The NBA has never lacked tricks to pick up rings for nothing because of people's success, but there is one type of trick that is the most special: in the eyes of fans, they don't have to play at all, and they can just wave a towel and look at the water cooler to get the ring on weekdays. But it is unbelievable that this kind of person will be regarded as a "champion by the team" after picking up the ring for nothing, and it will even be recited as a good story.

They didn't even make the team's playoff list at all, but they each made great contributions to the team's championship with their own unique skills, which is talked about.

For Chinese fans, the experience of Battle, China's first NBA championship ring, is familiar to almost everyone. In the 2002-03 season, Battle played only 12 games in the regular season, averaging only 0.8 points per game, and was directly excluded from the playoff squad in the playoffs. Being crowned champion in such a way also led to Battelle being often ridiculed.

It stands to reason that in the face of overwhelming ridicule, Battle should have kept a lower profile about his NBA champion status. But after returning home in the summer of 2003, Battle often wore a Spurs championship T-shirt in a high-profile manner, even when the national team was in attendance. Against the backdrop of a group of national team uniforms, Battle's NBA championship T-shirt stands out.

Despite the cynicism, Battle himself was confident enough that he was convinced that he deserved the championship ring because he had done the task Popovich had given him perfectly. The Spurs also said that Battle was of great significance in the Spurs winning the championship, and captain David Robinson bluntly said that Battle was their "secret weapon" to defeat the Lakers and finally win the championship.

Why was Battle hailed by the Spurs as a "secret weapon" and "the hero behind the defeat of the Lakers"? A very important reason is that Battle often simulates O'Neal and acts as a sparring partner for the Twin Towers when training within the Spurs. In the NBA, it's common practice for the team to imitate opponents and act as sparring partners, but the problem is, Battle, the opponent he imitates is named O'Neal.

As we all know, O'Neill has the most incredible physical talent in history: he is 2.16 meters tall and weighs 325 pounds, but he is incredibly explosive; He is powerful and domineering, but at the same time he has a delicate hand to respond to the ball. Many people say that there is no way to have another shark in the NBA, and in fact, it is not easy to find even a barely reliable "shark player".

It is precisely because "shark imitators" are difficult to find that Popovich was overjoyed when he accidentally discovered Battle in the autumn of 2002. Compared to the shark, Battle also has a good body, although he does not have the explosiveness and speed of a shark, but from a simulation point of view, there is no one more suitable to play the role of a shark than Battle.

Why did Popovich go to such lengths to pick a shark replacement like a TV draft and deal with the Lakers? That's because the Spurs in the summer of 2002 were at an existential crossroads: if they couldn't win the championship any longer, Duncan, the core of the team, would likely choose to leave his contract as a free agent in 2003.

It all started with Duncan's "3+1" contract in the summer of 2000. Duncan, who became a free agent, almost left the Spurs that summer. After seeing the OK duo in the NBA, Duncan knew that if he stayed in the West, there was very little hope of breaking the Lakers' monopoly in the short term, and he and Hill shared the same agent at that time, so the two planned to join the Magic together in the hope of stopping the Lakers in the Finals. Duncan had already been invited to visit Orlando and almost signed for a contract, but David Robinson and Popovich were able to keep Duncan with an emotional offensive in time. Although Duncan agreed to stay, he was only willing to sign a "3+1" short-term contract with the Spurs. This is both a matter of maximizing financial gain and putting pressure on the Spurs: if the Spurs are still inactive after three years, then Duncan will still be free to leave without contract.

In this way, Duncan pioneered the "3+1" signing model in 2000. In a sense, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh in 2006 borrowed Duncan's approach when they signed them. However, the Spurs were lucky, they managed to win the championship in 2003, and Duncan immediately agreed to a seven-year contract extension; The Cavaliers were unlucky, losing the semifinals in 2010, and LBJ immediately switched to the Heat.

Of course, Popovich was worried until he won the title in the summer of 2003. In the two years after Duncan signed the "3+1" contract, the OK combination successfully completed three consecutive championships, while the Spurs were completely defeated in the competition with the Lakers: in the 2001 Western Conference Finals, the Spurs were swept by the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant averaged 33+7+7 in 4 games, and in the 2002 semifinals, the Lakers defeated the Spurs again 4-1.

In the summer of 2002, while the Los Antonians were frantically celebrating a three-game winning streak, the San Antonios were worried that they were about to lose Duncan, who was clearly out of contract in the summer of 2003. Under this tremendous pressure, Popovich is also determined to break the kettle and fight the Lakers to the death. He uses the Lakers as an imaginary enemy everywhere and makes every effort to make targeted reinforcements.

On the outside, Popovich's strategy was to go all out to contain Kobe. At that time, Kobe Bryant was regarded as a spur killer, and he would always go wild when he encountered a spur. For Kobe, in addition to reusing defensive giants such as Stephen Jackson and Bowen, Popovich also traded Devin Brown, who has excellent defense. But his most important move was to summon the already mature Ginobili from Italy.

