Did anyone notice that Battier was an absolute monster in the paint against denver, he only recorded 3 blocks but I swear he had so many clean blocks that were called fouls or the foul called on another defender. It was very unusual to see Battier go so balls out to block everything in sight. I wonder if that is a change in defensive strategy going into the future, put battier off the ball and let him play roaming free safety.
I didn't watch the entire game, but who was on Melo? Houston usually defends him best, but last night was awkward.
Heres a comment from a Nugget fan: "Battier is the only guy in the league that can stop Melo one on one. Artest was never the Rocket's best defender, it has always been Battier I hope they leave him in Denver after the game "
yeah ..I was also shocked.. Rockets always do a good job when it comes to Melo or Lebron.. itching to see the game again. Mac defended Melo for a while? did Ariza defend him?
One of the thing Chris Ballard's book, the Art of a Beautiful Game, said was that good defenders absolutely hate to sit on the bench while their guy is being guarded by someone not a good. This way, the scorer can get his "mojo" going and the defender would have to come in against an already talented guy with great momentum. Seems to be what happened tonight.
There were several possessions where Melo jumped in the air ready to shoot but had to pass the ball off because Battiers' hand was so close to his face. Battier defended Melo much better than Ariza.
he has been always well known for his defensive ability,and was once the best kobe defender,so i'm not really surprised he can guard well defensively against melo if he can do the same to lebron and kobe
Outside of steals Ariza has been crap on defense this year..... I have been very dissappointed in his lack of lateral quickness, players get by him pretty easily. DD
Last night's numbers: 11 points, 3 threes, 4 boards, 4 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks Battier is so important for this team. And remember, he is a no-stat all-star, meaning he does so many things that don't translate on the box score. Only thing I'd like is for his FG % to improve, both from the field and the arc.
I'm sorry but I think Budinger is a better defender than Ariza. He seems to have the aggressiveness and lateral speed to really bother people. Ariza looks like he's cruising until he has a chance to get a steal.
Ariza fail. Maybe he's being asked to carry too much load. I would like to see him focus on defense, shoot the open 3 and slash to the bucket instead of trying to create off the dribble. He has very average handles. :/
I know I sound like a broken record, but it amazes me that there are people on this board who aren't head over heels in love with Battier. I don't know what else he has to do to win you guys over. Melo got NOTHING on him in the first quarter until you brought T-Mac in. I know you had to bring T-Mac in quickly because he was warmed up, but that allowed Melo to get on a bit of a roll, and even though Battier did his best he just couldn't slow the momentum. If Shane stays in the game in the first quarter, Melo doesn't finish with 30+. And I second the Nugs fan quoted above -- please leave him in Denver.
Can the Rockets take Melo with them in exchange? I mean, now that you have Battier, Melo is no threat to you.
yeah i have been disappointed with ariza's defense too. i dunno...give him some more time with coach battier and maybe he will improve. i haven't seen it yet, but i am hoping. this clearly shows that battier and ariza are not redundant. they are 2 completely different defenders.
I agree. Amazing how true that saying is.. "You don't know what you've got, til it's gone." Those same people who don't appreciate Shane now, would be the first ones whining if he was traded and the evidence of what he was doing on the court was finally revealed to them. Tmac on Melo was a nightmare.. Ariza wasn't much better.
Yes, I have heard that same strategy in the past. Instead of using him to guard the primary offensive scorer, they mix it up a bit and allow him to guard the worst outside shooter on the other team and allow him to roam and help out. It is a good strategy and will allow him to save energy till the 4th quarter and at the same time dictate defensive positions for everyone on the floor...
