I remember that one time in Brooklyn. I think it was another time in OKC where I think it was the free throws I might have missed. I was like 88, 87 for the year.

[Stephen Curry]

Free throws for a shooter. Your caliber, the free throws drives you crazy.

[Kevin Durant]

That's the crazy.

[Stephen Curry]

It drives you crazy.

[Kevin Durant]

We talked. I think we might have talked about. I was like 84 this year. Like 83, 82. At one point this year, I was just. And that's been bothering me mentally.

[Stephen Curry]

Want to kick the ball in the.

[Kevin Durant]

Gym when he missed More than anything, man. Like, being over 90% is key for me, but so mid-80s is just not it.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, I can relate to that.

[Kevin Durant]

What's your career high?

[LeBron James]

You had it from the free throw line? Yeah, I think I was career high this year. I was almost at 80, 79, 6 or something. I'm rounding my off 80.

[Kevin Durant]

But the three ball was at what?

[LeBron James]

My career high for my three was 41. I think last year. I think last year I was in the 40.

[Stephen Curry]

Especially second half of your career. You're three balls ago.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, man.

[LeBron James]

Just being more like, I'm efficient. Just being more efficient with it, too.

[Kevin Durant]

I think your midi Too. This year stood out even more. I feel like you always hit it, but I think you went to it more this year and you shot it from deeper this year. You think so?

[LeBron James]

Yeah, I think so. But it's something I still, to be honest, it's something I haven't been able to master in my career. I work on it.

[Stephen Curry]

Improved a lot, though. Improve?

[LeBron James]

Yeah, but like, you know, like when you talk about going left and then going right and being efficient, like, you know, going left with my midi, I feel really effective with that. I feel like I got great balance with it. I feel like, like you're talking about the speed of how you pick the ball up after it comes off the ground and you know where the pocket is. You know what I'm saying? You know exactly how to get it back to that pocket, you know? And I know I can go, literally, I can go straight up and down going left. I can fade out, you know, it's just all the powers, all the powers over there going right has always been a little like, you know, sometimes my balance is off. Sometimes I don't know if I should fade on the shot or if I should go straight up and down. And it's always kind of fucked with me mentally, even though I work on all of them, you know, but when you, you know, obviously once you get into the fray, you, you know, you. You don't want the. You don't want the defense to dictate what you want to do, obviously. But it's like getting that, that, that, that pocket that you were saying, like, you know, the one person that is unbelievable going right with his pocket, no matter where it is, is like, Chris Paul.

[Kevin Durant]

Like, he, he can almost shoot.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, he can, he can do. He can do all this without even dribbling and keep it and then just. And just rock. He can shoot it from here, triple.

[Stephen Curry]

Threat or off the dribble. And it also gives him that natural little fade I can relate to. Cause you need that few little inches to get it over the right, right, right, right. This episode is sponsored in part by American Express. American Express knows that for an obsessive basketball fan like me, the playoffs mean a lot of travel time. Between broadcasting games and catching up with old teammates, I'm on the road almost every week from Boston to LA and everywhere in between. After all these years, I've learned that the journey is as important as the destination. That's why I've always tried to find a spot to stretch, grab a coffee, and get my mind right before heading over to the Arena. Fortunately, there's a card that makes every part of that journey better. With Amex Platinum, you earn five times membership rewards points on prepaid hotels and flights booked through amextravel.com on up to $500,000 on flight purchases per year. Plus you get access to the Centurion Lounge, which makes travel that much more enjoyable. That's the powerful backing of American Express. Terms apply. For more information, visit americanexpress.com Travel after many years in the game, both on court and off, I know all about high stakes showdowns. That's why I'm hooked on Michael Crichton's binary on Audible. From the creator of Jurassic park and ER comes this classic techno thriller about a radical aiming to bring down the government with a deadly nerve gas. The cat and mouse game between the terrorist and a determined State Department agent had me on the edge of my seat in the ride over here. But Audible isn't just about heart pounding thrillers. From electrifying suspense and daring quests to spine tingling horror and romance in far off realms, Audible delivers thrills of every kind. On your command, you'll find gripping titles that keep you guessing, exclusive Audible originals and bestsellers that hook you from the first minute. Ready for your next great adventure? Sign up for a free 30, 30 day trial at audible.com game and discover what lies beyond the edge of your seat.

[Kevin Durant]

Do you feel like you, if you take mid range you settle in like throughout your career?

[LeBron James]

Yeah, for sure, for sure. I mean especially my, I mean okay, my first 14, 15 years, like there was no need for me to take a lot of mid range, bro.

