With the Miami Heat’s history and casts of characters over the years, the stories can get crazy. None are probably as crazy as this one about Shane Battier.
The Miami Heat have had some pretty interesting guys with some pretty interesting quirks about them over the years. One of the more interesting tidbits of focus throughout their relatively short history has been the shot mechanics, form, or simply the look of certain players’ jump shots.
There are a few examples that immediately come to mind from the Miami Heat, but there are three that just jump off the page at you. One of them is one of the all-time greatest shooters that the NBA has ever seen.
When Ray Allen releases his jump shot into the air, it is lightning quick. What I bet you didn’t notice is the fact that it kind of slips to the outside a little bit as he follows through. When he lets the ball go and his wrist subsequently continues through the shot motion, it ends up facing slightly with his shooting palm being outward.
He isn’t the only one with a weird nuance though. Former Miami Heat champion and all-time great big man Chris Bosh can get a bit quirky too. Not in general as in personality, because he is definitely that too, but is jump shot here specifically.
Not only does his follow-through give you some of the same outward palm facing action as Allen’s once he’s done shooting it, but he also gives you a scrunched up look on his release hand. Notice after releasing the ball with a beautiful all-covering grip on the basketball, his shooting hand tightens or balls up to form sort of a cone-shaped deal.
These, again, aren’t the only two though, although this one is in total shot motion and not so much the release or follow-through alone. Norris Cole has one of the most pronounced releases ever on his jump shot.
Raising the ball high above his right shoulder before he releases, you would imagine as a smaller guy, he got used to shooting that way to get it up over longer or taller defenders. For whatever the reason, the former Miami Heat and Cleveland State guard has one of the quirkiest releases in the game.
Those aren’t the only funny jump shot stories from across Miami Heat history though, as you might have imagined. There is one even weirder, quirkier, and more nuanced than that. This one is downright unbelievable when you think about.
It is the story of former Miami Heat champion and current team executive, Shane Battier. In the 2013 NBA Finals, in the midst of a championship run for the team and a personal shooting slump for Battier, he tweaked his jump shot a bit. Luckily for him, he had positive results but let him tell you the story, via the Miami Heat focused Twitter account of Fox Sports Sun.
"It was a patch job on a jumper that I wouldn't suggest to anybody!" - @ShaneBattier on adjusting his shot going into Game 7 of the 2013 #NBA Finals.
— Bally Sports Sun: HEAT (@BallyHEAT) May 9, 2020
He goes into detail with @TheJaxShow on the mindset and the adjustment that led to him nailing six 3-pointers vs. the Spurs pic.twitter.com/yaSmI8fIo9
A jumper is just like a golf swing, one minor adjustment could lead to major ramifications in any direction. Again, thank the basketball gods that this one worked. Battier nailed that one, outshooting everyone else on the floor that day from deep, going 6-8 from distance to help his Miami Heat team capture their second straight title.
This one was a close one for the Heat and Battier. He’s a smart guy though, so it’s no wonder he figured it all out and we are just glad he did.
You still have to admit though, this is a pretty crazy thing to do on the biggest stage of your professional life. Never change Shane Battier.