Mind the Game Podcast with 11-Time NBA All-Star Part One Review
In this week's episode of the Mind the Game Podcast, LeBron James and Steve Nash welcomed a very special guest: the most excellent shooter of all time, Stephen Curry. The trio discussed Curry's revolutionary impact on basketball, with LeBron praising him as one of the two players along with Allen Iverson who have had the most significant influence on the game during his lifetime. Curry shows why he is still one of the most marketable faces in the league and also recognizes his lasting legacy, particularly when players like Trae Young enter the league and are compared to him. Taking a deep dive into Curry's game, they analyzed his unique skills, with LeBron noting that he is "most dangerous when he doesn’t have the ball due to his gravity," which distorts defenses and opens up opportunities for his teammates.
Curry opened up about overcoming early struggles, the "dark" and feelings of "fear and doubt" he experienced early in his career while dealing with persistent ankle issues. He emphasized the importance of the monotonous yet crucial work he did to strengthen his core and glutes. The episode also featured a fun breakdown of their iconic matchups, including the 2016 NBA Finals. Curry even laughed while watching a clip of LeBron guarding his teammate Draymond Green, remarking that it was the "happiest" he had ever been while watching that game footage, at one point in the podcast. Nash observed that Steve Kerr, the Warriors coach and a former teammate, was deliberately running Curry through multiple off-ball plays to tire him out. Nash mentioned that Kerr and others were laughing at what they were doing, and he had to glance over at Kerr as if to say, "Come on, Stevie." After the game, Nash took some time to reflect and concluded, "Yeah, I think it's time. You put me out. Which made all three legends laugh.
One very interesting conversation was about the Tiki-Taka play, the model of offense that coach Kerr bases his offense on. It comes from FC Barcelona Pep Guardiola Era, 2008–2012. This team, built around homegrown talents like Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Lionel Messi they together perfected the tiki-taka style. This offense uses quick passes designed to pull defenders out of position. The ball is often moved slowly across the back and midfield to draw the opponent in, before making a sudden, incisive, and typically vertical pass to exploit the space created in the final third of the pitch. The term "tiki-taka" is generally credited to Spanish sports commentator Andrés Montes, who used it to describe Spain's elegant, quick passing during the 2006 World Cup. Overall, if you're any kind of basketball junkie, this episode is a must-listen or watch. You’ll learn from three legends as they share how they analyze the game and offer insights into how it has evolved.
