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.
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