Posts Tagged ‘Shane Battier’

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Pacers Must Stop Heat’s Paint Parade

May 24, 2013  ·  10:55AM

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MIAMI – It’s another game day on Biscayne Bay, so it’s well past time to put the Vogel/Hibbert thing behind us. It’s done with, the Pacers proved that they can hang with the Heat, and they have another chance to steal home-court advantage in Game 2 on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

Besides, more concerning than the two layups that LeBron James got with Roy Hibbert off the floor in the final 11 seconds of overtime were the other 56 points in the paint the Heat scored in Game 1, 2 of which came with Hibbert on the floor.

The 60 points in the paint were almost twice as many as the Heat averaged (30.7) in three regular season games against the Pacers and, appropriately, were the focus of the Pacers’ film session on Thursday. The Heat shot 11-for-42 from outside the paint on Wednesday and committed 21 turnovers, but still had a solid offensive game (103 points on 97 possessions), because they were able to get to the basket so often against a defense that has typically protected it better than any other team in the league.

“We got to keep them off the glass,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said Thursday. “We got to keep them out of transition more than we did. And we got to clean up our coverages in the half court, so we don’t allow so many straight-line drives at the rim like we did [in Game 1]. And I think we can do that.”

Though there was that example of James getting an and-one when the Pacers failed to get back after a dead-ball turnover, the Heat registered only 11 fast break points on Tuesday, a not-so unacceptable amount given the Pacers’ nine live-ball turnovers. And Miami’s 16 offensive boards (and 24 second-chance points) were mostly a product of those “straight-line drives at the rim” forcing the Pacers’ bigs to help and rotate. So if the Pacers can curtail those, they’ll be in decent shape in Game 2.

The problem is that the Heat have James, the trump card to any adjustments a team might make. Still, there are some adjustments to be made, because the Heat ran their offense a lot differently in Game 1 than the New York Knicks did in the conference semifinals.

Though many of their possessions eventually turned into isolations, the Knicks did run a lot of pick-and-rolls. But they mostly ran them at Roy Hibbert, without much variation. With Hibbert’s man acting as the screener, he was able to pose a threat to the man with the ball, while also staying within reach of his man rolling to the basket (who was still in front of him).

The Heat didn’t run many pick-and-rolls at Hibbert, instead using a guard or David West‘s man as the screener and leaving Hibbert’s man on the baseline, forcing Hibbert to make a decision between the guy attacking the basket or his man behind him.

“They had a more intelligent plan against Roy Hibbert than New York did,” Vogel said. “It was effective last night and we got to adjust to it.”

Of course, the Heat’s plan wouldn’t have been a huge issue for the Pacers if West was able to contain the ball-handler better than he did.

Here’s an example where Chris Bosh sets a high screen for James, who is able to get around West.

james-bosh_p&r_1

At this point, both West and Sam Young (James’ defender) are trailing the play. James goes straight at Hibbert, gets the big man to leave the floor, and dumps the ball off the Chris Birdman, who throws down two of his 16 points.

There were countless examples in Game 1 of West getting burned on pick-and-rolls. In fact, on the very next play, James goes right by West with his left hand. He misses a scoop shot that Hibbert contests, but Andersen is right there to tip in the miss.

Another wrinkle that the Heat used was running a lot of pick-and-rolls toward the baseline, instead of toward the middle, something the Knicks had a little success with in the last round, but probably didn’t try often enough.

The Heat ran it quite a bit in the fourth quarter and overtime, mostly with Norris Cole as the ball-handler and Shane Battier (being defended by West) as the screener.

Here, West doesn’t get totally burned, but Cole uses a little in-and-out dribble move to get to the basket and draw Hibbert’s help.

baseline

Cole could hit Bosh, who is wide open in the corner here, but the advantage of the ball being on the baseline is that the defense is turned inside-out and defenders have to turn their heads away from their man. That’s exactly what Lance Stephenson does, and Dwyane Wade takes advantage by cutting to the basket. Cole dishes to Wade, who hits a short floater over West.

