Full Transcript for Paul Pierce, Sam Cassell & Eddie House: The Art of Trash Talk, Connecting with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown

Speaker 2: And it wasn't a problem. 00:05:06 Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying. Everybody laughed at each other. You can't laugh at yourself, you know, that's the problem. And I think today's players have that problem, that they can't laugh at their self. 00:05:16 Speaker 8: I tell you smiling why, I was just thinking about how we would get on people they come in with the wrong outfit on. 00:05:25 Speaker 2: Cologne, stinking. 00:05:36 Speaker 5: Girafft pists out here, some hippo slopper. 00:05:41 Speaker 8: But as far as like my role, as you know, I'm an analyst, so I like to be around as much as I can just to get a feel for how the team, the post of the team, and a lot of times when I talk to the to the players, I kind of like, don't want to cross that over into what I'm doing my work, because some things are to be talking about and some things or our relationship and I want to have that where they know that this is my job over here. But at the same time, man, listen, I've been in your shoes. I know what it is and anything that I could say to help them. For the most part, it is. My main thing was when we did it on media day that live stream, my thing to Jason and Jalen was challenge your second unit. 00:06:21 Speaker 2: To challenge y'all. You know what I mean. 00:06:22 Speaker 8: Make sure you get at them, make sure they get at you, and that's how you're going to be able to be successfuls later on, because I think that our second unit going against the first unit every day and it started a training camp. That first training camp we cracked them right, and we were talking reckless right. So after that, they turned it up, cracked us like two three straight days. But then we battled and we had our seesaw up and down this game. This day was our day, this day was their day. But for the most part, what it did was it just sharpened everybody's skills and we understood that if our second unit could crack them and compete with them, with them, we didn't think there was a team out here they could mess with us. 00:07:01 Speaker 2: We're gonna be playing the seconds. 00:07:02 Speaker 8: And we feel like every night we stepping on the court and play the seconds, we were the best because of them, and I feel like they. 00:07:09 Speaker 2: Were the best because of us. 00:07:10 Speaker 8: And so that was like my main message, and those are the type of messages that I'm seeing besides that, they got to go out there and play, you know, stay healthy, go out there, play and have fun doing it. 00:07:18 Speaker 6: Paul, you, I mean you've been trying to be around these You've been preaching this for like three years. Yeah, and like it feels like now it's happening, and then Sam comes in. It just feels like there's momentum behind this right now. 00:07:31 Speaker 7: Well, yeah, I just think me being here the longest as a player and coming back you know as an ambassador is you know, just to kind of be an influence, a positive influence, inspiration, uh, you know, help bring the guys together from the from the teams of the past, whether you either won a championship or not. You know, you know, you always it's always a brotherhood here in Boston. And as I engolf myself with the team and back into the community because this is my second home, you know, and I enjoy every time I come to Boston to watch a game, and you know, I tell the other guys who I played with to come back enjoy a game. But not only do that, you know, meet the players. You know, let's get out in the community a little bit more because we're a family. You know, there's no culture like the Boston Celtics culture. I mean, we've built up a franchise that's second to none in all of sports, you know, And so I think it's important for you know, not only myself, but players in the past to always come back and any way they can land to help a hand. And if there's is a position, you know for a former player, you know, I like that the owners are giving them a shot and so and Wick has been great about that. Like you said, bringing Sam back Eddie as an analyst, Leon pohe you know, the Celtics have always scowled, you know, They've always been pioneers in that aspect of bringing back former players and giving them opportunities away from basketball. 00:08:52 Speaker 6: Sam, from your perspective of now getting in these doors, I heard in recent weeks and Joe said up publicly that he under outreach to like all of the alumni from the Celtics and say the doors are open, like we want you guys here. If it's team playing, if it's team Dinners, like whatever you guys want, we want you here. How does that impact the team. And when you heard that he did that, what was your first thought? 00:09:14 Speaker 2: It was good. 00:09:15 Speaker 3: But before he did it, he missed to me that he wants to bring all the old guys back, especially from the eight team, because he thought it would be real important for the current players to see the family atmosphere. 