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- [00:00]
A
Who's excited for Mind the Game? Anyone?
- [00:03]
B
We got a wine opener out there. Do my mom got my wine still.
- [00:07]
A
Please welcome to the stage Steve Nash and LeBron James. Yes, sir. Wow.
- [00:38]
B
Okay, let's go.
- [00:40]
A
Not bad.
- [00:42]
B
This ain't bad, Steve.
- [00:43]
A
Not bad.
- [00:44]
B
Not bad, not bad, not bad.
- [00:46]
A
Great turnout. Great turnout. Thank you.
- [00:50]
B
Thank you, everybody. Thank you.
- [00:52]
A
Much appreciated. Well, this is Mind the Game from Fanatics Fest, brought to you by Nike. This is actually our last episode of the season. Wow. Congrats to us. Thank you for all the. Listen, supports, likes, comments, subscriptions, everything. It's been really an incredible year for us to kind of get a chance to talk hoops, hopefully share some of our experiences, dig into some. Some things around the game that we're passionate about, and today will be no different than that, but a little vino.
- [01:29]
B
I mean, we don't do an episode without opening up a bottle of wine. That's just what we do. So that's how we always kick it off, man. But we're happy to be here. We appreciate y'. All. New York City, stand up. What's up with y'?
- [01:43]
A
All?
- [01:46]
B
And we. We just want to say thank you guys for allowing us to come talk the game of basketball, which I'll do it at a high level, and we're super appreciative. So, Steve, let's do it.
- [01:56]
A
Let's do it. So who. Who. Who's enjoying the NBA Finals game seven? So we have. Yeah, game seven, right. We have the 20th game seven in NBA Finals history, if. If the Googles are truthful, which is incredible, right? Like, we've both played in game Sevens. I want to hear more about your Game seven, particularly in the NBA Finals. But let's also. Let's also pay some respect to these two incredible teams. Oh, Oklahoma City. Yes, Oklahoma City. Any OKC fans out there? Okay, a few. A few. Any Pacers fans out there? Why would that be?
- [02:52]
B
What? What? What's wrong? Oh, oh, okay, I get it. I get it. I get it. I get it.
- [02:57]
A
Well, I mean, unfortunately for Knicks fans, this Pacers team, though, we have to say, is one of the greatest stories in NBA history. Like it or not. Like it or not, I mean, a lot of were cast aside that have been on the trade block, that have been maybe not NBA playoff rotation guys, quote unquote, who have absolutely come together to play fantastic basketball. We've said it before on the pod. Coaching staff deserves a lot of credit, too. But you see a lot of the ingredients of great basketball teams. IQ connectivity, toughness, their Defense has gone to another level. What have you seen in the Pacers?
- [03:40]
B
No, I mean, I think you just said it perfectly, Steve. I think when it comes to the two teams that's in the finals right now, obviously both of them are respected and have earned it. You know, with the Pacers team, obviously, you guys saw a lot of them, too, the last round, but, you know, the way they move the ball, the. The pace and space that they play with. I think, you know, the. The best gift that. That the Pacers have is the unselfishness of Halberton. I think his ability to get off the ball early, you know, get the ball back in semi transition, but just. The ball is always. The ball has so much energy. And to see what the Pacers are doing, you know, with their pace in space, you know, getting the ball up, you know, let Pascal, you know, go against the defense before it's set, you know. You know, I think it's just. It's a great. It's a great way to the game of basketball that the patients are playing right now, for sure.
- [04:28]
A
I would say this about Tyrese. I think he's one of the greatest simple early passers I've ever seen. You know, sometimes when you're. When you have great vision like Tyrese, you want to hold it, to make that. That killer.
- [04:41]
B
Yeah. That home run.
- [04:42]
A
Right. You want. You think, I can get something better, and you might hold it for a second. I think we've both felt that at times.
- [04:48]
B
Right.
- [04:48]
A
But sometimes he just gets rid of it. And what that does is it makes the defense unsettled because they can't cheat, they can't help. They're always in a bind. So I think he's one of the greatest simple early passers of all time, and a big part of their success, for sure. What's up, young fellas? You see someone up here you like?
- [05:10]
B
Yes, sir, I see it.
- [05:12]
A
That's great. That'. Well, let's talk about some things that we learned this year in the NBA. Now, I got three bullet points, the first one being pace and depth.
