Bowen avoids punishment, will play in Game 4

[cujo112461]

Flagrant 1 foul as per ESPN.

[Spurs Brazil]

Bowen avoids punishment, will play in Game 4ESPN.com


SAN ANTONIO -- While Bruce Bowen's aggressive defensive style remains under the league's microscope, the San Antonio Spurs guard will not be suspended for Monday night's Game 4 against the Suns.

Bowen's knee to Steve Nash's groin in Game 3, originally whistled during the game as a personal foul, has been upgraded by the league to a Flagrant Foul 1, a league spokesman said. But that decision results in neither a fine nor a suspension for Bowen, who said at the Spurs' Monday morning shootaround that he has apologized to Nash.

"The reaction of the bench, it's easy to say, 'Oh, that was calculated on his behalf because of who it is.' But I have too much respect for Steve, two-time MVP, a great player, I have respect for him and I wouldn't do anything like that," Bowen said. "It's just part of the game, I think, that you have to be man enough at times, when you do something and it's not the right thing that you've done, you have to be man enough to say, 'Hey, I'm sorry for that.' That's all it was, in the spirit of competition."

The Spurs lead the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series 2-1.

Meanwhile, in the Warriors-Jazz Western semifinal, Baron Davis' elbow on Derek Fisher is under review but Jason Richardson's foul on Mehmet Okur is not being looked at for further punishment. Richardson's foul will remain classified a Flagrant Foul 2.

Players get points that can lead to suspensions for flagrant fouls. Bowen's is one point on his record, Richardson's is two points.

[mardigan]

Great, suspension shouldnt have ever been an option

[lefty]

Muahahahaha :elephant

[angel_luv]

Bowen's knee to Steve Nash's groin in Game 3, originally whistled during the game as a personal foul, has been upgraded by the league to a Flagrant Foul 1, a league spokesman said. But that decision results in neither a fine nor a suspension for Bowen

Then why upgrade it? Just so Bruce has the flagrant on his record?

[Kori Ellis]

Then why upgrade it? Just so Bruce has the flagrant on his record?

Yes. If accumulate a certain amount of flagrants, then you get fined, etc.

[spursfan09]

Then why upgrade it? Just so Bruce has the flagrant on his record?

I think they keep track. like if he gest 5 flagrant fouls he will get a 1 game suspended. something like that

[ducks]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playof...ory?id=2870076


ESPN.com

SAN ANTONIO -- While Bruce Bowen's aggressive defensive style remains under the league's microscope, the San Antonio Spurs guard will not be suspended for Monday night's Game 4 against the Suns.

Bowen's knee to Steve Nash's groin in Game 3, originally whistled during the game as a personal foul, has been upgraded by the league to a Flagrant Foul 1, a league spokesman said. But that decision results in neither a fine nor a suspension for Bowen, who said at the Spurs' Monday morning shootaround that he has apologized to Nash.

"The reaction of the bench, it's easy to say, 'Oh, that was calculated on his behalf because of who it is.' But I have too much respect for Steve, two-time MVP, a great player, I have respect for him and I wouldn't do anything like that," Bowen said. "It's just part of the game, I think, that you have to be man enough at times, when you do something and it's not the right thing that you've done, you have to be man enough to say, 'Hey, I'm sorry for that.' That's all it was, in the spirit of competition."

The Spurs lead the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series 2-1.

Meanwhile, in the Warriors-Jazz Western semifinal, Baron Davis' elbow on Derek Fisher is under review but Jason Richardson's foul on Mehmet Okur is not being looked at for further punishment. Richardson's foul will remain classified a Flagrant Foul 2.

Players get points that can lead to suspensions for flagrant fouls. Bowen's is one point on his record, Richardson's is two points.

[angel_luv]

Yes. If accumulate a certain amount of flagrants, then you get fined, etc.