[Stephen Curry]

Like I saw a clip of him when I was doing research for this take off from like I don't know man, it was like near the free throw line and it was like the velocity he was traveling.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, I see clips too.

[Stephen Curry]

What in the world was that?

[Kevin Durant]

But that comes in Portland.

[LeBron James]

That also comes from like my little league coach too. Like my little league coach going high school coach. They always talking about don't settle. Yeah, like stop settling. Like and then you get people in the crowd who obviously don't know basketball. Like we know basketball and they tell you to dunk everything, dunk everything, get to the hole, dunk everything. By the way, it's people in NBA crowds that do that still dunk everything.

[Kevin Durant]

They get disappointed when you.

[LeBron James]

Yeah. So you know, but I felt like putting pressure, you know, when I entered the league, you know, in 03, you know, it was, I definitely shot a little bit more mid range my rookie year because no spacing. There was no spacing, exactly. I was coming off floppies. Like, my first basket ever scored in the NBA is a. Is awful floppy action. LeBron, fade to the corner.

[Stephen Curry]

Floppy is hilarious.

[LeBron James]

Fade to the corner. Shooting a jumper from the short corner.

[Kevin Durant]

I feel like that first stint in Cleveland, like the J was. Because it was hitting that on net. A lot of your J was hitting on that. And then you had the confidence to shoot the. Like you said you had to, you had to take them shots. But once you got to Miami, I just felt like the floor was so much space with Boz shooting the three. You had more shooters around you. It's like, why settle when we played y' all? I'm like, yeah, he can. I don't want him to give him this midi. But like, there's no way I could just stop this man. You know what I'm saying? Get to that cup momentum, you know, so I understand. It's that mental part of like, all right, what do I do? Especially when we got so much responsibility.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, for sure.

[Kevin Durant]

As scores, as initiators, it's tough to figure out exactly, you know, how you going to approach it sometimes.

[Stephen Curry]

But that goes to both of you being about efficiency, right? You don't feel good if you have a high volume night and didn't make shots. That's why you guys prepare the way you prepare. Take care. But I mean, there's a stat here. 20, 21, 22, we were together 58% from 3 to 10ft. 58% from 10 to 16ft. 16ft to the 3 point line. 71%, unless the Googles are wrong.

[Kevin Durant]

Crazy.

[Stephen Curry]

71% from 16 to 3, like, that's.

[LeBron James]

I mean, that's insane.

[Kevin Durant]

I don't even look.

[LeBron James]

But 10 to 16, that's not in an empty gym.

[Kevin Durant]

Right, right, right, right.

[Stephen Curry]

Like that. That's a lot of homework.

[LeBron James]

It's a few guys in our league, that's a few guys. I'm not a lot. There's a few guys in our league that you believe every time they shoot the ball, it's going in. And KD's one of those guys.

[Kevin Durant]

It is. That's a lot of pressure, boy.

[LeBron James]

No, it is, it is, it is. Listen, like when you shoot the ball, when Steph shoot the ball, if Steph get a look, you just. You don't think it's gonna. You don't think he's gonna miss.

[Kevin Durant]

I think Shay is at that point too.

[LeBron James]

Shay's at that point too, especially in the middies.

[Kevin Durant]

Like every time he shoot on things corner.

[LeBron James]

Yeah. Especially when he's. His rhythm right now is so good.

[Stephen Curry]

Quietly in the mid range. I think Kawhi's like.

[LeBron James]

I was about to say Kawhi like that too.

[Kevin Durant]

Kawhi's like that for sure.

[LeBron James]

Kawhi's like that too.

[Kevin Durant]

Sure. I don't care. He missed ten in a row. He every shot next one. Yeah, yeah. Especially in that mid range area. Even. Even his three. His threes. His threes is. I think his mid range is above his threes. But he's still a good shooter too, right?

[LeBron James]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kevin Durant]

But that mid range area, I mean there's certain guys that raise up and get to their spot, you know exactly. That they planned on doing that. Shay, one of those guys and today's league. I even like throughout the playoffs. I even like what Julius Randle did from the mid range this playoffs best.

[Stephen Curry]

I've seen him play.

[Kevin Durant]

That's the best I seen him shoot the ball. Confidence he had. So I think the mid range game's coming back for sure.

