Mind the Game - Stephen Curry (Part 2): The Greatest Shooter of All-Time

Episode Date: November 18, 2025

Welcome back to Mind the Game and part 2 of our conversation with the greatest shooter of all time, Stephen Curry. In this episode, LeBron James, Steve Nash and Steph continue to break down plays from those legendary Finals match-ups between the Warriors and Cavs. Steph also gets into why he didn’t play AAU, his philosophy and approach to leadership and what it was like to be LeBron’s teammate in the 2024 Olympics. And finally, we hear from Steph himself about the odds of him playing in the next Olympic games.This conversation has been so great. We can’t thank Steph enough for giving us his time. If you’d like to listen to more Mind the Game be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us wherever you get your podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You know, Dark told me that Seth told him a story about how they used to make funny you shooting in the driveway. Oh, yeah. I got to hear this one. Me and Seth, growing up. Seth's older. Is he older? I'm older. Oh, you're older.

He's two years younger. And we had full rain until my mom, he heard her voice. It's time to come in. But she'd have to pull us off the court. Unless I called a foul on Seth, and he's like, I ain't foul you up. And he'd steal the ball. Tuck it under his arm. on him. And unless I gave him a call, he'd tell me I was cheating and he would, he would

bounce. And so it was like the little brother, big brother, like, I want to keep playing. So you're like, okay, okay, okay, okay. That's the same as my brother in baseball when I were kids. My younger brother, I get him out. He'd be like, okay, I'm going in. Okay, you can go up again. Say it exactly. You want to play? I want to play. But he was competitive. He wanted to beat me, but he never could. So he'd be, no, no, you cheat, man. But that was the part of the healthy brother sibling robbery that was amazing now fast forward hopefully I get to share the court as teammates that's crazy that's great yeah yeah seems to get your dad on the broadcasting team

that boy got to bring Eric too then you got to bring his counterpart because he is hilarious there's a clip a highlight of all his famous calls or whatever and there's a game Kimba scores hit a three in like the first quarter and they're down like eight but he acted like it was a game winner and just the volume he went My dad texts us all the time. He has some gyms tonight. Yeah, yeah, for sure. He's great.

I like that guy. How do you? How do you, too? The lady! No, he's hilarious. That is what sports is supposed to be about. What makes Steph the greatest shooter all the time, besides them shit's going in? Obviously.

Besides them shit's going in, first of all, I told you this. I told him last time I said, every time I shoot the ball, I think it's going in. Every time you shoot, I think it's going in every time, still to this day. But his ability to be able to run pick and roll, play 101, but more importantly, get off the ball as well. that makes him the greatest me and a few of our friends we had a group chat we were just talking about old tiny the other night

and one of our friends he said if I sent if I sent you all a message and said that a guy struck out 10 batters in the NLCS you guys would be like oh that was a hell of a game

by that pitcher wow and then if I sent a separate text and said in that same game another guy came in and had three home runs in that same game. No. He said, no. The same guy did that.

He did both of those. He did both of those. So what makes Steph one of the most dangerous players of all time is the fact that you're going to get it in so many different ways. I'm going to come down

to semi-transition. If your pickup point is too low, bang. If I come off a high-screen pick-and-roll and your big is not up to touch, bang. If you cover me well, I'm going to get off the ball, and I don't care getting off the ball. A lot of guys will give in to get off the ball because they don't, they feel uncomfortable. We're now moving. And losing control.

And losing control. And losing control. I want to make every play. Or I feel like, you know, and not even like I want to make every play. I feel like our team is most comfortable with me making the decisions. Okay. Steph, I'm getting off the ball. And I'm about to, and it's going to find me because the energy, the energy that I'm going to,

drag out for our team and for the fear of the opponent I think that it makes him the greatest, it makes him the greatest shooter of all time and one of the greatest threats in NBA history. We got a couple more just because it's fun to hear you guys talk through this

about it. This thing, man. Wow. To your point, if I ever just stop and give in to the physicality, then they got me, which it happened a lot in the series. But the idea of, like, always being on the move, you're somewhat of a threat because you have one guy for sure, maybe two, sometimes three people worried about, you know, what's your next

move I'd be trying to predict. And with all that chaos right there, with six people in the same area, like me just getting down below the free-thro line, it just created a gravity. right? That's the famous Lund. It also allows you guys to play with two quote-unquote non-shooters which in today's league is almost impossible

but because the constant movement you could play with Loon, you can play with Drey and Dremont's had games. I think this is one of them where he made a bunch of threes and he obviously can do that but those are classic non-shooters on a scouting report and you still can be a highly

effective and efficient offense. You couldn't do that if it was just all pick and roll, pick and roll, Pick and roll, pick and roll, pick and roll. Because at some point, the defense is going to get, they're going to just shift. They're going to shave all the way to the loaded side. It's predictable. Sometimes I think, like, you're, you know, you're an off the ball player more than a pick and roll player, and that's a mistake. You're actually an elite, elite pick and roll player.

