I think all the Rockets are doing is quantifying something a lot of fans and others “feel.” You hear a lot of people talking about players like James Posery and Battier as “basketball players” or that they “just know how to win.” I have long thought that those players were simply doing the smart, team-oriented thing in an effort to win over an effort to look good.

Interestingly, I think some of the “best” players in the game are the worst at this. Kobe is the king of the “false hustle” defensive play. The note about Steve Jackson is interesting in this way, too.