00:09:28 Speaker 1: We just saw it down there that. 00:09:31 Speaker 3: The competition that we had against each other, it was always a battle, and he just wanted the guys to be around, not just Game six of the playoff. He wanted to be around training, camp. He wants them guys to go to Team Dennis, to be a part of this whole atmosphere. 00:09:45 Speaker 2: He wants that. He encouraged that. 00:09:47 Speaker 3: Like this summer, I was in LA with Jail and Brown and Jason Tatum and I reached out to Paul and I said, Paul, I need your help, you know, And he was not told them what I needed for just to be around these two guys, to show these guys that that being with selfish mean. They've been selfish for their whole career, Jason and Jailing. But Paul first Battle of Hall of Fame didn't have to do that. He can't every work out. Them two guys had and they didn't work out with each other a lot. But one guy was working across town a forty five minute a ride, and Paul was with me every day. 00:10:21

Speaker 2: I was out there just go see these guys. 00:10:23 Speaker 3: Showed them that the hey man, I'm alumni the selfish not and I really care about the well being of you two guys and what being a selfish is all about. 00:10:33 Speaker 1: Why'd you want to do that? 00:10:34 Speaker 4: Like I said, I just believe that's important. 00:10:36 Speaker 2: You know. 00:10:37 Speaker 7: I'm not here to constantly be in there here like a like a big brother or a head coach or a father figure. No, right here, I'm just here for the support. If they need advice from me or needed someone to talk to about what they're going through on the court or off the court, that's what I'm here. I'm here to lenda helping here, you know, not always a hand because these guys they got the game. You know, these guys are far ahead of what I've been able to do as a player. I mean, the game is so much more advanced, and I'm like here if they need an ear, I'm here for your support emotionally, whatever you need. And that's it, you know, because I know how it is as a player, and former players come around and think it was better, they were better, and I'm not trying to bring that to them, you know what I'm saying. 00:11:18 Speaker 6: I'm just saying something, by the way, because it feels like every player. 00:11:21 Speaker 7: Every generation always come and say I wouldn't do it like this. 00:11:25 Speaker 4: I do. 00:11:25 Speaker 7: I'm not that I'm here to listen. I'm here to watch and just be a support group for them. 00:11:31 Speaker 6: So I got here. We talked about this at the staff Summit earlier this year. I got here in March of von nine. So it's right after you guys won the championship. You guys were rolling until KG went down. It was shortly after you left. But from the moment that I got here, the best part of being at practices but just seeing you guys chirping, like exactly what just happened down there? Fourteen to fifteen years later, you guys got to tell me, like what is that all about? Like how does that come out? What are some of the best stories that you remember, you guys getting into each other's ears, like on the court, just competing amongst yourselves, not even we're not even talking about another color team out there. 00:12:07 Speaker 2: I got, I got a story. 00:12:08 Speaker 8: So first time I ever met him, just like that right there. So at I was at the pump camp. He was a counselor. 00:12:16 Speaker 2: I was there. 00:12:18 Speaker 8: I'm working out late night. It's probably like twelve twelve thirty at night. You and Ja Crow slide in and I'm there with this dude and we talking. 00:12:25 Speaker 2: I didn't know him from a campaign. 00:12:26 Speaker 8: I just knew who he was from Hooping Streets and Smith remember that magazine back in the day. I knew him from that. But it's just who we are. You know, basketball is you got to talk a little shit, you know, it's just part of it. And you know, it's a respectful line that you that you got a toe. You know, it's a you can cross the line with it, or you could stay within the lines. And for the most part we stay within the lines. We do talk crazy, but it's within the lines all with. It's all in the spirit of the game though, you know, to bring out the best, bring out competition, and if you could throw a guy off talking shit through it, you get the dub. 00:13:00 Speaker 5: That's what we're trying to do. We're trying to get to win. 00:13:02 Speaker 8: So it's just that's just the way it was. That's just the way it is, and it's been like that forever. 00:13:06 Speaker 7: I'm gonna say this. We all come from a culture. So we played in the streets growing up, you know, and that's what street basketball was. You know, that was when you went outside and you played a pickup game against random people you don't know. 00:13:18 Speaker 4: And it's a lot. 00:13:19 Speaker 7: Of us just talking men, grown men talking like young what was snap this or if you wasn't. 00:13:24 Speaker 1: This, everyone's trying to be a culture. 