But because we were used to. So you do both. So now we've gone random pinch post, post-a-pass stuff, you're screening, running off, head under the rim, taking off, guys. All of a sudden, you go, hey, we need one. They scored. the pick and roll and that was a whole other type of coverage and we haven't whereas when i was playing they're like he is getting in picking and whether we switch and he's icing or he's drawing the role they kind of know there's a template here you're a template's like twice as big and to your

point like this in the lineups that was blessed to play with that trust was built over okay if i give it up to your point of like what's in the best interest of the team some teams i get it if you give it up you might not get it back because you don't have another primary ball hander that can handle some ball pressure and still see the play and like me, you send a screen on clay, what you're going to do? Right, right, right.

But the ability for me to be able to set, you know, screen, make a decision and have the energy to do it for 48. That's the most impressive. You know, a lot, I know there's basketball savants and guys that know the game, whatever, but like I said, a lot of things that don't get discussed too is your conditioning.

You know, I talked about the strength earlier. But the conditioning, like, never looks tired, you know, never looks defeated, never looks tired. Out there, like, for 48 minutes or however long you're out on the floor, is this constant, constant, constant pressure. And that is just, it's deflating for a defense. It's power to your teammates. You know, you, he's one of a few guys that I've ever seen

that can, like I said, get off the ball and turn his back on the ball. You don't see that. And when he does that, he gives a ball, turns his back and start running this one. And literally, when he does that, that's when,

oh, shit. Yeah, so as a defender, as a defender, if my guy gets off the ball, throws it over here. And he's running over here. You're like, okay,

let me open up. Because you've been taught, you've been taught your whole life, ball you basket, ball you man, like point him, he gets over, he starts running away like this.

You're like, oh shit, yay, yeah, boom, and he's coming out this way, ball's fighting him. And you're like,

he thinks the shit's funny. I love it. He thinks it's funny. Yeah, he thinks it's funny. It's my favorite. Yeah, yeah. That's amazing. It's still going for it.

But the problem is, it doesn't really matter. Like, it's nice to get a couple steals. Like, I mean, get that extra yard or two of space. He's still going to, I just go, okay, I'll set a screen. What are you going to do? Okay, I'll come off and I'll curl and someone gets a lamp. You can't, it's impossible to defend. You just got a hope.

Yeah. You just got a hope for some of our reason. Enough of them don't go in. Yeah. and somebody has tightened the rim to a point where that it's like an invisible finger underneath the net and the rim

and he shoots it and they just keep yeah because you just got to hope that it goes 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

and that's what makes them great that's what makes them great's great so just talking gravity I mean it's chaos And this is a set play There's a ghost screen Yeah we ran it last year a little bit It's just a matter of

You know inverting Pick and roll And then I get to decide To I screen Based on how my defender is How close the guys guard and Katie here How much space I have on the weak side Whether I want to set it, get him downhill

Go screen it out Slight hold and Slip late There's a lot of options And a lot of different timing that I can control as a screen in here. But in this particular clip,

you saw two things. You saw space to go screen run into, and you felt him climb up on the high side. On the high side. You feel on your left shoulder right there? I see one bad mistake right now.

Right his back. You're absolutely right. You're absolutely right to everything that you saw on his clip. And I'm glad this is behind the camera. Why are we this hug? So, yeah.