I see. Thanks for explaining. :)

Also, Welcome back to the forum this is the first I have "seen" of you since your break. :)

[Sec24Row7]

That is completely fair... that's actually what I told someone that I was sitting with at the game was going to happen.

Baron Davis on the other hand is going to get a 1 gamer... which is the last game of the season for GS...

[hater]

I wish Bowen would stop apologizing. he looks guilty when he does this. FUCK SPurs need to get a whole Legal team just dedicated to Bowen issues.

[Spurminator]

Cowardly move by the NBA. What Bowen did was arguably undeserving of a foul call, let alone a Flagrant. Guess they felt they had to do something because of all the bitching.

I refuse to be happy about this just because it's not a suspension or a fine. The League caved to persistent whining over incidental contact. This sets a bad precedent.

[shaq_h8ter]

I'd swear I've see players do that step thru move all the time.
I wish someone would compile a video clip of some examples,I know they're out there.

[Texas_Ranger]

That's great.

[SA210]

Cowardly move by the NBA. What Bowen did was arguably undeserving of a foul call, let alone a Flagrant. Guess they felt they had to do something because of all the bitching.

I refuse to be happy about this just because it's not a suspension or a fine. The League caved to persistent whining over incidental contact. This sets a bad precedent.
Agreed.

[alamo50]

Great, suspension shouldnt have ever been an option

It wasn't.


Now Bruce will go back to playing defense with his hands up in the air again.
I also have the feeling that Javie will be officiating the game tonight............

I think the at&t will be as loud as ever due to the unfairness of the calls tonight.

[samikeyp]

Bowen apologized...Nash accepted it.

Sounds like Nash is satisfied with this and ready to move on.

But will Suns fan be?

Question.

[ambchang]

This is absolute bs, that was a borderline foul to begin with, and is undoubtedly the weakest flagrant foul in NBA history.
For all the talk about discouraging whining, the league has contradicted it's policy by listening to whiners, and assessing flagrant fouls to absolutely undeserved situations, clearly doing what is fixes the greasy wheel rather than what is right.
Speaking of stuffing out whining, when are we going to see anybody getting techs called for whining in this series? Because according to the fans, the other side does nothing but whine.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The league certainly has come full circle. We go from T'ing up players at the start of the season to retroactively upgrading personals to flagrants because a coach is whining.

Way to set a precedent, NBA.

Lesson learned:

D'Antoni can whine all he wants, and not only will he not be T'ed up, but the league will listen to his concerns and go on a witch hunt to tag someone with a flagrant after the fact for him.

Can't wait to see the whistlefest tonight :pctoss Way to go, Stern.

[spurschick]

I think the at&t will be as loud as ever due to the unfairness of the calls tonight.

And the chants of "dirty" will continue.

[samikeyp]

^^^^Sexiest Shiner Ever! :smokin

[greens]

I think they keep track. like if he gest 5 flagrant fouls he will get a 1 game suspended. something like that


So it's official that if you get 5 flagrants, you will be suspended? I thought it had to be more than 5? Not sure.

But this is Bruce's first flagrant on his clean record?

I think it was stupid to make it a flagrant. Things like that happen all the time. I remember Tim was hit in the groin by Stephen Hunter back in 05 playoffs...and also I remember Robert Horry getting hit there too. And I've never heard of anyone getting a flagrant for that, such an accidental contact!

And wasn't Stoudemire also arguing that Manu had kneed him there on purpose during the regular season this year? And Manu didn't get a flagrant for that either!

Honestly, I feel bad for Bruce. This is ridiculous. He is basically apologizing for no real reason. It just shows that he has class.

BUT I'm very happy that there will be no suspension! Bruce is the heart of the Spurs defense. They need him. So at least, that is the positive of it!

And no fine...

And yet Raja's elbow on Manu earlier did not even equate a flagrant...hmmm...There wasn't even any discussion over it.

