Mind the Game - Stephen Curry (Part 1)

Episode Date: November 4, 2025

Welcome to a very special episode of Mind the Game. Today LeBron James and Steve Nash are thrilled to welcome in one of the all-time greats, Stephen Curry. In this episode, the 3 hall-of-famers do a deep dive into how Steph found his iconic shot and how he became so effective as a pick-and-roll and off-ball player. We also get into overcoming his early ankle problems through his conditioning. Steve reveals a hilarious story about how Steph was a major figure in his retirement story. And finally, a treat for all NBA fans, LeBron and Steph break down plays from their epic NBA Finals run. Thanks for watching Mind the Game. Part 2 drops in a couple week. See you there!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You might know this, but you deserve a little bit of putting me out to pasture, a little bit of my retirement story. He sent you all back. Oh, yeah, look at what I do. Yeah, he sent you all back on, go ahead and put him on down. It's not something I like to talk about in public, in public a lot. We got a money game exclusive. We got an exclusive.

When he came in the league, I still felt like the big brother. I still feel like, you know, I got the upper hand here, right? You know, then he started becoming who he is, and the pendulum shifted. And so my last two years were the Lakers, my second game with the Lakers, I bumped knees in Dame's first game with Dave and broke my tib-fib joint on the inside where, like, it's way-bearing, it's a problem. And it's where the nerve goes. I already had nerve stuff, and I was never the same.

I spent two years working out twice a day just to try to overcome it. So I come back my 18th training camp, and I'm like, I've been going so hard trying to get there. I had a pretty good first preseason game. Like, I can't remember what I'm. Like, I think we drove home to San Diego. I had a back spasm the next morning. I was just like, oh. Then, like, I don't know.

I was doing all right. And then I was like, another flare up. And it's just like my nerves were messed up. I couldn't recover. And I was like, well, I got to find out. So, like, I had a week since I'd last play. And I was like, we're playing them in preseason. I'm like, I got to find out.

Like, I have to play hurt. Can I play hurt? Or else I'm, what's the point, right? And so we went to play these guys preseason. like Ontario, California or somewhere. I don't even remember this. I remember the game. He was in Ontario.

We came out, I'm Garding Steph. I think they put up like 50 in the first quarter. Maybe it was 45, but it felt like a 50 piece. He's running everywhere. I'm like, back is broke. Everything's jack. I couldn't have stopped him if I was 100%. And I'm like dragging around Stevie Kerr's putting me in every action.

I'm looking over at Steve like. Are you kidding me? I think that we know, we know. You know, he's over there smiling too. They're laughing at me. Alvin Gentry over there laughing at me. Like, no, no, no, no, we just like to see what you got. I'm like, man, literally like three more, four more days of thinking on it.

I was like, yeah. It's, uh, I think it's time. I think it's time. That was it. I call Mitch. Yeah, you put him on his misery. You called Mitch. I called Mitch.

My hero. You put me out Oh man That's classic Nice thing I know He showed up A practice He was teaching his

Pick and Roll And if you can't beat him Joy Do it? Cheers. You're doing this way and one this way. Yes, so. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Thank you for doing this. It's our first official golf podcast. Yeah, they heard mind the game. They thought the game was basketball today was actually not. We say mind the team. I was launched in the Bryson Deschambo. Oh, the break 50? Yeah.

Break 50. I mean, I knew you were good. I was losing my mind. I only watched half. You matched him. I watched the whole thing. I mean, that's being kind. As you could, it was my first shot.

I lost my mind, too. There's like a little small gallery behind. Oh, there was. That was following us. And so I knew the whole concept. I knew it was Bryson. It was a week before the Radder Cup. I'm like, all right, it's no time.

And it's the best, I think best golf I've played in my life. And it's so funny, I was watching one of the holes. I don't know what hole was. And you was like, I'm going to give it a little gruntiness. One of his. drive and said and he got him on the drive and you can

and Bryson obviously this is what he does like this he's a I can tell him his voice when they got up to the ball he was like I think that's your ball he was like oh man I out drove him like it was crazy he didn't want to give it to me

I think one of the good parts to it I was watching too and you was I think Bryson asked you a question like who was your inspirations like you know obviously you know in the game that we all you know you mentioned Steve

and you mentioned Steve and you mentioned Reggie, you know, and obviously Reggie makes so much sense, and it's terrifying to competitors like myself and all the competition over the years. How did that, what made you kind of watch those guys from the beginning? And it's funny that I'm sitting across and talking about the life. So, I mean, we all got history in the game playing against each other and the whole deal, but my rookie year, we played in a preseason game outside and in, um, and in,

Palm Springs. Indian Wells, Tennessee. Yeah, Indian Wells. It was my first time, like, actually seeing them, you know, on the court and to the point of the inspiration. Super intimidated. I still do some of your,

when you're in the starting line, or the National Anthem, the line. I just do, like, just do, like, the little leg stuff. I still do it. I still do it. It was like, I was watching everything you did from across the court.