When West overplayed that toward-the-baseline pick-and-roll, Norris Cole went the other way, drew Ian Mahinmi‘s attention, and got Birdman another dunk …


West carried the Pacers’ offense in the first half on Wednesday and finished with 26 points. But he was largely responsible for many of the Heat’s points on the other end of the floor. And if Indiana is going to keep Miami out of the paint in Game 2, it has to start with his containment on pick-and-rolls.

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Posted in 2013 Conference Finals: Pacers-Heat, 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (5) /

Hibbert’s Tweet About Battier Exactly What This Series Doesn’t Need

May 24, 2013  ·  9:41AM

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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – If Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals was any indication, we should be in store for an entire series that could go down as an instant classic.

That would eliminate the need for any off-court hype-including Twitter beefs, random pot shots through the media and any of the other extra-curricular foolishness that can sidetrack some good ol’ fashioned playoff-level drama that happens on the court.

And, yes, I’m talking to you, Pacers center and (Hang Time Podcast fave) Roy Hibbert:

Calling out Heat forward Shane Battier for being a dirty player isn’t a crime. Surely, Battier has been called worse throughout the course of his college (Duke) and professional career. Doing it now, though, with Game 2 of this series just hours away (8:30 p.m. ET, TNT), is just completely unnecessary.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel has enough to deal with, what with the fallout from his decision not to play Hibbert at the end of Game 1 still on the minds of many, when LeBron James won the game with a layup at the rim. Vogel doesn’t need the spotlight to get any hotter than it already is, courtesy of Game 1 and his misinterpreted comments about the Heat before the series began.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, a devoted disciple of the “process,” certainly could do without the off-court histrionics.

I think we all could.

Enough of the hype already fellas. Just play ball!

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Posted in 2013 Conference Finals: Pacers-Heat / Comments (83) /

Pacers Must Keep Miami Role Players From Making A Strong Impact

May 21, 2013  ·  12:08PM

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HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – Part of the Indiana Pacers’ success in the conference semifinals was keeping New York’s shooters in check. They knew that the Knicks were at their best when they were knocking down threes and, except for a flurry in the third quarter of Game 6, really did not allow themselves to get beat from beyond the arc.

With Paul George defending Carmelo Anthony one-on-one and Roy Hibbert protecting the rim, the Pacers’ other defenders were able to stay at home on the shooters.

That strategy is obviously more difficult when you replace Anthony with LeBron James and then throw Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh into the mix, but the Pacers still want to keep their opponent’s role players under wraps.

We remember James and Wade combining for 70 points in Game 5 of last year’s conference semifinals, but other than that 40-point explosion, the four-time MVP hasn’t had a really big scoring game against the Pacers over the last two years. Wade, we know, is banged up and looks only able to score in bursts here or there.

Consider the three games the Heat and Pacers played this season. James, Wade and Bosh had similar production in all three contests: 66 points on Jan. 8, 58 on Feb. 1, and 60 on March 10. And it was when their teammates came through with another 45 points that the Heat got their only win of the season series.

Heat offense vs. Indiana

Jan. 8 Loss FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3PT% FTM FTA PTS eFG%
Bosh, James & Wade 24 46 52.2% 5 7 71.4% 13 18 66 57.6%
Others 4 22 18.2% 3 12 25.0% 0 0 11 25.0%
Total 28 68 41.2% 8 19 42.1% 13 18 77 47.1%
Feb. 1 Loss FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3PT% FTM FTA PTS eFG%
Bosh, James & Wade 21 44 47.7% 1 3 33.3% 15 21 58 48.9%
Others 12 26 46.2% 4 11 36.4% 3 3 31 53.8%
Total 33 70 47.1% 5 14 35.7% 18 24 89 50.7%
Mar. 10 Win FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3PT% FTM FTA PTS eFG%
Bosh, James & Wade 25 41 61.0% 1 3 33.3% 9 13 60 62.2%
Others 13 27 48.1% 6 11 54.5% 13 18 45 59.3%
Total 38 68 55.9% 7 14 50.0% 22 31 105 61.0%

Now, poor defense had a lot to do with the Feb. 1 loss, and Bosh’s nine field goals from outside the paint had a lot to do with the March 10 win. But with the way the Pacers defend and with the way the Heat is set up to succeed, it makes sense that Miami is most dangerous when the “others” are making shots.