[LeBron James]

So that's a big old conversation right there, you know, because analytics, all these analytic departments right now is saying layups and threes, free throws, layups and threes. But we're watching the MVP of our league right now pretty much dominating through the mid range. Dominating, you know, so, you know, and in the post season where the game changes, physicality ramps up, you're allowed to bump and grab and hold a little bit more, you know, like ultimately it's like get to the spot, get to your spot and get a bucket. You know, you don't have time to be thinking about, okay, well if I don't shoot this three, you know, the analytic department coming downstairs the next day saying, okay, well we took too many tools. Like this is win or die, you.

[Kevin Durant]

Know, and I understand the balance between having to get up a lot of threes, but I believe you can't tell you Luka or Austin Reaves don't play your game and take those shots in the mid range or just be you certain guys though, you know what I'm saying? Who need to rely on the police system of the team, who can't create on their own, who can't create those shots when they're. They need to shoot more threes. So I remember we was in the game against Cleveland and George's Neon. He liked to talk a lot of shit. I love Georgia's, but he talk a lot of. And he telling me like I hit a couple mid rangers in a row. We down like 15, like you need to shoot more threes. I said, no, these dudes around me need to shoot more threes. I need to play my game, you know what I'm saying? Because if I get into this paint and cause y' all gonna collapse on this mid range and I kick out to one of them, I'm expecting them to shoot the three. Not dribble into a mid range like that. Don't make any sense. But the best players on the team, you can't turn them into.

[Stephen Curry]

You're exactly right. So we did a whole episode on this. The mid range has never been more important. It's just. It has to come from the right dudes.

[LeBron James]

Right?

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

The court is spaced now by the role players.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

What do you think? They're trying to take away trees and layups. So the star has to be able to make mid range shots or else the team's not gonna be able to score in a playoff situation. They have to be able to loosen the defense takes with them. So I think the analytics community would agree with that too. Yeah, it's really just we don't want players X, Y and Z taking down.

[Kevin Durant]

Cause the mid range I believe is if you can't find a good shot, we should look for the good shots early. The threes attack the pain, attack the paint, try to get layups, try to get threes. But when it's five to six seconds on the clock, get a ball to the best player. And if he shoot a mid range at that point, then he's shooting mid range. But we not going to waste the clock trying to look for 3, 2 seconds on the clock and we giving it to no defense. Why are you playing to me, Dorian Finney Smith with two seconds on the clock to make a three. That's not what we. Or Royce o' Neal. That's not. I mean they can hit it for sure. But a star, deadly, but a sustainable offense for us going forward.

[Stephen Curry]

It's another thing. What you're also saying is like you pass up a good mid range shot to get a worse shot.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

So there's a balance there.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[LeBron James]

So I want to, I want to touch on the topic because you know, you've been in a lot of different situations. Like you come into the league, you know, like you said when you was in Seattle early on and then, you know, your early days, you said I was just shooting a bunch of catch and shoot two, catch and shoot threes. You know, that was my game. That's what I was comfortable with. The league was a little bit More. Probably a lot of twos. Yeah, probably a lot of twos. Running, fly reaction, things of that nature. And obviously you grew into your own, you know, in OKC days, you know, you started, you know, this is how I'm gonna make my mark, you know, MVP of the league, doing your things, you know. How was the transition though, when you went to Golden State to now playing in their, you know, split game action, you know, let's get the ball moving. You still having the freedom to do what the hell you do, but was it. How much of a, you know, adjustment was it for you?

[Kevin Durant]

It was pretty easy. Cause up until let's say James got traded, so 2013 to 2016, I feel like those are the only years I was playing like point forward in my whole life. The rest of the time I'm playing off my teammates. I might mix up a little, get off the rebound and push and make a play, but for the most part, I've been playing off my teammates up until then, that whole time period. So it was easy for me to come off a pin down. It's hard for me to have to dribble through three or four guys and pull up over two dudes with a fade away like I want. Like you said, we want to be efficient. Playing off your teammate. That's the easiest way to be efficient. I was getting more backdoor cuts, more transition layups on top of the ISOs, on top of the catch and shoot three. So my game was way more well rounded and scoring and it was easier and I way more efficient that way. But I always knew how to play with my teammates, play off my teammates. And the art of scoring is getting the easy points. I always knew that, especially in transition.

[Stephen Curry]

It's interesting you think about that Harden trade. You know, it's kind of a decision of the salary cap since surge, kind of a stretch, four or five. James Harden. And James goes on to be one of the best players of all time.

[LeBron James]

Yeah.

[Stephen Curry]

How do you feel looking back? Like, I know it's easy now to.