But growing up, like, I knew I was a past first type of point guard. Yeah. Like, my dad had it. actually tell me bullshit. Nah. Call Dale Curry right now.

He'd tell you, they actually had to tell me to shoot more. He was like, no. Not in this house. Not this house. You ain't gonna be that. But I always, like, just love the creativity being, like, I felt like we had similar statures where as a point guard, being able to, you know, handle, being in the trees,

getting the ball where you needed to. You saw angles that didn't even make sense. Your change of speed, you can control the tempo, got everybody involved. Like, there was just something fun about. that is a way that I wanted to play. Fast forward to Davidson, I was a two guard and had to kind of expand. I mean, I was, there was a video of me as a 10-year-old running around with a Reggie jersey

just because, you know, I just love his competitiveness and the way he moved off the ball. I didn't know like that would be a huge part of my game once I got to, like, how am I going going to actually make it to the league type of vibe? But that was, your style was like exact, I just tried to audit behind the ball. Backpass to this day, one-handed, left-handed, like all that type of stuff. Just seeing the floor a little different. It felt like he was kind of the model for that. And what about your pops, too?

I mean, obviously the inspiration that you saw every day, but, like, as your pops being a pro itself, anything like you took from his game, like, I mean, the quick, the quick release was crazy. Every video you see it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. One dribble, and then quick release. He had the high arching release, too.

Yeah. I couldn't get that. It's like almost comparison and contrast of, I want to be a great shooter, I want to have a quick release, but I also have to own my own form. Right, I can't really... It has to go in at the end of the day.

Yeah, you know what I'm saying? You got to feel comfortable with what you're doing. Did you guys ever talk about it, like quick release? Yeah, we talked about that a lot. When I was in high school, changing my form, I used to do like the little slingshot situation. And to the point of seeing... When I watched myself on camera,

it was like that thing looked like it takes forever to get up there. But as your point, it went in. But as I got the varsity, I was like, you know, it's probably not going to let things getting swatted to the eighth row. And you was able to, you was able to dissect that? No, my dad. Your dad called it out as I was making that transition. I wasn't with it at first.

Right, right. I was, because I knew he was going to have to break down all the fundamentals of everything that I felt comfortable with to them master like a new form. It felt like too much. Yeah, it was like, I don't want to do extra credit on the home. I already know the, I already know the form. I got to recreate it and obviously it worked. But I feel like someone who love shooting,

shot a million shots, always obsessed with it, watching you shoot, like I think I have a bit of a classic shot. I get it to like clay, get into the pocket and shoot. What I think you brought to the game, and I love for you to tell me I'm full of it, is you don't really stop. So like you talked about this shot as a kid, to now it's the same shot but up here. shot but up here like I don't really feel like you stop and if you do it's like this split second only probably on like just standard catch and shoot where to

the hours tell people like I would teach clay's form to anybody who say how do I shoot a basketball I would like pull up a clip of a clay and it's just that's freaking perfect 10 out 10 every no notes right but to your point it helped me off the dribble because it's kind of I'm not called unorthodox but it is a one piece shot that no matter if you're really all the way on balance or just off or if you got it on the right hand left hand off the dribble like whatever it is I kind of can get it here quick enough that and I still have all my power yeah I don't lose anything through that so that's helped me especially at 6 3 like in the league no matter who's in front of you

really feel like I have a chance as long as I get them to drop their hands a little bit I can get it up there quick and I don't want to have any waste of motion was that by design Or was that just happened? That's just how I shot it. There wasn't much thought to that part other than when I was in high school doing that transformation, I guess, you called it. Because I also feel like that is a part of your range.

Is that you, like, instead of stopping and having to use all your legs, you're using it all in one motion. So, like, he just kept backing up. Where's this going? And it's like a flick. Like, I got an opportunity to see it just, you know, last summer. You know, first time I was joining forces.

