The Conference Finals | LeBron James and JJ Redick

are we like ready cuz JJ has a hard 45

minutes out Sound Speed it's probably

gonna dent a little bit but who

[Music]

cares it's like poking out like right

there yeah see like here and here

exactly exactly where

recording oh well I made the Pod I'm

trying to help

you you you haven't put me on your pod

yet that all right you good Jason

[Music]

welcome to mind the game with LeBron

James and JJ reick brought to you by

uninterrupted and 342 Productions uh

this is episode 8 we discuss everything

about the Conference Finals in

particular uh we talk about the identity

of these four teams the importance of

role players in the NBA playoffs we have

a discussion on Caitlyn Clark we have a

discussion on bronny James um there's a

few technical things we talk about in

this episode a lot of this stuff we have

discussed before so you can always

reference previous intros and previous

episodes uh for any of the Lexicon that

we may discuss in this episode uh

there's a few things I want to just

break down real quick this will be quick

I promise you and this is just pick and

roll

coverages um this is more of a refresher

than anything ball handler here Defender

here screener

here Defender here all right drop

coverage drop coverage okay drop

coverage this Defender right here is

going to sit back sometimes in the paint

and play Drop coverage which just means

he's dropping towards the basket very

simple drop coverage uh I always say

this about

definitions of basketball Concepts a lot

of times it's just simply in the word so

up to touch is another coverage up to

touch means the defender is up to touch

as the ball hler comes off this is

different than a blitz which is more

aggressive there's also a soft Blitz

which is interchangeable with up to

touch the other concept we talk about a

bunch actually is hedging a lot of NBA

teams don't do this anymore but if you

are Target hunting if you are trying to

create a mismatch and get a switch a lot

of teams will do this we saw this a ton

in the Indiana New York series where

this offensive player with the ball is

Jaylen Brunson so I'm going to circle

him uh this offensive player could be

Josh Hart could be miles McBride they're

being guarded by Tyrese halberton right

here okay that is the defender a hedge

this SC trer is being set Jaylen

brunson's coming off Tyrese halberton is

actually going to get higher than the

level of the ball and he's going to try

to reroute Jaylen Brunson around him and

what that does is if Tyrese halberton is

here and Jaylen Brunson goes around this

screen is being set here we

go Jaylen brunson's defender in this

case Aaron n Smith let's say he can get

back in front of the ball what we talk

about in this episode is sort of

opportunities for the screener against

the Hedge to roll or slip into space so

again as this guy's coming off and

Tyrese halberton or whoever Hedges uh

the screener slipping into space and

you've now created that four on three

that we always talk about on the back

side if you have a great shooter uh as

as an example this was LeBron James on

the Lakers uh this is kcp this is LeBron

James kcp is going to set that pistol or

21 action that we had talked about in a

previous episode as LeBron's coming off

here

kcp his man is going

to hedge out and kcp is going to slip

into space I had to guard this action a

lot wasn't fun in Casp may have may or

may not have hit a couple threes on me

um the other thing we talk about is

driveways love driveways uh this is

Dwayne Wade over here here's his

Defender there is a

screener and as this guy comes to screen

remember Dwayne Wade in the auns in the

2000s early 2010 sometimes this was

still a hedge so we talk about the idea

of dribbling away or rejecting a screen

driving away in order to get away from

that second Defender so Dwayne Wade

would set it up with a little Jab step

and he'd get Baseline on that left side

almost impossible to

guard and the last concept which we're

going to do on this side of the board

because we need the full court is just

uh a very simple

concept it's intuitive in the name the

Advan pass this can happen on a make it

can happen on a Miss uh Nico yic gets a

defensive rebound here this is case CP

out there's Defenders back this is not

meant to necessarily lead to a layup or

an open shot but it's just a quick

Advanced pass to kcp the early shift of

the defense you guys will see this with

Indiana a ton off of makes they will

take the ball out they will advance past

to Tyrese halberton he will then Advance

pass to Aaron n Smith P Pascal sakam uh

they play with pace

and they use the pass to create Pace the

advanced

pass this is episode eight of mind the

game please enjoy if you haven't already

please hit that subscribe button and

please double tap for me cuz I got

through this entire thing in two

[Music]

