Will Bruce Bowen beable to contain CP3

[LSUhornetSaints]

We all saw Paul make Kidd look like he doesn't even blong in the NBA. The Spurs have in Bruce Bowen one of the nastiest (this is definitely a good thing, and anyone who says otherwise is just jealous) defenders in the league. If Bruce is capable of giving Kobe fits than, in my opinion, he should be even more effective against Paul. PIt seems to me that Paul's lack of size and short wing span, would allow Bowen to smother him more effectively htan someone like Kobe. Thoughts?

[LSUhornetSaints]

Sorry about the grammer, I will start doing better proofreading.

[samikeyp]

I think it will be like Kobe. No one can truly contain him, but hopefully Bowen can slow him down and get him unnerved.

If Paul keeps his cool, shuts his mouth and plays ball, he will have no problem. If he lets Bowen get into his head, he is done.

[Kyle45]

Paul is going to get his. He's probably the sickest point guard the league has seen since Magic Johnson. I'm more worried about the Spurs limiting David West, and going off the Dallas series, Jannero Pargo.

[makedamnsure]

if he can make Paul throw the ball away more and not get into a rhythm where he's scoring 30 points a night on us, I think we're good.

[wijayas]

We all saw Paul make Kidd look like he doesn't even blong in the NBA. The Spurs have in Bruce Bowen one of the nastiest (this is definitely a good thing, and anyone who says otherwise is just jealous) defenders in the league. If Bruce is capable of giving Kobe fits than, in my opinion, he should be even more effective against Paul. PIt seems to me that Paul's lack of size and short wing span, would allow Bowen to smother him more effectively htan someone like Kobe. Thoughts?

Bowen is a great defensive stopper. CP3 is now a legitimate superstar.
I love Bowen's game to the hilt but CP3 will be a tough cover, if only because Bowen has not played much against CP3.

But then, Bowen is known to prepare well for his opponent. I won't discount Bowen.

[Kori Ellis]

The Spurs will probably use both Parker and Bowen on CP3 (using Bowen on Peja too).

No one is going to stop Paul, but hopefully Bowen can deny him the ball as much as possible. They need to get the ball out of his hands.

[sa_kid20]

It will be interesting to see if the Spurs are trailing in a close game in the 4th if Bruce will be on the floor. We all know what Bruce brings on defense but if we're struggling to score and are behind late, Bruce might not even be out there.

[wijayas]

The Spurs will probably use both Parker and Bowen on CP3 (using Bowen on Peja too).

No one is going to stop Paul, but hopefully Bowen can deny him the ball as much as possible. They need to get the ball out of his hands.

How about KT on another Hornets's monster David West?

[Kori Ellis]

How about KT on another Hornets's monster David West?

David West is where the Hornets have a huge mismatch on the Spurs. I'm not sure anyone on the Spurs roster will be able to guard him. The wings are too slight and the bigs are too slow.

[wijayas]

David West is where the Hornets have a huge mismatch on the Spurs. I'm not sure anyone on the Spurs roster will be able to guard him. The wings are too slight and the bigs are too slow.

Yes, David West scares me. And we cant double him because NO has great shooters.

[Obstructed_View]

Make it hard for him to make plays for others, make him work hard for his shots and make him take a lot of shots for his points and Bowen will be doing his job. Throw in a couple of threes from the corners and it's gravy.

[Brutalis]

Paul is going to get his numbers but overall this is a heat check for the Hornets franchise. Now we see if they are for real.

[Brutalis]

And uh... I mean for real, real.

[LSUhornetSaints]

If he can make Paul throw the ball away more and not get into a rhythm where he's scoring 30 points a night on us, I think we're good.

This is what I think Bowen will be able to do with Paul. Keep him from having huge scoring nights in the thirtys, because when Paul is scoring like this it makes him so much more dangerous. When he's having a 30+ night and he drives the lane it makes defenders whether they are ordered to, or they do it subconsciously and t hen Paul does what he does best and find the open man. when he's not scoring at will when just being guarded one on one, it makes those assists allot harder to come by.

[peskypesky]

Paul is going to get his. He's probably the sickest point guard the league has seen since Magic Johnson. I'm more worried about the Spurs limiting David West, and going off the Dallas series, Jannero Pargo.