- [05:22]
B
Yeah.
- [05:23]
A
Tell me a little bit your perspective on how those two have fit together and how that's changed compared to maybe four, five, six, seven years ago.
- [05:30]
B
I just think it's been, you know, present all year. You know, how quickly Cleveland ran their sets from start to finish. Obviously, the two teams that we have in the Finals, you know, that. That. That pace and that depth to be able to continue. The energy. The energy does not die down when substitution patterns. You know, we talked about. In one of our pods, when, when T.J. mcConnell comes into the game, their pace actually goes higher. You know what I'm saying? So, you know, when Alex Caruso and those guys come in the game, and also, you know, you know those guys, they. It just, it just ramps up. So to have that pace and that and that quickness, getting in and out of your sets, having the depth that they have, it allows you to always be energized. And those guys are playing like they're playing high level basketball. As close to 48 minutes as we've seen in a long time.
- [06:16]
A
It's great. I mean, you nailed it. And I think we went through an era where we were trying to find three stars. But what happens when you have a team built on three stars? If it's not built from the ground floor up, like through the draft, when you have. You sign free agents, you have three stars. What happens is, one, you're at risk for injuries derailing your team. But two, the game is played so fast and so physically nowadays, the three stars have a hard time keeping that level at both ends of the floor. It kind of falls apart both ends. So we're seeing these two teams with depth. I mean, Rick Carlisle's rolling out guys who weren't even on the team earlier in the year. Tony Bradley wasn't even in rotation. Guys are fluctuating in and out of the rotation. Like Matheran played himself out of the rotation at times here, having a big impact in the finals. So that depth becomes so important so they can keep up the physicality of pace. It's been really interesting to see the two teams, one built from the ground floor, one just built by, you know, quote unquote scraps around the league. They put together that were undervalued. And we're seeing them come together and play beautiful battles possible. So I, I agree with you.
- [07:17]
B
Like, no, you got to think that some of the biggest guys in this finals that's making impact or like you said, that was guys that were even given up from a previous team to look at Niecemith.
- [07:26]
A
Right.
- [07:27]
B
You know, he. I feel like topping, you know, Obi Topping, I feel like here, Obi Topping didn't get an opportunity to flourish as much. Nice. Smith, he was drafted by Boston.
- [07:36]
A
Yeah.
- [07:36]
B
Didn't get an opportunity to flourish. You look at Hardenstein, you know, now it's now with okc, you know what he was able to do for y' all franchise last year, but bring that toughness to the OKC Thund, you know, Alex Caruso obviously We've seen what he's been able to do, but all these complimentary guys is what build teams, is what build winning programs and winning franchises. And like you said, you know, I, I played in the era as well as of the big three era, you know, but it's looking like now the game is starting to shift again to how can we create the most depth, but also how can we create the most energy life?
- [08:10]
A
Right.
- [08:11]
B
How can we have the most shelf life out on the floor? You know, to be able to sustain, okay, maybe it's sustain an injury or sustain a run throughout the course of a game where guys are coming in and it's affectious all game long. So you said it.
- [08:22]
A
Right, right now you have to be able to continue to play with pace and physicality. If your pace and your physicality drops, you know, I mean, you're going to go through a period of the game where you're going to give up a 10, 15 point run. How are we doing here? Cheers.
- [08:35]
B
Cheers.
- [08:36]
A
Cheers, everybody.
- [08:43]
B
Yeah, not bad, not bad, not bad.
- [08:45]
A
So the, the, the next bul. Want LeBron to wave again. There we go, There we go. The next bullet point I have is defensive speed.
- [09:00]
B
Yeah.
- [09:01]
A
Teams are playing with pace. They're spreading the floor so far. You have to have speed. You got to have an abundance of speed to be able to cover bigger spaces than we had to cover in previous generations.
- [09:11]
B
Yeah, I mean, you look at the two teams now, when you talk about the defensive speed, they're so far different in contrast, but they're kind of similar and same. You know, you look at okc, it's a lot of guys that's super scrappy, super flying around. They do a good job of being in the gaps, getting out the gaps, making you drive. And then when the ball hits the paint, it's like a swarm. Like all four or five guys are in the paint, either reaching for the ball, getting taps, you know, loose balls, and if the ball hits the ground first to the ground, you know, and you look at the contrast with them. And now the Pacers, they put, they have a lot more lengthier guys. You know, like you said, Obi Top and Pascal Siakam, you know, Nissan Smith, you know, Miles Turner, you know, a lot of. Even Tyrese is, is, is Ranger as well. So, you know, it's contrasting styles are very different, but the speed, the way they play and the physicality that they play with defensively are very similar.