Yeah. So it's just amazing. We could have ran out. play three straight times and it would have been a different coverage. We should never be this hugged up here with the two most dangerous guys on this side of the floor right here. And do you play the game as

the game? We're up. Listen, we're down for... In the gaps. We're almost saying you can throw the lob. We'll give you a chance that we're in, we're in we're saying... This guy, who's that, Caleb is probably two steps to the right so that Katie sees a body. He still might go

downhill if I set a really good screen on you. Yeah. But at least he's showing himself really this picture can we never show that no there's no chance too many body tight defenders right here everyone's foot in the way

you know you just never know too you look at time and score you're down four you know you got to get a stop you're down 02 that also plays with the psyche too it's like I got to be the one

to get the stop instead of saying we got to get a stop so like everybody I'm like I'm on Katie I'm like fuck yeah I don't I don't it's loud in there I don't fuck everybody else

if I don't give a stop boom I don't know if I'm being talked to right now. Like, screen coming, screen coming, square, stay square. Obviously, we're not doing anything back here. Everyone's, because, you know, shit, he don't know if he comes off, and now there's a wide pen for Clay coming off here.

We're down four, 30 seconds to go. If we don't get a stop here, the game is definitely. So, yeah, we may not ever see this anymore. The game is not talked like this anymore, but you never know when you're inside the arena, and it fires on you. So everything changes. It's so important, especially like we,

you can sit here and pick people apart, watching games. If you're not in the room and you know why we chose this game plan and what player is not capable or willing That's that Monday morning quarterback right there. It's hard to be. Everybody could be that Monday morning quarterback. You're not in the room and why we chose and why the coaches watched

100 hours of film and decided on this game plan with this group. You know they can be wrong but typically they did the work. They did the work and they chose it and sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. But it's interesting though because of both your teams the way you play, the way you attack

the paint the way that you're always threatening the front of the rim. Now the game evolves and defenses are getting in the gaps. You're saying you can skip it to player three, four, or five, and we'll shift over our zone and we'll start again. But the game evolves. And I feel like that is one of the evolutions is now people are like in the gaps hard. There's no quick, I beat my guy and I can get in. It's a lot less prevalent to just have that open space. You see how many teams are running guard to guard screens now. Okay, C one, the championship essentially off of putting Shea and shooters around

and making you have to decide You're going to do the pick on game favorable matchup Driving lanes are always there Kickouts or shooters if you need it But just trying to create as much space as possible With decisions For the defense to have to make

I love what you said The context of the game does matter Like we could freeze frame it Katie had just hit a shot Like okay everybody's intent Your intent is it ain't gonna be you Right right right right And like I just love, that's why we play, that's why we love the game.

Because every, every possession has some different. It's a puzzle, right? So it's so much. That's why you love the competition behind it. What about the fitness to run around like that? Like, do you take that part serious or is that some of that natural? Like, you mean you've been doing this for how many years now? This is 17 now.

17 years of. Don't you answer that question. 17 sounds great, what I just said. Don't know. But it was always a part, like to the point of being on ball off ball having to do both like it's always a part of you can't you know waste the way down the stretch of games if that's going to be you know it's a skill set right my conditioning is a skill set the idea of how you train and the intensity it doesn't mean i have to be in there for two

three hours on the court it's just if i'm in there for 45 like what am i getting out of this 45 and how much focus intentionality and intensity can i put into a drill that's again that that that question you look yourself in the mirror like I know that this is you know transferable to a game it's not just how much can I simulate this workout into a game situation it's just how mean can you do it over and over and over again the volume of that is just carrying me so granted we all got to do our sprints and like raw condition and just can you get that threshold high but the actual can I shoot when I'm my heart rates at 170 for you know a minute straight

And I still be accurate, like challenging yourself in that respect. That's game-like. It's a purposeful and tense. Yeah, I guess also like part of the pain, I know you must feel this, is feeling the pain of your opponent. Mm-hmm. My favorite line is when somebody at the free the line dead ball is like, yo, stop moving around so much.

Got him, got him. When somebody tell me that I love it, like to the point. yeah because somebody something has to give right yes every game every matchup every battle something got to give I think I don't remember I think it was uh who was it oh my goodness I forgot who it was we was playing Indiana and 18 we was playing Indiana 18 I think it was that is young and I think it was fourth quarter with like five minutes to go and I have played 43 minutes I was going with all 48 and I was I think I was taking the ball out he was taking out, he was like,

you're going to play the whole game? I said, I'm playing the whole game. He was, and I looked at it, he was like, he basically said, what the fuck? It's like the whole game. Right. Like, I'm not getting, I'm not the tired,

playing the whole game. Like, he was like, I was like, okay, yeah, I got it. I got it. After 18 seasons of NBA travel spanning from Vancouver, to Phoenix, to Los Angeles, I know the importance of arriving ready to perform. That's why I'm excited about Emirates' premium economy, which brings a whole new level of comfort to international travel. You know those cramped airplane seats? The wider leather seats in premium economy are the total opposite. They come with leg rests that support your entire leg, not just

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you're not stuck waiting forever to get off the plane. Transform your next international journey with Emirates premium economy. Trust me, it's the MVP of travel experiences. Book your elevated experience at emirates.com slash U.S. Your dad didn't have you play AAU basketball for a couple years. Big years, too, probably. Yeah. 13 to 15.