:toast

except for the Jannero Pargo part....

[spursrule32]

Y'all give too much credit to the hornets. Yes, Bowen will be able to slow Paul down. That said, the rest of the hornets will be limited by the sole fact that Paul is limited. Paul is not Kobe - Kobe has length and that is where the Spurs have a hard time. Do y'all not remember the year Williams had last year and when he faced the Spurs we slowed him down? He had great numbers, but he was limited in what he could do with getting the rest of his team involved. I think the same thing applies in this series. Paul is going to get his, but we'll keep him from getting his teamates involved. That is the key.

[wijayas]

Y'all give too much credit to the hornets. Yes, Bowen will be able to slow Paul down. That said, the rest of the hornets will be limited by the sole fact that Paul is limited. Paul is not Kobe - Kobe has length and that is where the Spurs have a hard time. Do y'all not remember the year Williams had last year and when he faced the Spurs we slowed him down? He had great numbers, but he was limited in what he could do with getting the rest of his team involved. I think the same thing applies in this series. Paul is going to get his, but we'll keep him from getting his teamates involved. That is the key.

Yes we remember. But Deron does not have Peja, Tyson and David who can create havoc just as much.

Let's hope Pop comes up with a good plan...

[Avitus1]

Bruce will slow him down, frustrate him a little bit, and make him work for his shots, but he'll get some buckets.

[alamo50]

I'm not sure anyone on the Spurs roster will be able to guard him.

WOW Kori, very surprised to see this comment coming from you.
We got a guy called Bruce on our squad!

He'll be the one defending West the most part of this series with Ime as his back-up. This is how we gonna win it.

[greyforest]

Bruce will slow him down, frustrate him a little bit, and make him work for his shots, but he'll get some buckets.

pretty good prediction :wakeup

[MrChug]

It's highly unlikely that Pop will use Bowen straight up on Paul. Short of a few quick double teams to get the ball out of Paul's hands on occasion, Bowen is EXCELLENT at chasing Peja through screens and make things difficult. That's a great matchup for us.

I'd like to see one of our more versatile defenders like Horry on West (if we had to play him 1 on 1), I think he'd do as well as anyone on the Spurs. West needs someone quick enough (i.e. Horry/Bowen/Udoka) to make him put the ball on the floor and flash a quick double to have the ball taken out of his hands. He's devastating if he faces up and is able to shoot over the top. Tim is NOT the answer. That's foul trouble waiting to happen. West is a versatile big at his finest...why? Because he's not that big. AT ALL. If he guards Tim on the other hand he'll have his lunch fed to him through a straw.

Paul just needs to feel "THE SPURS PRESSURE" to force him into young mistakes. We don't need to focus on him OR West OR Peja, we just need to play real Spurs defense and keep them off balance like we did to the Suns. They were the so-called offensive juggernaut. The difference is that NOH knows how to defend (at least better than PHX).

[Brox6]

Contain? no..maybe frustrate and slow him down ..

[Allanon]

I don't know about y'all but I still can't believe any team in the NBA is afraid of the Hornets.

I guess I can't get their lottery bound years off my mind.

[whottt]

The Spurs defense has historically been predicated on disrupting the passing attacks of opposing team...the Spurs haven't just been good at doing this, they've been arguably the best team in history at doing this.

The reason the Mavs beat us is they virtually eliminated their passing game so there was nothing for our D to disrupt.


Well the Hornets are heavily reliant on the pass and Peja and David West are heavily reliant on the passing of Chris Paul...and I just don't think Paul is ready for a full series of Bruce Bowen.it's going to be an emotional journey for him, and I do think Bowen's size is going to be a factor. I could definitely see the Spurs trying to turn Paul into a scorer and letting him try to score on Bruce.


The Spurs haven't been as good at disrupting the passing of opposing teams this year but I'm thinking they still know how to do it better than any team in the playoffs.

[Danny.Zhu]

If they put Chris, Wells, Peja on the court in the same time，how can we make defence？ After all, we only have one Bowen. Do we need to put Bowen and Ime both?

