Tag Archives: Shane Battier

NBA playoffs kick off Saturday with 10 Blue Devils

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The NBA playoffs kicks off Saturday at 3:00 with the New York Knicks hosting the Boston Celtics. There will be a strong Duke presence in the playoffs this season, as 10 Blue Devils are employed by teams who made the post season. Here’s a rundown of who is still playing for the Larry O’Brien trophy:

Battier and the Heat are favorites to win the Larry O'Brien trophy for the second consecutive season

Battier and the Heat are favorites to win the Larry O’Brien trophy for the second consecutive season

Shane Battier, Miami Heat: Battier and the Heat are once again the favorites to win the NBA title. Battier isn’t the type to stuff a statsheet, but he will be a vital part of the Heat’s playoff rotation. The 6-foot-8 forward will be tasked with defending some of the game’s best scorers and will be counted on to be a marksman from beyond the arc, where he shot 43 percent this season.

Carlos Boozer, Chicago Bulls: Boozer proved to everyone this season that he is still a productive starting power forward, averaging 16.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. With Derrick Rose missing the entire season and Luol Deng, Richard Hamilton and Joakim Noah fighting injuries of their own, Boozer provided the Bulls with some much needed stability in the starting lineup. Chicago will need Boozer to continue being an offensive force if they hope to best the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.

Luol Deng, Chicago Bulls: Deng had been fighting a hip injury earlier this month but played close to a full compliment of minutes over the Bulls’ final five games of the regular season. One of two Chicago All-Stars this season, Deng led his team in scoring at 16.5 points per game, becoming the team’s No. 1 option in the absence of Derrick Rose. In addition to his offensive contributions, Deng will be asked to defend first Joe Johnson of the Nets, then LeBron James if the Bulls advance to the second round.

Chris Duhon, Los Angeles Lakers: Duhon played in just 46 games this season, averaging 2.9

Duhon's Lakers surprised the NBA world by earning the No. 7 seed in the West without Kobe Bryant.

Duhon’s Lakers surprised the NBA world by earning the No. 7 seed in the West without Kobe Bryant.

points and 2.9 assists per game. Even with starting point guard Steve Nash ailing and his former head coach Mike D’Antoni patrolling the sidelines, Duhon has appeared in just four games since the start of March. He doesn’t figure to see much playing time, if any, unless there is a slew of injuries in the Laker backcourt.

Mike Dunleavy, Milwaukee Bucks: Dunleavy has been a key part of the Bucks’ bench this season, averaging 10.5 points per game while shooting 42.8 percent from 3-point range. Dunleavy’s production had slipped after the All-Star break in mid-February, but he re-found his form in April, averaging 12.0 points per game for the month. He’ll join J.J. Redick as another scorer off the bench in his team’s first round matchup against the Miami Heat.

Grant Hill, Los Angeles Clippers: Age may have finally caught up to the 18-year NBA veteran. Hill played in just 29 games this season due to injury and has played in just two games in the month of April. Hill may not see too many minuts behind Caron Butler and Matt Barnes at the small forward, but will provide his team with needed veteran leadership as the Clippers try to prove they’re the team to watch in Los Angeles.

Dahntay Jones, Atlanta Hawks: Jones was acquired by the Hawks in a midseason trade with the Dallas Mavericks, but his role didn’t change too much when he made the move to Atlanta. It is hard to tell what sort of factor Jones will be in the playoffs considering the Hawks have been resting most of their regulars over the past few games. When Jones is on the court he’ll provide gritty defense, but won’t do much in the way of offense.

Plumlee will likely watch most of the playoffs from the bench his rookie season. Julia May/The Chronicle

Plumlee will likely watch most of the playoffs from the bench his rookie season. Julia May/The Chronicle

Miles Plumlee, Indiana Pacers: Plumlee appeared in just 14 games in his rookie season with the Pacers, spending much of his time honing his skills in the NBA Development League. Plumlee will not see significant minutes unless the Indiana frontcourt is completely decimated by injuries.

Shavlik Randolph, Boston Celtics: Randolph was in training camp with the Washington Wizards, but took his talents to China when he was released. Now, Randolph is back in the NBA and is making a surprisingly large contribution to the Celtics. Randolph is averaging 12.4 minutes per game over his first 16 in Boston, scoring 4.2 points and grabbing 4.4 rebounds per game. He will play scrappy defense when giving Kevin Garnett a breather.