Looking beyond the three games against Indiana, the Heat are 43-3 when players other than James, Wade and Bosh scored at least 37 points. Now, there’s a garbage-time factor there, but they’re also 33-2 when Mario Chalmers has scored nine points or more and 29-2 when Shane Battier has scored eight points or more. Neither of those guys plays a lot of garbage-time minutes. Chalmers scored 26 points in the win over the Pacers.

Oh yeah, the Heat are 31-0 when they hit at least 10 threes.

Erik Spoelstra has been saying for a while now that he wants his shooters “hunting down shots.” Not only is three greater than two, but threats from the outside help open things up for James and Wade in the paint.

As was the case against New York, the Pacers don’t want to give shooters much space. They can do that for the most part in the Heat’s half-court offense, and the key might be transition. Three of Chalmers’ five 3-pointers in that March 10 game were generated by secondary breaks, where the Pacers simply didn’t get to him in time.

So the Pacers’ defensive success may come down to their offense. If they can avoid too many live-ball turnovers and maintain floor balance, they can get back in transition, stop Miami’s attackers and get out to the shooters.

And really, the shooters might be more important than the guys with the big names.

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Posted in 2013 Conference Finals: Pacers-Heat, 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (18) /

Heat May Thank Bulls Later For This One

May 16, 2013  ·  1:10AM

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MIAMI – However far the Miami Heat go in defending their championship and chasing down another one, they will take a piece of the Chicago Bulls with them.

Probably some blood spatter too.

If the Heat players don’t look back at some point in the next month and appreciate, reflect and build upon what it was they got from that undermanned Chicago team, they won’t just be ingrates. They’ll be ingrates gone fishin’.

A niggling bad habit of the Heat at various times this season showed itself again in all its unnerving glory in the middle two quarters of Game 5 Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

What started out as a cool and stylish South Beach club party got spoiled by a bunch of Chicago guys hogging the bar stools and throwing peanut shells on the floor. The Bulls outscored Miami 56-39 in those middle 24 minutes and … wait, that doesn’t quite capture what went on.

Try this instead: After digging themselves a 22-4 hole midway through the first quarter, the Bulls beat the Heat the rest of the night 87-72. Left for dead early, they sat up as surely as Michael Myers, spooking Miami with thoughts of what might have been.

“You give a team like this life, anything can happen,” said forward Chris Bosh. “It’s kind of like watching a horror movie or something, and it happens in slow-motion. You go to Chicago [for a Game 6], their crowd is waking back up again, they’re excited again and now you’re in a dogfight. They come back and win that game, now anything can happen in a Game 7.”

Anything nearly happened in Game 5.

Let’s face it, on talent and depth, the Bulls who ended this season would have been, over 82 games, a lottery team. No Derrick Rose, who went wire-to-wire in his knee surgery rehab, but no Luol Deng or Kirk Hinrich over the final two weeks, either. Chicago still had All-Star center Joakim Noah and forward Carlos Boozer, but the remaining collection of role players and reserves were asked to do a little too much.

And still it worked. Oh, not overall. But often enough through Game 1, for stretches in Game 3 and over the final 41 minutes of Game 5 to grab the Heat’s attention. (more…)

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Posted in 2013 Conference Semis: Heat-Bulls, 2013 NBA Playoffs, HT News / Comments (85) /

First Sweep Done, Miami Faces Layoff — And Elusive Fo’, Fo’, Fo’, Fo’

April 28, 2013  ·  9:08PM

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MILWAUKEE – Gone swiftly and, let’s be honest, dismissed for all practical purposes weeks ago as they settled into the unenviable No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks might have done a major solid for the rest of the NBA’s playoff teams.

They put the red meat of a series sweep in front of the defending champions, and the Heat pounced like Dobermans on a Milwaukee kielbasa.

Another micro-goal accomplished, within the macro-framework of a second consecutive championship. Maybe that makes it easier for the next guys to eke out a victory or two.