[Kori Ellis]

WOW Kori, very surprised to see this comment coming from you.
We got a guy called Bruce on our squad!

He'll be the one defending West the most part of this series with Ime as his back-up. This is how we gonna win it.

The Spurs will probably rarely use Bruce on West. Bruce will alternate between CP3 and Peja. David West is 6'9, 245 or so. He likely will be guarded by a rotation of the Spurs bigs. There might be a couple possessions where they try to let Bruce/Ime front him. But West is not a guy that Pop will regularly try to guard with smaller players (unless Pop is just going to let Peja go off and exclusively use Tony on CP3 - which I doubt.)

If you are starting out guarding West with Bowen. Who is guarding Peja and MoPete? Finley and Oberto?

[Pero]

Just get in his head.

[rascal]

The Hornets season was made with their first round win.

Paul will have a good series but it still won't be enough. Bowen won't matter. The Hornets just are not deep enough talent wise to beat the spurs is a 7 game series.

[Deuces88]

What wee need to do is analyze the 2 regular season games we won against the Hornets. What was interesting is that we all know Spurs don't play their max in the season because they don't have to (also look at the Celtics-Spurs game in the season where Celtics played their hearts out and won by the skin of their teeth; Duncan only had 10).

Anyway, we have to look at what the Spurs did in those 2 games to see what they need to do in this series.

When the Spurs won by 12, they limited Paul to only 18 and 7. Peja only had 2 points in 1-6 shooting. When the Spurs won by 9, Paul got a nice 27 points but they limited him to only 4 assists.

Furthermore, the rest of the team's stats reflect upon Paul. Put pressure on the passing lane, Paul doesn't get his assists and Hornets won't be able to do much.

[alamo50]

If you are starting out guarding West with Bowen. Who is guarding Peja and MoPete? Finley and Oberto?


Finley and Vaugh.
Scratch Oberto.

[Kori Ellis]

Finley and Vaugh.
Scratch Oberto.

You want to start Jacque Vaughn?

[alamo50]

Yep.

[1Parker1]

I'd like to see how Udoka does against West actually.

I think for CP3, Bowen and Parker will alternate on him, but also, CP3 is most likely going to have to defend Parker at the other end too, which is going to make him expend a lot more energy, something he didn't have to do against Dallas and defending Kidd.

The 2 guys the Spurs have to be carefull with is Janero (sp?) Pargo and Bonzi Wells. If the Spurs concentrate on stopping CP3, West, and Peja....those two have it in them to go off at any time.

Hornets are a surprisingly deep team, I remember people saying in the beginging of the season that they had a weak bench. It's not that bad I don't think.

[romsho]

Don't expect Bruce to guard Chris Paul much, if at all. In the past he has done well guarding Peja, and will probably continue to do so. It hasn't happened yet, but hopefully by the end of this series the Spurs will find a way to defend David West on the pick and roll. To be fair, it's not just them- West basically makes a living knocking down the 18 footer. It's usually an open look too due to the greatness of Paul, which makes it all the more effective. It really is a pick your poison situation. Their offensive execution has been a clinic for most of the year...I trust Pop will find something that works.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Oberto/Thomas/Horry/Bonner? v West is a key in this series. I have a strange feeling Oberto might be able to get under West's skin in a game or two with his frenetic movement. TD's help on West will also be crucial. We just have to hope that West's 20fter isn't falling for the whole series or we're in trouble.

I think CP3 will see a mix of Bruce, TP, maybe flashes of Manu and Udoka for something different. Whether anyone can contain Paul, we shall see. All I can say is that after the regular season series, CIA Pop better have some tricks up his sleeve. He's generally a far better coach than Scott - CP3 is the true coach of that team.

[cjjr72984]

If they put Chris, Wells, Peja on the court in the same time，how can we make defence？ After all, we only have one Bowen. Do we need to put Bowen and Ime both?


Exactly.......

Bowen is a good defender, but I just don't see how the Spurs are gonna be able to defend Paul, West, Peja, Bonzi, all at the same time.

I personally think putting Bowen on Paul would limit him a little, but it would be silly for Pop to do that considering Paul is so quick off the dribble. He would drive past Bowen all day.

