Ep. 81: Anthony Slater on The Athletic, covering the Warriors

When there is something going on with the Golden State Warriors, Anthony Slater is one of the best sources for information and context. He’s in his fifth season covering the NBA and his second on the Warriors beat. His first three seasons, beginning in 2013, were in Oklahoma City documenting Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and all things Thunder. This season, he’s doing it on a new, rising platform: The Athletic. It’s a subscription sports outlet and the Bay Area has been wildly successful. It helps that the Warriors are the talk of the NBA, featured four All-Stars and a likable coach, have faced the Cleveland Cavaliers in the last three NBA Finals, and the website signed the authoritative Warriors writers, Slater and longtime beat reporter Marcus Thompson. Slater is also consistent. After each game, you can expect: 1) postgame video interviews on Twitter, 2) a Stock Report video, 3) a thorough Five Observations piece, and 4) an All-82 podcast. Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on Apple Podcasts. I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email. Topics Discussed: * Why he joined The Athletic and how a subscription model is the future * Why he used to fear going behind a paywall (6:44) * How knowing both sides of Durant has benefited his coverage (7:48) * How the Warriors have empowered players with media (10:13) * The media-friendly Steve Kerr and managing back pain (16:47) * His thoughts on the Pacers, the biggest surprise this season (19:40) * Former Pacer David West (26:20)