“That was our next big step, seeing how we can continue to improve,” LeBron James said after Miami dispatched the Bucks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Game 4, 88-77. It was the closest of the four – the margins were 23, 12, 13 and 11 – though it wasn’t really close at all. The Bucks never led Sunday and, even when they missed repeated shots in the third quarter that could have tied or put them in front, it was as if a “Why bother?” alarm went off in their heads as they released the ball. At some point, James and the Heat were going to stand on the gas, asserting their No. 1 seed superiority in all its glory.

“It’s so hard to win on the road in the playoffs, in someone’s building, especially when someone’s playing for their last life,” the NBA’s presumptive 2013 Most Valuable Player said after hanging 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on the Bucks, while buying Dwyane Wade‘s bruised right knee another day off.

“It’s a big step for us to close this out. It’s the first time, I guess, in the ‘Big 3′ era we’ve had a sweep. So as a team, we like what we was able to accomplish in this series, Now we sit around, wait around to see who our next opponent is.”

Boy, do they. The soonest Miami could play again would be Saturday and that’s if the Brooklyn Nets-Chicago Bulls series cooperates swiftly. The flip side of finally sweeping – after two five-game series in 2012 and three in 2011 – is that the Heat will have at least five days before they play along.

It is the longest layoff of this group’s three postseasons. A year ago, they had three, three and two days between series. In 2011, it was three, three and four.

Anything you read or hear about the dangers of dreaded rust in the coming days likely will be overblown and media-driven. Seriously, would you rather have time off to prepare, refresh and lock in or would you prefer to rush immediately into your next best-of-seven? Still, there is a practical side to navigating the between-series days that makes it at least the little brother of navigating the challenges of the series themselves.

“The biggest focus for us will be keeping ourselves physically ready,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s probably the most abnormal thing of the circumstances. You’re used to playing every 48 hours or so, that’s the NBA rhythm when you get into the playoffs. Mentally, I’m not as concerned about our guys gritting their teeth. It’s too far ahead.

“We don’t even know how long this time will be but we have to make sure we strike a balance between our conditioning, staying fit, working at our game, getting after it with pads in practice, and always making sure guys are healthy and we’re not doing too much.”

For starters, the Heat planned to take Monday and Tuesday off. After that, depending on the Nets-Bulls series, they’ll start aiming for a second round that starts over the weekend. Or into next week.

“Nothing can replicate the edge of a playoff series,” forward Shane Battier said. “You can practice for four hours but it’s not like a playoff series. You still have to get up and down, you still have to bang, you still have to keep the mojo going someway.”

Never mind any macho appeal of flexing in full and sweeping a postseason opponent. The fewer games a team can play en route to a title, the less its players are exposed to the sort of mishaps and shutdowns we’re already seeing. Sure, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook got hurt in Game 2 against Houston and Derrick Rose went down in Chicago’s playoff opener last year. But bad stuff can happen in Games 5, 6 or 7, too, and if that’s the result of poor concentration and letting a lesser opponent hang around, then it becomes ripe for second-guessing.

“Injuries are part of it,” Battier said. “They seem to get more freakish every year. So yeah, of course we would like to end series more quickly so we can rest up a little bit and prevent ourselves from unnecessary injuries. But you can’t play this game with kid gloves on.”

There’s no shame, he said, in ducking “pivotal” or even “ultimate” games late in a best-of-seven series by pounding someone four straight. “It’s hard enough to win one playoff game,” Battier said. “The amount of preparation and energy and focus and everything that goes into winning one playoff game – I don’t care if it’s at home or on the road – takes a lot.”

Hmm. So following the logic and self-preservation aspects of it, rather than implying anything cocky or bombastic, might the Miami Heat – winners of 27 in a row in the regular season – have their eyes on 16 in a row in the playoffs? Or as Moses Malone might say, fo’, fo’, fo’ fo‘?

“Oh Lord,” Battier said. “I’m going to go home, enjoy my kids for a few days and then get ready for a physical, physical battle against the Nets or the Bulls. That’s not even on our minds.”

But James didn’t entirely reject the concept. He just didn’t quite fully engage it.

“I think 16 is automatic [as a motivator],” he said. “Sixteen in a row, I’m not even going to look at that. For me, 16 is the ultimate goal. But No. 5 is what we want to get next. That would be Game 1 of the next round.

