Johnny Ludden Express-News Staff Writer Bruce Bowen stood in the hallway of Madison Square Garden late Monday, waiting for the rest of his teammates to finish showering and dressing after the Spurs' victory over New York. Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, having just left his own team's locker room, walked over to talk. Thomas told Bowen how much he admired him. He liked his tenacity and appreciated how hard he had worked to become one of the NBA's best defenders. He thanked him for his charitable endeavors. advertisement With the Knicks visiting the AT&T Center on Saturday night for the teams' rematch, Thomas again chatted up Bowen. This time he didn't wait until after the game. Nor was he quite as complimentary. Thomas, in fact, had a very succinct message for how he wanted the Knicks to treat Bowen: "Break his (expletive) foot!" Thomas would have been smarter to have his players cripple Tony Parker. Parker scored a season-high 33 points in the Spurs' 100-92 victory. The game, however, was overshadowed by Thomas' first-quarter altercation with Bowen, which also led to a sideline confrontation between the Knicks coach and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Aware that New York guard Steve Francis sprained his left ankle after landing on Bowen's foot in the team's first meeting, Thomas became incensed when he thought Bowen stepped under Jamal Crawford while contesting a shot early in Saturday's game. "Next time he does that," Thomas shouted to his players, "break his (expletive) foot!" Thomas started jawing at Bowen, who said he also heard the Knicks coach threaten to "break his neck." The referees gave them each a technical. That brought Popovich off the bench. He shouted at the officials to tell Thomas to "stop talking to my players!" Popovich then told Thomas himself, yelling at him after marching to midcourt. Thomas initially waved off Popovich before shouting back. Both coaches were restrained by their assistants as the officials tried to calm them. "I think Pop was just defending his player," Bowen said, "because Pop doesn't talk to players." Bowen and Thomas glared at each other briefly in the second quarter, and when Bowen walked off the court during the ensuing timeout, Popovich told him, "Don't say a word to (Thomas). Not a word." After the game, Popovich and Thomas shook hands, smiled and chatted briefly. Each tried to diffuse the situation. "You know, games are emotional," Popovich said. "We all do things at times because our emotions are high or we're angry about something or we're frustrated. So it's no big deal." Thomas said he shouted at Bowen, in part, to "stoke a little fire" in his team, which had been trailing by 13 only eight minutes into the game. "I think Pop and I both understand and respect competition," Thomas said. "He was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing for his players, and I was doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing for my players. "I do believe there's still a healthy respect. As you saw, we shook hands and kind of understood what the gamesmanship was all about." Bowen called the incident "unfortunate," adding, "this is a game that we as professionals are blessed to play," he said. "We enjoy the game and that's what it should be about." Tim Duncan, who was on the floor when the incident happened, wasn't as conciliatory. "It's just a bad situation when a coach puts himself in that situation and goes after a player," said Duncan, who had 24 points and 16 rebounds. "It's uncalled for. I don't know what his intentions were with that. We've got bigger plans than to go out and try to hurt somebody. "I would hope that people would understand and respect that. Obviously, they don't." Even though Crawford didn't land on Bowen, Thomas said he didn't want to risk losing another player five days after Francis was injured. Francis hasn't played since he came down on Bowen's foot after attempting a shot. "Contesting, for me, is jumping at the shot," Bowen said. "If I jumped at the shot and somebody else jumped and I'm trying to defend him, block the shot, get as close to him as possible ... how far away do you end up from a player when you contest it?" Neither Thomas nor Crawford would call Bowen dirty. But Thomas explained to reporters in Houston on Saturday how he would have reacted if someone had stepped under him. "I'd beat the (expletive) out of somebody," Thomas said. "Really, I would (expletive) murder them ... There's certain things you don't do." Told before the game what Thomas had said, Popovich replied: "That's kind of a Mike Tyson comment, a little bit over the edge possibly. I'm sure he's just frustrated." An NBA spokesman said Tuesday Bowen wouldn't be penalized for the Monday incident, in part, because he had his back turned when Francis landed on him. On Saturday, however, a league official said Stu Jackson, the NBA's vice president of basketball operations, was still reviewing the play. Bowen has been accused by other players, most notably Vince Carter, of stepping under them when they shoot. The Spurs forward and Popovich both said they hadn't heard from the league. But NBA officials figure to take a close look at everyone's role in Saturday's incident. Bowen has grown accustomed to finding himself in the middle of controversy. "But isn't it a little early in the season," he said, "to already be talking about this?" Source http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...r.30ded94.html
Maybe Bruce Bowen isn't intentionally trying to hurt the jump shooter. It really doesn't matter. Flagrant fouls are not assessed based on intent, but rather unnecessary physical contact. And that's exactly what Bowen is doing when he steps under the defender.
People are now taking advantage and trying to psyche Bowen . He's gonna think twice before staying close to his shooter and he will never be the defender he once was.
He won't think twice, because that's what he does. He's a dirty, cheap, piece of ****. How many time have plays like this happened to Bowen? It's not a coincidence anymore. This doesn't happen to other great perimeter defenders like Artest, Eddie Jones, etc.
didnt bowen jack-up carters ankle by doing the exact same thing? i also remember watching lakers vs spurs when bowen was guarding kobe he was poking him at the ribs and pulling at his jersey. Bowen and Raja Bell are probably tied for NBA's dirtiest player.
If any of you watched Isiah play basketball, he was a fiesty little guy. This is what seperates the NBA now from the past. In the past, players wouldn't put up with a player like Bowen, he'd be laid out by a team's enforcer or you'd see Parker or Gino sent to the hardwood the next time he went in for a layup. We don't see too, many enforcers left in the league, Danny Fortson is probably the last true enforcer left in the league. Back in the day you had guys like Oakley, Rodman, Laimbeer, Mahorn, who would foul guys hard to send a message.
I 100%, whole heartedly agree with Bruce's cheap play. When the guy is shooting, he goes under the shooter to affect their shot and land on him. I've had some people play defense the same way to me, and I feel like kicking their ass for it. Its cheap, dirty, and full of BS. Sometimes Bowen doesn't even jump, just steps under the shooter and raises his arms. Being a shooter, it feels uncomfortable having someone all under you, so I find myself bending backwards at the waist avoiding contact... causing me to miss the shot. <div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> Back in the day you had guys like Oakley, Rodman, Laimbeer, Mahorn, who would foul guys hard to send a message.</div> If I was JVG, I'd send out Dikembe and his sharp elbows to send the message. Yes, the same elbows that put LBJ in one of those mask things.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> any of you watched Isiah play basketball, he was a fiesty little guy. This is what seperates the NBA now from the past. In the past, players wouldn't put up with a player like Bowen, he'd be laid out by a team's enforcer or you'd see Parker or Gino sent to the hardwood the next time he went in for a layup. We don't see too, many enforcers left in the league, Danny Fortson is probably the last true enforcer left in the league. Back in the day you had guys like Oakley, Rodman, Laimbeer, Mahorn, who would foul guys hard to send a message. </div> lol.....word up...I would like to see Manu or Parker try to take it to the whole against Hakeem (in his mean days), Oakley, Malone, etc....they might come back with some limbs missing.
Someone needs to go under Bowen when he takes a shot and have him sprain an ankle to see what it feels like. Or someone can just jump kick his face like he did to Wally.