I've got to see it after practice every day, just like a flick. It didn't matter. You know, certain guys in our league or certain, you know, basketball players all over the world, they have to get a certain pocket in order for them to even get to here or how. It's like when he touched the ball, by the time he does what he needs to here, it doesn't matter where it's coming from. It comes from here. Quick, quick, quick.

Like, and that's a great question. Like, did that, did that, did you learn that? or it just kind of happened and it's like it's kind of national it's kind of just naturally just happened yeah like there's always a uh a reset like summertime yeah yeah yeah yeah working on mechanics like my guy brand of pain he'll talk about it and if i miss two or three in the run you start looking i'll know it's because i don't have the ball like if you're talking middle of the frame i don't have it more middle to right like i'm more kind of doing that yeah yeah yeah that's just a you get a little lazy right but i just have to

call that out but then once you get into you know the game and the flow there's not much thought to it. But it's interesting because, like, necessity is the mother of invention. You kind of invented something. Like, you've gone on to be the greatest shooter of all time by, like, a long margin. Like, range, accuracy, dexterity, off the move, left, right,

leaning in, leaning back. Like, you do it all. But, like, I don't know if you could do that if you had picture perfect form. I'm not saying you don't, but you invented a way of going through the zone. Like, you said, off the dribble, like, it's up. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And that gave you more range, and that gave you more dexterity. Like, by the way, it's not really recreatable. I'm not telling kids, hey, it's so, you know. So Bruce Frazier, we use you as an example a lot when I'm doing the breakdown drill. Like, I'll do, like, pregame stuff or after practice stuff. Where to the point of being able to get to my base, like, he'll bring you up as a demonstration of, like, you use, you had such a solid foundation where, you know. Get your hips down. Get your hips down, get low, like you're feeling every part of your foot, your feet,

and you're using all of that force to kind of get through. Pushing in the ground. That's a foundation you have to have to then build off of that, you know, creativity and that looseness up top. So that's like that's part of the natural progression of foundation to confidence to then, okay, now I can experiment a little bit. So maybe it's not necessarily a thought. It's like you hammer that down so much, then now I have the ability to say,

okay, what's going to help me in the game? Or if I need to stay out of the trees, I can get my range back. I got, that's in there because I have this. And if I always, I still have to go back to that will. We do our stuff at the free-thal line where you're doing like the spins and you got to be in

balance. That's your world. That's what I learned. But I also think one of the most impressive things, I know we're going to talk about a lot of things, but the most impressive thing is that you came in, you know, 6-2, whatever, and obviously super skinny

super skinny you know what I'm saying like I remember like super skating fresh out of Davis and super skinny and obviously you know our league you know throughout the course of a season flights and everything

you know can be taxing on your body I think one of the most impressive things that a lot of people don't talk about when it comes to you is that the weight and the strength that you've put on and still being able to shoot the ball in that capacity there's a lot of guys

that we've seen come in at a service weight or a certain, you know, body frame, and they're told to put on weight or they're told to put on strengths, and it can affect their shot, you know, and it's actually, there's no way it could have made it better, but shit, it seems like nothing ever changed. How was that, like, did that worry you in the beginning? Like, oh, shit, y'all tell me I got to get stronger. Funny stories. So, like, my rookie year in training camp, so I came in as, you know, a shooter in the draft. Right. Don Nelson was my coach. going through training camp.

Sorry, Summer League started. I think I probably shot like low 30s for three in summer league. And then you're coming into training camp, you know, a couple months later, like still working, getting through, trying to get comfortable with where shots are coming from. And Don Nelson, he went in the weight room, because to your point, I came in 180 pounds maybe. They were trying to get me in the weight room doing all these lifts and stuff. I'm shooting, like, trash in training camp like the first week.

He walked in there and cussed out every. everybody in the room. It's like, y'all are killing a shot. He's lifting too much weight. And to me, I didn't, I didn't know that as a concept

because, like, I always just wanted to get stronger. Like, most of it was just vanity. Like, I hate them. I look better in the jersey. All these mirrors around here, y'all telling me I got to look like this. I mean,

I'm trying to look like. I mean, I didn't even think about it in terms of shot. I know that there are, there's a range of, like, body composition that matters

to making sure everything moves right so if you're doing a big transformation you can't change how your body moves I never thought I could get to that point but then when he caught it out I was like wait are they really messing on my shot but that balance of being able to appropriately like get your body to move efficiently like a lot of it to me is core strength like if we're talking specifics um everything is about the foundation like how does your body move through that range where you have you know complete control of you know your moving patterns not necessarily like brute strength but efficiency, yeah.