00:13:26 Speaker 2: That was the. 00:13:26 Speaker 7: Culture of outdoor playground basketball. And so we just brought that. We come from that, that culture, and so we just brought that to the Harwood and that's just what we grew up on it. 00:13:37 Speaker 4: So that's why all of us was probably like. 00:13:39 Speaker 3: That sometimes eight when we've been in the locker room before practice even start and the first unit be talking mad cast shit. 00:13:49 Speaker 2: To us, and like Paul was like, y'all don't want it. Y'all don't want it, and we'd go back at him. 00:13:56 Speaker 3: We're talking trash back to him, and doctor canown. Now we get on the court and before practice, doctor came downstairs and hear us going back and forth at each other, just going back and forth, and keV would saying, Doc, man, let's get at it right now, and like what you mean, like like let's let's just let's let's get it cracking, and the whole he just take his practice plan, just turn it up and say, come on a play game. We're gonna go ten eight play games like it's like down back down game, down back game. 00:14:28 Speaker 2: We go ahead for like one hour. 00:14:30 Speaker 3: And when we won, when the second you're the one, it was a dad, it was right around there, and. 00:14:39 Speaker 2: We're going town. 00:14:40 Speaker 3: We're doing war around and Cavin fall coming there, he long face. We give him hug, Come hug, Give me a hug, Give me a hug. Baby, hot, baby, Hot. But that's the competition we had with each other. We knew that, like Eddie said, if we make them better by playing hard, and we knew what they was gonna run, like Doctors always having saying in the playoff, we're not gonna trick no one. They gonna know what our plays. We're gonna know where had plays. We knew they was gonna slice roll with Paul, how can we stop it? And Doctors, that's the essence of a great team. When you know where the team running and you

can't stop it. It's degrading to a team. It's degrading. But the competition, man, and the family atmosphere we had, man, that's why we can all get together now that when you win the championship in any kind of professional sport, you will never lose that bond with each other. I don't care if it's football, baseball, basketball. I don't know too much about hockey, but I'm just telling the sports that I grew up with and knowing like like these are my brothers for life, you know, these are anytime I see that, I saw Leon poll of it. These are my brothers, These my Obutu brothers for life. Something happened to him. I hope nothing don't happen. I feel fucked up inside because what we've been through as teammates meant so much to was And when I got my Selfish Championship ring, and I won two championships in Houston, I got the Selfish Championship Ring. Not not w the Houston Championships, they was wonderful, but win in the Championship ring in Boston with the Celtics. 00:16:15 Speaker 8: Tracy, remember how he chased the ball down. 00:16:18 Speaker 2: I heard you watch moving I got the ball. 00:16:33 Speaker 6: Lady tell us the story for the fans who don't know the story, because Max tells it all the time when he's sitting in the media room before a game. 00:16:40 Speaker 1: But I want to hear from your perspective. 00:16:41 Speaker 3: Well, at the end of the game, this is the champions Championship game, Game six, and Big Baby had the ball. He just takes the ball and throw it Scot the ad and he don't understand having the championship ball. 00:16:58 Speaker 2: He just he's a rookie. He don't under. 00:17:00 Speaker 3: Standing Big Baby didn't understand the game ball, a championship game ball and win it with the Celtics. 00:17:07 Speaker 2: When he threw the ball in the ad, I'm on the bench, I'm just running. 00:17:11 Speaker 3: Moving ball bounce, I'm chasing people running on the court and everything, play out players. When I'm just moving everybody, I'm like, I got the ball this and Jail I went up to say, keep. 00:17:22 Speaker 2: It this goddamn ball. You know what I'm saying, You didn't too much work, give it this ball. 00:17:30 Speaker 3: He didn't want too much more me and you know what I'm saying. So I got it, comfed it, you know. So I was gonna keep it for myself. But I knew it was Chemic go on that first championship and that was my that was my guy, you know. And I just gave it to him one day, just gave it to him, and I want it back, but he won't give it back to you. 00:17:53 Speaker 1: You see that at Kg's house when you go over there, that I. 00:17:55 Speaker 4: Didn't know Kg had it. I thought Sam had it all this. 00:17:57 Speaker 2: Ship too, not right away, but I gave it. 00:18:02 Speaker 6: I just gave it to but mentioning that, I mean, when when you come in mid season, right you o wait, you're relinking up with KG from earlier and. 00:18:11 Speaker 5: He came and took some of my minutes. I was mad as hell. 00:18:14