- [10:02]
A
And mobility.
- [10:03]
B
And mobility.
- [10:04]
A
Got to be able to move in different directions, cover guys with different responsibilities.
- [10:08]
B
Yeah, you don't have many teams in our league that have two or three guys that could pick up 94ft and make you turn. The Patriots have N. Smith, NEMHARDT, you know, TJ McConnell. Those guys pick up OK in with Alex Caruso, Lou Dort, you know, Casey Wallace. All those guys are coming in and picking up 94ft and they just changing the game defensively trying to wear on you. So there's not many teams in our league that could put three or four guys out on the floor that could pick up 94ft and just make you change directions. And that's. I mean, that's why these two teams are in the finals right now.
- [10:40]
A
I think another indicator of the depth for me is matchups. Like, you know, this. This game is about fights. Like, styles make fights. And so let's, let's break it down to like even like individual matchups, you know, against the Knicks, you know, Nemhardt really struggled with Jalen Brunson, but. But Neesmith was able to. To cause him some problems. It flips. So now Nemhardt, who grew up playing against Shai, is able to cause Shay some problems. Niecemith struggles with Shane. So it's always about a little bit of styles.
- [11:09]
B
Right.
- [11:09]
A
One that I think is really fascinating to me and I want to give him a big shout out is T.J. mcConnell. Yeah, he is finding his way into the paint relentlessly against incredible defenders. He's getting by Alex Caruso, he's getting by guys like Jalen Williams. These are elite defenders. TJ's a matchup problem for them with his pace, his shiftiness, getting underneath. He's got his little underneath dribble. He's got his little fade away. It's so fascinating to me to realize elite defenders can still struggle with different players. Have you seen that in your career?
- [11:38]
B
I mean, you look at TJ McConnell and what he's able to do right now in the finals, I think we all look at it like, how was he able to be so successful? You look at. TJ's not the tallest guy, not the fastest guy, doesn't jump, doesn't have a huge vertical, you know, But I think it's. It's here and it's here and it's will.
- [11:54]
A
Yeah.
- [11:55]
B
I think the One thing about T.J. mcConnell is that when you look at a scout report and you and you and you and you read about guys, you know what their go to moves is, you know what they're. What they will want to do, you know what they least like to do. TJ tj, you don't know what he's going to do. It's just so random with tj. You don't know when he's going to pull up and shoot his mid range fade away in the paint. You don't know if he's going to dribble and Nash dribble all up underneath the basket and then go to his fade away. And he's doing, and he's doing that not only when Alex Caruso is guarding him, Kayson Wallace is guarding him. He's even done it against Hardenstein and also Chet Chat.
- [12:33]
A
Right.
- [12:33]
B
You know, so he's doing that versus everybody. So I think his, him not being a player that you kind of, you key in on certain things that he do, you know what he like to go to has made him be so successful in the final so far for.
- [12:45]
A
I think like you said, you don't know what he's going to do. One thing you do know he's not looking for is the three, which makes it fascinating because you know, like, okay, he's not going to pull up for three. So you think let me give him a gap. But he uses that gap.
- [12:56]
B
Right, right.
- [12:57]
A
He gets a momentum.
- [12:58]
B
Yeah. A la Ray John Rondo. That's what made Rajon Rondo so great. You know, the fact that you knew he was not going to be taking any threes but he eat up the space and by the time he was up on you, it was too late. And I think TJ has definitely learned, he's found that, that rhythm and he's a big time player.
- [13:13]
A
Yeah, for sure. He uses pace, but he also uses change of pace and he use the entire floor. So it doesn't matter if he has to beat his guy at half court or his guy's drop into the free throw line or he's on the sideline, he fakes a pitch and he goes. Yeah, just incredible intelligence. And he's been, sounds weird to say the biggest matchup nightmare in a way other than Pascal. I think Halle's more of a, the sets of Pascal's been a matchup problem and, and TJ's been a matchup problem.
