The Kevin Durant-era Golden State Warriors truly made it as easy as it looked and their practice habits appear to have followed suit.
Andre Iguodala revealed on a recent episode of the “Par 3 Podcast” that juggling hobbies such as his golf game was not difficult during the years with Kevin Durant in the fold.
“When we were in our heyday, when we had KD and we knew we were going to win every game, practice was at 11,” Iguodala explained. “Practice was only like 20 minutes. Practice was just, ‘Alright, let’s get on the same page. We’re going to put in two new plays and we need to watch film.’ Practice was nothing. I would get to the gym around 8:30, eat breakfast, then at 9, I’m lifting weights. At 10 I get on the court and do all my work. Shooting, conditioning, I do everything I need to do.
“Practice is at 11 and I already did my work. All I need to do is, ‘Anything new? Alright, cool. Young fellas, you good? This is what you do today.’ Be a good teammate. Lock in on my guys. 11:45, I was in the car. I was at the [golf] course by 12, 12:15.”
Iguodala painted the picture it was more of a check-in than practice, communicating any plans or plays for the next game and going on about the rest of the day.
The two-time MVP and 13-time All-Star came to the Warriors in 2016, joining forces with Iguodala, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
Despite the lack of traditional practice, the team’s strategy appeared to work.
The Warriors went on to reach three straight NBA Finals with the help of Durant — winning two — after playing in the Finals in the previous two seasons.
In 2016, the Warriors were also in the top spot in the Western Conference with a 67-15 record.
In the following two seasons, they claimed second and first respectively, continuing to dominate the West with a combined record of 182-64.
Things may or may not have changed after Durant left in 2020 for Brooklyn, as the Warriors were NBA champions once again in the 2021-2022 season.
Most recently this past season, the team lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the Lakers 4-2.
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