Speaker 6: I want to ask about this though, like number one relinking up with KG, but number two, you guys working him into the team in the middle of the season when you guys are rolling. 00:18:25 Speaker 5: Can I say this, I will say this. 00:18:26 Speaker 8: Of course, I was upset, like damn man, he taking my man I got I ended up getting hurt too. It was in Washington, DC, and I hurt my adductor or something like that, and so I was out and you know, Sam was was playing, I think, and I was gonna come back. 00:18:38 Speaker 5: Yeah, I was upset, but at the same time, it was a greater goal that we had, right. 00:18:42 Speaker 8: So as much as I was like, man, I know I can help this team, my main thing was I just gotta be ready when my number get called. 00:18:49 Speaker 5: So instead of taking the attitude of. 00:18:51 Speaker 8: Being like damn man, he came in taking my minutes, I'm over here mad looking at I just will go to the gym and night and get shot. 00:18:57 Speaker 5: So it was it was Darren Darren Little, Yeah, Darren, I'll have Darren. 00:19:00 Speaker 8: I'll have Darren meet me at at the at the gym and I'll go get shots, make about two two hundred and fifty makes all every single night because I wasn't really playing, just. 00:19:09 Speaker 5: So I could stay sharp and focused. 00:19:11 Speaker 2: But we needed it. 00:19:13 Speaker 8: Sam was big, you know what I mean, everybody that came and PJ Brown was big. It's some guys that probably were upset that PJ came in. It took minutes, but it all came together for the greater good. And I think that we had the mentality of we weren't young, we weren't too young. We had some youngsters on the team, but for the most part, I was a veteran. Everybody was veteran. We knew what we was trying to do. So instead of letting that get in my pride get in the way, I was living in Buntu and and that's what it was. And I think that that's that was the unique part of this coming together, was that no matter what, the greater good was the goal and we wasn't gonna let anything in the way of that. 00:19:51 Speaker 6: What about for you, Sam, You're you're joining in the middle of Buntu, by the way, is already like in Stone from training camp, right and you're you've got to integrate yourself in that in the middle. 00:20:00 Speaker 3: I got here, I didn't know what the hell he was yelling at. For the game, I was like, But then gradually all of them came to me, was telling me a different meaning of it. 00:20:13 Speaker 2: So I got to it. 00:20:14 Speaker 3: I got the understanding of it real, real fast. I knew this is my probably my last year playing basketball. I'm thirty eight years old. So I came in the league winning the championship, winning two championships, and I was gonna go out hopefully with this team we had winning the championship. The days I didn't play and Eddie did. When he got Eddie got healthy and play. No one was upset about not playing because we had one ultimate goal winning

some nights when the first unit was playing bad. I remember Doc Benching the first unit in Atlanta one game and I just took Paul ray Rondo the whole started five all and put me Eddie Tony Allen and then we was down like thirteen points, and we came back and act him. And the look on you look on the bench, our starters, it was all stars. They cheering, they like they're so happy for they was so happy for us. 00:21:11 Speaker 2: Man that right. 00:21:12 Speaker 3: There was a great feeling for our whole team because they was cheering for our second unity. So when they was cracking people, we was like, man, we had a saying. When a guy couldn't shoot and he shot a jump in front of our bench, our whole bench would holler hell no. 00:21:31 Speaker 8: We were just yelling at I just heard that. 00:21:34 Speaker 2: Hell no. He with us. And we was a trash talking ball club. Remember the lea. 00:21:42 Speaker 3: I'm gonna tell you a story from top to bottom to called Doc Rivers. One time the doctor guys are talking too much trash. 00:21:50 Speaker 2: They talk, they talking too much. So Doc came. Remember the Doc came to the practice. 00:21:54 Speaker 3: When they say, guys, I got a call from the Least and y'all talking too much trash. 00:21:58 Speaker 2: I'm gonna say one thing, talk more. 00:22:01 Speaker 3: Trying to keep talking, you know. But that's that was our chance. So when I came, like I said, asked you a question. When I came here, you know, Eddie was maybe been upset, but he never showed it to me, and some nice it was any time to play, and I was like, I was cheered everyone. I was trying to be a coach anyway, so I was taking on my coaching bro I was the one who can confront Paul Perce. Come on, man, come on, man, we only up two points. It's not missed going the game. Come on, run off tenth straight points. You're supposed to be the truth. Let me see it right and doing it. 00:22:37 Speaker 7: You know what I'm saying, It responded. I understood where Sam came from. He'd be like, you need to pick it up. And it wasn't no looking at him like you know what you doing like, It wasn't that. It was always I always listened to my teammates, you know, because they can see sometimes they can see things you can't see on the court, and they like, Paul, you ain't playing that hard, or you you you need you, you need to you need to get more, you need to be more aggressive, something like that. And I'm like, you're right, and then I'll take that and stride and try to, you know, go out there and be more aggressive or something like that. 00:23:10 Speaker 6: When the time finally comes in, you need a car, there are not a lot of options. Buying a car is expensive, and aprs are through the roof. You can lease, but everyone knows there are a million fees and loopholes with those That's why Flex Car is a total game changer. 