J.J. Redick, Milwaukee Bucks: Redick was enjoying a career-year in Orlando before being shipped to the Bucks at the trade deadline. Despite seeing his points per game drop more than two points since the trade, Redick is still a feared shooter and a potent scorer off the bench to compliment talented starting guards Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. He is Milwaukee’s sixth man this postseason.

Foreign Policy writer responds to everybody hating Duke

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We get it. Everybody hates Duke basketball.

A couple weeks ago, USA Today had a slideshow with a list of the most hatable college basketball players, and go figure it included: Steve Wojciechowski, J.J. Redick and Christian Laettner.

This week, Grantland has a bracket going for the most hatable college basketball player ever. There are four regions: players from the 80s, 90s, 00s… and Duke players.

In the regional finals, second-seed Redick is against top-seeded Laettner in the Duke quadrant that also included Wojo, Greg Paulus, Shane Battier, Danny Ferry, Austin Rivers and Bobby Hurley.

In a piece today for Foreign Policy titled “America’s March Madness Problem” writer Marc Lynch—a Duke grad—breaks down the hate.

Here’s a snippet:

Why all the hate? Sure, objectively, Duke appears to represent the best of college sports: graduating most of its players, while running a system built around individual freedom and creativity on offense anchored by hard-nosed, relentless teamwork on defense. But in popular mythology, Duke has become an avatar of an overly white, overrated, and overly praised team with an air of entitled superiority.

This national consensus is fascinating, in that it seems utterly blind to what the rest of the planet knows deeply and profoundly: In world politics, we’re Duke. Americans like to think they are Butler, the scrappy unheralded Midwestern underdogs one shot away from a miracle. But let’s be real. The United States is a global superpower, since 1990 the unipolar hegemon atop the global order. In the Middle East it is the imperial hub, a status quo power with deep security and military alliances with almost every regime and global sanctions against the few remaining “rogues.” When the world looks at the United States, it doesn’t see Butler. It sees Duke.

Despite their country’s overwhelming global dominance, Americans have struggled to comprehend the depth and resilience of hostile attitudes and negative perceptions. In a 2008 survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Americans rated restoring their country’s global standing above any other national priority — including combating terrorism and protecting jobs. The whole tenor of the “why do they hate us” punditry meme suggests just how much this global distaste upsets Americans. But if Americans want to understand the resilience of anti-Americanism, they could do worse than to examine their feelings about Duke.

Conventional explanations of anti-Dukism mirror those of anti-Americanism. Some see it as a natural outgrowth of dominance, attracting the incomprehension and resentment of the less fortunate. Everyone hates Mr. Big.

 

Battier becomes second in Krzyzewski era to win NBA ring

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Shane Battier won’t win Finals MVP, but the Heat wouldn’t have been crowned NBA champs without the former Duke star’s presence on the floor.

Battier was an instrumental piece for the Heat, with his consistent 3-point shooting and his willingness to sacrifice his body. In the Finals, Battier averaged 11.6 points per game, over double the 4.8 points he managed during the regular season. From behind the 3-point line, Battier shot 58%, knocking down three triples per contest. Battier added 3.4 rebounds and almost a steal per game, all the while not committing his first turnover until the waning minutes of Game 5.

Battier became just the second player in the Mike Krzyzewski, starting in 1980, to win an NBA title. The first was 6-foot-10 forward Danny Ferry, who played for Duke from 1985 to 1989. Ferry didn’t get his ring until the 2002-2003 season with the San Antonio Spurs, his final season of his 13 year NBA career. Unlike Shane Battier, Ferry wasn’t much of a factor in the Spurs title run, averaging just 6.3 minutes and 1.3 points per game in the playoffs.

Crowdsourcing: Duke followers support Thunder

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There may be only one Blue Devil competing in the NBA Finals that begin tonight, but not all Duke basketball followers are aboard the Shane train.

Earlier today, we tweeted from our Twitter handle @dukebasketball asking our followers who they support in the NBA Finals. Even though Heat forward Shane Battier is the only former Duke basketball player who will take the court in the series between Miami and Oklahoma City, 38 people replied to the tweet in favor of the Thunder while 24 supported the Heat.

According to this unscientific crowdsourcing, 61% of respondents support Oklahoma City with the remaining 39% favoring Miami. Many of the people who voiced their support for the Thunder also expressed remorse for going against Battier.

