Shane Battier details the contrasting paths of the two historic winning streaks he was a part of: "They were done in much different ways"
When people discuss Shane Battier's basketball career, the first thing that often comes to mind is his Duke background. Second would be the two NBA titles he won with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013. Third would be how much of a defensive genius he was, earning citations to the league's All-Defensive teams in 2008 and 2009.
However, one thing that usually escapes many hoop fans' minds when they talk about Battier is that he was part of teams that went on incredible 20-plus-game winning streaks. The crafty 6'8" forward recently discussed those two winning streaks with the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat and explained how different those two runs were.
An unexplainable run
The Rockets' 2007-08 squad was solid but definitely not spectacular. In fact, nobody in their right mind would have guessed that team was capable of winning 22 in a row. However, they did in a remarkable stretch that began with a win over the Golden State Warriors on January 29 and ended on March 18 with a lopsided loss to the Boston Celtics .
Reflecting on that period, Battier marveled at what they were able to do with the roster they had.
"We had T-Mac, we had Yao, we had Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes. You know, we had a good team," he shared . "But that team — you talk about a team that just played every night — like that was the Rockets team, and it was fun."
"And it was someone different every single night," he continued. "Obviously, Tracy, Yao were amazing, but we had a bunch of role players hitting game winners and going for 20, and it was unexplainable."
Another thing Battier found intriguing about that run was how stacked the Western Conference was at the time.
"The West was so stacked that year that we won 22 games in a row and we only went to the fifth spot. That's how stacked the West was — after winning 22 straight. I mean, it was a buzzsaw," he remarked.
As hot as the Rockets were in the regular season, they failed to lift off in the playoffs and were grounded by the Utah Jazz in the first round, 4-2.
Miami's streak was more straightforward
Shifting to the Heat's 27-game winning streak during the 2012-13 season, Battier said that it wasn't at all surprising, given the talent and depth they had that season. Although the team was led by LeBron James , Dwyane Wade , Chris Bosh and Ray Allen , it had impressive depth, with the likes of Battier, Udonis Haslem , Mike Miller, Chris Andersen and Rashard Lewis coming off the bench.
"The 27-game win streak in Miami — a little more explainable," Shane said. "You know, when you got LeBron and D-Wade and CB and Ray Allen, the talent was great."
The Heat eventually captured a second straight ring that season after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals. Nevertheless, Battier said he takes great pride in being part of Houston's and Miami's amazing win streaks.
"I was very proud of both those streaks because they were done in much different ways," he asserted.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
