MIAMI — Academic trash talking has hit the NBA.
Two foes battled fiercely on the court Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. But their war of words wasn’t about which team won or which player had the better game. It was about who is better at general knowledge.
It all started when Miami forward Shane Battier claimed two weeks ago he can beat any other player in the NBA in "Jeopardy!" When Battier’s former Duke teammate and good friend Mike Dunleavy heard this, he scoffed.
“I don’t know if he could beat Duke players,’’ said Dunleavy, a Milwaukee forward who had 16 points and four rebounds to Battier’s no points and seven boards in a 113-106 overtime loss to the Heat. “He probably could beat everybody else. I don’t think he could beat me. … I think what he meant to say is (Battier) can beat any player in the NBA besides any who went to Duke. I think Grant (Hill, also a Duke alum) could give him a run for his money.’’
Hearing what Dunleavy said, Battier’s dander was raised.
“Michael knows better,’’ Battier said. “I’m a little disappointed in him saying that. … I’m ready any time, any place. Tell Dunleavy, tell Grant Hill, you know where to find me. Home or away, I don’t care.’’
Hill, a 1994 graduate, and Battier, a 2001 graduate, both attended Duke for four years. Dunleavy left in 2002 after his junior season, but one year less at the school hardly deters him from believing he could beat Battier in "Jeopardy!"
“He’s a religion major,’’ Dunleavy said. “I’m a history major, and I’ve read a lot of books. I’ve read a lot of stuff.’’
Battier begs to differ. He said he’s more rounded.
“He’s a smart guy,’’ Battier said of Dunleavy. “He’s bright. He’s not going to get blown out of the water. But where I get him is in culture. Pop culture. Edge: Battier. I have a pulse of the people that most NBA players lack. Grant would be very good, but with pop culture and random factoids, I got him.’’
While most NBA trash talking has to do with what happens on the court between sweaty athletes, it’s refreshing to hear players argue about mental ability. Heat guard Dwyane Wade is a 10-year veteran, and he hasn’t seen anything like it.
“That ain’t bad,’’ Wade said of the academic trash talking. “I like that. ‘I’ll beat you in "Jeopardy!"’ and ‘No, I’ll beat you in "Jeopardy!"’ ’’
The Heat and the Bucks have three more meetings this season. Perhaps show host Alex Trebek will have a chance to stop by one of them to help settle this war of words.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