[Obstructed_View]

As I mentioned elsewhere, the complete anticlimax of an upgrade to flagrant 1 with no fine and no suspension sends a message to the Suns, not to the Spurs. The NBA is tired of hearing all the complaining and basically just confirmed that the Suns have been making mountains out of mole hills for the last two days. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a call to D'Antoni from the NBA telling him that they are going to be watching tonight's postgame presser with particular interest.

[Spurminator]

It would have sent a better message to the Suns if the League had said, "Uh, you got your foul call. That's all this play merited. Please stop wasting our time. Thanks"

[Obstructed_View]

And yet Raja's elbow on Manu earlier did not even equate a flagrant...hmmm...There wasn't even any discussion over it.
There was discussion. I believe that the consensus (from Spurs fans) was that, aside from being a personal foul, it didn't violate any specific contact rules and MIGHT be a candidate for upgrade but warranted neither a suspension or a fine.

[T Park]

Forget about it.

PLAY THE FUCK ON!!!

Lets do this baby.

To win this damn series tonight has got to be got.

[greens]

There was discussion. I believe that the consensus (from Spurs fans) was that, aside from being a personal foul, it didn't violate any specific contact rules and MIGHT be a candidate for upgrade but warranted neither a suspension or a fine.


Oh, I know there was discussion here at the forum. But I didn't hear it being discussed on ESPN or any other media channel...

Honestly, to me, that looked more like a flagrant than Bruce's knee to Nash...If they gave Bruce a flagrant for that, why not give it to Raja for something more obvious and physical...more with intent. I don't think either deserved a suspension or a fine...But still, it makes zero sense for Bruce to get a flagrant when there were things more warranted for that...

[Obstructed_View]

The Suns wanted a suspension, Bowen got away without even so much as a fine. I still think it's the league's way of telling the Suns to shut up. The league has gotten it right almost every time this year in regards to discipline. This makes the Spurs haters happy, tells Bowen to be mindful of what he does without really penalizing him, and it hopefully puts a period at the end of an extremely whiny week.

[ManuTastic]

It all comes down to this: Stoudemire picks up a lot of fouls because, well, he's not that great a defender, however much of a stud he is on offense. Suns cannot win with Amare on the bench (ref: Game 3), so they are whining about the "dirty Spurs" to try and get calls from the refs. It's just head games.
That said, I do like Parker on Nash early and then Bowen on him late, just mixes things up and gives Nash more to deal with.

[Tenderness]

Yea, stop crying and play ball.

[bruce_blowin]

http://www.topfive.com/nomercy.jpg

[VaSpursFan]

fucking lame...that is by far the weakest "flagrant" foul ever. goes to show you that bowen is held to a different standard

[duncanchick21]

That's great to hear!!! Bruce please kick these fucking guys asses tonight please!!!! :ihit :clap :flag:

[spurster]

This is a good thing. The Suns are making a lot of noise about how they are going to become more physical. However, the Suns do not have much experience playing that way. So I expect at least one Sun player doing something stupid to be more physical. With Bowen's foul now the standard for a flagrant, it is the Suns who will likely receive the short end.

[Solid D]

Angel, a Flagrant 1 = 1 point for disciplinary purposes. If if a player accumulates 5 disciplinary points, they are subject to a suspension. With that said, the NBA can suspend if it deems necessary...as was the case with Kobe Bryant, who elbowed 3 players (Gino, Jaric and later Korver).

[Testing]

The Bell foul on Ginobili's head in Game 1 I believe was never even brought to the attention of the league or even the media. How is that even possible? That was about 10x more worse than Bowen's knee to the groin...especially since it was clear that it was an unnatural way for Bell to land his elbow so heavily on Ginobili's head like that....weird.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

The funny part about this is for all of Phoenix's whining to warrant this, I think it's just serving the purpose of adding more fuel to the fire that is the Spurs right now. I think we come out going for the jugular tonight.