- [13:38]
B
I absolutely agree with you. You just don't know. You don't know what TJ is going to do out on the floor. So it's hard to scout for a guy like that, you know. And you know, like I said, Pascal being a matchup problem for anybody. But also TJ's pace and space man and his will to go out there and dominate, you know, at his level. It's fascinating to watch, man, you just. It's great. It's great basketball.
- [14:08]
A
Thank you to our partner, Nike, for sponsoring this episode. Here's what two decades in the NBA taught me about what winning. It's not just talent. It's not just opportunity. It's about the choices you make when no one's watching. Those 3am workouts. Choice extra reps while others rest. Choice film review sessions deep into the night, Another conscious choice. I've lived this journey from Santa Clara to NBA MVP and now mentoring the next generation. I see different challenges and different pressures, but the fundamental truth remains. The ones who break records, the ones who transform their games, the ones who elevate their teammates, they're all choosing to work harder, making that deliberate decision to push beyond limits, to redefine what's possible. Because in those quiet moments, those grinding hours, that's where winners are built. Winning isn't just something that happens. You make it happen. As Nike would say, you just do it. Well, shifting gears a little bit, you know, early in the year, the NBA took a little bit of a beating. You know, I think publicly people thought, oh, the game's the same. The regular season doesn't matter. People are playing the same style. You know, we really focused in on that kind of consistently during this podcast season to kind of figure out, like, what is true here. What, what, what what is. What is great about our game. Right? And we've come to the conclusion, we hope you'll agree, the game is amazing.
- [15:45]
B
No, the game is the best it's ever been.
- [15:47]
A
The game is as good as it's ever been, for sure. The pace and space era, a lot of threes. You know, some people can have a problem with that, perhaps, but the reality is that's not going away. We're stretching the floor. We're playing with pace. We're playing more jazz than classical. We're not playing off the same playbook every time down. We're playing read and react basketball. So I think once people start to recognize that people are reading and reacting using their brains, playing on the fly, it's a beautiful thing to watch.
- [16:14]
B
No, absolutely. I mean, you just said it best. You know, Steve, I think the, the, the playmaking that goes on in our league, I mean, I remember we did a earlier pod this year on one of our episodes, and you told me, like, in, in the 1995 season, you know, out of the top 10 points per game leaders, literally, there's only one guy in the top five in assists.
- [16:34]
A
Right.
- [16:34]
B
You know, and that was Michael Jordan at the time, you know, and you look at it now, 25, 30 years later, and out of the top 10 scores in the NBA, you have five or six guys in the top 10. And of assists, you know, sort of playmaking in our game, the defense, the different matchups that we see in our game, the different variables that you can see defensively, man to man, zone guys are even pressing that time, two to one press that we haven't seen. I think that's great. You know, it's just a, it's a beautiful thing to watch our game continue to evolve. And I think it's. The sky's the limit. We're going to continue to do that, you know, it's beautiful.
- [17:08]
A
Well, I, I have to give you a lot of credit for the playmaking. You know, let, let's, let's. Like LeBron said, you know, nowadays you can't just be a scorer. If you're just a scorer, really, you're, you come off the bench, you know, you're a six man, seventh man. See if you're hot that night. Nowadays, if you want to be an elite player, you have to be a scorer and a playmaker. And I think you are a huge, huge part of that Trend, you know, 100% apprec. 100%. Yes, yes. What, what, what we've seen happen and, and I, I'll use LeBron as one of the pioneers or you know, one of the trend setters in this way is we're seeing a big physical athlete that can score but is also passing, play making, but also playing cat and mouse, dissecting the defense, reading the defense, making the defense uncomfortable, making them make hard decisions. So now we're seeing the byproduct of that throughout the league. Right, right. When I came in the league way, way, way, way, way ago in the 90s, like LeBron said, you know, guys just come in and score. But nowadays the defense has gotten more sophisticated. You have to be able to read and react and play. So LeBron coming in the league, let's not forget the leading score in NBA history right here. Leading score, you know, but also one of the greatest passers and playmakers, right? And one of the best minds for the minds for the game out there. So you put that together. What are we seeing now? You know, we're seeing guys like Luka Doncic, Nicola Jokic. You go around the league, you're seeing so many guys that are taking the ball and manipulating the defense and deciding how are you playing me? Okay, I'll Go score the ball this possession. Oh, you want to load up on me? I'm going to go make plays for my teammate. So this trend for me is helping elevate the game of basketball because our lead players are able to do more than one or two things. They're able to do a bit of everything. Swiss army knife for what the team needs in that moment while still having a huge usage rate.