[bdictjames]

Paul is going to get his. He's probably the sickest point guard the league has seen since Magic Johnson. I'm more worried about the Spurs limiting David West, and going off the Dallas series, Jannero Pargo.
John Stockton?

[YoMamaIsCallin]

I think the Spurs are going to try to make CP3 a scorer, and cut down his kickouts and dunk lobs. This is a similar strategy to how they've handled Steve Nash the last few years.

[spurster]

Let Chris Paul score and shut the rest of the Hornets down.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

As long as Bowen can guard West, CP3 and Peja we should have no problem with the Hornets. If Bowen can't guard all three of those guys simultaneously we may be in for a pretty hard fought series.

[oboymeetsogirl]

All excellent assessments. Like everyone, I would guess that Pop would try both Tony and Bruce on CP3. Bruce, of course, would have more success "limiting" Paul, maneuvering him into less comfortable positions; but if Peja (notoriously streaky) gets off, I can see Tony having to take over on Paul. Needless to say, the Spurs play a true team-defense (i.e. efficient switching and disruption of passing lanes); and so it's not purely a one-on-one battle.

But like Nash for the Suns, Paul is the heart, soul, arms and legs of this team. If West heats up, I don't think the Spurs would panic. The only big no-no would be giving Peja open looks from the three. Against the Suns, for instance, it's almost part of the game plan to let players like, say, Diaw and Stoudemire do their thing. If anything, Pop is a master at forcing teams to play in ways they are less accustomed to. He goes with the percentages; and when it comes to the Hornets, you have a higher percentage chance when you limit Paul, not so much West. West can score 40 points for all we care -- as long as the Spurs as a team ends up with more than the Hornets as a team.

[Jimcs50]

The Spurs will probably use both Parker and Bowen on CP3 (using Bowen on Peja too).

No one is going to stop Paul, but hopefully Bowen can deny him the ball as much as possible. They need to get the ball out of his hands.


I think TP will guard CP and Bowen will once again shut down Peja.

[wijayas]

The Hornets season was made with their first round win.

Paul will have a good series but it still won't be enough. Bowen won't matter. The Hornets just are not deep enough talent wise to beat the spurs is a 7 game series.


I am not so sure of this. Hornets is very good from 1 to 5. We need to play our best to beat them. David West is the one I fear the most.

[AI-square]

I'll say this much... of all the people in the NBA I could think of that I could choose to put on Chris Paul, Bowen is right up there. It's not about stopping someone it's about making it as hard as possible for him and Bruce does that better than anyone.

[xtremesteven33]

skip bayless:

"Chris Paul is about to meet the postseason BRUCE BOWEN."

[remingtonbo2001]

Bowen shouldn't have a problem.

Just wear a cup and protect those family jewels.

[Que Gee]

Don't expect Bruce to guard Chris Paul much, if at all. In the past he has done well guarding Peja, and will probably continue to do so.

Of course he's done well guarding Peja...Peja doesn't do shit except for stand on the wings and wait for a pass and shoot a three...not unlike Barry, or Bowen. It would be a waste to have Bowen guard Peja...any one of of 5 different Spurs including Barry and Finley could guard him.
This series will be interesting in that there are multiple mismatches. David West is a huge problem for the Spurs. Bowen can't guard him in the post, he's to big for him...and if you have Bruce take CP3, who is Parker going to guard? Horry or even Bonner are going to have to help out with the DWest situation. Horry is long and lanky, but look to possibly have Bonner out there...a guy who hustles, is strong and can give you 6 fouls.
Extended time with Bruce on Peja is probably going to happen given that if Parker is in at the same time, the only person for him to guard is CP3...but then you have to decide if Bruce is going to guard DWest and rotate the weak side help in the post, or if Bruce is going to guard Peja, and have one of the bigs, try and keep West out in the 12 - 15 ft range and see if he can consistently knock down the j's.

[DazedAndConfused]

If the Spurs put Bowen on CP3, I can bet you Scott will counter with a lineup of CP3, Wells, Peja, Chandler, and West. There will be at least one mismatch on the floor because TP will have to guard Peja who has a good 6 inches or so on him. Also who the hell is gonna guard Wells......Manu? That's another mismatch.

