PrintRockets Rally For Big Win Over Warriors
Battier, Brooks lead the way to stirring 111-109 victory
Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer
Oakland, CA - By now it’s no secret that Shane Battier prefers to do the better part of his work in the shadows, disregarding gaudy box score numbers while concentrating instead on the subtleties of proper angles, sound spacing and siphoning his man into the teeth of the Rockets’ defense.
But every now and then his handiwork is plain to all, as obvious to the untrained eye as it is to those who spend their lives poring over advanced metrics measuring the so-called intangibles upon which the “No-Stats All-Star” has built his considerable legend. Fitting, then, that on a hazy December evening by the bay, Battier’s brilliance would shine with the clarity of a De Beers diamond and help lift the Rockets to a stirring 111-109 victory over Golden State.
“Shane was unbelievable all night long,” said a gushing Rick Adelman after the game. “I think he set the tone in the first quarter. He kept (Monta) Ellis under control. He’s a heck of a cover and he’s such a great scorer but Shane’s so smart. He’s going to say, ‘I’m going to take things away, I’m not going to give you easy opportunities.’ That’s the way he’s always been. He understands he’s going to get scored on but the guy’s going to have to work at it and I thought he really set the tone.”
Battier did so by blocking three shots in the first quarter alone (though many observers felt the number should have been four), on his way to setting a new career-high with six rejections overall. And as Adelman mentioned, the ninth-year forward also did yeoman’s work on Golden State’s Ellis, limiting him to 12 points on 12 shots in the first half while forcing him into 7 turnovers, two of which came on a pair of vintage Battier-drawn charges during the final minute of the second quarter. It was the sort of virtuoso performance which belongs front and center on the Duke product’s resume for the NBA’s All-Defense teams; offering yet another morsel of evidence that Battier still stands among the best stoppers in the game.
Speaking of which, the story of slowing down Ellis wouldn’t be complete without also praising Battier’s partner in crime Trevor Ariza. For it was Ariza who primarily drew the assignment of defending the league’s ninth-leading scorer in the second half and his effort was no less dazzling than Battier's. Together, the dynamic duo helped hold Ellis to 9-of-27 shooting from the field while coaxing a whopping 9 turnovers from him as well, illustrating the destructive potential of their considerable collective defensive prowess.
“Trevor and I almost got into fisticuffs at breakfast over who had to guard (Ellis),” quipped Battier, who also finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. “Neither of us really wanted to guard him tonight, so I thank Trevor for taking the lion’s share in the second half. Monta is tough. He’s really aggressive and never stops attacking, so he’s a handful.
“I felt reactive. I think I’m at my best defensively when I combine my preparation with just being really reactive on the basketball court and being in tune with everything.”
On the other side of the floor, meanwhile, Aaron Brooks loomed just as large – it simply took him some time for him to find his way.
Suffering through a miserable first half, Brooks’ frustration boiled over in the opening two minutes of the third quarter when he picked up a technical foul for taunting. Coincidence or otherwise, however, that call seemed to snap the third-year point guard out of his funk. Playing with a feisty edge the rest of the way, Brooks found his shooting stroke, pouring in 14 points during a third quarter in which Houston needed every single one, given that the Warriors were busy reeling off 38 points of their own in the frame.
Brooks’ strong play continued right on through the end, culminating in a scene which surely demonstrates his growth, maturation and confidence as a player. With the score tied at 109 and 13.3 seconds remaining on the clock, the Rockets huddled up to discuss the strategy they would employ in an attempt to win the game with their final possession. Adelman was leaning toward running a pick-and-roll with Brooks and Carl Landry (22 points, 9 rebounds). Brooks, however, preferred to spread the floor and take his man one-on-one. To his credit, he spoke up. And to the coach’s credit, he listened.
“He talked me out of it,” said Adelman matter-of-factly. “He said, ‘I can get around this guy but if we play pick-and-roll they could double me,’ so we called it off and he was right.”
Indeed, left alone on an island, Brooks took C.J. Watson off the dribble and drew a foul in the act of shooting with 2.1 seconds remaining. He coolly drained both free throws, providing the last of his game-high 25 points (22 of which came in the second half) while putting his team on a path to its third straight victory.
“Sometimes I feel like at the end of games if you run the pick-and-roll it’s like two guys guarding me,” explained Brooks of his preference to go iso instead of pick-and-roll with the game on the line. “I wanted to go at (Watson) one-on-one and not have to worry about a big hedging or getting bumped or anything like that.
“I was nervous (to ask Adelman to change the play call). I was like, ‘Uhhh, do you think we could possibly, ummm, I’m not trying to say that the play is not great but, uhhh, is it possible that we might just, please, maybe do the isolation? Please, coach, please?’”
Brooks laughed while describing his sad-eyed puppy dog routine, knowing full well that no one came close to buying his version of the events. But that’s how it often goes with these Rockets: one second Battier is spinning a yarn about a fight to decide who gets to defend the opponent’s best player, the next Brooks weaves a tale which includes him attempting to sway his coach with a tactic most often adopted by five-year olds as a means to appeal to their soft-hearted parents. Uptight, these guys are not.
So on a night when one man validated his reputation and the other set to work establishing his, the end result proved strikingly similar for both: a win, some laughs and then back to work; secure in the knowledge that, for one glorious evening, their respective talents transcended the shadows while simultaneously shining the light which led to victory.