[Kevin Durant]

Be like, well, yeah, we lost James Harden. It's a different era. I mean, I think after a team that I think we over, I think we exceeded expectations with that team. And when you reach the finals and you go through a run like that so quick, I don't think a GM or owner was ready for that, you know, so you expecting the team as 22, 23 to, you know, so you.

[Stephen Curry]

Sped up the timeline too fast.

[Kevin Durant]

You sped up the timeline. All of us, you know, each individual player. Serge, you didn't know, like he came out of nowhere. He came out here being the best shot blocker in the league. I'm averaging 30 at 21 years old. Russell is 22 years old as an all star. James sixth man at 20. So we exceeded the timeline. So they wasn't ready for that. And I don't believe that's just my theory. I don't know exactly what Sam was thinking or the owner, but my theory is that I don't think they were ready exactly for us to be contenders every year. So since then, since we reached the finals, you supposed to upgrade and fine tune and make changes around instead of. You can't just pull one of the key figures of your team, you know, off the team and expect us to continue on what we was doing. So I just think they were kind of shocked at how fast we, how good we got so fast. And you know, sometimes you get confused. And then on top of that, Sam Presley was probably what, 30 something years old. He was young, everybody was young. Trying to figure stuff out, trying to understand what this landscape was. It was just. Yeah, it was just. But it was, it was beautiful. Yeah, it was too fast. It was just we were ahead of our time. Everything happened too quickly and yeah.

[Stephen Curry]

Cause you think about it like you went from like coming to league being like, I can't do anything. I just gonna jump, rise up and shoot to second in MVP voting at 21.

[Kevin Durant]

Come on, man. First team on NBA at 21, like doing things at 20, 21. Not just me, but everybody on our team on small, different skills. Sure. Even our coaches. He was Scott Brooks. That was his first. He was the coach of the year, you know what I'm saying? So everybody was doing things and Scott was our interim. So I didn't, you know, probably didn't think that Scott was going to be there that long after being the interim, you know. So we all exceeded expectations. And you need a lot, you know, you gotta spend money if you want to, if you want to be in contention every year. I don't think they was ready for that just yet, so. But that prepared them for what they got.

[Stephen Curry]

Now I was just gonna say, right, he's getting a chance to run it back.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

He's got this incredible plan. He's been obviously one of the top GMs in the league for a while.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

But he's got this war chest too. And people I think are like, you hear it around the deadline, people like just make a big trade and he's like, here's my. I'd like to get your thoughts on this. OKC wins this year. It's a problem for the league.

[Kevin Durant]

It is.

[Stephen Curry]

It's a problem for the league. Those guys are all young dudes. Like there's few teams that would have to make big upgrades to compete on a year to year basis with this team for the next four, five, six, seven, eight years.

[LeBron James]

Yeah. And the only thing OKC you gotta worry about is the cap. Are they gonna the second apron? Are they gonna go into the apron and all that stuff?

[Stephen Curry]

True. But even with that, they have so many picks that they can try to use that versatility to stay under the second apron and still be.

[LeBron James]

Just got a lot of picks.

[Stephen Curry]

Right.

[Kevin Durant]

But it comes down to two guys, like for real. I mean, three guys. The rest of these dudes, they can be interchangeable, you know, like Shay's gonna be, he gonna be that guy for the rest of his career. What is Jalen Williams and Chaq gonna be? You know what I'm saying? Of course they playing great right now, but those three guys gotta keep getting. I mean Shay's already at that level, but those two guys gotta keep getting better. I mean that's just the facts of it will just be more consistent and I think they will. But that's really what it is for them. I mean the salary, Kyle, I think they'll pay for sure.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, they know they got a good team.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, they know they got a great team and something special ahead of them. But more than anything, those two guys gotta keep stepping up and become perennial all stars. No doubt All Stars every year without the benefit of having a good team.

[Stephen Curry]

Right. The 70 win team gets the all Stars.

[Kevin Durant]

Right. You just gotta be an all Star flat out because you're better than everybody.

[Stephen Curry]

Yeah.

[LeBron James]

And also to the last thing too. I mean, yeah, they're gonna be great for years to come. But also too like, you know, the now you go from, you know, doing the hunting to now being the hunted as well. If they take, if they win it all. It's a different dynamic as well. I mean we've both been there understanding like, you know, once you win it, you know, because you've been trying to get there. So, you know, everything is geared to. We want to be the next champion. We want to be the next champion. And then when you get there now everybody else is all 29 teams is now like how do we dethrone them? So it's a different mindset as well. And to see, let's see how they, if they was to win it, you know, don't want to, you know, count on.