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But you came in the league with ankle problems, and physical therapists will tell you that the glutes, hip strength has a lot of connection to ankle stability. It takes obviously a lot of the pressure off the ankles. When you went through all that stuff, first of all, like, I'd love to here looking back were you ever worried like is this is this it for me like am i going to be put in this little box of can't move like i want to move and then two getting that hip strength i've heard about your deadlift strength and so like walk us through that a little bit yeah um after my second year was i had my first surgery and tell my wife like there was a moment

in rehab sitting in the basement in my house in charlotte you know um like a three and a half, almost four-month rehab just on that, to the point where I wasn't even rolling my ankle, like, landing on somebody. I was doing the one where oh, we're catching a transition, I'm pushing off, and that thing would flip. I look back, like, what? Drop something.

Like, Bambi legs. Like, literally, like, I just couldn't stay on my feet. And to your point about learning your body, right? Like, learning how it moves, learning what. You didn't have that problem in college? No. I rolled my ankle one time in college the traditional way where I was coming down the lane, going up for a layup,

and planted it on somebody's foot and enrolled it. That was my junior year. But I didn't really have anything coming in that was of concern, but to the point of the volume of games in the lead,

the physical, you can mention the physicality of the lead, travel, all that stuff that got weaker, I wasn't doing things to keep up with the pace, and then it caught up to me

where the whole chain was compromised. And I had to learn all of that on the fly that post the second surgery because the first we thought it was like, is it the shoes I'm wearing? is it I got those big forest gump looking ankle braces that I still wear now and you're just like what is the problem why like right I feel doing everything right I feel coordinated but I can't

necessarily get through a full season to learn your body learning the like breaking it down from the beginning of to your point core strength glute strength the entire chain that can show itself if you know and strength or weakness down down in your ankles and for me like the most boring monotonous work you've ever done in your life right every day the little muscles down muscles appropriate exception type stuff movement patterns um and there was definitely some dark days of one you know you're getting this league i remember uh when when came to your camp when my junior unCP gave us this whole like freaking just speech on y'all think y'all nice now but you know when you get to the league everything resets like you have to earn your way and

I'm thinking that just means like production on the court I ain't know nothing about the off the court stuff you know what I mean so like that was the learning curve of trying to figure out how you're going to survive in this league and if I couldn't even be available how do I even know am I good enough and I get to that level and there's a lot of fear um doubt in that moment for sure because you feel so far away from yourself but especially if you especially if you know like I know I belong I know my game translate but my body is not even allowed me to get to that point you know so you can only imagine like frustration like you know like I know my work ethic I know the work I put in but shit my body is not even allowing me to even get to that to even

show what I'm capable of doing too so definitely especially those early days when you're like trying to prove yourself yeah yeah for sure I'm I belong yeah there's a little moment You have a couple of good games. Oh, yeah, I belong. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Having said that, that struggle kind of made you who you are. Yeah. Right?

Like, as far as the shooting, like it went up with the strength and the hips, came the strength and the ankles, came the dynamic movement. Like, I mean, your fitness levels, we'll get to the style of play. But if it wasn't for that process, it's almost like you maybe you didn't shoot 42% from 27. I think there's I think there's an understanding of not taking anything for granted even to this to this stage in terms of longevity

that I learned then that it's carried to this day of how I approach the offseason, how you approach the recovery days, how you approach even just priming yourself for a practice like I can't just walk on the court like there's steps you gotta take you know.

I think we go hype each other up a lot and this thing but like walking in went to the locker room last year or for the Olympic journey. I got, we hadn't played with each other. I'd heard about the work ethic and the sheer volume of time and how he takes care of his body.

When you see somebody on that level, couldn't beat him to the gym in the morning, but it was like the idea we, there was just an energy of like we all know this, this is the stuff that makes you who you are on the court that's going to prepare you for the moments when the lights were bright.

I don't even think we talked about it. It was just unspoken, like this, This is what you do. And I learned that, you know, early in the process to know, like, don't take that for granted so that you can be your best self. And it's like, there's no accident when it comes to being who you are. So no matter how you learn it, how you get there. Tell me about, like, as someone that was obsessed with shooting, too, you know, needed

to be able to shoot at our size or else you're stealing. I mean, you know, made me real quick to be able to shoot the ball, right? What was your approach and your routine and, like, how did it develop and how did it change, like, you know, as a kid, you just go out and shoot because you love to shoot. Then you're like, oh, dad says I should practice and you hear people, you start practicing purposefully. Then, you know what I mean? Then you get to college. You go through to, like, now you have this, you're chasing greatness. Like, I've seen you in person.