- [19:07]
B
Absolutely, man. You could have said it better, man. I think our league is at the best place that has ever been, you know, and, you know, it's. It's beautiful to watch you. You mentioned Luca, you mentioned, you know, you know, the Joker. You know, so many guys not only can score the ball, rebound the ball, pass the ball, facilitate, think with their mind. It's just a beautiful thing, man. And, you know, and we go back to. We're looking at OKC in Indiana. Both teams built up identities and cohesiveness that's innovative offenses and defenses, but it's just beautiful to watch that when the ball moves, player movement, everybody feeling a great rhythm, and. And that's what the game is all about, that everybody's on the floor, feel like they're important to the success, you know, and. And, you know, to see that with OKC and see that with the Patriots now, you know, listen, the two best words in sports is game seven. All right? And we all should be lucky to be able to witness a game seven tomor for the NBA, for the NBA Finals, for the Larry o' Brien trophy. So it's going to be a beautiful thing, for sure.
- [20:09]
A
Yeah, I can't wait for that.
- [20:10]
B
Yeah, absolutely. That's.
- [20:16]
A
All right.
- [20:17]
B
We got. We got. We got. We got a bunch of.
- [20:19]
A
Hold up.
- [20:20]
B
We got a lot of Knick fans in here, huh? Yeah, we got any. Any Brooklyn Net fans in here. Oh, man. Damn.
- [20:31]
A
Steve. Yeah.
- [20:32]
B
Was that. Was that boo for the. For the Nets or for Steve? Which. So the Knick fans, Knicks fans, y' all good? Y' all going to the finals next year? Oh, we're gonna see. We don't see.
- [20:46]
A
We'll see.
- [20:47]
B
We'll see. You know, one of.
- [20:49]
A
One of the things I would also say that's been great about the league is watching offense and defense evolve and push the other.
- [20:56]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [20:57]
A
Evolve and push the other. So we're seeing innovative defenses. You know, we. We've talked about it. Switching defenses, which basically take you out of your offense, you run on all these beautiful sets. We're going to switch all that now. You're on the clock now. You got to Play ISO basketball, and it's a spacing game. So that's why we started playing with pace. Let's get up and down before they can set up, not run sets that they can switch. So trying to play a little bit faster, a little more pace, less walk it down and run sets. So the defense is adapted. They start. They start switching everything. Okay. The offenses start speeding up. So now the defenses adapt again. Let's. Let's go some zone. Let's pack the paint. We say we're giving up threes. That's a killer. No, no, no, no. Our rim is a killer. Let's pack the pain. Let's keep people out of the pain. Let's be in the gaps like okc. You're seeing the Pacers do it, too. We're willing to give up threes, especially on contest. As long as you don't get in in our rim all night.
- [21:48]
B
Exactly.
- [21:49]
A
So you're seeing that evolve then. Now, the latest one that I think was fascinating this year, coupled with the zone defense and the matchup zones and going zone to men has been the cutting. Yeah, Right. So Indiana is a great example, but there's been others. Cleveland in a great job. You know, typically in the last 10 years, we've tried to keep the floor space for our playmakers, give LeBron as much space as possible. You know, my son's teams, they try to shooters, so I could get to work, get in the middle, cause problems with the defense. But what we're seeing now is that teams are getting so good at sitting in the lap of the best player.
- [22:20]
B
Get guys. Yeah.
- [22:21]
A
So guys are starting to cut.
- [22:22]
B
Yeah.
- [22:23]
A
So Indiana's taking it to a whole new extreme we've talked about. Is this where it's going? You know, from the foul line up, you have players flying in and out of that space, regardless of spacing, creating confusion, and willing to just move it and play and trust it. You think this is where teams are going to start to evolve?
- [22:41]
B
Well, I mean, you know, our league, our league has always been a copycat league, you know, and I think that teams will try, but you also have to have the right personnel to be able to do the things that OKC and Indiana is doing. Every team is not built the way that they're built. So I think the best thing about our league and the best thing about coaching in our league is being able to adjust, adapt to the personnel that you have. You know, I just don't think that every team has the makeup to be able to pay with the pace and space. Of Indiana and okc. But the good thing about our league is what makes coaching so great in our league is being able to adapt to what you have, adapt to your personnel, adapt to how you guys play. And then you start that from day one. This is how we're going to play, and there's going to be tweaks throughout the season. Okay, maybe that didn't work out quite well for us early on, but you have a nucleus of how you want to play, and you. You follow that all the way throughout the whole regular season and into the postseason and hopefully being able to play for a Larry o' Brien trophy. But it's all about your personnel. If you have the right personnel, the right coaching staff, they'll put them in the right position to succeed.