[Stephen Curry]

Completely agree. But on the flip side, they give away games currently, like they have a great chance. Magenta. They've given away games in the spans they won't give away in the future, I don't think.

[Kevin Durant]

No, I think they going to continue to hunt everybody. I mean, that's what they identity has been, you think?

[LeBron James]

That's their landscape.

[Kevin Durant]

That's what their identity pack of dogs. You know, this has been cultivating since Shay got traded there for pg. All them dudes been there. Dork. I mean, Jalen Wentz came a couple years after that, but he been there, you know what I'm saying? So those guys got a solid core of dudes and they foundation comes from we coming after y' all. So, you know, I like the coach's mentality.

[LeBron James]

He be over there chilling.

[Kevin Durant]

He don't say nothing. He just.

[LeBron James]

He be over there chilling.

[Kevin Durant]

Stoic, individual. I just think they got a beautiful thing going and I think that what we created early on in OKC has just prepared everybody in OKC for what this is like, you know what I'm saying? We've all learned from situations. Yeah, it's just. And you know, it's been, it's been nine, ten years almost. So they've been through different iterations of the Thunder Mellow, C Russ, pg, then you got cp, you know, so they've been through different iterations with great players. So. And they understand developing a great player from a 19 year old into being.

[Stephen Curry]

Picking up, drafting, drafting a trading form, developing.

[Kevin Durant]

So they done been through everything being a. Even though we were the Seattle Sonics, we were expansion franchise. So you know, you just, they understand everything from building up from the ground up to where they are now. So I, I mean we all could see this coming.

[LeBron James]

Yeah.

[Stephen Curry]

Amazing squad just like waiting for the perfect moment to take that game winning shot. Prime Day has always been my favorite time to make the call on those big purchases. And this year it's gonna be even bigger. We're taking four full days of amazing deals on everything you've been wanting. This Prime Day will be the perfect moment to upgrade your home gym, transform your kitchen, or dive into a new hobby you've been thinking about. I've been on the hunt for a lumbar support that my buddy LeBron James told me to get an extra firm. And with all these deals coming up, there's never been a better time to make that happen. Whether you're gearing up for summer projects or wanting to treat yourself to something special, Prime Day is the time to do it. Four days of incredible deals and endless possibilities. Shop Prime Day, July 8th through 11th. Trust me, you don't want to miss this. We had a talk recently about where the game's going a little bit. Love to hear your perspective, but the finals, to me, is a little bit of a look into possibilities. OKC defensively, you know, pack the paint team long. Athletes keep you out of the rim, flying back out at shooters with athleticism, switchable players. On the other hand, you have Indiana, who plays like this beautiful chaos, where from the free throw line up, there's blur screens, there's pitches, guard to guard pitches, there's flares while an action's going 21 on this side, flare on that side. All this kind of madness. You know, we. We've become accustomed to trying to keep the floor space. They're flying guys in and out to try to move the help.

[LeBron James]

Nah.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah.

[Stephen Curry]

Tell me a little bit about where you think the game's going from a profile of player, but also, like, strategically, beside both sides of the ball.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, I think strategically, as a team, we've come into organized, random basketball.

[Stephen Curry]

I always say, Jazz, you play off.

[Kevin Durant]

Each other right on both ends. Because you look at okc, that's right on their defense. I watched Shay, or let's say Jalen Williams, get beat off the dribble and then hit Lou Dort in the corner. He's just, you know, in regular help, but if he get beat off that dribble, he coming over to take that drive. And then here come Jalen Williams, just going straight corner. So they do that all around the court, and then they on top of that. They got good one on one defense, but they are in tandem regardless, without even being a scheme. It's just natural.

[Stephen Curry]

It's random at that end, reading each other.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

Not every team can do that.

[Kevin Durant]

No, it's hard to do that.

[LeBron James]

Which is the same thing Indy is doing offensively.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly right. And that's how I feel. The game is flowing because Indy will. I haven't. All I've seen is 77 from there. And then like you said, quick action.

[LeBron James]

Pitch up, get it back, slip out.

[Kevin Durant]

Big set of screen. But when this. Bringing out the net, inbounding the ball, walking it up, all I really seen from them is 77 and then driving kick, pick and pop, get into the blender. Just get into the blender early. So I think that's where the league is going. Whereas, like, about to run three pin down, like, this guy. Not about to run from the wing under three pin downs underneath the baseline while nobody else moving. And you go like the defense. Not letting you do that. Not letting you do that. It's got to be random. It has to be practiced though. Every day. That random.