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You guys, the eight team completely different than this current team right now, right like the personalities are different, the accomplishments are different, the goals are different in terms of where people are in their careers. So I'm curious to hear from you guys, like how do you pick and choose what you experienced and like what you thought drove your success to try to trickle that into this current team and kind of like walk in that line of like what should you talk about integrating into this team and what should you kind of like leave and let it do its own. 00:24:53 Speaker 8: They spoke on it earlier, you know, when I talked to Jalen and Jason. It starts with them too, right, It starts with them. It starts up top. When your stars are the hardest working guys like KG would be you. I would come in, you know sometimes I come in and dragon my ass. I'm a little you know, come in right, you know, ten fifteen minutes right before practice, right and ticket already been in the weight room. Ticketing is on the court at full sweat. Now I'm looking at myself like I ain't shit because now I'm dragging in. 00:25:18 Speaker 5: I gotta I gotta pick it up because I can't let. 00:25:20 Speaker 8: Him down, because he's doing everything he's doing to make sure that he won't let us down. So really it's about what I spoke about earlier is you gotta hold yourself accountable number one. But it starts at the top when you see your stars working and then making sure you getting the most out of everybody. Like we could talk shit like he know, he could talk shit to me and not be disrespectful. You're gonna get me to play. I could talk shit to Sam. I'm gonna get him to go and get him to play. And I think that's been really my only message is man y'all. Second, even I said told this to Peyton, I was like, man, y'all, gotta go at them every single practice. You gotta push them every single practice, and if you're doing it right, you're gonna have some practice where you cracking them. 00:25:59 Speaker 2: You can talk a little shit to them. 00:26:01 Speaker 5: That lights a five way. 00:26:02 Speaker 8: I don't know how they are as far as the

ship talking go and stuff like that. So it's all different, but the competition is the same. That shouldn't change. It should be high level competition day in and day out. I'm gonna force you to play your best today, You're gonna force me to play my best, and we're gonna mix it together. So That's really the only thing that I think is the most important is that they got what they say, well, steal iron, iron sharpens iron, and that's what they have to have. 00:26:26 Speaker 2: That mentality. To me, that's the most important thing. 00:26:29 Speaker 1: How you're seeing that going practice. 00:26:31 Speaker 3: I like the whole thing, the process. We always talk about it's so much pressure of winning ban of eighteen, But in eight it was pressure, but we were just enjoying the journey. We just putting all our effort and energy throughout the journey. We knew we get there, we're gonna be successful. Like in game six, losing Game five in La and how Kevin garn that responded after the game on the plane in the flight they did. 00:27:06 Speaker 2: Us Dusty remember the story. 00:27:12 Speaker 1: The story. 00:27:13 Speaker 3: So we we we lose game five and we stayed overnight. We had eleven o'clock ten o'clock in the morning flight back to Boston. 00:27:22 Speaker 2: Then we played the next night. The next night. So we got on the plane. The plane broke. 00:27:29 Speaker 3: So they so for some reason, the Lakers coming, they get on that plane, they leave, they out, they gone back, they're going to Boston. Were sitting there, another plane comes in. We leave the plane we was on, get on this plane. 00:27:47 Speaker 2: Ready to take off. Now this plane broke. We're like, what what's going on? 00:27:53 Speaker 3: Yeah, and so now we finally get a plane, the family plane, the tem the family, the family. 00:28:01 Speaker 2: Oh yeah. 00:28:02 Speaker 3: We go to Boston and Doc Rivers in the back came told he want all the players to stay. And Doc Rivers came in the back of the plane well where we were sitting there and say, hey, guys, about eleven thirty tomorrow night, we will be champions. 00:28:17 Speaker 2: That right there just sent chills up, like oh, okay, okay. 00:28:20 Speaker 3: And Kevin keV had a bad game five, missed a lot of shots game five, and. 00:28:26 Speaker 2: He goes straight to the gym. He goes straight to the gym. It's raining. We get out the plane. 