Shadowing Practice: How Playoff LeBron James Has Evolved Over The Years | DeMar & PG - Learn English Speaking with Video
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I played against the Miami Bron.
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You had your moments when you were in Toronto against the Cleveland Bron.
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When you watch him now, how do you see him evolve?
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Or how did he evolve to you?
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One, his IQ has just always been what set him apart from everything.
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The way he read the game, dictate the game, control the game, and then necessarily never have to be with scoring.
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You know, I think this Bron is being more of the IQ for everybody than before because, you know, like you said,
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the Miami Bron, that motherfucker was incredible.
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You know what I mean?
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Same as Cleveland.
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But at any given moment, he could turn it on and get you 45, get a win.
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Or go out there and get you a 40 -point triple -double, get you a win.
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You know, whatever it may be, I think this time around, he's trusting and using so much of an IQ to dictate the game and win a game.
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Like just the other night, like I've never seen him not attempt a field goal first quarter.
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You know what I mean?
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But it made such a big impact on the game and they got the win.
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So his IQ just being first and foremost, being imputed on a game is something that I'm definitely seeing different from him.
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I know he's been getting praise rightfully so, but he's been getting praise, especially on like the social media shit with his ability to recognize plays and,
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you know, remember plays and shit.
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And when I was when I was watching it, I'm like, all right, like it's a back screen that you're taught switch.
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Yeah.
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So Brian really.
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But then I was thinking about it like, damn, there was moments where he would call shit out when we plan them.
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or he'll be like, he'll just blow up the whole play like, no, it's going over there.
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It's going over there.
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Yeah.
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And you be like.
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Wait, so LeBron be knowing all the plays?
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He knows the plays, bro.
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He knows his plays down to a tee, and he knows your plays down to a tee.
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How the hell did he know that?
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How many plays do you guys actually have?
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Because when I watch the game, it's mostly pick and roll.
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Like, there's actions going on, but like, you know, out of a timeout or out of out of bounds, I know there's probably some plays and some coaches are X and O's or some not.
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But do you how many plays would you say like?
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We got a lot.
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I ain't gonna lie.
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We got a lot.
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Then also within plays, you have so many different options out of that one play.
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Right.
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You know what I mean?
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That you could you could attack and you expose the defense with, you know what I mean?
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I think, you know, you try to go over teams three to four key sets.
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And throughout that, you know, the smart, smart guys.
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That's why you look at a, like, you know, what Rondo was playing.
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Rondo could run a screen and roll and kill you to fucking death with it.
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You know what I mean?
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It's just a screen and roll, but he understands every element out that screen and roll that he could expose the defense with.
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You know what I mean?
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I think, you know, you don't have that many high IQ players in the league
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that could dictate the game like that in today's game. So different.
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You know what I mean?
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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But when it comes to Bron knowing that, you know, He definitely know to a T because he also know people's tendencies too.
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That he know very well.
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Once you understand and know guys' tendencies, it's easier to cut off certain options and box offense in.
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You know what I mean?
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And that's what he's great at.
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You know what I mean?
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It's just dope.
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I mean, you see it.
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Just what you were talking about, the hammer play that he cut off last game.
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You know what I mean?
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And it's like, you know, many people wouldn't catch on to that.
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Right.
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They'll try to fight over that.
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Try to fight over it.
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Give up the easiest three for Clay.
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Yeah, either the three or the layup.
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Right.
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For the guys that stink in the NBA.
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Yeah, that stinks.
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And be like, I didn't know it was coming.
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Right.
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Right.
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I was looking at the ball and some guy screamed me.
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They just think like, oh, I just got to guard my guy.
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Like, that's it.
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They don't have the whole, like, concept of, like, shutting the whole floor down.
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I would not want to defend the Warriors.
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They're just constantly moving around.
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Yeah, it's tough.
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I don't even want to talk about it.
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It's too tough.
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Especially when you have the two greatest shooters of all time.
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Yeah, I mean, and they don't stop moving around.
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Like, it's – and Klay, I mean, I've been so – Trey Bowe was making threes yesterday.
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I'm so impressed with Klay's ability to catch and shoot.
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Like, he doesn't bring it down.
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He – it's – and it's – it's – there's no time for you to guard that.
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But, Damar, speaking of LeBron, P talks about this play when he was in Indiana that he remembers the most.
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And I'm not going to have you explain it again but there was a play, I think it was a game winner, where P was kind of being lazy on defense of some sort, and it happened real quick.
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No, that's not how that rumor started that P was lazy on defense.
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He just remembers a play.
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Was it the layup?
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The layup, yeah.
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Was he being lazy on defense or no?
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Do you remember?
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No, you got to think.
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It wasn't even him being lazy because I was too on the play.
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Yeah, because Brian just cut the play off as soon as he caught it
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because P was on the top side of him.
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Okay, okay he just you know what i mean like
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but that's us as basketball players and knowing tendencies like when you're a great offensive player when you got a feel, like, you're going to attack it right away.
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And that's all Bron did.
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You know what I mean?
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He didn't do nothing wrong.
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I'll take it back.
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He just was on the top side.
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And as soon as Bron caught it, he went right away.
