The last two franchises that Andre Iguodala has played for in his 19-year NBA career have appeared in 12 of the last 18 NBA Finals. The Warriors are in six of them and have won four, and the Miami Heat are in six and have won three.
They never played against each other in those 12 series. What both teams have done in a long season now is the standard of champions, culture and championship culture – with some twists and turns along the way.
Iguodala won all four of his rings as a Warrior, but his fourth title was his fifth trip to the Finals. His fourth time as a member of the Heat, lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 Orlando bubble, Iguodala’s first season in Miami. The 39-year-old hasn’t shied away from joining the parade of praise for the Heat’s culture, and he’s even using the lessons he’s learned to help Golden State’s 2022 championship team.
That’s why JJ Redick said “I know your answer, motherf–ker,” when he asked Iguodala and Evan Turner about the best cultures they’ve experienced on the latest episode of Redick’s podcast, “The Old Man and the Three.”
However, Iguodala gave his opinion on the different ways the Warriors and Heat build a championship culture and how to find a balance between the two. As much as Iguodala loves and respects what Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra and others do in Miami, he also believes that players can “overthink” and “fight things that are the opposite of want to dive in.” His main example is Duncan Robinson.
When Iguodala embraced the tight regiment of the Heat, he saw how and why it clicked on the court and he can no longer argue that Miami plays harder than any other team. There can also be side effects to that style, and Iguodala has noticed how many players can’t block open shots — including himself. He also saw the Heat pull back a bit from a distance.
“If Duncan misses an open shot, he’s going to think the world is about to end,” Iguodala said. “He was like, “No, I’m out shooting. I will never miss it.’ Now I like that mindset, but I’m like, ‘Duncan, if you miss a shot that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop passing you.’
“But I think there is some correlation there.”
Robinson is the latest shining example of the Heat’s prestigious culture after going from undrafted to a key part of the Heat’s 2020 championship run. The sharpshooter averaged 13.3 points in 30.5 minutes per game on 45.5-percent shooting and 42.7 percent on 3-pointers between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. Robinson signed a five-year, $90 million contract in the summer of 2021 but has seen his playing role regress since.
The former fairytale story turned into 42 games played last season and Robinson averaged 6.4 points in 16.5 minutes per game, shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 32.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Then, there are the Warriors and the very different approach Iguodala must take as a leader.
“On the other side of this, sometimes when the Warriors arrive at halftime in the locker room I can say, ‘Yo, are you going to tighten everything up,'” said Iguodala. “We got our total-game turnovers at halftime. We always have a problem with turnover. We were last in the league last year in turnovers. We turned the ball over the second most in the league.
“It’s like, ‘Man, stop giving the other team the ball and the game is over.’ So now I have to do the reverse, like, ‘Lock in!’ Somewhere it’s ‘Relax, we’re working hard, we’re good.’ But on the other side it’s like, ‘We know we’re going to win, but c’mon – let’s lock.’ We need to have more conversations. ”
The Warriors in their 2022 championship season also finished the regular season returning the ball the second most in the NBA. They also made the third-most 3-pointers per game, had the fifth-best 3-point percentage and fifth in assists per game. Just as importantly, that championship team allowed the third fewest points per game and was called for the third fewest fouls.
Both styles of creating the right culture for the Warriors and Heat are necessary to consistently compete. Both may need a tweak or two.
“That balance … man,†Iguodala said, pausing to translate for the rest of us.
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