The two big three really came in time when we needed it the most. Also, the block on Roy at the end is awesome. Shane is smart and very clutch. I am glad we have him with us.
Not to mention shane is our best entry passer and never gets rattled by pressure. When Portland was making a run in the 3rd, battier was the only one who didn't seem to be shaken up by it and brought us back.
I don't think it's too early to gloat that Shane has been extremely valuable for us in the playoffs. His threes and defense (must include Chuck here too) literally saved our asses tonight.
Oh, I'll jump in on this one... I haven't been very forgiving of Shane Battier, personally, as has most of the Rockets fans have. Not because I don't recognize Battier's value. I do. He does things that winning ballplayers do, and he does those things willingly. I understand how much Battier means to the Rockets. You can't put into numbers what Battier's presence on the Rockets has meant for the past three or four years. Or, actually, you can. 0-for-3 in the postseason. On a team that won about the same amount of games before he was traded for than after he arrived. Battier hasn't made the kind of quantifiable difference that people want to keep singling out. Not for someone who was traded for a LOTTERY pick, and another player. I don't care for shrills who want to oversimplify a guy's contribution on one end, and overblow another guy's contribution on the other. TEAMS win. Everybody has a role to play in that. Large or small. Everybody's important. Everybody counts. I never thought at any time that Shane Battier was a choker. Anymore than I've thought that of Tracy McGrady or of Yao Ming. Battier gets to shine now because he doesn't have a role that's too big for him. Before Ron Artest got here, Battier was our THIRD BEST PLAYER. That's the significance of Battier's arrival. Whatever anybody thinks, says or feels about McGrady, when the roster was gutted in the trade for him, the Rockets improved with McGrady's arrival. That wasn't the case for Shane Battier. It's semantics, of course. But what Shane Battier gives you was never worth as much as two players. Right now, between Artest and Von Wafer, Battier's job and role is divided among THREE guys. Which is ideal for a guy like Battier, who can have an impact and get praised without getting overexposed by other team defenses. Substitute Chuck Hayes' name anywhere I just had Battier's and you get the same bowl of soup. I know that the Rockets' playoff struggles the past few years was never solely on one player. Doesn't matter what anybody says about that. But I'd wager a guess that some better decisions team-building wise would have had Battier's value more apparent a lot sooner. And who knows... ...maybe the Rockets would have gotten out of the first round by now if Battier had some help...
I wouldn't call it gloating. Shane was absolutely terrific tonight, has been all series long and his performance deserves to be appreciated.
He had a great game, and I think he's been very good all series. But if we choke the next 3 games away, no one will remember it and most won't care.
very true, but that says a lot about the fans here, if that were to happen they'd claim next year shane NEVER stepped up in this years playoffs....
I'm always here and like i said in the game thread, shane has played well in 2 of the 4 games. Why is hate associated with the truth? I've always stated that the 1 player that suffers when yao isnt doubled is shane. Tonight he stepped up and did what he is supposed to do. For some reason, the bar has been set so low for shane that when he has a good game, its time to vote him in for the mvp. I've always stated that shane should shoot more and he should do more because he is capable. I watched shane in memphis and i know he is a better offensive player than he displays in houston, but just like derrick mckey, he gets complacent with just roaming and not impacting the game. There will be no articles written about his intangibles tonight because he did some things that were tangible. Thats what he is suppose to do and thats what i expect. Great job for shane and great job by the rox.
i dont remember anyone saying battier chokes... are you just trying to start mess? there were a lot of battier haters after he came back from his injuries but that has nothing to do with playoff choking...