takes R lots of stuff happening in the

world of basketball

these days um I I want to actually start

with bronnie yeah um this past week he

was in Chicago at the combine and uh I

first of all I've never met bronnie but

I will say uh in all the interviews and

clips that I

saw his uh

perspective and his mindset at that age

was like really stood out it was

actually quite remarkable for you as a

as a dad and obviously my kids play

basketball they're much younger but as a

dad watching him go through this process

what's it like wow this is this is where

we kicking it off with huh JJ you go we

going right to that topic uh I love it I

love it um you know for as a parent to

be able to be um you know there to

witness a child of yours uh start to

live out a dream of theirs um um is

something bronnie has always talked

about um you know and he you know said

we asking plenty of times like what is

but it's your end goal and his end goal

is to to be in the NBA and to see him um

almost at that at that moment um you

know for a parent it's something that

you could just be in all of because I

mean that's what you you want your kids

to be able to live out their dreams you

know and whatever that whatever that is

um whatever you know Direction they take

you want them to be able live out their

dreams and for you know myself and

Savannah to be there and be at the

combine this past week in Chicago to see

him out there with other kids that's

trying to live out their dream um it was

a it was a pretty

like

remarkable I don't know what to say

slash this is exciting um um you know

feeling for for for our whole family and

I know probably know the same feeling

for him as

well he had he had some quotes where he

talked about certain players in the NBA

that he felt he could play like yeah and

I thought it was neat um because not

every 19-year-old kid has that

perspective like I most of us you know

we think we're going to be Allstar all

NBA from day one and that's not

necessarily how it works for everybody

do you do you talk to him about that do

you talk to him about who he can be in

the NBA or is he figuring this out on

his own I think he's figuring it I

wanted him to kind of figure it out his

own where he see himself fit in the NBA

or you know where he see you know what

his comp looks like to to see you know

him mention guys like Derek white Drew

holiday um you know a few other guys

Marcus Smart in our leag Davon Mitchell

these are guys who like come in and and

for a team that's trying to win

championships a team that wants to win

every night these are the players that

you have to have on your team because

they just it doesn't always show up in

the box scores um but always shows up in

the winning plays and you know for Bry

to have that perspective on where he

stands today um you know that's great

and I think that's great for any team to

be able to have a 19y old kid like you

said you know I know that wasn't my that

wasn't my goal my goal was like listen

I'm trying to make it to the to the

All-Star Game in year one I want to be

you know Allstar I want to be MVP I want

I want to be this you know all of these

things and and a lot of us have those

aspirations but you know for brny to

just to have that mindset of like listen

um at this point in time in my in my

life and in my game I know where I stand

but I know how I affect the game you

know and um you know he's just a winning

player and I just I just love his

mindset it's just some of his answers

and and to a lot of the questions that

was given to him was like I was in awe

of because we've never actually you know

even talked about it but um he's living

in it he's living in the moment and he's

he's definitely carving out his own lane

you know he's he's definitely not his

dad and and I'm not him I wouldn't be

able to handle the scrutiny and all the

things that he got going on you know at

his age at his level and with social

media like I didn't have social media to

deal with when I came in at 18 I did

have a lot of scrutiny I did have a lot

of things that was put on my shoulders

but I didn't have you know you know

every single day around the clock news

covers Sports shows things of talking

about this particular person every

single day or you go online or on social

media and x and Instagram and everyone

can comment every single day

about whatever they want to say whatever

I didn't have to deal with that and to

see him handle it you know with such

class and so um you know just like

self-awareness and just St even kill is

just a remarkable thing man and uh super

proud of him you know me and Savannah

talk about all the time how proud of we

are of our kids and you know he's the

oldest you know he we always told him

from day one listen you have to set an

example for your brother and your little

sister um and he he continues to do

that yeah I would say that NBA media got

a week worth of content out of out of

yeah well since you know I think they

said you know well since your dad's not

in the playoffs no more you know what

we're going to ride your ctail bronny

James we can't get your dad to say

anything right now he

declined interview at the Cav's game we

can't get him to say anything so we're

GNA we're going to use your we're g to

use your

son yeah you know we know how there's

other things there there's other things

happening in the NBA World non-playoff

related that I feel like the NBA media

is using as

well absolutely AB you know I'm glad I'm

glad when you when you pointed to those

guys that bronnie mentioned um you

talked about uh players that impact

winning and I think that's a great segue

to get into the playoffs yeah man and

the Conference finals are set we've got

four teams and there's some similarities

between all four teams but I think all

four teams have their own specific

identity you know one of the things when

I think about all four of these

teams is they have a bunch of guys that

star in their roles beyond the stars of

the team y there's buyin yep across the

board to what guys roles are and I think

in the regular season whether it's

because people are

distracted uh the viewership is

different uh we all everybody wants to

talk about is who is in the MVP

discussion all of that it's not till the

