I only learned today, via an article by ESPN's John Hollinger, that Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier has never made NBA All-Defensive Team. Holy crap. The NBA is full of injustice (Isiah Thomas, still with the Knicks), but this one just takes the cake. There are a couple of players who are known for playing excellent defense, something that's rewarded by spots on the All-Defensive Team, i.e., Ron Artest, Marcus Camby, and Bruce Bowen. To me, Shane Battier has always been a part of that list; that he hasn't been officially recognized for his tough (and very smart) D is a travesty.
The photo above, taken during Houston's fantastic win over the LA Lakers, illustrates just how effective a defender Battier is. He gets in your face--literally and figuratively. As Hollinger astutely points out in his article, Battier doesn't try to block the jump shots of scorers like Bryant; he finds a way to stick his hand over the shooter's face as the latter releases his shot. The feat is harder than it looks or sounds. If you watched Battier cover Bryant in the Houston-LA game, you'll notice that Battier slides his whole arm in between Bryant's arms when Kobe takes a shot.
It's not only that Battier does this, it's that he does this every time. EVERY TIME. He's friggin' relentless. Hollinger points out that Battier covered Kobe with almost no help from his team-mates, and Hollinger is right. Battier hounded Bryant like a shadow, and, more impressively, he never let up. A Battier defensive play in the fourth quarter shows just how persistent he is. Bryant brushes Battier off a screen, spinning off the screen (watching Kobe dribble is a thing of beauty) and then quickly rising of his feet to take the jumper; Kobe thinks Battier is gone; so do I; but then Battier runs around the pick and leaps to block what Kobe thought was an open shot.
After the game, Battier was slumped in the shower room and said that a guy deserves a couple of beers after running after Kobe for forty-plus minutes.
I say give this guy a keg.
(Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images)
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