We've worked together. I watch you from afar. Like, everything is intentional. Yeah. Like, tell me about, like, how you approach shooting. I always talk to kids now. Like, nobody should have to take it. you usually go to the gym right like as a kid I was that type of kid you I was blessed to

had an opportunity to find a gym wherever and my dad played in the league so it's not like you know the access wasn't there but it wasn't he couldn't be the one telling me you know it's eight o'clock like seven o'clock what we're doing today like yeah if I'm not the one pushing that like start there and it always became just a joy of you know the game and finding ways to you know get a little bit better it sounds real cheesy when you think about it but the idea of every day like I was just exploring like trying stuff you know never really satisfied with you know the level that I was shooting even if I had the greatest workout I'm probably thinking about the couple of misses that I had and you know how can I get better than next the next session

and from there you just expose yourself to different you know thought processes different you know approaches to training like I have my trainers now who I've been with for the last 15 years but, like, I was always curious, you know, coming through of being uncomfortable. Hear that, kids. Curious, want to learn. Being uncomfortable getting in the gyms that, you know, kids that were better than me. You know, the workouts where, you know, like, if you're not getting anything out of it, there's that internal voice.

It's like, I probably coasted today. Like, oh, no, I did something. I got something out of this today. And then you start to just do that more and more and more. And the reps are trying to start to build up. More specifically, though, when I got to the league, I thought I was preparing myself for, you know, the NBA journey and the pre-draft workouts and stuff. But I was still at Davidson, still doing, like, college-type workouts. And I caught up this guy, Edom Ravine, who I had met through my agent, and he's like, go, come out to Baltimore or sorry, to Maryland for, you know, a couple weeks.

and let's just work out and I have this kind of approach to how to get you ready for these workouts and then for summer thinking all that walk, you know, just a leap of phage just in terms of you're not really going to get somebody. But I was curious and like I said, I was going to put myself in arena where I could get to learn

what to do or what not to do or what worked or what not worked and the hardest two weeks of my life where you really had to determine like how, again, how bad do you want it? You put me through hell. but to the point of like really earning it that's where that kind of set me off on the journey worked out with CP over that summer leading into my rookie year

really learned what it meant to be a professional like I was just around people that knew what they were talking about and thankfully you know kind of pushed me in the right direction and obviously you didn't know when we talk about shooting a lot obviously you didn't know what you were doing but at what point did you realize how transcendent

what you were doing on the floor to the masses. When did you figure out holy shit, Steph, what you're doing on the floor is transcending the whole generation of players. Obviously, you didn't know early on, you're just shooting it.

You're just out there doing your thing. But when did it click till you, you started looking around, it was like, oh, wow, that kid is... That's a great question. Because you know you ruined the game. He's destroyed. Completely destroyed.

Timball, one job. Yeah, Steph. When Mark Jackson got back on the telecast after he coached this, and he said it on the telecast. He was taken out of context or too strongly in the sense of it was just being funny. I'm talking about watching his kids play in a game. He's like, oh, he's going in the game. I'm walking in high school gyms now.

And it's just coming across that quarter. They're just shooting it for me. I'm trying to think of the first moment, though. It's like. Because you know, obviously you know it. Yeah. Yeah, you know it. When Trey Young came in the league and I was like the first person who they said was like the next me.

Even though he's a different player. Yeah. We, I known him when he was in high school. That was like the first time you're like, one, I'm getting a little older, but these kids that are watching you who are now emulating them. their game after the way that you play or like there's now expectations on said person to be you or play like you.

That might be the first time I thought about it. I really experienced like what the impact was. But I got that, you ruin the game question all the time after Mark said it and now it's kind of tongue and cheek just because, you know, you understand there is an influence and now it's about how can you allow kids to hear the story about the entire journey and not just the finished product. I might have been the first time I actually thought about it though

because he was a kid that came to one of our games got to talk to him next thing you know he's getting drafted and it's like oh he's in that I'm like well no he's his own player but I mean what Mark didn't realize that he ruined the league too not everyone shoots three now everyone

60s a game 50s a game like it's all me it's all step it's all step you were the first I think you jumped it was the I think it was maybe Stevie Kerr's first year

you jumped 200 threes attempted from one season and the next 2003s attempted and then the league followed then Dame and Clay

and now it's like it's not uncommon for like three four guys in your roster to shoot hundreds of threes that shot quality is still Jerry still out on where the league is

but Bob Marr was the first one who told me like, yo, you should shoot 15-3s a game. I was like, what? Really? You know how hard it is to get 12 good looks up? Yeah. But he was one of those, like, why not?