Those are big years. There's a big years. And what was the methodology and thought? The, from what, the story of the time, you know, growing up in Charlotte playing AAU, I played, started at 9, played 10 and under, they're 10 and under two years and then played, you know, the next three. And that was kind of the beginning. This is, what, 98 to 2001, 2002? AAU was starting to blow up, you know, teams popping up everywhere. The competition was kind of getting a little diluted,

but also I was physically underdeveloped and compared to some of the better kids at my age. And the kind of thought process was, am I really getting better by just getting physically, like, man, at this age? There was a little bit of, like, you've got to figure it out. Like, you've got to understand what physicality is. But the amount of games that we were playing,

And just the gap that was there, the idea was, you know, take those two years to really kind of hone in on a work ethic and a, you know, physical kind of maturation that could then catch me up so that by 16, going back in the travel basketball, that when recruiting would start, that I'd be, I'd be ready to go. And I played school ball in those two years, did, you know, training and all that type stuff. Even just going to the while back then, it was like, man over there too. Man at the while, yeah. Rome and dudes coming back from overseas playing in Charlotte. So I got to play against a good competition. This wasn't formalized in terms of travel ball. Am I really getting something out of this?

At the time, it was the hardest thing he could ever told me. Like, these four or five months, like, you're not going to be. Especially in the summer. Like, I don't get to travel to play ball. It's all I want to do, for sure. So you played 36 and hit the range? I did become that kid, like, dropped me off at the public. It's Charlotte Golf Links.

It's not there anymore. in Charlotte, but there's a good counter to basketball, so you know, you track. My A.U. Coaches, y'all failed me. Coaching Drew Joyce, you failed me. Do not let me play on.

I could have been at the links. I could have been at Firestone Country Club. That's what I'm saying. It's right down the street. John, damn it. I was that kid, too, yeah. Do you feel like there's a parallel from golf to basketball for you, or is it just

a great release? It's first is a great release. you're outside, you're with the people that you want to spend time with, but what I've found is tapping into that competitive energy without having to expand, expand, you know, yourself as you're doing basketball. For me, it's the most healthy, you know, way to get away from the game, but still tap into what makes me, you know, me. You're always competing against yourself.

You, it doesn't matter, you might lose some money games in your group or whatever, but you know, like, it's shot to shot. It's cannot lock in and conquer this. And if I can't, I can't dwell on it because you got to, you know, you're on this good, you've got the next shot coming up. And it's the same kind of mentality with basketball.

Not kind of dwelling in the past or getting too down on yourself and things aren't going your way. You just got to figure it out. And that perseverance I found is a good parallel to golf too. Like conditioning your focus. Mm-hmm.

And being every, yeah, positive self-talk. Yeah, yeah. The idea of, it's just you and that, man, You get so frustrated at times. There's no... Bro, when you say you get frustrated and you've been playing since you was team... You can only imagine how I feel on here.

I just started a few months ago. But I love what you said, though, when you was out there with Bryson, he was like, he asked you, like, why do you love golf so much? You're just, like, one word, it's intoxicating. Yeah. That's it, like, just straight up,

intoxicating, like, it is. It's just... I never, like, Randy been trying to give me to play golf since I was like 18 years old. I didn't know if it was that long. I first got into the league, he was like, bro, we got to play. I'm like, I'm not playing that slow-ass, 40 game. Can Randy play?