[ducks]

if nash did this instead of bowen
the nba would not even look into it
bell maybe not any player other except for sj and artest

[Kevin Blackistone]

I love the quote Pop gave after the game the other night when asked about the Spurs not getting enough credit - "Tim's not worried about credit, we're not worried about credit. Credit is fools gold". Right now the Suns are looking to the league and crying about the refs and dirty players and such because they are seeking validation and credit. They are hoping that people will give them credit and say that they are not losing this series because they are getting beaten, but instead because they are being wronged in one way or another. That's fine with me, let the Suns seek and receive all the credit they want because as long as that's what they're after the Spurs will have the advantage of having their focus on the win and the Championship. Give the Suns all the credit and excuses for why they will lose this series, and watch the Spurs in the WCF.

[judaspriestess]

sounds to me like the NBA was trying to meet in the middle for this one. Call it a reckless assumption but they probably assessed the flagrant on Bowen to pacify the suns, what whiners they are.

[timvp]

Upgrade to flagrant 1 is pretty damn weak. I think the power ranking for such an infraction goes:

Multiple Game Suspension
Single Game Suspension
Flagrant 2 Upgrade
Fine
Slap On Wrist
Flagrant 1 Upgrade

[MadDog73]

Upgrade to flagrant 1 is pretty damn weak. I think the power ranking for such an infraction goes:

Multiple Game Suspension
Single Game Suspension
Flagrant 2 Upgrade
Fine
Slap On Wrist
Flagrant 1 Upgrade


LOL.

[CoachD.]

Just like I tell all these damn mavs fans up here....These are grown men playing a professional competitive game...stop the crying. I swear it gets old hearing all the crap about how dirty the Spurs play! Get real...The Spurs are by far one of the most classiest teams and organizations in all of sports!

Its Ironic how the Spurs were always being accused of being a soft team.....and now they are a dirty team....I wish the HATERS of the Spurs would make up there damn mind!

All this tells me is people are scared of the Spurs and need something to blame for getting beat.


GO SPURS GO!!!!

WIN TONIGHT....SHOW THE CHAMPIONSHIP MENTALLITY

[picnroll]

Thank God Bruce didn't laugh at the call.

[CoachD.]

Thats hillarious.....

[florige]

Bowen avoids punishment, will play in Game 4ESPN.com


SAN ANTONIO -- While Bruce Bowen's aggressive defensive style remains under the league's microscope, the San Antonio Spurs guard will not be suspended for Monday night's Game 4 against the Suns.

Bowen's knee to Steve Nash's groin in Game 3, originally whistled during the game as a personal foul, has been upgraded by the league to a Flagrant Foul 1, a league spokesman said. But that decision results in neither a fine nor a suspension for Bowen, who said at the Spurs' Monday morning shootaround that he has apologized to Nash.

"The reaction of the bench, it's easy to say, 'Oh, that was calculated on his behalf because of who it is.' But I have too much respect for Steve, two-time MVP, a great player, I have respect for him and I wouldn't do anything like that," Bowen said. "It's just part of the game, I think, that you have to be man enough at times, when you do something and it's not the right thing that you've done, you have to be man enough to say, 'Hey, I'm sorry for that.' That's all it was, in the spirit of competition."

The Spurs lead the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series 2-1.

Meanwhile, in the Warriors-Jazz Western semifinal, Baron Davis' elbow on Derek Fisher is under review but Jason Richardson's foul on Mehmet Okur is not being looked at for further punishment. Richardson's foul will remain classified a Flagrant Foul 2.

Players get points that can lead to suspensions for flagrant fouls. Bowen's is one point on his record, Richardson's is two points.



I still expect Bowen to be in early foul trouble and probably not be a factor in tonights game. It's probably going to play out the same way it played out a few years ago when Ray Allen was crying on how physical Bowen was. I think the next game after that Bowen had like two early fouls in the 1st qtr, and was pretty much saddled on the bench the entire game with foul trouble.

[atxrocker]

one could only hope that these calls benefiting the spurs will motivate the suns to come on strong and close this series out with some more 20 pt win games. that bowen didn't get punished for his consistent dirty play is not really a surprise at all.

