The Lebron Stopper

[phaedrus]

Battier played 39 minutes last night and scored only 3 points. Incidentally, Lebron also had one of his worst games of the year and the Cavs lost by 19. Coincidence? Did anyone see the game?

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290226010

[dball]

Battier played 39 minutes last night and scored only 3 points. Incidentally, Lebron also had one of his worst games of the year and the Cavs lost by 19. Coincidence? Did anyone see the game?

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290226010

Ron Artest was primary defender though Shane was on James some of the time.

[dougc33]

Saw the game and was going to start a thread...Battier was awesome at doing all the little things. He drew 2 charges on BronBron and continuously switched onto him after Artest got picked. TOTALLY frustrated LeBron.

The other impressive thing was to see who he was on the court with. Though he plays with the starters, I looked up in the 2nd quarter and here was the lineup:

Kyle Lowry PG
Von Wafer SG
one of the Barrys SF
Hayes SF
Battier PF

Talk about going small - yet that group was a +2 over the 3 minutes they were on the floor - the LeBrons only scored 2 points against that lineup!

Funny thing is to read the ESPN recap - they make it sound like Artest was the defensive "stopper" on King James, yet anyone who watched the games (and listened to the commentators who were highly complimentary of Battier) could see who was shutting down whom. Oh well, guess ESPN doesn't watch TNT games!

[Oriole Way]

Shane clearly frustrated LeBron (Artest also guarded LeBron and did a fine job as well).

I think Michael Lewis' recent article in the New York Times explains why Shane is one of the best defenders in the league, and last night's result falls right in line with what Lewis wrote about. LeBron's bad night was in large part due to Shane, and it's not surprising.

[mehmattski]

I didn't see the game, but the ESPN article you linked says that it was Artest who guarded LeBron, not Shane. The Rockets' GM:

He's unbelievable. We have two of the best perimeter defenders in the league and it is going to be extremely difficult for both. They're going to give it their all but, more than anyone, he's a tough guard. There's a reason the [Michael Lewis] article is about Kobe, not LeBron (laughs).

Here's some statistical analysis of the defense on LeBron last night, from this article:

"Battier shades James left, giving him more room to move baseline (Yao watches attentively from there). As if it's a scene lifted from the Lewis piece, Battier sets himself defensively at a spot about a step toward the baseline just as James revs up for his move. When James propels his right shoulder forward, Battier is already there. Violet Palmer calls the charge...

"...The contrasts between Artest and Battier are obvious, but still interesting to observe. Artest plays his man, while Battier plays the floor. Though Artest might be considered the less cerebral of Houston's tandem of shutdown wing defenders, he's every bit as methodical and disciplined."

There's lots of talk of help defense and switching on screens. I'd imagine that Shane had a lot to do with this game being the first zero-assist of LeBron's career.

[COYS]

Saw the game and was going to start a thread...Battier was awesome at doing all the little things. He drew 2 charges on BronBron and continuously switched onto him after Artest got picked. TOTALLY frustrated LeBron.

The other impressive thing was to see who he was on the court with. Though he plays with the starters, I looked up in the 2nd quarter and here was the lineup:

Kyle Lowry PG
Von Wafer SG
one of the Barrys SF
Hayes SF
Battier PF

Talk about going small - yet that group was a +2 over the 3 minutes they were on the floor - the LeBrons only scored 2 points against that lineup!

Funny thing is to read the ESPN recap - they make it sound like Artest was the defensive "stopper" on King James, yet anyone who watched the games (and listened to the commentators who were highly complimentary of Battier) could see who was shutting down whom. Oh well, guess ESPN doesn't watch TNT games!

It's also a luxury for the Rockets to have two talented defensive players who match-up well (or as well as anyone can) with LeBron. If any team can frustrate Lebron, it's a team with Battier and Artest.

[FerryFor50]

There's lots of talk of help defense and switching on screens. I'd imagine that Shane had a lot to do with this game being the first zero-assist of LeBron's career.

Lebron's teammates had a lot to do with that, too.

[dougc33]

It's also a luxury for the Rockets to have two talented defensive players who match-up well (or as well as anyone can) with LeBron. If any team can frustrate Lebron, it's a team with Battier and Artest.

Agreed that Rockets match up extra-well b/c of Artest and Shane. Liked the way it was characterized earlier - Artest does his work thru dogged determination and athleticism, Battier does his work thru using his head by playing angles, etc.

Don't know if the Rockets have the offensive firepower to get the chance to meet the Cavs (assuming they get thru the Celts) - TMac was a good 10+ incremental points per game.

[eddiehaskell]

Didn't some guy crunch some numbers which showed that Battier is the best player in the NBA?

[eddiehaskell]

Googled it. Here it is: http://houstonist.com/2009/02/20/is_..._player_in.php

"As it turns out, Battier's plus-minus is in the same stratosphere as MVP-caliber players like Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, and Carmelo Anthony. Why does a guy who can't shoot and doesn't block shots get into this territory? By forcing the guy he's guarding into low-percentage shots and always being in the right place on offense, contributions that statistics can't measure. Kobe Bryant might score 30 when Battier guards him, but he'll have to work much harder at it, giving the Rockets more opportunities to match his scores."