The NBA has tried to give fans more access to things that happen on the court over the years. It is not nearly as much as some would like, and there are certainly ways for the league to give people more and more, although it’s not hard to understand why teams and players might not like to fully pull the curtain back and reveal all of their secrets.
Regardless, when that curtain does get pulled back, it can be really, really good. This isn’t usually the case when a player or coach is mic’d up during a game, as they generally speak in platitudes and what not, but every now and then, you get something really, really good — Kevin Durant’s discussion with a referee is a good example of what happens when this works out well.
On Thursday, we got another example of this by way of the Philadelphia 76ers’ training camp practice that aired on NBA TV. After things wrapped up, Doc Rivers pulled James Harden aside for a conversation in which we saw an NBA head coach and one of the NBA’s best players have a lengthy conversation about how the team can become “unbeatable.” It is a rare glimpse into this sort of conversation and it is nothing short of excellent.
“I’m just gonna stay on you because I get what you’re saying… You gotta have the right spirit about it and you gotta be a leader. When it clicks, we’re going to be unbeatable.”
Doc Rivers and James Harden have a chat after Sixers practice
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) September 29, 2022
This is so much better than, like, a video of Jason Kidd screaming “GOOD JOB, LUKA” during a Mavericks game or whatever we normally get during TV broadcasts of basketball games. More of this, please.