00:28:30 Speaker 3: It's thunderstorming outside, is raining hard, and game six comes. 00:28:38 Speaker 2: We bawling. 00:28:39 Speaker 3: I remember one time Doc was like the first quarter Rondo had like eight points, like eighty cents in the first quarter, and Doc was like Sam get Ronald's two minutes ago. 00:28:47 Speaker 2: And there I say you alright, though, I'm good and let me go. Doc. 00:28:54 Speaker 8: That's one of the things too, I can say that about this team, and Doc was like that too. 00:28:58 Speaker 2: It'd be times where Rondo. 00:29:00 Speaker 8: Be getting ready to sub for me, and I might hit a shot, hit another shot. 00:29:04 Speaker 5: Doc could be like come on, and Rondo be looking back like you want me to go? 00:29:07 Speaker 2: Get him? 00:29:07 Speaker 6: Just got So I think it's like the recognition of what's going on. 00:29:11 Speaker 8: And really to understand it right that if you were in that position, you wouldn't want to get subbed out, if you was rocking like that, and having that selflessness to be like, let him stay out there because I know we're gonna need that at some point. It was we won Game six by blew him out thirty thirty points, so the whole time I'm the only player then getting getting the game. I got asked to go in the game, but I was so dazed and stun that close out game. 00:29:40 Speaker 2: We are thirty five. I'm sitting there and watching, saying, come on, come on, you got the playoffs? Say no, I'm cool. I'm cool to watch them. 00:29:49 Speaker 3: I'm just watching the score for like, so, I want you previous championships before and we was never other thirty points in the finals in any game, especially a closer, and I'm watching it. 00:30:00 Speaker 2: I'm like, no, this can't be true. 00:30:03 Speaker 3: Come on, it's like eight minutes ago, we took the Thoughters out, like seven minutes go. We was like forty one points then and Phil Jackson took Kobe and them out, so the game is basically over. And Sam, come on, you don't want to play? I was like, hell no, I don't believe when I'm watching right now. So if you look at the statue, the box score, I'm the. 00:30:21 Speaker 2: Only guy with the d n P. 00:30:23 Speaker 1: I'm proud of my choice. 00:30:24 Speaker 2: I was shocked at I. 00:30:25 Speaker 3: Said, the hell we win in the close out game by this many points, so it was shocking to me. 00:30:32 Speaker 2: It was totally shocked. 00:30:33 Speaker 1: You were conserving your energy so you can get that ball after. 00:30:36 Speaker 3: I did that, and I was serving by energy for the after part party. 00:30:43 Speaker 2: Party and the coach, Samuel Adams, we had on ice. 00:30:48 Speaker 6: But saying from your perspective, I mean, you're an assistant coach on the team, so how are you kind of picking and choosing what to take from your experiences of winning and kind of like feeding all the. 00:30:57 Speaker 3: Things I tell our guys, I said, man, you have to enjoy the journey. 00:31:03 Speaker 2: The pressure is there. 00:31:05 Speaker 3: You know, people going to talk about the banners, you know ban eighteen y'all don't have to say anything about it. All I want these guys to do is enjoy the journey. Put forth the effort and energy into this journey. You enjoy this journey and embrace this journey to get the grand prize. Nothing like winning, nothing like winning big in this league, nothing like it. 00:31:32 Speaker 1: So last one before we get going. 00:31:34 Speaker 6: But you guys, as you were talking about earlier, you were both going

with Jalen and Jason the summer. What did you see out of them in their drive coming into the season. And just so everyone knows, we're recording this earlier in the season, But what were you seeing from them in the off season? I mean, Jalen told me that was the hardest he's ever worked in. 00:31:53 Speaker 1: The off season. 00:31:54 Speaker 6: And we're talking about a guy who just made all NBA, just signed the biggest contract in NBA history. Both of those guys were putting in the work. But like, what did you see from them that makes you believe that they're they're all about it and like they're ready to rock this season. 00:32:07 Speaker 7: Well, I believe that it takes you know, the consistency of the work, you know, and so you know when you're going every day consistently, Uh, and then you're doing more as you go. 00:32:22 Speaker 4: As the summer goes on, you're doing you're ramping it up. You know. 00:32:25 Speaker 7: I had a chance to sit down, I want to Jayden's work Jalen workout, and I was like, what are you doing different? You know, and then the years past he said, well, you know, I've gotten to the swimming thing. 00:32:35 Speaker 4: Paul of water. 