[Solid D]

:rollin @ picnroll

[jmard5]

Wise decision. Let's play ball!

[hater]

Bowen is a magician.

[FromWayDowntown]

In some ways, particularly with some fan groups, the league just can't win. Phoenix fans are bombaring the comments section of the True Hoop blog with pleas for games to be called "the way they are in the regular season." First, that request is somewhat misleading, at least in terms of actual fouls called, for the last few years at least, there have been more fouls called per game per team than in the regular season.

I suppose that the complaint is that there are more no-calls in the playoffs than in the regular season. This is where I think the league can't really win with some people.

Take, for instance, the 2006 NBA Finals. Wade got calls that were like those you would expect in a regular season game -- some fairly incidental contact and probably more calls than no-calls on the whole. What happened when the league's officials called games that way? All of Dallas (and much of the rest of the basketball cyber world) screamed "Fix" and believed that the league was giving the Heat a title.

That is to say that if the officials call the game the way it's called in the regular season (punishing minor contact, particularly) and immediate suspicion exists concerning the pushing of outcomes and the elevation of more telegenic teams over those who lack star power.

I still don't get the argument that officials should call these games like regular season games because doing the opposite hurts the more "entertaining" team. If that's the final determination, script the damned thing out and make this the WWE.

Fans need to STFU and just enjoy great basketball.

1.

[bruce_blowin]

The Spurs are by far one of the most classiest teams

With some of the most bestest grammariest fans, too!

[Obstructed_View]

:lmao

[TampaDude]

Can coaches in the NBA get fined for badmouthing or questioning the competence of the refs during a press conference like they can in the NFL?

[Kori Ellis]

Can coaches in the NBA get fined for badmouthing or questioning the competence of the refs during a press conference like they can in the NFL?

Yes. They aren't allowed to say anything about the officiating.

[TampaDude]

Yes. They aren't allowed to say anything about the officiating.

Thanks! I know the NFL will slap huge fines on coaches in a heartbeat if they badmouth the refs. Figured the same was true in the NBA.

[VinnyTestesVerde]

http://www.topfive.com/nomercy.jpg

Karate Kid reference = GENIUS :clap

[Obstructed_View]

Well, it was marginally clever four days ago when it was first mentioned.

[UV Ray]

Muahahahaha :elephant

So the Spurs won't have any excuse when they lose tonight.

[Obstructed_View]

So the Spurs won't have any excuse when they lose tonight.
They never do. The Suns and Mavericks and Nuggets always seem to, though.

[longrod]

I wish Bowen would stop apologizing.

I think Bruce is very much a gentleman and a good guy. I really don't think he wishes any longer term damage on his opponents except perhaps their self-confidence.

Bruce is great for the Spurs and certain street cred is exactly what is needed here. It is much more fun to be a fan of a team that is feared in some circles. But then again, double latte is also feared in Phoenix. I guess the Spurs aren't exactly the Raiders of the NBA yet.

[exstatic]

Cowardly move by the NBA. What Bowen did was arguably undeserving of a foul call, let alone a Flagrant. Guess they felt they had to do something because of all the bitching.

I refuse to be happy about this just because it's not a suspension or a fine. The League caved to persistent whining over incidental contact. This sets a bad precedent.
They had to, or a national television audience would have seen D'Antoni actually throw himself on to the ground and have a major two year old tantrum.

[ballhog]

That was a flop by Nash. Bs

[MissouriSpur]

I seen Rasheed Wallace do stuff that is far worse. Bowen is being villianfied.

[debKISS10]

Oh How Pimp The Spursssssss Are!

[debKISS10]

they sure got Kobe when he hit Manu in the face this season. Obviously this playoff round is dirtty. Look at Nash's nose, Parker's forehead, Manu's eye, and well Nash's groin. :dizzy

[debKISS10]

Karate Kid reference = GENIUS :clap
loves it!