“So that’s the way we’ll approach it. We’ll take each step as its own and hopefully, if we’re fortunate enough, we can continue to climb the ladder.”

Yeah, but in as few rungs as possible.

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Posted in 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (79) /

Heat Burst Burns Bucks Again

April 23, 2013  ·  11:58PM



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MIAMI – You know it’s coming, no matter what you do. Even if your brace yourself for the blow, there isn’t much you can do to stop it.

The Miami Heat will come at you at some point during a game with a vicious run that either knocks you off balance or knocks you out cold. It doesn’t matter if they are up 20 or down 20, that run is coming. It’s not a matter of if but when for the Heat, who have made a habit of smashing teams this season with quick and wicked runs that decide games.

Even in a close game against a playoff opponent, they can go from zero to 60 faster than the opposition. And when they hit that speed, the way they did in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter Tuesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena, the Milwaukee Bucks had to know Game 2 of this first-round playoff series was gone.

The Heat went from clinging to a 3-point lead at the end of the third quarter to an insurmountable 15-point cushion in the time it takes most teams to stretch out for the mayhem that comes with a tight fourth quarter against the Heat. When the dust cleared from the Heat’s 98-86 win, it was obvious that Chris “Birdman” Andersen‘s energy had spilled over for the second straight game during a critical stretch for the Heat, who battled the Bucks every inch of the way through those first three quarters.

Andersen kicked off the run with a rebound and putback for a 70-65 lead and Norris Cole finished it off with a deep 3-pointer off a feed from LeBron James for the 80-65 lead with 9:58 to play. The 95 seconds of choreographed mayhem between those buckets has become a Heat staple. You better be buckled up for the ride or you could get run over. And chances are, you’re going to get run over anyway.

“At that point, when it got to still a 3-point game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “we were more of the mindset that, ‘hey, we’re going after this big.’ We hadn’t been in a great rhythm. We certainly were not playing a great basketball game. You have to give them credit, they were doing some things that had us spinning around a little bit defensively and got us on our heels. Offensively, we never got into a rhythm, so we figured we’re just going to have to have to find a way to grind in the fourth quarter. We figured it was going to be a close game. It was just a quick skirmish and explosion. Obviously, that second unit with Bird and Norris came in with a great deal of energy.” (more…)

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Posted in 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (17) /

LeBron’s Not Sweating The Drama

April 22, 2013  ·  5:31PM



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MIAMI – Rarely has one designer sweater caused as much discussion as the one LeBron James wore in his postgame session with the assembled media Sunday night.

Only in his world could his wardrobe choice garner just as much attention, if not more, than his near triple double in the Heat’s 110-87 Game 1 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

But it’s like those T-shirts on every seat at AmericanAirlines Arena said, “Witness Miami.” And this city is bearing witness to the twisted fishbowl that becomes of anything associated with James.

You can debate it all you want … the color of the sweater, whether or not it was appropriate in South Florida this time of year and if James made should have gone with a vest instead of one with sleeves. Just don’t ask James to give it a second thought, because he’s done sweating the drama that used to consume him this time of year (LeBron’s elbow ring a bell?).

Dwyane Wade gave the sweater “two thumbs up” and praised James for having a fashion sense that older teammates like Ray Allen and Shane Battier, who had some fun joking about the sweater, should envy.

“I liked the whole combination,” Wade said. “Bravo. Bravo. I give him two thumps up on his outfit last night.”

Jeff Staple, the founder of Staple Design, loved seeing James “wearing him” on such a big stage. And took to Twitter to thank the Heat’s resident fashion hound for the free advertising.

James said he had no idea of the frenzy his attire caused until he was informed of it at the end of Monday’s practice, when his sweater generated more buzz than his game.

“What’s the big story about it?” he said when asked what led him to that particular choice. “I don’t know, it was just how I was feeling. It’s just fashion. Nothing more, nothing less.”