00:32:36 Speaker 7: She started doing water workouts and He's like, I feel my strongest that I ever felt the last season. So he implemented that the second summer and I said, I'm gonna try that with you one day, but not this summer. And so you know, they're challenging themselves and they're understanding that to be great, it's gonna be hard. And I saw that in their workouts that you know, just not only physically but mentally. You know, it's draining when you getting up every day and have to do these the weights, the shooting to go home, the massages. I mean, you get into a routine. It takes away from like maybe some of the players got kids, families that there it's sacrifices that you're making. You know, you're away from your family, you're away from your friends, and when you're willing to sacrifice to put in that work to get what your vision is, which is a championship. It just tells me that they're ready. You know, that's hard man. I never had to be away from my family in the summer, but they are away from their families. You know, Jason wasn't with his son a lot of the summer. Jalen wasn't with his family. They out like, look, I'm gonna be over here, I'm gonna isolate myself and I'm gonna work every day consistently. But that's the sacrifices that these guys are making because they want the common goal of being a champion. 00:33:51 Speaker 6: And this is your first interaction with these guys. So I'm curious, like what you took out of those experiences. 00:33:55 Speaker 3: My whole thing was to get these two guys together. You know a lot of guys say they will work them away from each other because they were with each other the whole year. And me come to LA and just getting Paul to come with me to bring these two guys together, I said, no way, y'all should be in the same city and the summertime. You don't get one or two or three workouts and together. So just to send them two guys together in the gym together that bring team chemistry with them too, with them too, they bring they bringing that right now together and bringing it with the rest of the guys. It's gonna be It's gonna be a hell of a journey. 00:34:31 Speaker 2: You know. I don't talk about the change eighteen. 00:34:33 Speaker 3: I don't say anything about that, But I just wanted to ensure the journey I don't bring. 00:34:39 Speaker 2: We talked about that. We always talked about. 00:34:43 Speaker 8: First look at what we do that and when we was in club, she isn't it the first time we came out what we we had a discussion. We were playing cards, me, you pos and I forget who. We said, there is no team. 00:34:53 Speaker 2: This is how we feel that could beat us four times before. 00:34:55 Speaker 8: We beat them four times, and like we stood on that, and like we constantly talked about. 00:35:00 Speaker 7: That's one thing I'll never forget. We always talked about winning the champion seventeen. 00:35:04 Speaker 6: The difference though, and I think where you're probably coming from is that you guys, it was like clean slate right like you you put that monster team together, like in year one, you wanted to go for it, especially for a lot of you guys were getting toward the end of your career. 00:35:18 Speaker 1: Exactly what you're talking about. 00:35:19 Speaker 2: Like they've been talking about it so long, for like. 00:35:21 Speaker 1: Five six these guys have been getting to the border. 00:35:24 Speaker 3: That's you talking about. That's that's embraced the journey. We understand what's at the end of the rainbow. We understand it. We understand what was at the end of the rainbow. But let's embrace this journey by practicing, like you said, by practicing hall making each other better on the practice court, you know, and join each other on the basketball court, and enjoin each other off the court like we were at each other on the court. 00:35:45 Speaker 2: But that only team off the court. We kicked it. Man. We had Ante, Chris. 00:35:54 Speaker 5: Roof Chris, we arm wrestling. 00:35:55 Speaker 2: We got. 00:35:58 Speaker 1: We got. 00:36:01 Speaker 3: There. 00:36:05 Speaker 2: But that was album. 00:36:06 Speaker 3: So we had so many different mentalities on that team, and we just we just we got together as a team and we just Man, it was like, Eddie, we're going out today. Eddie may have plans doing something else. Was a friend and no, you're going out with us. The friend's counsel is canceled because he knew that. The next day he didn't go. We had a story to tell you know what I'm saying, Like, no, I ain't missed this the more that's how it was with us, Man, we were so togetherness. 00:36:42 Speaker 2: Is one thing. 00:36:43 Speaker 3: If I can bring these guys to be together like we were, Like you've never seen one of us go out

