I record every game and love watching what Shane does on defense every single game. He raises his arm up between the shooters arms and it looks like he is about to hit the shooter on the head but he almost never touches the other payers arms or head. Obviously Shane drills on that and has practiced it to the state of perfection. It drives shooters nuts. Now the amazing part is that Shane gets himself in to position to pull off that move, and his footwork and timing are insane.
You have to do that when the guy you're guarding can rise up as high as Kobe or Tmac can. but yes, other than that one block battier had against kobe, he was doing that well. VD-Vision Defense Battier has VD
i haven't seen any single coverage defence on kobe for the past 10 years until today Props to Battier. Every kobe shot got battier's palm in his face
Actually, face-guarding is a common tactic which has been around for quite some time. Years ago, even young players in NJB and AAU level did that, so they had to make it illegal at that level. Typically, you do face-guarding when defend taller players, or when lose balance on the jump shooter, since you cannot reach to challenge the shots. Quite a few players in NBA do this, mostly perimeter defenders.
he's been doing it for years, but the dirtiest player in Bowen gets it every year cause of his rep after he got recognition back in the day during the playoff rungs SA had. Hopefully, now that we're getting some attention, people will key into how great Battier has been, and give him some props...
Wow! I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are out of town and aren't able to catch many Rockets games. Props for maintaining your fanhood in enemy territory!
Battier's defense against Kobe today was sensational! I also liked how Hayes would switch up at times and held kobe at bay.
Shane was (in Jim Rome voice) phenomenal. He simply owned Kobe this afternoon. I almost felt sorry for Kobe... NOT!
The hand in the face is a great tactic because the chance of blocking a shot straight up is always low. The hand made Peja flip a few times, he dangled his head a few times and had a WTF look on his face. IDEA: Battier should put some do do on his finger tips. Then, aim for the nose.
He's like Bruce Bowen but without the hand checking. And the kicking. And the stepping on player's feet so they can't get rebounds. And the jersey grabbing. And the...you know what? He's nothing like Bruce Bowen. Battier just plays straight-up great defense every minute he's on the floor, which is a rare commodity these days.
you got it flip flopped, he's a much better team defender than anyone else. He lacks atheleticism so he often allows his man in the paint but funnels him into another defender, making it harder if not impossible to get a good shot off. His lack of foot speed makes him easier to get by but he is smart enough to use his teammates. Bruce Bowen, Gerald Wallace, Josh Smith, Kobe Bryant, and Ron Artest could probably be considered better 1 on 1 defenders because they are quicker. Battier is just so smart on D that he often defends the best guy and tricks them into taking jump shots instead of passing to a teammate. Guys always take alot of shots on him because he doesn't croud guys on the entry pass so they don't notice they have taken a bad shot until battier's hand is in their face and the ball clanks on the rim.
what i love about battier is that he hustles the RIGHT WAY. you see it every game! he doesn't try to intimidate on defense by dirty plays, cheap shots. the rules say in order to play defense these days, you can only play it as well as battier does. the best of the rest seem dirty (bowen?).
All-Defense Teams 1st Team Chris Paul Kobe Bryant Shane Battier Kevin Garnett Marcus Camby 2nd Team Jason Kidd? Bruce Bowen Ron Artest Tim Duncan Dwight Howard
You don't need to be exceptionally quick to play good man to man D. I might have been a little (*cough high *cough) but I certainly do belive Battier is one of the best one on one defenders in the game just based on his smarts and knowledge of player he's guarding.