Randy was a caddy when he was like 12 years old. Okay. So he said he would go out, be a caddy, you know, and, you know, obviously when you go to like, they don't really want the caddies playing. He said, but some of the guys will, you know, depending on how far the hole was from the, the, club box or the club uh club house they will let him go up and hit every now and there from time to time and things of that nature and he kind of like learned the

game from there they would he can watch it obviously they would tell them you know how far the ball was from the pin all off from the flag all these type of like nuances of the game and he's just been in it like for years and years and years and years and like when you get into the NBA you know every team always has this like this little golf outing yeah every year so like when I played with Cleveland early on we had this golf outing like awesome car will be there and like you know Larry Nance and all the guys that be there and I would go and I would dress a part one thing about it I'm gonna look good on there I'm like I'm not playing this game I'm not

playing this I regret I owe him I owe him I already owe him a lot but I wish I would listen for sure you got time but I got something you got plenty of time you said intoxicating so what's the lowest score you've ever had on cocktails It goes either way You get hot Or you get cold Well you try to find Cruise in altitude

When you get out there Like once you get past That's the science It's a science to it I had some good rounds You know we On vacations in the summer Though I got to turn off

The expectations of Back in like I'm out here On the PJ tour I'm just having a good time To your point though That idea of starting From scratch or something Golf is like the one thing

No matter how hard you work you don't necessarily get that return on investment right away. Delayed gratification. Whatever, that j-curve of this, it's that. Like, you're going to be bad for a while, and then something's going to click, and then you'll see the consistency start. And then it's like, all right, now I'm like,

how do I actually score on a round and round around? All right, now can I get a little more creative on short game stuff? Oh, now I see the whole, but now a strategy. Like, I need to hit it here, and be able to attack like the that's why it's a game for life and it's so much fun once you get through that initial frustration of like if i spend four or five hours out here i might not get that much better right now like um be able to have something to show for it but it's all going to pay one thing i want to ask you about is i want to get into a leadership conversation with you guys

but one thing i want to ask you about having been around you a bunch is you're always the same every day And I don't know if this is true, but I want to talk through, like, pressure because, like, maybe I'll start by saying, like, because your dad played in the league, does the league not feel so big to you? It still does. It still does. But it helped the initial shock factor, for sure. I've been in locker rooms, had gone on a couple road trips and seen, you know, how the team moves and all that. I got to see how my dad interacted with, you know, coach and staff, other players, staff in the locker room around the arena, around the team, like all those type of things. Even fans at times when we were at dinner, you know, in Charlotte growing up, people come over, like, interrupting dinner.

I got to see how he handled those moments. Obviously, he played in a different era, and it's 100 times what he experienced. But that shock factor, I think, was kind of neutralized because I've been around it. still surreal. Like, none of this makes any sense. But you come in every day with a smile on your face. Like, I think it's really important for fans to understand how valuable

that is. When your best player is just, like, happy and go lucky. Yeah. Every day. That's a gift. But also, like, the hardest worker. Yeah. Like, the most intense, purposeful, routine-oriented, focus. But then, like,

you could be right in the middle of focus and someone could yell something funny across the gym. and you just start dying laughing. Like, the balance is insane. Like, can you, I don't know how to. No, that's my personal. I find fun and everything. To your point, I have the killer instinct behind the small.

Like, I want to win every year. I want to, but I'm going to have fun. My faith has a big part of it. I'm super grateful knowing, like, none of this makes sense. I know I worked hard, I know it was given a gift, but why? This doesn't make sense to me. And I try to like rationalize with that every single day.

And so I don't want to ever lose that gratitude for what I get to do. And then out of that, like basketball is fun to me. Like this job has, there's challenges all over the place. We feel it every, like, especially when you're leading a team and franchise and trying to win. And when you play well and when you don't, it's coming back to you. Like, you have to be able to embrace that. but basketball is still fun to me.

Like, when I'm out on the court, a happy place. If I lose that, then it's probably time to quit. For sure. But I don't know what, I guess there's a part of it too that's a little bit of intentionality. Like, don't let, you have to address stuff that happens. Life is unfair at times, and there's a lot of things that, you know, you're balancing and all the different roles we play as a man.

But I try not to allow that. to creep in on the sanctity of like basketball, because I know it's not going to be around forever. The way you guys have handled your lives and careers and balance is as impressive as your games. Honestly, the way your spirit, energy, like, the way he comes in every day, like it's almost more impressive than your game.

Like someone can be in the storm every day. Everyone's looking at you every day. How's he come in? People stop looking now because they know what you're going. know what they're going to get like that's just a remarkable skill or talent um tell us about leadership like what's your what's your thoughts and like what is your belief in a leadership role yeah it's everybody has their different style we all know that like i was never the loudest kind of voice in the room and it took me a while to kind of develop not just the confidence

but you talk about the skill set of like your presence like the skill set of timely messages how to get people's attention um how an audience in the locker room can kind of relate to what you're saying, how you're saying, and what you're trying to get out of them. Like, all that's been built over time. I'm still learning to this day. I've been grateful to have different personalities around me that fulfill a different job as well.

