The great thing about playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, and this dates back to before I was born, is that if you're a player that does the little things, the Portland media will shower you with appreciation.
On Saturday night, Dirk Nowitzki was getting all Dirky: 28 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists on an efficient 9-19 shooting and a perfect 10-10 from the line. Another pristine example of why Germany's most talented basketball player has some commentators believing he is on the inner outskirts of the league MVP discussion.
Down the stretch, Blazers forward Nicolas Batum was tasked with guarding Nowitzki. In just his second season, Batum is developing a big time reputation for doing the little things and doing them really, really well. As in tradition around these parts, Batum received plenty of appreciation for doing the little things. Check out this brief sampling...
Dave wrote...
The second was Nicolas Batum's defense. The Blazers actually botched a couple of significant plays in the extra period. They blew the rotation getting over to Jason Terry for a three and JT put Dallas ahead with the shot. Then the next play after forcing a Nowitzki miss they let Kidd in for an offensive rebound putback. It looked like the small mistake ghost was going to haunt them yet. But in the end the Mavericks needed Dirk Points to finish the game and they got only 2 (and those early) because Nicolas Batum stood in front of him and forced him to shoot over the top fading away again and again and again. Those aren't unusual attempts for Nowitzki, but since they hadn't been falling past the midpoint of the fourth quarter you got the feeling that even he would have preferred some other kind of shot. Nic said, "Mais, non!" and made it stick. Dirk took 3 of Dallas' final 4 shots and got, in order: bubkus, nada, and squadoosh.
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It doesn't matter what else Batum did because he shut down Nowitzki late. Whatever slice of the game ball that doesn't go to Miller heads to Batum.
I tweeted...
The BustaBucket.com store should sell a dvd of overtime titled "how to guard 4s by Nicolas Batum"
Mike Barrett noted...
And, of course, Nicolas Batum. I hope you appreciate how good this guy is going to be. In Houston he guarded Aaron Brooks for a spell. The next night he was guarding Dirk Nowitzki. He's long enough to grab big offensive rebounds, gets a ton of defensive deflections, and has a sweet touch from long range. Most of all, he's an incredibly smart player, and absolutely wants to be on the floor during crunch time. Get used to seeing that. Wow, did we miss him during his rehab from shoulder surgery.
Casey Holdahl noted...
Nicolas Batum's defense on Dirk Nowitzki was nearly as important as Miller's 52.
Jason Quick with some excellent post game quotes...
He said he was prepared for the offensive repertoire Nowitzki threw at him.
"I studied tapes and knew that he always dribbled left, left, pump fake, spin," Batum said. "Every time. So I just watched the ball -- not him at all, just the ball -- and when he shot I raised my hands, because there is no way you can block him."
On the game's final attempt, Nowtizki threw in an added twist -- a lean-in toward Batum to try and coax a foul. But Batum was prepared and leaned back to avoid the contact.
"I had 45 games with nothing to do," Batum said. "So I just watch film."
In that spirit, let's watch some film of how Batum did against Nowitzki and break down each possession one by one so that we can fully appreciate Nicolas Batum the defender. Note: Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge switched on and off of Nowitzki down the stretch so here's a tape of just those possessions where Batum and Nowitzki faced off.
Play 1
Time/Score: 90 to 88 Blazers, 4:43 to go in regulation
The Mavericks run a high screen and roll with JJ Barea and Dirk. Bayless gets caught slightly on the pick and Batum leaves Dirk to show a little bit as Bayless recovers. Barea, realizing that it's his duty in life to give the ball to Dirk any time he's got 3-5 feet of space, picks his dribble up and passes to Dirk. Batum closes the gap quickly and effortlessly, bodying Dirk with his chest on the catch. Dirk creates some space for himself with a reverse pivot and offers a one-dribble hesitation and step-through move that takes him all the way from 17 feet to nearly the baseline. Batum rides him out of the lane, keeps his arms extended straight up and avoids the foul. Dirk, fully committed to the drive, makes the running layup over the top of Batum. In real time, Dirk makes it look easy. In reality, that's a superstar move and a superstar shot from start to finish.
What to Like and Dislike about this Play
In his book Blind Side, Michael Lewis makes a great observation about offensive linemen in the NFL that easily applies to defenders in the NBA . To boil it down, the overall play of linemen is judged starting from the results and working backwards rather than on its merits alone. This places too much emphasis on either great plays or horrible plays and generally ignores the vast majority of plays that fall in between. Linemen can play 34 out of 35 plays perfectly, give up a sack on the 35th play and see their one mistake of the game replayed over and over, used as fodder to explain why their team lost. In reality, Lewis points out, defensive players are fully capable of beating offensive players in the NFL and limiting a great defensive end or linebacker to one sack should be viewed as an overall success.
Like a Lawrence Taylor (one of the book's examples), Dirk Nowitzki is going to get his no matter what, his skills and Dallas's offense both ensure that. Dirk is one of the few elite players to have 1,000 possessions already this season and, of those players, he trails only Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Kevin Durant in terms of offensive production. He generates 1.06 points per possession, better than Brandon Roy, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and a host of other players. And this is no anomaly: Dirk has been doing this for a decade.
The basic instructions for Nicolas Batum when guarding Dirk, therefore, are to make him work, to bother him, to force a tough shot and to avoid giving him free points by way of fouling him. And, if Dirk should miss, to ensure the Mavericks don't get a second shot. Like an offensive lineman who succumbs to the fourth in a series of Lawrence Taylor's moves, Batum plays the possession as fundamentally well as can be realistically expected. He makes Dirk work, he bodies him, he stays with him on the drive, he avoids fouling and he is one of five Blazers within spitting distance of the paint (compared to just one Maverick) should the running lay-up miss.