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You know what I mean?
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That play haunts me, bro.
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Like, that's one play that, like, damn, I wish I could take that shit back right now.
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Because it was – I think he was supposed to go right.
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And I was trying to jam him.
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I was trying to blow the play up first
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and then jam him on the catch so he couldn't use that space and eat that up.
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It was only a couple seconds, so I was trying to make it work.
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By that time, low man comes over, pull over for the help side.
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He caught that shit so fast, and it was – once he in front of you, you can't get in front of that.
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But my question is, do you have a play kind of similar to that, maybe during those Raptors -Cavs series, a play that really stuck out to you when playing them?
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I think the play that sticks out to me is game three,
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my last year in Toronto, where you were full court, shot the one -legged floater and made it.
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That was it.
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That was like the end of my time in Toronto.
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Like, that was it.
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You know what I mean?
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We was down 3 -0.
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Obviously, we lost game four.
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But I just remember, because I was out the game, and I just remember him shooting that one leg floater and then going in,
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I was just like, shit, this is it here.
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You know what I mean?
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Like, it was it.
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That one, that one haunt me for sure.
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I think he put me away too, man.
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I think that was, because he played, I think we played them first round, got whooped up, and then they played y 'all, I think, that second round.
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No, when we played y 'all in the playoffs?
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No, no, I'm saying that same year, because that was your last year.
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Yeah, my last year.
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That was what, 2017?
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2017, yeah.
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Yeah, yeah, yeah.
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See, that was my last time he ended.
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He got me up out of there, too.
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Shit, yeah.
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We was out of there.
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We was out of there.
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Y 'all both were struggling going against LeBron.
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Man, what?
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It was over.
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They swept us.
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4 -0.
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Yeah, we swept, too.
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Yeah.
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We got swept, too.
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Shit.
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Jackie, did you see what Meek Mill posted the other day?
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Nah, Dallas, I'm in playoff mode right now.
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I got time for none of that stuff.
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But anyway, what did he post?
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He put in a crazy $10 ,000 entry on Steph Curry, Kyle Lowry, and LeBron using prize picks.
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That means he's watching our show.
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He's watching our show.
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He's trying to be like me.
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That's what he's trying to do.
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But wait, wait, wait, wait.
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People don't even know what we're talking about right now.
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I got to calm down.
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Tell them what prize picks is all about.
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Prize picks is a daily fantasy app.
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You pick two to six players like the video on your screen then pick
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if they will have more or less than their prize picks projection.
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You aren't competing against other people.
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It's just you versus the projections available.
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We know how much meat won, but tell the people how much they can win.
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You can win up to 25 times your money on any entry.
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And on top of that, all first time users that deposit
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and use our promo code podcast P will receive 100 % instant deposit match up to $100.
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That means if you deposit $20, prize picks is going to give you $20.
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If you deposit $100, prize picks is going to give you $100.
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Cha -ching!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “How Playoff LeBron James Has Evolved Over The Years”. This video has 181 sentences and 1701 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:30. The speaker talks fast, about 200 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 29 of its 181 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| layup noun | /ˈleɪˌʌp/ | A close-range shot in which the shooter banks the ball off the backboard from a few feet away. |
| dictate verb | /ˈdɪkˌteɪt/ | To order, command, control. |
| tendency noun | /ˈtɛn.dən.si/ | A likelihood of behaving in a particular way or going in a particular direction; a tending toward. |
| sweep verb | /swiːp/ | To clean (a surface) by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush. |
| floater noun | /ˈfloʊtəɹ/ | A person who physically floats in a gas or liquid. |
| stink verb | /stɪŋk/ | To have a strong bad smell. |
| haunt verb | /hɔnt/ | To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts). |
| projection noun | /pɹəˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/ | Something which projects, protrudes, juts out, sticks out, or stands out. |
| evolve verb | /ɪˈvɑlv/ | To move (something) in regular procession through a system. |
| expose verb | /ɪkˈspoʊz/ | To reveal; to uncover; to make visible; to bring to light. |
| playoff noun | A final game in a series needed to break a tie. | |
| impute verb | /ɪmˈpjuːt/ | To attribute or ascribe (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source. |
| rightfully adverb | /ˈɹaɪtfəli/ | In accordance with what is right or just. |
| timeout noun | /ˈtaɪm.aʊt/ | The allowed maximal time for a process to end normally. |
| rumor noun | /ˈɹumɚ/ | A statement or claim of questionable accuracy, from no known reliable source, usually spread by word of mouth. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cut off verb | /ˌkʌt ˈɔf/ [ˌkɐɾ ˈɔf] | To remove by cutting. |
| going over noun | An inspection, examination, review, or investigation. | |
| move around verb | To relocate to new homes repeatedly; to not live in any one place for long. | |
| blow up verb | To explode or be destroyed by explosion. | |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. | |
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- When you watch him now, how do you see him evolve?
- You know what I mean?
- How many plays do you guys actually have?
- I don't even want to talk about it.
- No, when we played y 'all in the playoffs?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 32 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: projection /pɹəˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, shooter /ˈʃuːtəː/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like layup, dictate, tendency.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.