I'm right here. Just because you're critical of somebody doesn't mean you hate them. My criticism comes more out of a love for the Houston Rockets than anything else. I praised his performance yesterday and his play today. I've said plenty of times that Battier needed to perform well for the Rockets to succeed in the playoffs if he's going to play big mins. The last two games he's done that and has made us all forget about his horrendous game 2 in Portland. Unfortunately, up until these last two games, Battier choking in the playoffs was not a myth, but a reality. If you take away these past two games he's only had one good offensive game in his entire career in the post season (game 2 against Utah last year I think). The Grizzlies have never won a postseason game (not all his fault), but he did nothing to help them win in the postseason. I remember the Memphis series against Dallas in particular where Dirk lit him up at will. With the exception of that one game last year, the past two post-seasons against Utah he's been a non-factor. I really hope he's finally turned the corner and realizes that due to his extended mins, the team needs him to do more on offense like he's done the past two games. The past couple of games, he did what role players are supposed to do on occasion, which is make big plays. Also, I should add that guys like Battier (Bowen, Udoka, Tony Allen, Ariza, Posey, Elie, etc...) are available through minor transactions. You don't give up lottery picks for them. I'm sure if the Rockets had to do it all over again, they would've and should've kept Rudy Gay.
The clutch threes aside, Battier has been much more involved in the Rockets offense. In this series, he's been driving into the paint several times a game with moderate success, and not just camping out at the 3-point line. IIRC, this change in Battier has been gradual, beginning soon after the All-Star break. I think with McGrady being out, Adelman realized Battier's offensive contributions will be more important in the postseason. And so far, he's been right.
What so hard for people to understand? If a guy is traded for a #8 lotto pick and a player plus being the #6 himself, is it too much to ask for some tangible production? like i said, there will be no articles written or blogs using super computers to illustrate his contributions the last 2 games. All you have to do is watch the game and u will see some big shots at important junctions in the game.
I beg to differ on this. I have not read or heard anywhere that Morrey regrets trading for Battier. What I'm sure though is if the Rockets had to do it all over again, they would move heaven and earth to get Minnesotta's pick instead of settling for Gay.
just stop Kwame, you always use words to back up ur theory, not facts. You conveniently forgot to mention Battier's "horrendous" game 1, i guess it doesn't help your argument that the rockets won convincingly with shane playing a lot and scoring a little, which is probably how they won half their games, at least. Kwame, why dont u tell me how well his men shot in the utah series both years? You say he's a non factor just because his offense wasnt superb? that's like saying deke is a non factor because he doesn't score well, of course he's not going to have an impact scoring, he's NOT A SCORER. and i'm sure he had SOME points, it's not like he scored 1 the whole time, which is the only way u could really say he was a non factor. I've listed all his stats, along with AK's and Harprings for both years against utah in that old thread u posted hating on him. It was never clear he was outplayed by either, in fact he had slightly better stats than both throughout the games, and although they weren't great, they were still just at, or right above his average. Frankly, i dont get how a guy who gets his at least his average can be accused of being a no-show or having no impact. Adelman also said Shane was clutch and has been over the years...no i get a player's coach is going to talk him up some, but if they do, they'll only exaggerate some, they arent going to describe the player as the total opposite of what he really is, that would be plain stupid of them, so are you saying that's what Adelman is doing? He's flat out lying? Or maybe you're just wrong..
Now that analysis makes a great deal of sense. You can go back and forth all day about Battier v. Gay (and that's certainly happened around here for the last few years), but everyone knows that we wanted B. Roy, and we all are fairly certain that would have worked out well. Getting Roy was the true goal of that draft, and that's where the second guessing is far more valid. FWIW, I felt that the Rockets should have gotten a 1st round pick along with Battier in the deal, but I've been very happy with Shane as a Rockets fan. What's done is done, and he's played well for the Rockets and been an overall good guy. I can't ask for a whole lot more.
and if they had the ability to do things again, tmac wouldnt be here, and yao would have been rested more and checked up on more, therefore giving us a healthy squad pretty much every season and winning in the playoffs, and Kwame then wouldnt be able to use his "rockets 0-3 in the playoffs with shane" reasoning....
The funny thing is that prior to this series, Shane has tended to score more points in Rockets losses than wins. That was true in the previous playoff series as well. Shane had a great all-around game, and I liked his activity on the defensive glass especially. He hits some big shots. But he wasn't doing anything different to score those points. The ball has gotten to him because we're moving it better and utilizing Yao down low better. Contrary to what the stats may indicate, I think Shane has played well the entire series. It's just easier to notice the last two games, because he's been in situations to take and make big shots.
