Shane Battier, who won a national championship and a national player of the year award with Duke, revealed his new podcast on Monday.
Duke basketball fans will get a lot more [autotag]Shane Battier[/autotag] content in the near future.
The Blue Devils legend revealed his new podcast “Glue Guys” on Monday, which he will co-host with former NFL quarterback Alex Smith.
“Our new podcast dives into the unsung heroes of life—the people, moments, and lessons that keep us grounded and moving forward,” Battier wrote on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter). “Join us as we uncover and celebrate the stories of everyday resilience and hidden gems in our journeys.”
Battier won a national championship with the Blue Devils in 2001, the same year he earned Associated Press Player of the Year honors. He averaged 19.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 2.1 steals as a senior, and he’s the only player in school history with both 250 career blocks and 250 career steals.
Battier ended up getting drafted sixth overall in the 2001 NBA draft, and he went on to win back-to-back NBA titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.
On the one-year anniversary of Bryant’s tragic death, we look back at some of his most memorable NBA performances involving Houston.
Tuesday is the one-year anniversary of the passing of Kobe Bryant, an NBA legend. Bryant died on January 26, 2020 in a tragic helicopter crash, as did his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three other daughters. He was 41 years old at the time of his January 2020 death.
During his legendary 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was a five-time NBA champion; an 18-time All-Star; a two-time Olympic gold medalist; and an MVP, among numerous accolades.
Naturally, that legendary career meant he had his share of elite performances against every NBA franchise — and that’s certainly the case for playoff rivals in the Western Conference, like the Houston Rockets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2ICAYb2jC4
Bryant appeared in 61 regular-season games against the Rockets from 1996 through 2016, with the Lakers going 35-26 (.574) in those contests. The future Hall of Fame guard averaged 26.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals, and he was also a valuable defender.
But Bryant and the Lakers really did their damage against the Rockets in the playoffs. During his career, the Lakers were a perfect 3-0 in playoff series versus Houston — including a 3-1 win in the 1999 first round, a 4-1 win in the 2004 first round, and a 4-3 triumph in the 2009 second round. In those three postseason series, Bryant averaged 24.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.
Combining the playoffs and regular season, Bryant scored 40+ points nine times against the Rockets, including three games of 50+ points.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebZo5HQFpL8
Bryant’s first game versus the Rockets came at Houston’s former arena, The Summit, on Nov. 12, 1996. Then only 18 years old and fresh out of high school, Bryant scored two points in just five minutes.
Bryant’s last game against Houston came on April 10, 2016 at Toyota Center, and it was his third-to-last game in the NBA. He scored 35 points in just 27 minutes, but the Rockets got a bit of revenge with a 130-110 win. James Harden led the way for Houston with 40 points and 13 assists.
Naturally, though, his most memorable games against the Rockets came in between his debut and that farewell game. Here’s a look back at what stood out the most over Bryant’s 20 seasons against Houston.
A playoff series between the Miami Heat’s Big 3 and the Golden State Warriors at their peak would have been great to see.
The Golden State Warriors are the best team of the 2010s, winning three championships in the decade.
But the Warriors would have some competition against the Miami Heat, a team that peaked just a few years before they took off.
Heat legend Dwyane Wade hopped on Instagram Live with Steph Curry on Friday night, and he asked Curry which team would win: the Heat’s Big 3 or the Warriors at their peak?
Curry said the two could settle everything out on NBA 2K, but Wade laughed and said he isn’t good at the game. Still, with the two team’s peaks only around four years apart, it’s a hypothetical matchup that could have been relatively feasible if the Heat had a longer run.
The Warriors have revolutionized offense, with Curry and Klay Thompson being the sharpshooters for a team that heavily utilizes off-ball actions and misdirection.
At their peak, the Warriors screened teams into oblivion, and with Kevin Durant in the picture, they were basically impossible to guard.
Though they boast great shooters, the Warriors have never relied on shooting from deep — that’s why their best teams had the most productive offenses in league history. They were unpredictable, while still having the threat of elite shooting.
When they won the title in 2017, the Warriors ranked fifth that regular season in 3-point attempts per game (31.2). When they won a second straight championship in 2018, the Warriors ranked 17th in 3-point attempts (28.9).
Golden State’s motion offense has been filled with position-less lineups, but what’s interesting is that the Miami Heat’s offense was the predecessor for the Warriors’ success.
The Heat were pioneers when it came to showing how small-ball lineups could work in certain situations. That was when LeBron James began playing more power forward, working in the post against smaller defenders.
James had multiple shooters to pass out to if necessary, with Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Mario Chalmers and Ray Allen being viable options.
Like the Warriors, the Heat were also good at controlling pace. James and Wade were crucial for that, with Wade’s slashing and scoring ability being the perfect complement to James’ passing skills.
The Heat’s offense was effective, but the Warriors get the edge here. No team in NBA history has put on an offensive clinic quite like Golden State has.
Defense: Even
The Heat’s defense was smothering at its peak, and their blitzing would be the main reason they could hang with the Warriors.
The only chance any team had against the Durant-era Warriors was to apply pressure on the perimeter, while also having enough rim protection to cover any backside options.
The Heat had both during their run, with players like Wade, Battier, James and Norris Cole helping suffocate the perimeter.
Chris Bosh and Chris Andersen anchored the defense in the interior, with the big men being No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in blocks per game during the team’s 2013 title season.
Miami’s ability to go small would be crucial as well. Teams need to be able to switch on the perimeter to guard Golden State, and the Heat’s athleticism and quickness would allow them to defend the pick-and-roll and keep the Warriors in front of them.
Though the Heat’s defense was elite, the Warriors boasted just as good a defense at the height of their powers.
Much like the Heat, the Warriors regularly had the perimeter on lockdown, with Thompson and Andre Iguodala leading the top of the defense. The Warriors ranked first in steals per game (9.6) during their 2017 title season.
Draymond Green has always been an important fixture of the offense, with his quality facilitating and screen setting being his best attributes. But he is also a significant presence for the Warriors’ defense, and his ability to play center has helped unlocked their positionless lineups.
The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, Green is one of the best help defenders of all time, as his basketball IQ helps him be in the right place at the right time.
He can guard any position, and the Warriors would be able to contain the dynamic duo of Wade and James.
Prediction: Warriors would win, but the series would go the distance
With both defenses being great, it’s hard to put one over the other. That end of the floor would be tightly contested, and whether Miami could score enough points would be the difference.
During their 2013 title season, the Heat averaged 102.9 points per game and shot 39.6% from deep. During their 2017 championship season, the Warriors averaged 115.9 points per game and shot 38.3% from the 3-point line.
It’s difficult to see the Heat being better offensively than Golden State, though.
With a Hall of Fame-level offense, the Warriors would win, but it would be a close series because of the Heat’s stifling defense.
