Battier deserves a lot of credit (and coaching/management too) for becoming a volume shooter who remains highly efficient from behind the arc. That was a big risk in acquiring Battier but he's come through big. Even though Battier passed up a few shots the last game (and committed stupid turnovers), he still had plenty of open looks and missed way too many times. Hopefully that won't be the case in the playoffs. It's a height thing. Great offensive PGs will abuse any PG...that's just the way things work. When Baron Davis is on, Rafer, Head nor anyone else is going to shut him down...not in today's NBA. Those are good points. Head isn't that much worse against Derron than Rafer, and Rafer ain't bad vs. Derron. After analyzing a recent Jazz Spurs game, I estimated that the Spurs showed their Big Man (be it Duncan or Elson or whoever) about 75% of the time and played their Big Man back the other 25% of the time. The Rockets play Yao back about 90% of the time to save his energy. In that Spurs game, when they showed, it was successful about 80% of the time w/ their crisp rotations. When they played back, it was only successful like 10% of the time (Tony Parker stripped Derron from behind once, and Duncan was able to slide off the roller and block Derron's layup once). Basically good PGs like Derron will get to the hole much more easily when the Big Man doesn't show, even against the most agile Big Men like Tim Duncan. Add to that, the rollers got a lot more points against the Big Men back defense than vs the showing and rotate defense...I've digressed. But besides my hatred of JVG's Defense, there is a valid point in there that Head is not that bad of a sacrifice vs Derron. But when you have Rafer Head vs Derron Giricek...that's a problem in my book. Derron Fisher is not a big deal, but umm, the Jazz finished the last game w/Derron Giricek and that might be the way the playoffs will go. I don't like Head on Giricek mainly due to height. Giricek is a catch and shoot specialist. I just don't like Head running out on a 6'6" Catch and shoot guy when you can have T-Mac or Battier running out on him...even Snyder. I think that extra height and reach really makes a difference. Now aside from Giricek taking T-Mac to the hole once in crunch time last game, I really don't fear Giricek's driving ability. He can drive, but decent awareness and footspeed can cause him to turn it over...basically, his driving is not his forte..it's his jumpshooting and it's just dumb to put a shorty like Head or Rafer on him.
you can't extrapolate that with more shots. he has an excellent % because he mostly gets wide open shots and is selective. with an increased load, the percentages would drop considerably.
I don't understand why T-mac's back stiffened up. I read an article that said he JUST saw Patterson earlier in the week before the Warriors game...