When it comes to "taking care" of O'Neill, Popovich will not be soft either. In addition to the Spurs twin towers and "blackface" Marrick Rose, he brought in the "84 Golden Generation" All-Star center Kevin Willis, and Willis and Rose soon became a golden pair of defensive ferocious partners. Despite the Spurs' overcrowding on the inside, Popovich felt something was lacking.

Soon, scouts sent Popovich a scouting report detailing a number of NBA "meat shields", and among them, a 2.11-meter-tall, 305-pound Chinese giant caught Popovich's eye. Battle was the starting center for the Nuggets in his rookie season, and his thick frame and excellent matchup ability are his biggest strengths.

At the time, Battle had already been traded by the Nuggets to the Pistons, and Popovich finally got his wish through a trade on October 5, 2002. After the deal happened, it became clear to everyone that Popovich's move was entirely aimed at O'Neal. Of course, the best illustration of Popovich's mind is the No. 34 jersey sent by the Spurs, you know, the Sharks are wearing No. 34 in the Lakers.

Battle changed from No. 27 to No. 34, so a reporter with a good thing asked if it was a Spurs trying to "swap" with Battle and the Sharks, to which Battle laughed and did not answer. While there are high hopes for Battle, the truth is that at an NBA level, Battle is too slow to make a difference on the defensive end. When he was with the Nuggets, he performed the feat of leaving the game with six fouls in eight minutes.

On the one hand, the Spurs are full of talent and amazing depth of the roster, on the other hand, Battle's own speed is relatively slow, and it is difficult to make a big difference defensively, so he only played 12 times in the entire regular season, averaging only 3.8 minutes per game. However, on the training floor, Battle is a red man in the eyes of the Spurs coaching staff. He trains hard, never lates, and most importantly, he's well suited to emulate O'Neill.

As mentioned earlier, that year, the Spurs' entire focus was on stopping the Lakers, and Steve Kerr even took Jordan's famous words from the 1990-91 season: "I don't care if I win the championship or not, but I must beat the Pistons." For Battle personally, all he can contribute to that goal (beating the Lakers) is to actively watch Lakers footage and try to emulate O'Neal.

Battle was originally full of dreams and wanted to make a big show at the Spurs, but in the end he was reduced to a sparring partner, which would be extremely disappointing for anyone. But fortunately, the Spurs' team culture is very team-oriented, coupled with Popovich's good guidance, and the bus itself is also very sacrificial, so Battle not only did not gamble and pick a child, but also began to use himself as a key factor in stopping the Lakers.

In life, many people are always confused by the appearance of others. For example, Battle looks like a big grin, but he has a delicate mind and a super high IQ and emotional intelligence. In terms of watching videos to imitate O'Neill's play, he is vivid, and many of the shark's small movements are imitated very vividly. In a sense, Battle is indeed an actor with excellent acting skills.

As a sparring partner, Battle's most important client was Duncan. Duncan was an exemplary power forward early in his career, and even often dribbled on his own. But as Robinson ages, he needs to take on more responsibilities to go to the basket and fight O'Neal hand-to-hand, so gaining weight, improving lower body strength, and transforming into a center have become inevitable.

For the inner line, the weight gain must be moderate. Too bulky knees are prone to problems, and too light will weaken the ability to fight. Luckily, Duncan has Battle as a rod. Duncan's weight-gain program was entirely tested against Battle, adding strength and confrontation without losing too much flexibility. It was in Battle's sparring that Duncan began his transition from a power forward to a center.

With the Spurs and Lakers meeting again in the 2003 semifinals, Battle excitedly compared the Lakers to a work acceptance team, and the final acceptance result was very good. On the one hand, the Sharks did their own work and delayed the toe surgery without authorization, resulting in poor condition, and on the other hand, thanks to Battle's successful imitation of O'Neal, which made the Spurs aware of the Sharks' shortcomings, and finally the Spurs eliminated the Lakers 4-2.

In those days, beating the Lakers was basically halfway to the championship. So after eliminating the Lakers, the Spurs began to sing praises to Battle, who had been wronged for a year, calling it "the secret weapon to defeat the Lakers". In the end, the Spurs successfully advanced to the Finals and defeated the Nets 4-2 to be crowned, and Battle became China's first NBA champion.

Nowadays, when people talk about Battle, they always feel that he picked up a ring for nothing with the Spurs as a spectator and spectator, but those who have really paid attention to Battle will understand that as a "sparring partner" who is deeply trusted by the coach, as an "actor" who needs to imitate sharks, Battle has put in no less effort than anyone else in the team, and he is an indispensable member of the Spurs.

Looking back, Battle's season with the Spurs still felt very challenging. He'll need to emulate the NBA's most dominant bloodthirsty monster, as well as sparring partners for the greatest power forward of all time and help him with his weight-building plans. Without enough patience, perseverance, emotional intelligence and sacrifice, it is impossible to do it, just ask, if you just change someone, can you really replace Battle?

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