@CaptCutty wrote, “@dukebasketball we’d love to see duke legend battier get a ring….but it’s KD’s time to shine.” KD is a reference to the Thunder’s Kevin Durant, who led the NBA regular season in scoring with 28.0 points per game.

@James_Ryan9 had a similar sentiment, saying, “@dukebasketball I love battier. But all about OKC tonight, got to go with the youth.”

For many others, however, their allegiance to Battier has compelled them to root for the Heat.

@WhySharksMatter tweeted, “@dukebasketball Battier, so I suppose that means the Heat by extension. #DukeInTheNBA.”

@Knat420 wrote, “HEAT!!!! I want Battier to get a ring.”

This is Battier’s eighth trip to the NBA Playoffs although it is his first time in the finals. He made it four times with the Grizzlies (2004-2006, 2011) and three times with the Rockets (2007-2009).

This is his first season with the Miami Heat.

Follow @andrewlbeaton on Twitter

Battier lone Blue Devil in NBA Finals

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Of the 16 Blue Devils in the NBA, eight made the playoffs. Of the eight in the playoffs, just Shane Battier remains.

Battier and the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics in game seven of the Eastern Conference finals last night, advancing to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the finals.

In the seventh game, Battier went 4-of-9 from three point range for 12 points. In the series, he averaged more than 38 minutes per game, tallying 7.1 points per contest 36-percent shooting from the field.

Battier was one of four members of the 2001 national championship winning squad to make the playoffs with Carlos Boozer of the Bulls, Chris Duhon of the Magic and Dahntay Jones of the Pacers all in the field. J.J. Redick, Elton Brand, Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts all also made the playoffs with the Magic, 76ers, Bulls and Lakers, respectively.

The NBA Finals begin Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Oklahoma City.

2001 Champs Look to add NBA Ring to their Mantle

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The NBA playoffs are upon us, which means some of Duke’s alumni are looking forward to the chance to add an NBA title to their collegiate accolades. Among those hopefuls are 2001 champs Shane Battier, Chris Duhon, Carlos Boozer, and Dahntay Jones. What chance do these four have of getting that coveted championship ring?

Shane Battier – Miami Heat

In his first year in Miami, Battier hasn’t put up flashy numbers, averaging just 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. His role with the Heat is to be the defensive specialist on the wing, harassing the opponent into bad shots or turnovers. He’ll have his hands full in that role going up against the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony in the first round of the playoffs. Miami shouldn’t have much of an issue early in the playoffs, and Battier is in a good position to help LeBron and Co. win their first ring. In last year’s playoffs with Memphis, Battier averaged just 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13 games.

Carlos Boozer – Chicago Bulls

Boozer is the most important of the 2001 champs to his current team, and he will be tasked with keeping Philadelphia power forward and former Blue Devil, Elton Brand, in check. The 30-year old big man had a solid season for the Bulls, who played long stretches without reigning MVP Derek Rose, averaging 15.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. The Blue Devil heavy frontcourt of Boozer and Luol Deng should advance the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals at the very least, with the NBA title well within the teams’ reach. Last season Boozer struggled in the playoffs, averaging just 12.6 points in 16 games after putting in 17.5 in the regular season.

Chris Duhon – Orlando Magic

The Magic are a team full of question marks now that Dwight Howard is on the shelf due to back surgery. Duhon will team with another beloved Duke alumni, J.J. Redick, to form Orlando’s second unit backcourt. Duhon will function as Jameer Nelson’s main backup at point guard, and shouldn’t see more than 20 minutes in any game. In last season’s playoffs, Duhon managed just four minutes in one game with the Magic. If the Magic shock the Pacers and win in round one, it will have more to do with Redick’s shooting than Duhon’s bit role.

Dahntay Jones – Indiana Pacers

Jones had to watch the 2001 championship run from the bench, as he was ineligible after transferring to Duke from Rutgers. Jones will get to play in this tournament, albeit in a limited role off the bench akin to his first round opponent Chris Duhon. This season Jones averaged 5.3 points in 16.2 minutes as a backup wing for the Pacers. Jones will look to recreate last year’s playoff magic, where he poured in 8.7 points per game in just 16.7 minutes. The Pacers are a class below the Bulls and Heat in the East, but are still a quite potent team.