Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” This philosophy embodies the essence of mastery through repetition. Take Kobe Bryant, for instance. He would arrive at the gym at 3:30 a.m., shooting 700 to 1,000 shots daily, even before the lights were turned on. Despite a broken wrist, he would be the first to arrive at practice, demonstrating unparalleled dedication to perfecting his craft.

Then there’s Serena Williams. She’d spend four hours each morning on the court, followed by intense gym sessions. The result, you ask? 23 Grand Slam singles titles. But, it’s not just about winning the Grand Slams or those multiple championships. It’s more about learning something new. Outdoing oneself. Not binding oneself within limits. It might feel boring or repetitive at some point, but no one ever said the path to becoming great was easy. And the NFL GOAT, Tom Brady, knows it very well.

“Part of greatness in anything is mastering the fundamentals. It’s embracing the monotony of doing them well over and over again,” Brady wrote in the latest edition of 199, his newsletter, on May 4. Translation?

See it this way: Brady believes that greatness isn’t just about doing flashy stuff. It’s about getting the basics down and doing them right, again and again. He explained it with several real-life examples. “During the season, Steph Curry takes 300 shots at the end of every practice, 500 during the off-season. Spot-up threes, dribble pull-up threes, floaters in the lane. He takes these shots from the same spots in the same sequence over and over again, every day, with perfect form,” the retired NFL superstar wrote. But what’s the backstory behind Brady’s sudden preachiness and delving into the NBA?

It all started when Brady posted a video (which generated nearly a million views within a week) on YouTube titled “How to throw a football.” In simple words, the man who has decades of experience, made it all look like cakewalk in a 7-minute tutorial. But was that just his experience behind it? As one fan pointed out in the comment section: “This is not a lesson in throwing a football, it’s a physics tutorial. And I love it.” This got Brady thinking, “What is it about the fundamentals that is always so interesting?”

Brady realized the video generated immense views because of the fundamentals. And later, he explained in his newsletter how throwing a football efficiently comes down to sequencing. “Start from the ground up,” he wrote in the latest edition of the 199. “Everything is connected. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” To be more precise, the Patriots‘ legend explained that the power generated from the feet flows through the hips and finishes at the fingertips. And there’s just one way to master it: Understanding and repeating the basics. The mastery through repetition. And that’s where Steph Curry comes in. Tom Brady simply concluded his explanation by stating that Steph Curry wasn’t chasing the spotlight with his intense practice.

In fact, Curry’s all about perfecting his skills away from the social media limelight. After all, he’s advanced in the semis to face the Minnesota Timberwolves already, thanks to that same dedication.

Steph Curry is all set to face Anthony Edwards

Just a couple of days ago, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors clinched a decisive 103-89 Game 7 win over the Houston Rockets. But they had no time to celebrate. Why? Well, they’ve advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals and are all set to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round, on Tuesday in Minnesota.

And get this, the Warriors are surely keeping an eye on Anthony Edwards. And why not? The guy led the Timberwolves’ 4-1 series win over the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. No wonder he’ll be looking to make it tough for the Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals. “The main insight I have is that he’s really damn good,” Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr said as he praised Edwards.

“So I don’t know how that helps us prepare. But, yeah, Ant is an amazing player, and I love his energy. I love his infectious enthusiasm for the game. He was amazing to coach.” The player’s been dynamic all season, averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. But let’s not sugarcoat this. If we take a look at the head-to-head comparison between Curry and Edwards, the Warriors’ point guard has an upper hand.

While both of ’em have never faced each other in the postseason, Curry has 8 wins over Edwards in their 14 regular-season fixtures. To make it spicier, Curry has 24.7 points per game, while Edwards has an average of 23.9 points per game in the 14 games. So yes, Steph Curry vs. Anthony Edwards is going to be a thrilling clash in the West Semis.