The math says, you know, 15-3s for you was great. Like, oh, dear, I knew you start thinking about it. But, yeah, the game is strange is more crazy. But what was it? Was it that conversation? Was it Stevie Kerr? Like, what was the, what was the impetus behind taking up 200? The way that we created shots was a big.

big part of it. The offense that he instill where there's a less traditional pick and roll, less pick on game. Movement. Pinch post. Post to pass. All that stuff where you're creating so

the concept of 153 is cool but they're not all created equal in the terms of game pressure, the rhythm and flow of how is it one pass shot? Is it a ball's changed side three times? Then you're coming off and you've moved, touched it, got back, relocated. That's a different shot percentage-wise than the exact same shot from the exact same spot

on the floor in a different context. So we started to understand that a little bit. And it just catered to my natural style of seeing the game, like to the point of your influence, Reggie, the way that I could get it both ways on the ball and off the ball. So I didn't really, it didn't, as crazy as 200 extra threes in the season sound, it didn't feel like. It felt like a normal evolution. So let's talk about this offense, right? Because you come into, it's a pick-and-roll league,

and you're a primary ball handler in profile. You have the handle, you can shoot off the dribble. Yes, you played the two in college, but everyone's like, obviously, he has a skill set. Did you feel uncomfortable at all in pick-and-roll, or were you just like, you know, or was it Steve, or was it both of you? How did it come to, like, hey, we're just not going to run

a million pick-and-rolls when the time came? It was just conversations. Like, I was comfortable with all the different, options. Granted, as a ball hand, like your natural tendency is wanting to be able to make the decisions, like be able to one reading the floor, seeing where the defense is, kind of dictating possessions. But when he came in and, you know, we all know Steve, the way he communicates and the way he kind of approached the job, we were almost a 50-win team when he came in. I was building a great defensive presence with the guys that we had. He said, I just want to

make a couple tweaks to the way that we're creating shots. and, you know, he has, you know, the Papavitch influence. And he had always referenced Atlanta with Coach Bud when he was down there. And, like, they were in, like, the second and third year of trying to, you know, implement this kind of style and leveraging everybody on the floor as a threat offensively. He was like, I just want to help, you know, make those subtle tweaks. So once we got in a training camp, he showed a clip of, I can't remember the soccer club, but it was Tiki Taka, right?

And he was talking about that as a philosophy. of how we're going to create shots, how we're going to create shots, how we're going to keep things simple, you know, make the defense have to make a million decisions in a possession so that you can find the right shot. Illuminating the spurs, 0.5. Yes, point in offense. Make a decision in point five. And so once we got in training camp, it took a minute to be comfortable with not

calling a play and just letting, yeah, letting the ball kind of dictate where you're supposed to be. I love off ball screens, which as a shooter and a score, Coach McKillop at Davidson taught me, you know, you help somebody, you help yourself. And it was a concept of, if I can set a screen, you're guarding me and your goal is to keep the ball out of my hands. You got to make a decision now. You want to call the switch? You can stay body tight.

Yeah, my guy, I'm not going to be open. So, like, sacrificing your body to be able to set screens was a big deal. And that helped kind of. optimize coach courage kind of philosophy because I was involved in pretty much everything with his own ball or all and then from there you just work on the shots that you're going to get and that's still the entire team and so to the point out of all of that I wasn't like I was coming in and saying I had to hit this number of three point attempts to you know maximize what I was doing it's just that's how it kind of actually happened it's fascinating to me because like the league is

so picking real heavy for some of your skill set and your willingness to move so much that's probably what prevents other teams from playing that style more than anything is someone's willingness to move to set screens to be the sacrificial limb. There's a great stat I watched a video the other day. Over a certain period of time in your career, your team's rim attempts when you're on the floor are 45% of your shots. That's not from you dining someone at the room. That's from your movement. Chaos. When you're off the floor, it's still pretty high, but it's down to 27%. That's pretty good. So your influence is 18 percentage points on

rem attempts and that's not from you that's just people's respect for your gravity the game plan of that we switch do we bump, do we show like you staying at home like you talked about screening, they don't want to leave your body the decisions. We got some clips to pull up here of the finals.