Like, Draymond, for me, in that sense, has been the fire that we need on a daily basis where he'll tell you, you don't know what you get when you're coming in every day, but you need that to get you through, you know, the times where we need a little spark. like we need somebody to say F you like whoever's in that other locker room like create an enemy like that's not mine necessarily nature but that's his and then I can bring it back to saying all right let's not go over like our emotions can't get the best of us we have to kind of find that balance and that tug of war has always been great um over these last 14 years with him with

Steve like in our locker room his leadership is he's the most personable like see the human first type of guy that I've ever met and he always leads with that in terms of the conversations he's trying to have and how he leads. So we all have different styles. We've made space for all of those different voices over time and that's the only way this thing has worked for as long as it has and nobody's asking anybody to really change. It's just we all know what we bring to the table and there's value in that. So that's all been an amazing experience and something we'll talk about forever, just how we were able to put all this together. You've become more vocal.

Oh, for sure. What was that transition like? Is it just... Just do it. Natural. Yeah. Did you feel like I had to? Or did you just naturally started?

There's a definite element of that when Mark Jackson was the first guy that really kind of lit that fire in me. He went out on a branch on his own. And when he called me and Clay the best, you know, shooting back court duo on the line. league when we were what year five and three at the time or something like that he created expectations so in order to live it on the court like everything that happens we were doing it but everything that happens behind the scenes in terms of the team culture and leadership like now there's a sense of urgency on everything so that was like the first kind of you know put the battery in your pack like and become more vocal there

my style still is more like I'll do the if we need to have the team you know only meetings, player only meetings. If we need that, that rah-rah, like, you know, the movie type, like we need, I need that speech type thing. But mostly mine's kind of trying to connect on the one-to-one to know everybody has a different style. Every player is different. I know some people I might need to, you know, give just a little leaning show, like, yo, how are you doing today? Like that type of thing. Or some guys might, I might need to just say everything and don't let them even speak and just walk off. Like that type of thing. You just kind of learn that over the, time. Again, I haven't mastered that at all. Like, I'm still learning that part of, to the

point, you know, how you leave by example, how you show up every day, that does matter. But you do need to, hearing him, you know, give speeches and talks last summer, everything was timely and everything mattered and then like memorable in terms of the journey. Every time we brought it in after practice or after a game, like he kind of was able to capture the moment. And that's a That's a skill set that is different than the way that I approach it. And so, you know, everybody has their kind of unique way of leading. And that's pretty dope about this opportunity. The American Express Platinum card is now better than ever,

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in the Olympics and your leadership styles mesh I mean first question was it was it great

to welcome him to the Olympics four or five game he's like you're getting 36 holes a day

you know you know what it's funny we'd be at practice and D. Book would be like and you hear

aunt all right now we waiting on on one of them Steph games We're waiting on one of them Steph games. And Buck would be like, oh, it's coming. It's coming.

And I'll be like, oh, yeah, I can see it. You remember when I was doing an interview against, is that Brazil? No, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico, yeah, Puerto Rico, yeah. I was doing an interview with one of our local Bay Area guys, and they asked me that question, like, you know, your numbers, you know, your shots. You feel like one of your marquee games is coming. I was like, yeah, I'm just staying patient.

I think it's, and he was just walking by white when I said it. Hell yeah, it is. And they wrote the dude, heard it, and I started dying. The timing couldn't have been any better. So I'm part of he heard the whole interview. Oh, right, we said, all right, cut, that's all we need. But it's kind of be tricky, though. Like, you guys bringing the best players in the league.

You come together, like, luckily. Short period of time. Short period of time. Yeah, for sure. You don't even know sometimes who's getting on the plane with injuries. I get a couple guys drop out. And you guys have to find a way that the room feels right. Right.

And the difference between obviously the biggest difference, like on the court, is that your usage rate is not chopped in half. It's chopped like three-fourths. You know, we all have the ability to, you know, if we have a bad first quarter or a bad first half, we can figure it out in a second half. You know, we know that the ball's going to find us. We know the balls want to be in our hands.