[Stephen Curry]

That's what fans I don't think understand. Why aren't they running anything? Well, if they run, they're switching everything. You're back to ISO.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

Right. Okay, so how do they know what to do? Well, they do it five on oh every day. Talk through it. See on the film. What did you just. What was your decision here?

[LeBron James]

Yeah, I think it's. It's great coaching too. Like, you know, Rick knows his personnel, his personnel, how his team is built is not isolation. Guys that can beat you off the bounce every possession or it's not going to be PPR is going to be so low. You know, he knows that if we can get one trigger which is now creates the blender. Now that works for our team, you know, it's not going to be run a 77. Okay, now they done switched. Okay, everybody get flat. Let me back up, back up, back up. And then try to go ISO. Yeah. We know Tyrese can beat the five off the dribble. We know that Benedict Matheran, we know he can do it from time to time. But for their team, for them, for their PPR to be 120 like we've been seeing, it's not gonna be a steady diet of isolation, no matter which, no matter which action they run. So like you saying, the blur screens, the touch screens, the flare screens on the opposite side the pitch, you know, we're running a DHO slip out, you know, the short rolls to the pops of Miles Turner. Like they, they're. And it's. It is so not random, right? Everyone thinks it's random practice.

[Kevin Durant]

It's practice. But it's just like it's organized chaos. Organized chaos.

[LeBron James]

Organized chaos.

[Kevin Durant]

It's not scripted in the game, but in practice, like you could tell that they on the same page. It's almost like non verbal. And you see and you know, being in the finals, a lot of times you not talking a lot to your teammates, you know what you're supposed to be doing. You out there really focused on being the best that you can and being at your highest level. These guys don't feel like they have a community, you know, dialogue obviously, but they not walking each other through everything. They just reading off of, you know, reading react off of one another. And that's from good coaching, good practicing, holding each other accountable. Throughout the season, watching film, like all that stuff matters that the outside world, you know, doesn't understand. They just like, well, what are they doing?

[Stephen Curry]

It's chaos.

[Kevin Durant]

Kennedy and Book and I just roll the balls out. Y' all just go hoop or Luca and I supposed to just beat everybody. Cause y' all just got that talent. Like this is. You gotta cultivate a lot of stuff from day one of training camp on who you want to be. And you can tell that both of these teams been doing that for two, three years.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, for sure.

[Stephen Curry]

I was going to say a big underrated. Part of their offensive identity is they change hands so quick. They create mismatches off the change hands.

[Kevin Durant]

Facts even on a make.

[Stephen Curry]

Exactly. Siakam's down on a guard. Oh, we go to the post. Oh, we got the center up on Halle or bring him into the action. What I also like is like, if Allee gets the center, they don't always spread. They keep playing. Next guy comes in, they're not afraid. They want you to make mistakes. They want it to keep moving because I think it's. It slows them down. And now they're not playing their game. If they say, get spread, let me ice up. You always can go. But we're not going to hold the game up.

[LeBron James]

And I mean, just to piggyback what you just said, Steve, like, you know, you get the five switched onto you. You know, Halle knows he can beat him. You know, he knows he has the advantage. I would say, you know, but how many times is the five guarding the ball when a pick and roll happens?

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly. He don't know how to look at that pick and roll.

[LeBron James]

He doesn't know what's going on. You run past him, touch him on the hip, he's like, what the hell's going on? They fuck up the confusion. And we saw that in the Knicks series. We saw a lot with Kat. They was doing that and Kat would just back up and nobody on the ball. And Halle's shooting the three.

[Stephen Curry]

And to add to it, they'll bring even the. The three in. Like, you know, it might be Anunobi, a great defender, right. But he's got cats, so he. They might just blur screen with Ananobi. He's like, well, I gotta help.

[LeBron James]

Right, right, right.

[Stephen Curry]

And then Neesmith standing wide open because they're just creating confusion.

[Kevin Durant]

They're gonna. If you are not aware on the defensive side of the ball, they're gonna attack you from the first possession all the way to the last. And I think that's the New brand of ball. It's like, who is the weak guy out here? And it's not just the guy that can't guard one on one no more. It's like you can't guard a pick and roll. You don't know how to guard a pin down. We're attacking every single part of you.

[LeBron James]

You're a horrible low man.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, exactly.

[LeBron James]

We're pick and rolls opposite of you. So you be the tag guy. But we know you ain't gonna tag everything.