- [23:43]
A
It's a great point. I think, like high school and college teams, you know, a lot of times the coach has been there for a while, has a blueprint. This is how we do it. Yeah, of course, you. You adapt and you adjust your team, NBA teams. I think the variance of adaptation is huge. Like, I don't think the Pacers set out this year and said, this is what we're going to be like. I think they built, they adapted, they built again. They added, they subtracted, they built. Same with okc. They continue to evolve. It's a. It's kind of like a living organism. Right. So I think it's always fascinating to see how a team starts the year, what they add, what they subtract, how they evolve. I mean, you've been on championship teams. Do you think that's even going at a higher cadence nowadays?
- [24:21]
B
Yeah, I think so. I mean, I think you said it right there, man. I think. Think the game continues to evolve, and I think coaching continues to evolve, and they're. They're seeing how much they can press the limit on what they have and even going further. But also more important, like, we always talk about it looks chaotic and it looks random, but it's not.
- [24:40]
A
Yeah.
- [24:40]
B
You know, and when you have guys with good IQ and cohesiveness, they able to do things on the floor that, to the. To the normal fan, you would think it's random, you would think it's chaotic, but it's actually very well thought out and very well practiced and very well, you know, demanded details, detail every single day. So, you know, I think it's a beautiful thing, more teams going to try to adapt it, more teams are trying to play with it because it creates. The one thing about our league is being able to create confusion out on the floor for the defenses. Like you said, there's so many different ways that people are throwing you defensively, man to man, zone, two to one. Impressed boxing, one triangle and two. They're trying everything.
- [25:21]
A
Right.
- [25:21]
B
You know, so to be able to create the most confusion you can offensively is going to make you more successful than any team in our league. And you know, and I think that's going to be adapted by a lot of students.
- [25:31]
A
So the, that adaptation process can be tricky. Right. The number one thing about adapting is buy in.
- [25:37]
B
Yeah, yeah, right.
- [25:37]
A
Buy in. Winning is a choice. Winning is a choice. And you have to buy in and sacrifice. I want to hear from you a little bit about, about the sacrifices some of your championship teams made. What that process was like. You start a season, everyone's like, well, I'm going to get off this year. This is my role. And it's always slightly inflated. At some point everyone has to sacrifice a bit of themselves. If you want to be a championship.
- [26:01]
B
Caliber team, listen, the only way to win a championship is that everybody is MVP in a role, you know, and able to sacrifice their own personal stats, personal belief piece for the betterment of the team. You know, there's a pecking order in our team. You guys know who the stars is. You guys know who the role players are. You guys know the garbage guys are, you know, come in and do all the garbage work order, you know, first to the floor, taking the charges, you know, do the things. You guys know who the vocal leaders is. You know who the silent assassins are. There's a, when that, when that thing is met and it's, and it's laid out not only by the coaches, see, league. The problem with our league sometimes is that players are always looking for the coaches to make those things happen. It's the players in the locker room that hold each other accountable. That's when you get the best team. When guys can come to the locker room and hold each other accountable and know how to talk to each other or I'm bad mouthing you or you saying something to me and not take it personal. Because we have one common goal and that's to win a championship. When you win a championship, every, everybody eats, everybody gets paid. Everybody's seen everybody's love and that's the only thing that only matters. But it only, it can only happen. The coaching staff can only do so much. The coaching staff gonna put your game plan together. They're gonna tell you this is what we need to do. This is how we're gonna execute. We're gonna give you the game plan, but the players gotta go out and do the job, you know, and when the players hold each other accountable, that's when the job gets done. And that and on four times in my career, been able to win four championships, and that's. That. That was the. That was one of the number one ingredients, obviously going on getting the job done, too, but just holding each other accountable.
- [27:47]
A
Great message. Great message for young players out there, too. Not just in the NBA, High school, college, learning to play. Like the responsibility of trying to pick up your teammates, set an example 1 through 12, as a leadership responsibility.
- [27:59]
B
Right.