It’s never that simple for an athlete whose every move, on and off the floor, inspires non-stop discussion. He took just 11 shots in that Game 1 win over the Bucks, a career playoff low, but still managed game highs in points (27), rebounds (10) and assists (eight). Two years ago, when the Heat failed to win a championship, a performance like that might have caused an uproar.

But now that he’s won a championship and the narrative has changed, purists praise James for being the embodiment of efficiency. It’s a drama shift James said he refuses to entertain these days.

“I don’t know, I don’t really … the difference between the past and now is that I really don’t pay too much attention to it,” James said. “I really don’t hear it. I’m so far removed from what’s being said. It’s like this thing about the sweater, until now, I don’t know about what people are saying. I don’t really get involved. I just play my game and do the things I do on the court. It doesn’t amuse me, it doesn’t do anything because I really don’t hear it until I see you guys.”

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Posted in 2013 NBA Playoffs / Comments (19) /

Kobe Could Add to Career-Ending List

April 13, 2013  ·  2:55PM

Basketball is a game of split-second decisions and lightning fast moves, giant leaps and great falls.

As Kobe Bryant himself said in a post on Facebook, it was a move he has made “millions of times.”

With a torn Achilles tendon, the question is whether the 34-year-old All-Star will become the latest to join a list of NBA players who have had their careers ended by horrific injury?

MAURICE STOKES — He was the 1956 Rookie of the Year with the Rochester Royals, averaging 16.5 rebounds and pulled down 38 rebounds in a single game. A three-time NBA All-Star as the franchise moved to Cincinnati. On March 12, 1958 at Minneapolis, in the last game of the regular season, Stokes drove to the basket, drew contact, fell to the floor, struck his head and lost consciousness. He returned to the game and three days later scored 12 points with 15 rebounds in a playoff game at Detroit. On a flight following that game, he suffered a seizure, fell into a coma and was left permanently paralyzed. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy, a brain injury that damaged his motor-control center. Stokes died 12 years later at age 36. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2004.

BILLY CUNNINGHAM – The Kangaroo Kid was a four-time All-Star, three-time All-NBA first teamer and 1967 champion with the 76ers. He was also the ABA MVP with the Carolina Cougars in 1973. On Dec. 5, 1975 in a game against the Knicks in Philadelphia, he was driving down the left side of the lane with Butch Beard challenging. Halfway down, Cunningham pulled up short, his knee locked, and he fell to the floor in a heap, having torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. In 11 pro seasons, Cunningham averaged 21.2 points and 10.4 rebounds. He was 32. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1986.

CHARLES BARKLEY – The 11-time All-Star and 1993 MVP was averaging 14.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in his 16th NBA season as a member of the Rockets and had long seemed indestructible as a he carved out a career as one of the great power forwards of the game despite standing only 6-foot-6. Barkley was in Philadelphia, the city where his NBA career began, positioning himself for a rebound barely eight minutes into the first quarter on Dec. 8, 1999 when he collapsed to the floor, rupturing the quadriceps tendon in his left knee. Typical Sir Charles, as he was being carried off the floor, said: “Just what America needs, one more unemployed black man.” Refusing to let the injury become the last image of his career, Barkley returned on April 19, 2000 in Houston for a game against Vancouver long enough to grab a signature offensive rebound and score a put-back basket, then walked off the court. He was 35. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2006.

ISIAH THOMAS – Perhaps the greatest little man ever to play in the NBA, he was a 12-time All-Star and led the Pistons to back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990 and was the MVP of The Finals in 1990. Thomas averaged 19.2 points and 9.3 assists in his 13-year career. Already bothered by an assortment of injuries including a strained arch, broken rib and hyperextended knee, he tore his right Achilles tendon with 1:37 left in the third quarter on April 19, 1994 in a home game against the Magic. “I felt like I got shot with a cannon,” he said. “When I did it, I thought it was my Achilles. I had no control of my foot. I don’t know exactly what happened.” The career-ending injury also kept Thomas off Team USA for the 1994 World Championship. He was 11 days shy of turning 33. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2000.