Oh yeah. It's most dangerous doesn't have the ball. People, I'm up so. So you said that you know. as a competitor and as a dear friend now having guys not truly understand

what that means when you're competing against a guy like that it grinds you in the head because it's a natural reaction it's a natural reaction the most dangerous guy gives the ball up the first thing you do is I did a great job

he is most dangerous when he gives the ball up and like you just said that stat right there is a is really a byproduct of that 45% of remitants when he's on the floor that mean when he's giving the ball up and he's moving and move and everybody is doing like this to step slip happens drayman layup igadala lob you know guys every peyton the third dunk like because of that vibration you know it's funny to say the ball has energy he yeah also player movement has energy as well and certain guys like you

go back like you said reggie you know having energy himself having energy guys you're just moving and flowing and uh it's just it's a beautiful thing it's a it's not beautiful when you plan it's impossible it hurts it's impossible but as a competitor and someone who kind of like thinks the game as well it's like wow you can appreciate that shit that shit is like it's you know those possessions where like you've been on the sideline as a coach like when you start clapping no matter if the shot went in or not yeah because you know that they they're those are my favorite moments when you're watching film it's like that's just basketball that's best yeah and be a part of like organ of like executing those type of possessions those are

my favorite that's when you don't matter who score everybody everybody hi everybody here everybody operation successful patient dies exactly it didn't go in but that was perfect everyone everybody clapping right operation successful patient dies that's that's hilarious that's like classic The American Express Platinum card is now better than ever with updated benefits to help you unlock unforgettable experiences. You can access the largest global airport lounge network and global hotel program with a suite of benefits as compared to other credit card programs. Plus, with the dining benefits at over 10,000 U.S. resi restaurants

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whole new level. It's true what they say. There's nothing like platinum. Terms apply. Learn more at Americanexpress.com slash with platinum. And now over to our director, Jason, for a word from another one of our partners. Thank you to our partner, Draft Kings, NBA fans, the season's heating up. We're just a couple weeks into the action, and it already feels like we're in mid-season form. The rookies are making noise, stars are setting the tone, and every night brings something exciting. And we've teamed up with Draft King Sportsbook, where you can bet on the stars. Right now, all new customers who bet $5 get three months of NBA League Pass complimentary of Drafts.

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and use code of mind to turn $5 into $300 in bonus bets if your bet wins plus three months of league pass the crown is yours let's take a look at some of the clips I haven't seen these clips I bet, but in our psychosis, we could probably go back to each of these moments.

Boom. So, like, just, first of all, the post to pass, I think it's important for, like, the casual fan to understand. Why is a post to pass interesting? Because, like, you guys, you're not saying, let's go to Festus here. No. You know, what happens is I'll start and let you guys talk about it. Yeah.

When you throw the ball in the post, now you've disoriented the defense's vision, right? Instead of everything, be in front of them, you're supposed to see man and ball. You almost, it's impossible. Well, I mean, you say it's the same thing as what the Bulls was doing in the 90s when they would throw the ball into Luke Longley at times. And now the other actions start happening. Chicago screen, pinch post, MJ can come off of it. Scottie can come off.

It's the same kind of concept. What they were doing, it was just called the triangle. You know, so like you said, as soon as the ball going to the post, now it... Action starts. Action begins. and it's it's like it's controlled chaos

but those guys know exactly what's going on but we're just trying to get the chain to move on the defense you know and it's

when you have a when you have threats you know on the floor at all times it can disorienting a defense which it

you would show the first clip with me having to fuck up is that is that you guys very much you got a few of them

yeah I'm completely this is the happiest I've ever been watching this game by the way so we're going the biggest smile

but he's drawing in the post here Draymond goes to set a split screen so Tristan Thompson's probably not supposed to be guarded so this is another piece of it I can't sit at six seconds on the shot clock

and the reason he's guarding me is probably because something happened with a ball screen under eight seconds maybe offensive rebound something else and that's part of the the ball and body movement where you can again make

the defense have to make multiple decisions to where now our attristen's guarding me he's not used to being in a guard spot which is part of our games. And that's one of the conversations we had previously about five is guarding pick and rolls.