If the Spurs try and trot out Udoka and Bowen at the same time their offense goes to shit. You pretty much have TP and Duncan trying to carry the entire offensive load, which won't happen against a good defensive team. The best bet for the Spurs is to let Parker guard Cp3 and see how it goes.

[alamo50]

I have a strange feeling Oberto might be able to get under West's skin in a game or two with his frenetic movement.

That indeed is a very strange feeling you got there grasshopper.

[xtremesteven33]

If the Spurs put Bowen on CP3, I can bet you Scott will counter with a lineup of CP3, Wells, Peja, Chandler, and West. There will be at least one mismatch on the floor because TP will have to guard Peja who has a good 6 inches or so on him. Also who the hell is gonna guard Wells......Manu? That's another mismatch.

If the Spurs try and trot out Udoka and Bowen at the same time their offense goes to shit. You pretty much have TP and Duncan trying to carry the entire offensive load, which won't happen against a good defensive team. The best bet for the Spurs is to let Parker guard Cp3 and see how it goes.


Bonzi Wells the player FORMERLY known as "spurs killer"

the guy is fatter, slower and older than he was 2 years ago. from what ive seen this year on the Hornets, he hasnt done anything of importance for the team. lets stop with this MISMATCH stuff. its not like hell make even 50% of his shots.

[RandomGuy]

Name ONE player Mr. Bowen HASN'T contained.

Anyone? Anyone?

Bueller? Bueller?

Frye? Frye?

http://www.ebates.com/images/blog/teachermirror.jpg

BX2AR-8ET4A

[lefty]

He will defintely frustrate him.

Remember when he got Bowen suspended because of his girly whining?

Bowen didn't even touch him, and he reacted like a little bitch.

Just imagine how he reacts if Bowen actually touches him......especially wth the intensity and emotions involved.

Can't wait to see that.

[RandomGuy]

Seriously, the man's name has been made into a verb.


Bowened (bo-end)

1) To be completely shut down
2) To allow Bruce Bowen to get into your head, sit down on the couch, pop a cold one, and put his dirty feet all over your new coffee table.

[Killakobe81]

dont underestimate Bonzi or Julian Wright ...both will be tough matchups and Bonzi ALways kills the spurs fat or not ...

[lefty]

dont underestimate Bonzi or Julian Wright ...both will be tough matchups and Bonzi ALways kills the spurs fat or not ...

I guess Horry will have Bonzi to the hospital

[DDS4]

Whichever defense that's able to stop the other team from going into the paint will win.

Both teams make their living in the lane.

[xtremesteven33]

dont underestimate Bonzi or Julian Wright ...both will be tough matchups and Bonzi ALways kills the spurs fat or not ...



bonzi is OVERRATED dum dum dum dum dum OVERRATED....

[K-State Spur]

dont underestimate Bonzi or Julian Wright ...both will be tough matchups and Bonzi ALways kills the spurs fat or not ...

Udoka is our Bonzi negater.

[Solid D]

Kori is correct. Ever since Peja came to the Hornets (and historically), Bruce Bowen has been assigned to stopping Peja. It is Peja's worst nightmare.

If West and Paul are hitting their outside shots every game, it will be difficult to beat the Hornets. In the game (the L) in San Antonio, the pick and pop run by David and Chris were deadly. It seemed like they hit every mid-range shot they put up. That's not to say that the Spurs won't devise a way to trap the ball but it's tough to trap when the Hornets lift everyone to the perimeter. It can be as difficult as defending Devin Harris and Dirk Nowitzki in the 2-man game 2 years ago. David West has as good a mid-range game as any NBA Big. Once you defend the FT line (extended), David can then take you down and impose his will inside as Amare does for the Suns.

It will be interesting to see what the Spurs do when those shots are falling.

[urunobili]

It will be interesting to see if the Spurs are trailing in a close game in the 4th if Bruce will be on the floor. We all know what Bruce brings on defense but if we're struggling to score and are behind late, Bruce might not even be out there.

i think Bruce will get his 3 pointer stroke back on this series... the suns aftewr being punished by it for 3 playoff's exit... didn;t give him a chance on that shot throughout the whole series...