DIKEMBE MUTOMBO – The eight-time All-Star, four-time Defensive Player of the Year, two-time rebounding champ and second-leading shot blocker in NBA history played 18 seasons with six different teams. The great rim protector who made his finger-wag at opponents following a blocked shot his signature, was playing with the Rockets when he collided with the Blazers’ Greg Oden in the second quarter of Game 2 of a first-round playoff series at Portland on April 30, 2009 and fell to the floor. Mutombo had ruptured the quadriceps tendon in his left knee. “It is over for me for my career,” he said that day. He was 42.

YAO MING — The 7-foot-6 center from Shanghai was the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft by the Rockets and an eight-time NBA All-Star. He’d been plagued by an assortment of foot and ankle injuries and it was originally believed to be just a strained tendon in his left leg when Yao had to leave the court just six minutes into a game at Washington on Nov. 10, 2010. An MRI later revealed a stress fracture in his ankle. “You hope this is the last surgery for him,” teammate Shane Battier said. “Good lord. That guy’s seen more hospital beds than Florence Nightingale.” But Yao never played another NBA game and announced his retirement in July 2011 at age 30.

JAY WILLIAMS – The 6-foot-2 point guard led Duke to the NCAA championship in 2001, national college player of the year in 2002 and was the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft by the Bulls. He averaged 9.5 points and 4.7 assists as a rookie in Chicago. On the night of June 19, 2003, Williams crashed his motorcycle into a streetlight on Chicago’s North Side. He was not wearing a helmet, was not licensed to drive a motorcycle in Illinois, and was also violating the terms of his Bulls contract by riding a motorcycle. Williams’ injuries included a severed main nerve in his left leg, fractured pelvis and three torn ligaments in his knee including the ACL. He required physical therapy to regain use of his leg and never played another game in the NBA. He was 21.

SHAQUILLE O’NEAL — At 7-foot-1, 325-pounds-plus, the 15-time All-Star, four-time champion, three-time Finals MVP and two-time scoring champ appeared undentable and unbreakable during his 19-year NBA career. Playing for his sixth team, O’Neal was bothered by foot problems throughout the 2010-11 season in Boston. He returned to the lineup on April 3, 2011, but played just six minutes before limping down the court on a Celtics possession in the first minute of the second quarter. “The doctor thought it was very minor. Scary more than anything,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “But we’ll see.” Shaq returned to play just 12 minutes in two games in the second round of the playoffs against Miami and announced his retirement on Twitter in June. He was 39.

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Improved D Keeps The Heat Winning

April 12, 2013  ·  12:12PM

HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – Since their 27-game winning streak came to an end 16 days ago, the Miami Heat have been taking it kind of easy.

The only Heaters to play all seven games since then are Chris Andersen, Shane Battier, Norris Cole, Rashard Lewis and Mike Miller. Starters Mario Chalmers (3), Dwyane Wade (6), LeBron James (4), Chris Bosh (3) and Udonis Haslem (1) have missed a combined 17 games in the seven-game stretch.

Yet the Heat have gone 6-1 since that loss in Chicago, having no problem clinching the league’s best overall record and home-court advantage throughout the postseason. The schedule hasn’t exactly been harrowing, but they did win in San Antonio without James, Wade or Chalmers and handled likely first-round opponent Milwaukee without Bosh or Wade.

The Heat have maintained their standing as the No. 1 offense in the league, but they’re also playing their best defense of the season.

Since the streak ended, the Heat have been the second-best defense in the league, behind only Memphis. They’ve actually allowed fewer points per 100 possessions over the last seven games (97.9) than they did during the streak (99.0).

It’s obviously a small sample size (against a few bad offensive teams), but it’s a continuation of a positive trend. Miami has also been the third-best defensive team since the All-Star break, and when you compare pre-break numbers to post-break numbers, the Heat have been the most improved defensive team in the league…

Most improved defenses (points allowed per 100 possessions) since All-Star break

Team Pre-break Rank Post-break Rank Diff.
Miami 101.8 11 97.8 3 -4.0
Golden State 103.4 16 100.8 7 -2.6
Houston 104.4 22 102.1 10 -2.3
Denver 102.6 13 100.7 7 -1.9
Oklahoma City 99.7 8 98.2 4 -1.6

Consistency on the defensive end of the floor was an issue as the Heat cruised through the first half of the season. They ranked fourth defensively last season, but were just 11th on that end at the time their streak started. That’s not championship-level defense.