We know, you know, play is going to be called our, you know, you're playing one with eight less minutes. You know, you're going from a 48-minute game to a 40-minute game, and that's, you don't realize until you're playing in those games how fast those 10-minute quarters go. Them things is rapid fire, but just like the usage rate thing, man, and it's like, you know, sometimes it's hard to get into a rhythm, you know, so the benefit is we, the benefit that we had, you don't always have to be in a rhythm. You don't always have to be in a rhythm because you look to your left you're like, okay, he got it tonight or, you know, so what can I do that can still

impact winning? And that was our mindset and like, obviously we knew he was like being super hard on his self-like, what the fuck? Like we knew, we could see. Are you feeling a little bit? No, for sure. We could see it after practice.

First Olympics. You don't want to be the guy that is a context of numbers to your point. Like, it's not you can't compare it to, but you don't want to be the guy. got underperforms in a certain moment that could dictate whether we

win or lose, especially in that locker room. Yeah. We've seen it out through every practice. He was on his ass. He was on his ass. Yes. And we was like, it's coming. Here it go. It's coming. And boy, did it come. Oh, man. Avalanche.

One of the funnest as a Canadian. I say this. One of the funnest basketball moments in the semi-funish. Oh, my best 10 minutes ever. Yeah. I was like a kid off my couch, fist pumps. It's one of the best games I ever played in my life.

I was like, what am I watching right now? You felt it in the moment? I felt the panic. At the end of the third quarter when old buddy had won three. It was like, yeah, I'm 15. What's that like? I'm counting the minutes because to your point, how fast, like you felt how fast the games were.

And you're like, 10. Yeah. And when it does it have to go under eight. Under seven in the fourth, and I look, I'm like, yo, if we... What were you down under seven? Probably was eight to ten. Eight to ten, probably still? After Katie hit the three and then Book hit the inbound three.

That's when it's when the chamber. So there's double digits to that point. Double digits. We're like, what are we, come on now. It ain't go time. It's just like emergency. This is like the president cracking the glass. Like, okay.

Like, come on now. Yeah, yeah. But like, you, you, you were great, you carried the team through large stretches. You were awesome. The whole tournament, like, devastating in transition and all that stuff. But like, what the fuck was that? Like, you, like, were you like, I'm hot? Were you like, this is the moment?

Were you, did it all come together? Like, you were making ridiculous shots. First quarter against Serbia in the semifinals. That was, there was a moment. It was like, everything was a little tough. They were playing out of their mind. And then I found a couple openings. I missed my first three.

We got an officer rebound and kicked it back to the right wing. And I made the second, the $2 for a dollar. And at that point, all right, that's when you start to feel the energy. Like, maybe if I get a couple of good looks, I'm starting to feel it. And they just came and pinned downs were on time, transition, finding me in the point. Like, everything just, and I was capitalized and kept us in it to the point. And then that fourth quarter just give us a chance.

and man like 10 minutes of perfect basketball except offense rebounds we couldn't get a rebound we couldn't get a rebound we couldn't get a defense rebound but other than that it was perfect basketball on both ends everybody had their moment everybody you know playing the ass off and just the idea like it took everything out of us

to get it that they survey played a plus game yeah yeah a plus they still wondering how the hell they're yeah for sure for real sure yeah that's we felt all of that and then the final the closing i mean the closing was insane like you carried over obviously that kind of you felt now okay now i'm here and i'm rolling but like what's it like in those moments when you're just you're like you're like you know what i'm not going to mess me i'm just going to pull i'm just going to pull from like 28 there's no thought to it i remember the conversation we had um they had just cut it to three

when we hit the putback and I'm like, yo, you get the ball I'm coming inside a screen for you. I actually wanted him go downhill, maybe get to the freezing line, like at least settle us down and he's great at that just from the killer's momentum for a second. When he threw that pass, like

muscle memory just took over. I couldn't even tell you what I was thinking. No, I saw Yabaseli like bite on it on the left jab and once you see that, it's just reactionary and you make it like a good point. I'm just, you just living with it. And then from there, we had intentionality on a possession. It didn't mean I was

going to get every shot, but it's just like, we would get organized and, you know, settle the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, the, uh, obviously, they all had to go in, but, um, I'm still laughing at the picture. If you were, you and Katie over there with you.