[Kevin Durant]

The league's about exposing now.

[Stephen Curry]

Yeah, but I would also add to it like we were exposing the guy on the ball. Now I think these teams are starting to expose the help by moving the help. We'll cut and replace. We'll blur screen. We'll flare on the weak side so the help's moving instead of the help we like on offensively, we've liked for a period of time here just to know where the guys are. Just stay space, be in your spot. Now they're getting smarter. They're getting better at scheming. They're in the gaps, they're rotating, they're reading off each other. So then when you start moving around, whose help is that?

[Kevin Durant]

Right?

[Stephen Curry]

So I think that's the era we're starting to get into.

[Kevin Durant]

Offensively, would you say defenses have gotten better, more creative?

[LeBron James]

No, not in a sense, because I don't want to say more creative because it's a switch league now. Everyone wants to switch. And to be honest, the only way that you can just like switch is you have to have the personnel to do it, you know, But I think the creativity is happening. Like, you know, and New York did a good job of this. Like sometimes when Jalen Brunson was getting switched off on Siakam, they was doing a great job of kicking him out.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah.

[LeBron James]

You know, especially in that post. Yeah, on the post, I think that's been communicated a lot better, like kicking a small guy out, telling him to go weak side corner or find somebody on the weak side. Because there's not too many guys that can actually make the pass once the switch happens, he rolls them down and he can fire weak side to get the shot. It's not many guys in our league that can make that. So I think as far as the creativity in that range has gotten better. But defense has always boiled down to just like fucking talking. Yeah, but you can make up a lot of shit by just talking through it too.

[Stephen Curry]

I would almost flip it. It's not the defense. Maybe defensive involved naval offenses have challenged them.

[LeBron James]

More. Yeah, just challenge them more.

[Stephen Curry]

Challenge them more these days. Definitely new solutions. Playing fast.

[LeBron James]

Yeah.

[Stephen Curry]

Shooting the ball from farther. Like, you know, you watch clips from 15, 20 years ago. Like almost everybody's inside the three point line.

[Kevin Durant]

Everybody.

[LeBron James]

Yeah. 15, 20 years ago. Shit, I was in the league. She was about to say some shit about the 90s.

[Stephen Curry]

Only one of us is down with the 90s.

[Kevin Durant]

That team, that 90s bled into the early, early 2000s. It was the same type of ball. It's probably one three point shoot on every team, bro.

[LeBron James]

By the way, if that, like, if that, that's why, that's why Sacramento was so damn good.

[Kevin Durant]

They had a lot early on. Ahead of their time.

[LeBron James]

Yeah, they were ahead of their time. I mean, Bib was shooting at 3. Stoyaka was shooting at 3. Bobby Jackson come off the bench, shooting at 3. Body from time to time would pop. Brad Miller would pop. You know, C. Webb used to pop a little bit. That's, that's, that's what made them so damn dynamic because they were so far ahead of their time. And then they showed up. And when they showed up, it's totally changed the game.

[Kevin Durant]

Well, Nelly too. And Dallas, y' all played that way. Y' all play fast.

[Stephen Curry]

He likes to play fast, but he also liked to play two or three minutes off the elbow because in the elbow, the weak side is in a bind, right? Like the. And that's why we play delay. Now the ball's, you know, a lot of five out stuff. But on the elbow, if you're the weak side, he can still hit your guy. He always knew that pressure on you. So if you want to calm down, that's a one pass wherever it's on the wing. That's. It's got to be a swing, swing or a skip. So I think he used to like try to distort the defense like that. But even those Suns teams like we think about them now, played so fast and shot a bunch of threes. Not true. Not true. We. I can't remember what year we beat the spurs in San Antonio to tie the series. Two. Two. I think it might have been the game Robert Ory body. Check me the thing, I think it's. If it was that game, we. We made five threes. Five. And we're supposed to be a run and gun team, right? Like we should have shot 35 3s, 40 3s. So we look back with tinted glasses, right? Like it's all. It's a slow evolution now. I feel like things are starting to change quickly. It's like the tech industry almost.

[LeBron James]

There's so much information now and it's all personnel too. But just like the tech industries, some people try it and they can't even get to there. They can't get to that capacity. They don't have the resources. They don't. You gotta have the personnel in our league too. As much as it's a copycat league and as much we talk about three point shooting, whatever the case may be, you still like you're a team shooting 28% from the three point line throughout the season. That don't mean take more threes.

[Kevin Durant]

Yeah, straight up. Straight up.