- [27:59]
A
It's not just the quote unquote leader. Everyone on the team leads by how they behave. Did they get there on time or early? Did they do their extra work? Do they support their teammates a little bit about your finals teams, win or lose, playing that way to get to the finals, it's got to be like basketball nirvana to be on a team like that that you trust and you know, every night is going to give themselves a chance to win.
- [28:19]
B
I think the best feeling for me as a player is that when. When the national anthem is going on and I usually stand on the end, is that when I can look down the road and I know that I got 11 other guys, 13 other guys that's in the foxhole with me. And I know for sure that if it's a grenade thrown in the foxhole, we don't all stand there.
- [28:40]
A
Yeah.
- [28:41]
B
Like we want to die for this game, you know, and that is a beautiful feeling when you can look to your left and look all the way down the road. Either if I was teammates with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosch, Adonis Haslam, James Jones, Mike Miller, you know, the rest of the crew, or if I look to my left and I saw, you know, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, you know, Junior Smith, Iman Shumpert, Tristan Thompson, Janny Fry, Richard Jefferson or Anthony Davis, you know, Alex Caruso, Ran Rondo, you know, Katavius, Caldwell Pope, you know, Danny Green. And looking at my. Just knowing guys that, you know, that's willing to die for it on the floor and be in a foxhole with you, there's no better feeling than that, man. There's no better feeling than that. Absolutely.
- [29:31]
A
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 american express.com travel.
- [30:33]
B
How y' all doing out there? Y' all good? Do we got. Do we have. Do we have time to. To open it up? Some fan questions?
- [30:43]
A
I think it's time to hit some fan questions. Yeah. What do you think? Should we do this? Anyone send in a tweet with a question?
- [30:48]
B
Did you guys send y' all questions in to us? Okay, I think we got some, right?
- [30:53]
A
Yeah, we gotta have some.
- [30:54]
B
Yeah, we gotta have some questions.
- [30:55]
A
All right, question number one from Nahil. Which player would each of you want to play with from a previous era before you were drafted?
- [31:07]
B
So which player from a previous era. Era that we will want to play with? Wow.
- [31:16]
A
Man.
- [31:16]
B
You first, man.
- [31:17]
A
So many. So many. Like, so many, you know, like, one for me, being a point guard, like Magic Johnson.
- [31:26]
B
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, man.
- [31:27]
A
Was. I mean, I remember just how he inspired me as a kid. You know, I don't know if I'd want to play with him, but my hero, the one person I tried to emulate, was Isaiah Thomas, you know, smaller guard that was just super competitive. And then you go back, you know, Oscar Robertson, scream out dual Jabars, Will Chamberlain, Bill Russell, all you go forever. So that's an amazing question. It's hard for me to pick one. Like, I said, my hero was. Was Isaiah Thomas. Magic Johnson was crazy inspirational. But if I had to have, like, maybe someone that complimented me, you know, that's. That's. That's a fascinating question that I'd love to think about, you know, because the game changes.
- [32:08]
B
Right, right, right.
- [32:09]
A
The errors change. Like. Like, I got to play with Dirk Nowitzki and Amari Stodmar, like, two great guys that we love playing together, could compliment each other, worked off each other. Like, let me think about that for a minute. What about you?
- [32:22]
B
When you talk about inspiration, there was nobody more inspiring to me than Michael Jordan. I mean, you know, and you Know, you know, for me, I think. I think our games would have complimented as A. M.J. was a flat out scorer. You know, he was a score scorer. Score. He had a scorer's mentality. If I had to pick him, but I know I can't pick him because I know how social media works. You going to be like, oh, you want to play with Michael Jordan too? You're to play with everybody else. God damn it. I didn't ask the question. I'm only answering it, guys. I didn't ask the question. Oh, but MJ was the inspiration. Anthony Penny Hardaway was the inspiration to me. Grant Hill was inspiration to me growing up like that point 4. Scottie Pippen, that point forward. Guys like Penny, like Grant Hill, like Scotty, those guys kind of inspired me because I kind of wanted to be that point forward. So, yeah, those are some guys. I can see the headline already. LeBron wants to play with Michael Jordan. Like I said already, that's weird.
- [33:25]
A
Don't be weird.
- [33:26]
B
Don't be weird. Don't be weird.
- [33:27]
A
I like it. I mean, all the guys he named, I think I did play against, so it doesn't really account for me.