playoffs that we fully get to

appreciate guys like nazri guys like TJ

McConnell the Derek whites of the world

PJ Washington Daniel gaford Jaden

McDaniels of course and it's to me this

playoff run for a like across the league

does it feel like to you the role

players are almost having more impact

than normal I mean I know there's always

been there but it feels like when we

talk about we we always talk about like

your stars got to win a couple games you

you you got to gut through a game maybe

your coach gets you a game your role

players win you a game it feels like the

role players night tonight have just

been incredibly consistent no you're

absolutely right JJ I mean you you look

at last last night's game seven in

Denver you know we talk about how

spectacular Ant-Man has been this whole

postseason last night he goes six for 24

from the field I mean at I think at

halftime he had maybe two or four points

you know and in that fourth quarter you

saw Nas Reed you you saw obviously I

mean obviously Rudy is kind of a star

player but Rudy making plays um niil

Alexander Walker and jayen mcds was just

I mean he's been huge all season but you

see it even more in the postseason but

Nas Reed last night you know from you

know the Euro Step he had left right on

on on on Joker uh get fouled on the

offensive rebound then he had a tip dunk

from the corner you know he had a big

time block shot on Joker late in that

game as well like he was huge and then

he pushed in in transition they was up

seven and hit Ant-Man for a corner three

opposite of their bench you know that

came off Nas Reed you know so like

you're absolutely right the the role

players right now with these four teams

that's left are making all the plays you

saw PJ Washington seemed like every time

PJ Washington got into foul trouble in

that Dallas vers OKC Series OKC kind of

had a little Advantage you know and when

he was on the floor the advantage was

gone you know because PJ Washington was

there made the timely threes obviously

in game six at home made the timely

stops he was just big for him so you

know and obviously TJ McConnell he's

just a a you know he's a a coaches dream

to be able to have a guy like that that

comes in knows exactly what he's doing

puts the tempo he's always going to be

high in ass cernal ratio you know and

he's just a dog so you you are

absolutely right man um you this this

this postseason is great and as much

obviously we know the narrative is

always GNA go to the star guys but to be

honest these games have been won by the

MVPs that are role

players yeah to to that point last

night's a great example in game seven

there were games earlier in

uh the Knicks run where Jaylen Brunson

didn't have a good shooting night and

they won uh Luca has not been at his

best outside of a couple games and

they've won right uh they won games in

that OKC Series without Kyrie having a

monster performance and I I'm I don't

know what I'm trying to get at but it

feels like and it it feels like and

we'll get to some of the parody stuff in

a second but it just feels like the

depth of talent right now particularly

on really good teams like you can't

concentrate you need seven eight guys

that can really play in high pressure

moments and have the you called it a dog

I'll say it the the the toughness the

mental

fortitude um to compete at this level

yeah and it feels like across the board

in the NBA we're getting more and more

of these guys that are just they're

[ __ ] good players man absolutely

right and and they are starring in their

roles and they're not doing nothing

outside of what they what they do and

this is what this postseason has been

about and that's what this top four is

all about these top four teams Indiana

Boston um you know Dallas and Minnesota

have a bunch of guys who star and they

roll and they do it every single night

man they they are they are great at what

they do and if there's any if there's

teams out here looking to see how to be

successful OB you got to have star you

got to have one one possibly two you

know that's going to you know going to

make sure that everybody stays even

killed but at the end of the day you got

to have those soldiers around man you

got to have you know the cones and the

and the compos and the rest of those

guys that's gonna be ready to go man and

that's what we see at the final four

right now in the NBA I want to talk

about the identity of each team and sort

of where you where you sort of would

break down what makes each of these

teams great um and so let's let's

actually start in Eastern Conference I

want to talk about the Boston Celtics uh

and a lot

of a lot of the talk when the season

started right they have six starters

they have more Talent at the top end

than any other team uh they had a great

regular season that they've certainly

faced a little bit of adversity uh

losing game two in both series um but to

me this is a team that like has a clear

identity how would you describe it um I

would I would describe it as um they

know exactly what they want to get to

they know exactly what their game um

obviously they shoot a ton of Threes And

that goes back to I don't know if it was

episode one or two uh from mind the game

we were talking about uh the three-point

attempts and you know how many threes

you should take but they've um they play

with a lot of

space um they're not the most paced team

the team that they're going up against

is probably number one in Pace but they

play with a lot of space and it's five

out it's five out and it's Drew it's JT

it's Jaylen is uh d d white um and it's

Horford and and hopefully we would love

to see Pingas back because you know we

want to see everybody whole when you get

an opportunity to be whole at this point

so you know and they surround those guys

all all all game it's a bunch of Threes

uh they try to give us some they try to

get some some mismatches and either some

flare screens or some rip screens where

they could get a smaller guy on J Brown

or Jason Tatum and they try to exploit

mismatches um but they know exactly what

they're trying to get through driving

kicks uh shoot a bunch of Threes try to

get some offensive rebounds to kick out

for threes again um early transition