Oh, you're talking about when you was part of june? I can't believe you froze us out like that, just and shot that crazy shit. I still, that. But, Kevin, you had the ball. There was two on. you and you looked at him and he was like he threw it back he was like he threw it back and then i just like i got to get something going and oh my goodness we both over there like oh my goodness NBA jam bro NBA jam we all play in your mind like I'm serious because I love to understand

if you can express this like in those moments what do you feel like are you are you now not even thinking now you're instinctively playing basketball yeah the last one is you just see the rim the first the first one was again the kind of say like i'm gonna set a screen for you he made the play i reacted whatever the second one uh batum he's hesitated for a half a second half a second yep and i got a quick pump yep and the third one that was great basketball the third one uh i got trapped swing swing the book baseline draw that's like practice yep and then it just happens that that's the blender the follow through of like really good possessions after three minutes of horrible possessions.

Like it was just everybody is just in flow state. And I'm obviously going finishing the play but it was just great basketball. The last one, whatever, that was... He didn't, you know, he didn't see the rim on the last one. What night night time?

Everybody. It's time to go to bed. I forgot about the rest of the time. I lost my mind. Yeah, yeah. I lost my mind. You're playing defense in the next two positions. No.

By the way, he thought they could... He thought a time out happened after the last one. He ran down the whole right side, went around the base side. You were done. Looked at our teammates on the bench. I'm like, yo, we got a guard still, bro. Yeah, we're selling away in the towel. Then he got the rebound.

Then he passed it. Yeah. Live passed the book. And then I was like, we're good. You almost tricked it off with the cell? I went all. I covered some ground. Yeah, he covered some ground.

Bro, I'm tough. It's one of the best experience. Like, it was everything. People I ask me all the time, like, you know, finally got an opportunity to play with Steph. Like, what was it? I was like, everything and more. Like, it was, it was perfect. First person I text.

Exactly. I was just about to say that moment. He was the first person I text when we, I was trying to assemble the team, whatever. It's first person I text. I said, bro, he said, good willing, injury is, I'm good injury-wise. That's the plan. I said, say no more. Say no more.

That's amazing. That's how I started. What do you think? This is, how old are you guys now? 40, 30, 37? That'd be 41. 40. A month and a half.

Yeah, bro. You think you got an L.A. Olympics? When is that? Is that the next? The next one? 28. You already know my answer to. No, you don't even know.

I would be watching it from comments. You did plenty of Olympics. Yes, man. You did plenty of Olympics. I think you might? it is the opposite answer what I told him last year is like God willing I still have the choice and the physical option to be like I can actually impact the team never say never but I highly doubt it I'd love to be a part of the movement we can't top what we just did

that that's the thing that's the top those last two games that's the top and just the moment like just we can't top those last two games man like because those last two games we literally played France and Paris for the final you know like that that it would have been like in 08 like during a redeemed team would be to play China in the final right and and play you guys especially the place must have been oh it's great they had all the chance they had the songs going you know they had beat they had beat Canada they you know they was excited to plan but they was it was conversations like oh shit Canada gonna be in the final four you know and they

went in there and beat up on Canada. They did. They needed you, man. They had to shave that nerve down, man. They did not need the 50-1-year-old, PG. Playing zone. I got the corner. I got the corner, man.

I got the quick outlet. It's right there. A potato. You know what? Randomly just popped in my head. Is it true? that you used to read tweets at halftime when you weren't playing well?

Yeah, I did that. I'm not proud of it, but it was a fun time. I think it's amazing. There's just so many phones in the locker room now. I enabled the younger generation. You find motivation from anywhere. But yeah, it was like a two-year stretch. So wait, to walk me through, what are you thinking?

It's only when I was playing bad. So if I was, you know, tripping out of rhythm, shooting horrible, whatever, I'd go get a little motivation. So it's like maybe, four quick scrolls, find something. All right. And then coach would walk in.

I'm ready. The one thing where I was messing around is a journalist named Kareth Burke who does this stuff for NBC and she heard about it. This is how before it became a thing. And she tweeted me at half time, like, if you're reading this, do an airplane celebration after you make your next three. It was in Cleveland and hit the joint

a little quick look. There's only one stuffing courage. That's only one. It's only one. It will only ever be one. I was never told that story. That's hilarious.

It was like only heard knowing the end of now as it's like a beat on the team. You're crying. I'm just having a blast. That's awesome. That's so good. So good.

Keep minding the game. Yeah, she said Harvey mind that game. By the way, you see this shit that they're doing? Yeah. With the coaches. With the coaches and shit. It's good, I liked it. Well, wait till you see what Amazon friends do.

Thanks for watching, Mind the Game. New episodes drop every other Tuesday. Remember to like, subscribe, or follow wherever you're watching. You know, I'm going to be. You know,