Since mid-December though, the Heat have been trending in the right direction. They’ve basically improved defensively month by month, with a blip in February (a month in which their offense carried them to a 12-1 record).

Comparing pre-break to post-break numbers, the Heat have improved in multiple ways. They’ve been defending the 3-point line better, they’ve been forcing more turnovers, and they’ve been keeping their opponents off the free-throw line…

Heat defense, before and after All-Star break

Time Opp2PT% Rank Opp3PT% Rank DREB% Rank OppTmTOV% Rank OppFTA Rate Rank
Pre-break 47.0% 8 36.0% 19 73.2% 17 16.0% 7 .280 22
Post-break 47.5% 8 33.6% 6 72.1% 28 17.9% 1 .228 2

DREB% = Percentage of available defensive rebounds obtained
OppTmTOV% = Opponent turnovers per 100 possessions
OppFTA Rate = FTA/FGA

The Heat play a very aggressive style of defense, attacking the ball and using their quickness, length and athleticism to recover to the weak side. And when it’s not sharp, opposing teams can take advantage from beyond the arc. Miami struggled to defend the 3-point line early last season as well, but improved as the season went on and allowed their opponents to shoot just 30 percent from downtown in the playoffs.

The numbers are further confirmation of something I wrote about when addressing the Spurs’ improved defense a few weeks ago: Rebounding isn’t all that important. Miami has been the third-worst defensive rebounding team since the break, yet still ranks third overall on that end.

Erik Spoelstra talked about rebounding (finishing defensive possessions) last month…

“Possessions are at such a premium in the playoffs. So we understand that it’s very important. Look, my boss came up with the term ‘no rebounds, no rings.’ That’ll always ring true in my ears, but we have some things that are very important to us, and our identity, and how we play. We have to get to those things, and then obviously finish it off.

“Our guys understand that we have to finish, but we also understand what our identity is. And when we’re getting to things that make us successful, that’ll trump a lot of other things. But we certainly have to finish.”

It takes both great offense and great defense to to win a championship. We never really doubted the Heat’s ability to repeat, but their improved defense over the last couple of months certainly makes it more difficult to pick anyone else to dethrone them.

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Battier, Karl, Pacers honored by PBWA

April 9, 2013  ·  7:59PM

Shane Battier and George Karl, two of the most loquacious and illuminating fellows in the NBA to step or sit in front of the microphones and cameras, were recognized officially for their chatty and cooperative ways Tuesday.

Battier, a veteran role player for the Miami Heat, was selected as the 2013 winner of the Magic Johnson Award, presented annually by the Pro Basketball Writers Association to a player who combines excellence on the court with cooperation with the media and fans. Karl, coach of the Denver Nuggets was named winner of the Rudy Tomjanovich Award, the PBWA’s coaching version that recognizes the same traits.

Also, the Indiana Pacers’ media relations staff became the first two-time winner of the Brian McIntyre Award, presented by the PBWA to the staff deemed most helpful to the media in anticipating and fulfilling coverage needs.

Battier was one of 12 players nominated for his award, including Heat teammates LeBron James and Ray Allen. Others nominated were Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks, Jamal Crawford and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers, Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs, Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks, Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks and Zach Randolph of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Magic Johnson Award is the longest-running honor from the PBWA, dating back to Allen in 2002-03. Among this year’s nominees, he and Durant are former winners.

The Rudy Tomjanovich Award was added in 2011, with Jerry Sloan as the inaugural winner. Boston’s Doc Rivers won in 2012 and was a nominee again this season, along with Scott Brooks of Oklahoma City, Rick Carlisle of Dallas, Doug Collins of Philadelphia, Larry Drew of Atlanta and Lawrence Frank of Detroit.

The Pacers, headed by media relations director David Benner, also won the McIntyre Award in 2011. Other staff nominated include Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Golden State, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Toronto. The Bucks won the award, named after longtime NBA publicrelations director Brian McIntyre, in 2012. The Warriors, Trail Blazers, Raptors and Suns staff are other past winners.

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