QUOTES
RICK ADELMAN
Just a terrific win. After playing last night, we played pretty well in the first half and then in the third quarter they just took it to us. We stopped defending them, we gave them easy baskets but give our guys credit, in a back to back game in the fourth quarter they turned it up a notch and made plays down the stretch to win the game.
(on the defense in the second half): I thought we really lost our concentration in the third quarter. We know what they’re trying to do. Give them credit though, they bombed in about five or six threes. Every time they were open, they made it. Against a team like this you have to be mentally disciplined; they’re going to make shots but you can’t give up on your effort. It’s got to be there every possession.
(On Battier): Shane was unbelievable all night long. I don’t know how many blocks he ended up with but he got Maggette a couple times. I think he set the tone in the first quarter. He kept Ellis under control because he’s been getting off to quick starts. He’s a heck of a cover and he’s such a great scorer but Shane’s so smart. He’s going to say, ‘I’m going to take things away, I’m not going to give you easy opportunities.’ That’s the way he’s always been. He understands he’s going to get scored on but the guy’s going to have to work at it and I thought he really set the tone.
(on Aaron): The first half I thought he really let himself get down. He let them take him out of the game. I’ve said it before, we’re a much better team when he’s scoring points and he’s getting something done. He had some confidence there in the fourth quarter. That last play I was going to play pick-and-roll but he talked me out of it. He said, ‘I can get around this guy but if we play pick-and-roll they could double me,’ so we called it off and he was right – we got the foul and won the game.
TREVOR ARIZA
(teaming up with Battier to take Ellis): It just gave them a different look. In the first half we put Shane on him to give him a different look. Then in the second half and down the stretch I guarded him just to put a little more length on him.
When me and Shane (play together) we can switch no matter who it is. We ‘re starting to come together on that end.
The intensity of the change definitely brought on what we did. They played hard, we played harder. We got stops when we needed them.
SHANE BATTIER
They’re a team of big runs. When you play the Warriors, especially here, no lead is safe on either side.
(on teaming up with Trevor on Ellis): Trevor and I almost got into fisticuffs at breakfast over who had to guard him. Neither of us really wanted to guard him tonight, so I thank Trevor for take the lion’s share in the second half. Monta is tough (laughs). He’s really aggressive and never stops attacking, so he’s a handful. I’m proud of the way we made him work. He hits some shots but I think he had to work for every point he made tonight.
(on his defensive effort): This is the first time I’ve felt good in a long time. I felt springy last night against the Clippers and felt springy here tonight. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt good so hopefully I can continue to feel good. The main thing is jumping. I haven’t been able to jump the entire year, that’s why I’m averaging two and a half rebounds a game. I’m just moving better and for me if I feel good, I play well.
I felt reactive. I think I’m at my best defensively when I combine my preparation with just being really reactive on the basketball court and being in tune with everything. I felt pretty good. That’s a really tough team to defend.
AARON BROOKS
Sometimes I feel like at the end of games if you run the pick-and-roll it’s like two guys guarding me, so sometimes I just like to go one-on-one.
(on the foul call): I was extremely surprised. It was a bold call that he made. I felt it was the right call. CJ (Watson) in his heart felt it was the right call (laughs). I know in his heart, deep down, he knows it was the right call.
(on asking coach to run iso instead of pick and roll on the final play): I was nervous. But like I said, I wanted to go at him one-on-one and not have to worry about a big hedging or getting bumped or anything like that. Coach showed confidence in me to go ahead and do that and we pulled it out.
Yeah, I was definitely (nervous). I was like, ‘Uhhh, do you think we could possibly, ummm, I’m not trying to say that the play is not great but, uhhh, is it possible that we might just, please, maybe do the isolation? Please, coach, please?’ It worked. But I’m not going to try it again, though (laughs).
Don Nelson:
“I think we turned the ball over too much, but I think they turned it over more than we did, so that was certainly even. Hate to lose a lead in the 4th quarter, I really liked what we were doing but didn’t finish a couple of layups and ball movement wasn’t good a couple of times and then there was…when we took it hard to the basket we didn’t get the whistle. I thought we played hard and played well and it’s unfortunate but that’s what happened. I survived the game O.K.”
On Small Lineup: “I had (Corey) Maggette in there playing center, and I liked what we were getting, got a couple of layups and I thought we could get more but then, for whatever reason, players don’t do the same thing…maybe I stuck to long with that situation.
“I liked the matchup for us, it was good…for a while. We didn’t sustain it. I thought we could guard them and kept them from going back to (Luis) Scola, which I thought was important. I thought we could guard them and then gain advantages by running a play that we run very well, but we didn’t score enough off of it.”
Anthony Morrow:
“It’s very disappointing, we had the game and we let it slip through our hands. So really just got to stick together and we have another game Saturday so we got stick together and tough the next one out.”
On The 4th Quarter: “We just got cold at the wrong time. Missed some shots and they really started locking down defensively and they hit the defensive glass hard and got out and ran and put some pressure on our defense. Just little things we didn’t capitalize on.”
Vladimir Radmanovic:
“It’s tough having a 10 point and losing it in the end. Something that you don’t want to, especially when you’re playing at home. There is nothing we can do right now, but prepare for the next game.”
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