Kori Ellis
05-08-2005, 12:35 AM
Sonics expect strong defensive effort by Spurs
Web Posted: 05/08/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Mike Finger
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA050805.13C.BKNsonics.sider.25150009b.html
As olive branches go, the world had seen more enthusiastic offerings.
But given a chance to fire another verbal shot at Spurs forward Bruce Bowen on Saturday, Seattle guard Ray Allen sounded almost complimentary on the eve of today's second-round series opener against the Spurs at the SBC Center.
"If a defender gets away with it," Allen said, "it's good defense."
While it's still a safe bet that Bowen and Allen won't be meeting for either margaritas or coffee over the next couple of weeks, Allen seemed ready to stop complaining and start figuring out how to get the better of Bowen on the court.
He at least knows what he is in for. In Seattle, Allen said Bowen likes to push, pull and grab. At the SBC Center on Saturday, he focused more on Bowen's relentlessness.
"His job is to stop me," Allen said. "When he comes in the game, he doesn't even look at where the ball is or what's going on on the floor. He's just looking at where I am and where I'm going."
How well the Sonics respond to that sort of defensive intensity should play a big role in how the series develops. In its five-game series victory over Sacramento in the first round, Seattle averaged 106 points per game and shot 46.7 percent from the field.
Sonics coach Nate McMillan knows those numbers will be tough to come by against the Spurs.
"They're a very physical team," McMillan said. "They know they can pressure, they can overplay and deny the ball to the shooters because they know they have help in the back."
Even though the Sonics run a perimeter-oriented offense, Allen said the team's big men can have a huge impact on how well their outside shooters fare. Against the Kings, center Jerome James averaged 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and Seattle is counting on that kind of production to continue.
"We played a little more on the inside, played a lot more physical, against Sacramento," Allen said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to carry that over. It gives us a different dimension."
Even so, it's not as though Allen is ready to step aside and let someone else lead the way against the Spurs. He averaged 32.4 points per game against the Kings, and he said he realizes he'll need to have several big performances to give the Sonics a chance against the Spurs.
To do that, he'll need to overcome not only the defense of Bowen, but also that of the other players the Spurs are sure to throw at him throughout the series.
Allen said he's ready for the challenge.
"What it does is require an extreme amount of focus on my part," Allen said. "I know it's not going to be as easy for me as maybe it was in the regular season."
Web Posted: 05/08/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Mike Finger
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA050805.13C.BKNsonics.sider.25150009b.html
As olive branches go, the world had seen more enthusiastic offerings.
But given a chance to fire another verbal shot at Spurs forward Bruce Bowen on Saturday, Seattle guard Ray Allen sounded almost complimentary on the eve of today's second-round series opener against the Spurs at the SBC Center.
"If a defender gets away with it," Allen said, "it's good defense."
While it's still a safe bet that Bowen and Allen won't be meeting for either margaritas or coffee over the next couple of weeks, Allen seemed ready to stop complaining and start figuring out how to get the better of Bowen on the court.
He at least knows what he is in for. In Seattle, Allen said Bowen likes to push, pull and grab. At the SBC Center on Saturday, he focused more on Bowen's relentlessness.
"His job is to stop me," Allen said. "When he comes in the game, he doesn't even look at where the ball is or what's going on on the floor. He's just looking at where I am and where I'm going."
How well the Sonics respond to that sort of defensive intensity should play a big role in how the series develops. In its five-game series victory over Sacramento in the first round, Seattle averaged 106 points per game and shot 46.7 percent from the field.
Sonics coach Nate McMillan knows those numbers will be tough to come by against the Spurs.
"They're a very physical team," McMillan said. "They know they can pressure, they can overplay and deny the ball to the shooters because they know they have help in the back."
Even though the Sonics run a perimeter-oriented offense, Allen said the team's big men can have a huge impact on how well their outside shooters fare. Against the Kings, center Jerome James averaged 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and Seattle is counting on that kind of production to continue.
"We played a little more on the inside, played a lot more physical, against Sacramento," Allen said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to carry that over. It gives us a different dimension."
Even so, it's not as though Allen is ready to step aside and let someone else lead the way against the Spurs. He averaged 32.4 points per game against the Kings, and he said he realizes he'll need to have several big performances to give the Sonics a chance against the Spurs.
To do that, he'll need to overcome not only the defense of Bowen, but also that of the other players the Spurs are sure to throw at him throughout the series.
Allen said he's ready for the challenge.
"What it does is require an extreme amount of focus on my part," Allen said. "I know it's not going to be as easy for me as maybe it was in the regular season."