- [33:32]
B
But I was gonn. I mean, I think of Kobe, but I actually played with Kobe in the Olympics, so, you know, rest his soul. Great, great Kobe, great Kobe.
- [33:39]
A
Amazing.
- [33:42]
B
Next question.
- [33:43]
A
Yeah, Our great director Jason Gallagher is giving us questions. What do you got, Jason? Okay, this one's from Mac boy. Question for Steve. What advice would you give to LeBron as he nears the back half of his career? Well, that's a. That's a great question. I don't, you know, unsolicited advice, but the biggest thing that I. That I would say is that I understand a lot of where LeBron is right now, and having done this podcast with him, he's actually approaching it in an unbelievable manner. So my advice would be continue. And what is that? What is he continuing we talked about in episode one? It's about the process for him. It's about adhering to a standard of trying to get the most out of. Of his game, his body, his mind, every single day. Like, that's what this is all about. I think I want to hear you say this, but talk about it. But that's a way of life, right? Like, how does that feel every day to still be so deep in your process at 40 years old and dominating?
- [34:40]
B
I mean, the process is the only thing that matters to me. You know, I think when you fall in love with the process of what you want to do. And that's with anything. That's not just basketball. That's what. Whatever you guys are inspiring to do, you have to fall in love with the process. The end result will happen organically, and it'll make it so much more worth your while when you fall in love with the process. Okay? Like, don't cheat the process. Don't cut corners. Fall in love with the process and everything else, take care of itself. So that's what I've been able to do for my career. So that's. That's my words of advice to all you guys. The process.
- [35:19]
A
And that goes for everything. That's not just battle basketball.
- [35:22]
B
That's life, man.
- [35:23]
A
Whatever you want to do in life, that's a fulfilling, inspiring way to live. So all you kids out there, like, really try to think about that. Like, what does that mean for you? Like, maybe you haven't found your thing yet, but practice it at school, at sports, music, whatever it is, practice it. Try to get closer to your process. What is a good process system? He's mastered it, right? That's why you're seeing the results. One thing I'd also like to say that I really Admire, admire about LeBron is the way he adapted this season to playing with Luka. You know, that. That. That takes a lot of maturity. It takes a lot of sacrifice. He. He approached this as a gift and an opportunity to make a team as good as it could possibly be. Now, it was slammed together quick. You know, they lost early in the playoffs, but I think we saw the seeds of a team that was this close to going deep in the playoffs, making a run for a touch title. As that roster builds, the possibility is there. You can't do that unless you're willing to sacrifice and grow and play slightly different play in a way that complements your teammates. So my advice would be those two things. Continue to find that sacrifice. It's not like his numbers dipped. He just did it in different ways. But that's hard for players who have played 15, 18, 20, 22, 22, 22 years in the league.
- [36:43]
B
So, you know, Jay, we got one more. One more. Last J. Yeah, yeah, one more.
- [36:52]
A
Rock. Rock asked the question, we went from the Big three era to the era of death. What do you believe could be the next iteration of roster development that define team success in the future?
- [37:07]
B
That's an easy answer for me. You find a guy like Wimby. If you can find a guy. Oh, man. My goodness. Wimby. I was just standing next to him while we were shooting. The shop. This guy, I feel like he's grown another two or three inches for sure in the off season. But, I mean, the game is going to continue to evolve. You know, like you said, the Big three ERA had his moment. The big three ERA has always had his moment. You know, way before myself, D. Wade and Boss came together, you know, you had, you know, Will Chamberlain and Jerry west and Elgin Baylor, they played together. You know, you. You had so many guys that the big three era, so.
- [37:44]
A
Bird, Paris.
- [37:46]
B
Exactly. Jordan, Pippin, Rodman, you know, so, like, you know, the. The. The Victory era will always kind of be there. But, you know, having depth, you know, having been able to have the ability to bring in multiple guys that could do multiple things, I think that's the area that we may fall into. But whatever era and however the game shapes itself, just know, guys, that we listening to y', all, and we're gonna put the best product on the floor every single night because we hear y' all talking, and we know y'.
- [38:13]
A
All.
- [38:13]
B
We. Y' all love our game. So I appreciate it. I really thank you. For real. Absolutely. Thank you guys very much. Not for you, buddy.
- [38:43]
A
Thanks for watching. Mind the game. If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe for more content.