[LeBron James]

What are we doing?

[Kevin Durant]

I mean, I mean but that, I mean that's the solution. I get it. That's what they tell. I get it. More threes. If we shooting 20, 28 threes on a game. That's not enough.

[LeBron James]

No, it's not enough. Oh no, that ain't enough.

[Kevin Durant]

You know what I'm saying?

[LeBron James]

They get mad if you below 35, 40, man.

[Kevin Durant]

So do you think the profile of players changed? Like I've been thinking, I'm like, I don't know if the 6:2 and under guard is at a premium. No more as a starter, maybe as a backup. But you have to be.

[LeBron James]

You just talked about this the last.

[Stephen Curry]

It's gotten compressed.

[Kevin Durant]

It has, right?

[Stephen Curry]

It's compressed.

[Kevin Durant]

Yes.

[Stephen Curry]

It's that like either Donovan Mitchell, Drew Holiday, 63 Lou Dork or it's not. You gotta be.

[Kevin Durant]

You can't get picked on defense. That's the thing. Cause we playing such a pick on game that they will really literally if you can't guard, they will bring you up every play.

[LeBron James]

Yeah.

[Kevin Durant]

And every six foot six one. And you not a bulldog like Davion Mitchell Jrue Holidays on the defensive side or you not an offensive flat out savant like Kyrie where you can score on dude 7ft easily in ISO. Then I just can't see it. What you think?

[Stephen Curry]

Yeah, like for me I'm interested. Like Darius Garland, like he's an amazing basketball player. I don't, I think his value right. Like I'm shocked. Like we don't, we don't talk about him as like this amazing. Like. Cause the era, like if he played in any other era, I think he would have been like his value would be through the roof. Like he's that skilled. He's water bug, he's got every shot he can playmake. But there's an era where it's like okay, we also have to help that dude out defensively all the time. Like that's an example for me because he's such a good basketball player, right?

[Kevin Durant]

He's so tough. I mean it's just. Yeah, he is. And it's like. But the defensive side of the ball is where you know people will attack him. If you want a chance to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, you are going at Darius Garland most of the time on the defensive side. That's not saying that he gonna get scored on every time, but sometimes he's just terrible. He's just small. He's just. He's six' four and six two sometimes. And when you got your. Nowadays, I mean, offenses are giving a ball to their best player. I don't care if you 6 9, 6 10. If you out on that perimeter, Paulo up there, bring up Darius Garland. And if you don't have that built in. But Cleveland did a good job of building in that help of rhythm. But if you don't have that around those guards at that size, it's gonna.

[Stephen Curry]

Be tough because now five guys outside the three point line. If he played 10, 15, 15 years ago and beyond, six out of 10 dudes are inside this report.

[Kevin Durant]

Exactly.

[Stephen Curry]

And you got help right there. Right.

[Kevin Durant]

That makes defense easier for everybody. It's harder for some of the best defenders to guard up with all of this space.

[Stephen Curry]

I heard you say with jj, I think on a podcast that it was harder to get 30 at the start of your career just because of spacing it.

[Kevin Durant]

Definitely, man, it was. I mean you got two dudes at.

[Stephen Curry]

The bottom, a bunch of power forwards.

[Kevin Durant]

In the league most of the time, the whole league running floppy. That's the go to set. So we got four guys or eight guys inside the three point line and.

[LeBron James]

All they do is lift upper body up top. Not a game. They weren't working on their legs back then, man.

[Kevin Durant]

So it's all just pushing that shit.

[LeBron James]

Pushing each other, bro. It's all straight strong man. Like Gold's Gym.

[Stephen Curry]

Think back to our time in Brooklyn. What do you think of.

[LeBron James]

Tell them about the three point line between.

[Stephen Curry]

You know, some people are saying take the corner three out. So I think that would be.

[Kevin Durant]

It's just. Now just what are we doing disrespecting.

[LeBron James]

The whole game about when the three point line curve, it just goes out and there's no three point long TUEs and there's no. And there's no three point line at all. You catch it in the corner. Long too. This is a super long too.

[Kevin Durant]

You in the dunker.

[LeBron James]

Yeah.

[Stephen Curry]

You can imagine analytics would we have big fight defense where it'd be like three guys. And then.

[LeBron James]

Forced the long too. Just forced the law too. Nobody grabbed no one. Covering the one covers the lawn too, right there.

[Kevin Durant]

Destroy the game.

[Stephen Curry]

Thanks for watching. Mind the game. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe for more content.