You know, instead of going one-on-one all the time against the five, throw it, chase it, and let's see what he do. I'm a screen out of it, I don't even set the screen. They're not used to guard and pick and roll, so let's see what they do. So now having our five, man,

who can move his feet, obviously he was very well equipped to move his feet, but can he get to pinch post? action, that's different, you know. And he does a good job he gets into the body. You know, I think LeBron's trying to play center field here because Draymond and he's, you know,

so what happens, though, come off a hard cut, he sets a screen, and you're so fearful of daylight. It's my favorite moment that Tristan has to decide. Oh, I think I can get through this. What else is tricky for people is that if Tristan runs into the screen or under the screen the way he should on a switch, there's too much daylight for you there.

So he has to shift. They're not on the same page. Because at the point, if that happened on this possession, Braun read it where you're going to try to jump that pass and take it away and make us make another decision. But one person is on a different station is a wrap. That's it. And this is the byproduct of the way.

So there's the rim attempt, right? And so that's all just out of gravity, fear, game plan busting, movement, the plank post to pass. All right, let's see what you got here. So this is just random basketball right now, right? You come down, you know, people are finding spots. We're going to move it. You get off the ball, which is...

So most people I've seen inside a three-point line in seven years. It's been a while, right? Just go back five and six more. Oh, my God. Nine guys inside the three-point line. This is unbelievable. Dre is the only person outside the three-point line right now. It's unbelievable.

Okay, but you don't stop playing. So what are the principals here? I'm just going to move. Someone knows they're supposed to pin in or you're going to screen and someone's going to clean it up. Yeah. So, like, when you come,

so that's the, when a guard goes underneath the, head out of the basket, if you're guarding that person, obviously, like, antenna's up, I'm coming out, whichever side.

If Shump is trying to stay attached, but I've been moving the whole possession, so unless he's kind of bear hugging, which happens at times, I'm at the advantage, because now he's chasing, I'm trying to, you know, decide,

and to the point where we've been doing a bunch of action where now Ron's trying to decide at what point in my, jumping out I've already guarded two actions before and it's just you know good timing and dray dray was an unbelievable asset in that sense because it didn't matter we had four ball handlers on the court right now that could make that play right Sean could have made it dray Andre could or draymond could have made it I could have made it if somebody else is in the in the action so like that obviously helps

dray's under control he knows like something's about to happen so we're about to be and that is like one of the things in our league too like sometimes that's what makes you know certain guys like Dre, Iga Dalla, you know, Rondo, you know, Dreyman. It makes some of their superpowers actually works for them as well because if you can see right now, we're not pressuring Dre. We're trying to read his eyes, see where he's throwing the ball, and then maybe stunt to the direction of the past. But also what the flip side is that he can see everything because there's no pressure.

Same thing with Rondo. Rondo, imagine Rondo up there will pull. Paul and Ray coming off floppy screens. KG and Perks setting the pin downs. And Ronald was just up there, just like, because no one wants to pressure him. You know, they're afraid of pressure him because he's fast, but also they say, okay, well, you can't shoot as well.

But his superpower is you not pressuring him. So he can just. You're giving him time and vision. He can see it all, you know? So I don't know if we were in like, if Steph's underneath and he comes out, we're switching. Well, I was in this. You're in something because you're like.

And he gets locked. Yeah, that's part of it. It's part of it, too. The first part about this is it's random. You're not always certain. Steph gave the ball up on the left wing and threw it the drape. And now it ended up down here. And did his possum thing?

Yeah. What's going on? What's what I'm doing that? Popcorn at halftime? I don't know. I feel like maybe something sweet. Yeah. And then boom.

So when he starts to sprint here, head under the basket, playing possumie sprints. Shump now is in emergency. mode because he cannot be like this is too much daylight there's never a time he's going point switch him out so it's like or point me out that's exactly and so he's on his bike now when you're sprinting that fast to close it's hard now to read and react yeah it's hard to read and react and so lebron really should be on the high side here correct but he probably feels if i get on the high side and he fades and we switch i'm in trouble i'm in trouble so you're thinking let me bias my body towards stuff and point you almost passed me off yeah like you know just certain players in

our league there's just certain guys over the course of the history of the game no matter what you do they still have an advantage yeah yeah and that's what makes them great that's what makes them great that's what makes them great that's a great point i you know something no i want it exactly i'm gonna ask you about him in a second no no no it's about the gas we got the guest we got the You guys battled it out in the four straight finals. This is important history of the game stuff. Thanks for watching Mind the Game the Game. New episodes drop every other Tuesday.

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