threes early attacks through the U

through the 45 U for Jaylen Brown for uh

Derek white for for Tatum and then the

rest of those guys just uh you know play

off for each other so they definitely

have an

identity yeah so you bring up uh the the

switches and some of the things they do

and

you know I want to differentiate right

now um

between uh how how the different ways

you can manipulate matchups because

traditionally if you wanted to get a

certain matchup uh the guy would just

you let's say it's you you would bring

the ball up the court and you say come

here and You' do three three different

pick and rolls until they finally switch

and then you get your match up and you

go right um I think Boston uh will do

that for sure and they do that a lot

late game they'll just set a side pick

Pi roll get Derek White's guy on Jason T

exactly you know whatever it may be but

they do a lot of the rip screen stuff

from the elbows from the elbows in their

V2 warns 2 set that creates those

mismatches that they can get behind the

defense on a slip now all of a sudden

you got Al Horford Jaylen Brown whoever

in the corner you got shooting um but

what that leads to and I think I I think

in some ways this is where they have a

clear identity Beyond just shooting and

spacing because they create those

mismatches whether it's porzingis Tatum

Brown they get to a lot of isos they get

to a lot of post-ups yep that is not

Indiana at all at all that is not

Indiana at you bring up the pace and I

just called four of their games in the

conference semi-finals I think the most

impressive thing to me about them is

number one their use of the ad Advanced

pass uh but

also they don't really run plays right

and Rick Carlow said this to me he's

like we're a concept team we're not a

play team right they will run multiple

actions whether it's pushing the ball up

to initiate the offense or an advaned

fast to initiate the offense it's

multiple actions one after another that

eventually leads to drive and kick yep

we think about them and they're like oh

you know they they shoot a lot of Threes

here's the thing they led the league in

points in the paint all of that stuff

that they do

the high picking rolls with halberton uh

the the advanced pass TJ McConnell

nashing on the Baseline all of that is

to eventually get something in the paint

and they'll take threes I'm not saying

they won't take threes they want points

in the paint y absolutely it's a totally

different thing yep yep totally contrast

from their opponent that they about to

face you got one team that wants to

shoot a bunch of Threes And yes they

will take their layups and get their

dunks or whatever case may be the

defense break down but with IND with

Indiana they want to live in the pain

paint and like you saying their ability

to you know throw the ball up ahead

flatten the defense to throw back to a

either a slip slip drag or a you know a

double drag to get halber going downhill

finding guys and then they get to their

drive and kick game um which they are

very efficient and very good at um you

know so you know it's going to be uh

definitely a game of two contrasts uh

you know different teams but it's going

to be fun to

watch uh what do you what do you you

think is the best way to describe why

the advanced pass is so

important um I think the best way to

describe why the advanced pass is so

important you know I just said it uh it

literally it flattens the defense out

you know and what that mean when you're

when you're throwing the ball ahead the

defense is always trying to get back to

the level of the ball get below the ball

and with Indiana I think that is a point

of emphasis for them to try to get the

all the bodies below the ball so when

they throw a back you're not in position

to Now cover the pick and roll which now

they're very Dynamic at you know and you

know you know you tell your bigs get

back get back guards get back you know

so when they kicking the ball ahead if

they don't have early layups or they

have early driving kicks once that ball

gets kick back to TJ McConnell or to

Tyrese halberton now here comes the

drags and and it's not like you know

dribble dribble wait wait no they're

right there at the point of the

throwback it's either a slip drag with

Miles Turner it's either a slip drag uh

with Obi toing you know or it's gonna be

a a nice screen uh by by Jackson uh the

the guy off the bench there back up

Center he's really good at it or now

their guards are getting involved where

they're hip tapping and you know and

slipping out so you know I think that's

I think that's very uh you know I think

as a coach and as a coaching staff they

were were able to identify their

personnel and they knew exactly what

would work for them and and it's that's

that's that's a great coach and a great

coaching staff right there to be able to

identify your personnel because they

don't have many at the end of the day we

say you know why are they not posting up

or why they're not isoing to be honest

Indiana they they don't have the

Personnel to do that and seak seak is

really the only guy and that is you know

and and I think to a degree uh they only

do that really when they feel like he

has a a mismatch and they felt like in

that Nick series he had a mismatch

against Josh Hart and you know games

three four five six seven uh he took

advantage of that yeah he did the

advance pass certainly flattens the

defense it it's it's to me what you're

describing as like an early shift yep

early shift yep where if you advance

pass it up the right wing now all of a

sudden everybody who's retreating on

defense is Shifting towards that side

versus if you just bring the ball up or

walk the ball up everybody's set there's

no shift there's no shift yep the other

thing and I I was there was a great

article recently about uh how the league

is a copycat league and how a lot of

these coaches are stealing stuff from

each other we we all know that but one

of the things I talked about was a lot

of coaches want the ball to get across

half court in two to three

seconds and one of the things that has

happened in this playoffs in particular

is the pickup points has been all the

way in the back court yes uh you know

there's a there was a stat I mentioned