There are certain phrases that any lifelong basketball player will immediately understand and respect. These adages are usually applied on the pickup court, when referees aren't part of the equation, but NBA players occasionally invoke them when the situation dictates it.

Anthony Edwards grew up idolizing Kevin Durant. Last year, in the first round of the playoffs, he and the Timberwolves swept Durant and the Phoenix Suns. Edwards spent much of the Paris Olympics befriending and studying LeBron James,