Shane Battier
Shane Battier
Shane Courtney Battieris an American retired professional basketball player who played for various teams of the National Basketball Association. He has also been a member of the U.S. national basketball team...
ProfessionBasketball Player
Date of Birth9 September 1978
CityBirmingham, MI
bad cog good mike vital
It's one thing to play well on a bad team. But it's better to play well on a good team. You have to be a vital cog (to be considered) and Mike is.
compete expected games novelty playoff proud supposed team win
The novelty isn't there. We have a team that's been assembled that's expected to compete for a playoff position. That's OK. It makes you have a workman-like attitude, and you go out and win games you're supposed to win. I'm very proud of this season.
bizarre leave
It was a bizarre game. I'll leave it at that.
bench difference played
The bench played well. They would have made a difference had we played well.
defense floor games good ran tough
It's always good to have one of these games before a day off. We ran the floor well and our defense made them have to take some tough shots.
ball beat expect games late nasty turn
It's just one of those games you play in late February. It was a slow, ugly, nasty, nasty game for a long time. ... You just can't turn the ball over 24 times and expect to beat the world champions.
bunch finally guys
It was awesome. We've had a bunch of guys get real close, but to see him finally get it done is great.
advantage best bit good job player using
They did a good job of using that as motivation. I think we let up a little bit and didn't take advantage of having their best player out of the game.
advantage best good job motivation player taking using
They did a good job of using it (Garnett's ejection) as motivation to play harder. And we let up a bit. We didn't do a good job of taking advantage of their best player being out.
april case challenge dallas focus good last main played playing playoffs
We have played well in April (8-1). That hasn't been the case in the last two years. The main focus has been to play well and go into the playoffs with some momentum. Obviously, Dallas is playing good as well. It's a big challenge, but it's a challenge that should be fun.
eight games
Yeah, but we have eight more games to play.
guys means speaking takes time
We didn't have guys like that before, that can look at you and tell you what it takes to get over the hump. I mean, when these guys tell you something, they're speaking from experience. And that means a lot at this time of the year.
arena ball expect mental offensive rebounds shot starting talented teams together turn
They have always had one of the most talented teams in the league, and they're starting to put it all together now. You can't turn the ball over 19 times in Arco Arena and give up 20 offensive rebounds and expect to win. We shot the ball well, but made all of the other mental mistakes.
again beat crowd good tough
They're really good here. They get out on the break, and they get the crowd involved. It's tough to beat them, and unfortunately we couldn't get it done here again this year.