the dinner by ourself. 00:36:51 Speaker 2: We ain't have that, you know what I'm saying. 00:36:52 Speaker 3: Or if I went to the store, if I went to the goot store and brought a hat, and I brought a hat for myself, it ain't bringing two or three hats one all it was. It was on That's the worst thing do. 00:37:05 Speaker 8: So what Sam is saying, it's also alluding to this that when we were together on the court banging and then we were doing everything we was doing. 00:37:15 Speaker 2: Off the court together, it just built this trust. 00:37:19 Speaker 8: So the trust that we had, for example, I'll go to I could use my example because in game four, right, game four against the Lakers, we down twenty four, right, Sam being playing Rondo, been playing all of a sudden, he called my number. Right, he trust me to take that shot to put us ahead for the first time. Now, he could have came off and been like I got it and wouldn't have nothing to say, but he trusted I would make that shot, you know what I mean. And he trusted he trusted that though in that confidence, you know, and then with him trusted me like that made my confidence go even higher, you know. So at that point I turn to him, I said, I'm a motherfucker too, you know what I'm saying, like. 00:38:03 Speaker 2: For real life. 00:38:04 Speaker 4: I was talking something to him too. 00:38:05 Speaker 8: Yeah, he said, we said that were running the one three we kept running it, and we kept running it and I kind of slipped it. But that's the trust, and that's built. That's not just something that comes. That's built over time, and it's built by you are with the same dude doing the same stuff. You see him grinding, you see him working. Then hey we going out to eat. 00:38:25 Speaker 2: Man. 00:38:25 Speaker 8: I got this one this time, guys, I got it. I'll pay for the bill, and somebody else paid for the bill the next time. And from that point, like it becomes a real brotherhood and you become it's like your brother. Like I could not maybe talk to my brother right for my old I might not talk to my oldest brother for a month and a half, right, I call him up. 00:38:43 Speaker 2: It's like we ain't never it ain't like. 00:38:45 Speaker 5: Hey man, damn, I ain't talk to you in the month. 00:38:47 Speaker 1: Man. 00:38:47 Speaker 2: No, it's like, what's up man? How you doing everything? 00:38:49 Speaker 7: Good? 00:38:49 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm good. 00:38:49 Speaker 8: Everything had the same way with this and that's something that's created. You know, you have to nurture that type of relationship and create that relationship for you to have it. And it all boils down at the end of the day. 00:39:00 Speaker 2: To me is trust. Are you going to. 00:39:01 Speaker 8: Trust the guys that you're out there with a Do you trust them to have your back? And do they trust you to have theirs? 00:39:07 Speaker 7: One more thing, but this don't happen. This never happens that you put a team together, you win it the first year. So you know, I like to give a lot of credit to Doc for creating that culture, that umbooto culture. You know, it kind of brought us together because it'll be like you buy something, I grab it from Eddie and be like on BOOTU Like that's me too. 00:39:27 Speaker 2: You couldn't talk about it. So I think one of these two. 00:39:30 Speaker 8: I think another important thing though, that brought us together, and this was we were forced to really kick it with each other the very at the beginning of training camp, like we weren't. We didn't have camp at home to where we come. We bang, we hoop and then we go to our lives, go to our families. We were over in Italy and London, so we didn't speak Italian, so we had to fuck with each other like we stayed kicking it like if it was kicking it at the steps, or we went to go to a restaurant to go eat. 00:39:58 Speaker 2: Or I think what seven guys cut their. 00:40:00 Speaker 5: Hair ball right, seven guys cut their hair. Yeah, the per cut his head, scale cut his his ship ball. 00:40:11 Speaker 2: Late. I couldn't. 00:40:13 Speaker 5: I was too fresh with minds. 00:40:14 Speaker 2: I was like, goyall could keep that mind. I'm way too late with this. He's on his West coast thing. But I think. 00:40:21 Speaker 8: That I think that was really a big key as well, the culture that Doc established day one with him Botu we're bringing in? Was it n Kenji, the guy Kenji who explained what Amuntu really meant and then us going overseas and having. 00:40:34 Speaker 5: To really live that lifestyle for two weeks. 00:40:37 Speaker 8: You know where it was just us and I thought that that was a big key for us, big, big. 00:40:43 Speaker 2: Big key. 00:40:44 Speaker 6: Listen, we don't know what's gonna happen. With this team this year, right, that's the That finish line is a long ways away, but. 00:40:50 Speaker 2: We're finna win what you're talking about. 00:40:52 Speaker 1: I mean, let's hope. 00:40:53 Speaker 6: But from my perspective, just like having you guys around all the time, it's impossible for some of that knowledge that we just talked about over the last forty. 00:41:03 Speaker 1: Five minutes to not seep into them. 00:41:05 Speaker 6: Like it's impossible, right, Like some of it is going to be there to help them down the road. So let's hope that it happens. And let's hope that fifteen years from now these boys are having the same. 00:41:14 Speaker 1: Conversation over here, they will be. We're looking forward to. 00:41:17 Speaker 2: It is bringing in guys and Boots Wong three. 00:41:18 Speaker 1: Come on, that's a rat