While the end result doesn't go Batum's way, there's very little to dislike about this defensive possession. Perhaps Batum was taken aback by Nowitzki's speed with the ball going left and could have beaten him to the spot. But he was wary of fouling on the drive and had some help from Andre Miller so it was acceptable. Dirk beat Batum here. He wouldn't let this happen again.
Play 2
Time/Score: 96 to 94 Blazers, 2:22 to go in regulation
What to Like and Dislike about this Play
This is a case of making Dirk work and, had he completed the layup, he would have been forced to beat 3 separate Blazers defenders on the play. The Blazers coaching staff, knowing its roster is so depleted, is surely content with both the execution and the result of this play.
Play 3
Time/Score: Tied 99 to 99, 47 seconds to go in regulation
The Mavericks set up a right side pick and roll with Jason Terry on the ball and Dirk setting the pick. Batum is guarding Terry and Aldridge is guarding Nowitzki. Terry uses the screen to dribble left and Batum gets caught briefly, before fighting over the top of the pick and recovering to Terry. Aldridge, meanwhile, doesn't see Batum at all as he shows hard on Terry, leaving Dirk wide open in the corner. Juwan Howard is playing weakside defense and notices the miscommunication between Batum and Aldridge. He rushes out to contest the Nowitzki face-up jumper off the easy pass from Terry. Howard is too late and Dirk buries it with ease.
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Play 4
Time/Score: Tied 103 to 103, 8 seconds to go in regulation
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Play 5
Time/Score: 110 to 108 Mavericks, 2:29 to go in overtime
Now we move to overtime. The Mavericks push the ball in transition and have the Blazers in a 3 on 3. Batum initially sprints back to prevent Terry from lobbing to Shawn Marion. Terry picks out a wide open DIrk who is trailing in transition. Dirk catches the pass, sets his feet and shoots the face-up jumper. Batum sees the pass, turns on a dime, closes out well and contests the shot. The Blazers fail to pick up Jason Kidd, who flies in to put back the missed jumper.
What to Like and Dislike about this Play
Play 6
Time/Score: 112 to 110 Mavericks, 2:07 to go in overtime
The Mavericks look to run a right-side isolation for Dirk and Batum immediately switches onto him after Terry sets a down pick on Aldridge. No miscommunication this time. Batum wants the assignment and he gets it. Jason Kidd feeds Dirk, who is pushed off his spot near the free throw line out to nearly the three point line. Dirk turns and faces, dribbling back towards the middle of the court with Batum watching him closely. Dirk backs him down with 2 dribbles to get slightly closer and goes to the fadeaway once again. Once again, Batum is ready to contest with a hand in Dirk's face and, once again, he does not foul. The shot misses and both Dirk and Batum watch as six Blazers and Mavericks jockey for the ball in the paint.
Dirk begins to shuffle back to center court but Batum sees the ball tipped and makes a play that recalls that famous Derek Jeter cutoff play from the 2001 American League Championship Series. He goes 0 to 60 from the top of the key, covering nearly twice as much ground as Shawn Marion, who is also making a play on the loose ball. Batum beats him to the spot, saves the ball in front of his own bench and brilliantly flips it back into play over his own head to a waiting Juwan Howard, before crashing into his teammates who are standing up because it helps deal with the tension of the overtime.
In a two point game, every possession in critical. There's an extra possession gained in the blink of an eye.
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Play 7
Time/Score: Tied 112 to 112, 1:25 to go in overtime
Again this is as crunch time as crunch time gets and the Mavericks need a basket. They return to the high pick and roll with Terry and Dirk. This time Batum is guarding Terry and Aldridge is guarding Dirk, but they auto-switch as Terry drives left. Aldridge does a nice job of preventing a pull-up jumper and Batum picks up Dirk with no problem. The ball goes to Dirk at about 18 feet and he again turns to face. Batum is closely guarding him once again, using his left arm to check Dirk's waist and his right hand to prevent a free look at the rim. Dirk power dribbles to the right, spins back to the left and finds that Batum is waiting for him when he gets there and that Bayless has collapsed down to double him. Instead of throwing up a contested shot, Dirk kicks it out to the wide open Jason Kidd, who misses the three pointer. Guess who stuck with the play, boxed out Nowitzki and grabbed the defensive rebound? Nicolas Batum.
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Play 8
Time/Score: Blazers 114 to 112, 38 seconds to go in overtime
Down two needing a basket, the Mavericks isolate Nowitzki out top again and Batum battles him even before the catch, pushing him out to the three point line. Dirk gets back into the paint with two quick dribbles and puts up his favorite turnaround jumper. Batum gives up the space with little resistance, avoiding the foul but blanketing the potential shot attempt. This time, Dirk decides to complete the turn, square his shoulders completely and set his feet to maximize the look. Batum pogosticks in the air, contesting every fake without fouling. Dirk releases the shot and then bails out to halfcourt as if he knew he missed it. He misses long, Batum and his four teammates out-number the Mavericks 5-2 for rebounding position and Juwan Howard secures the defensive rebound.
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Play 9
Time/Score: Blazers 114 to 112, 3 seconds to go in overtime
The Mavericks need a score to send the game into double overtime. They inbound the ball to Dirk who is once again isolated at the top of the key. Batum meets him, for the last time, chest to chest, and, for the last time, fully contests Dirk's fallaway jumper. For the last time, Dirk gets a look that he is comfortable with. For the last time, it's a look the Blazers are comfortable with too. Both sides are forced to live and die with the roughly 50% odds that Dirk hits the shot. This time he misses and the Blazers go home victorious.
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