Spurs Brazil
05-04-2008, 09:49 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/mfinger/stories/MYSA050408.11C.COL.BKNfinger.spurs.411ec57.html
Mike Finger: Series has combustible personalities
Web Posted: 05/04/2008 01:20 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
NEW ORLEANS — Given a chance to do it over again, the people who put together the New Orleans Hornets' on-court promotions would have changed a few things. They would've started by replacing Super Hugo with Bruce Bowen.
Some of the locals already were prepared to burn Bowen alive when he came to town, and when he opened his mouth before Game 1 of the second round Saturday, he didn't endear himself any further. Asked about his March suspension-drawing kick to Chris Paul, Bowen said he'd “seen a lot worse.”
Soon enough, so will the rest of us.
Maybe the Western Conference semifinals will end without any more of what Bowen likes to politely call “situations,” but from the looks of things in Game 1, that's not likely. These are two teams with a combustible mix of irritants and fiery personalities, and it has the potential to get ugly.
By the time this is over — and it might go seven games to settle this — the same makeshift crew of New Orleans Arena staffers who spent 20 minutes mopping up flame retardant might be clearing the court of body parts.
The Spurs have plenty of game-related concerns of their own, and for a change, the power-forward matchup is chief among them. When Tim Duncan wasn't coming up short on jump hooks Saturday night, David West was swishing 18-footers, and the Spurs couldn't blame that trend on rings of fire or a snowy playing surface. If they hope to prolong this series, Duncan will need to do better than 1 for 9, no matter how many 3-pointers Bowen and Manu Ginobili throw in.
But even more telling about Saturday's game was the way these teams — who have gone out of their way to proclaim their mutual respect for each other — are teetering on the edge of a different brand of pyrotechnics. It was less than two months ago when Bowen had his run-in with Paul, and as Bowen pointed out before the game, “I'm sure they remember.”
How did those memories manifest themselves? Midway through the second quarter, when Bowen drove down the baseline toward a seemingly unprotected rim, Bonzi Wells grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him to the floor to earn a flagrant foul.
Bowen took his time getting up, and even when he found his feet, the chippiness wasn't over. With 2:38 left in the third quarter, Bowen caught Paul's hand on a jump shot, and when a foul wasn't called, we witnessed what might have been a playoff first:
A dead-ball flop.
Paul and Bowen bumped into each other as both approached an official, and Paul fell backwards as if he was trying to draw a charge. It wasn't the first time he glared in Bowen's direction, nor was it the only time players had to be separated. As the series intensifies, there's a good chance those moments will become even more frequent.
In the last round, West pushed on Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks fell over. In the last round, Bowen and Ginobili were at their irritate-the-opponent best, and the Suns wilted. But in this series? Players like Wells, Tyson Chandler, Robert Horry and Kurt Thomas won't react as passively.
That all got put on hold for about 20 minutes between the first and second quarters Saturday, as players on both benches could only watch the bizarre post-Super Hugo scene, one highlighted by official Eddie F. Rush's quest to find a decent mop.
Afterwards, Gregg Popovich said he was satisfied with the cleanup.
“We definitely wouldn't have wanted to go on if we thought there was a situation that was dangerous,” Popovich said.
But as for other dangerous situations? Ones involving a fired-up crowd, or flying elbows, or a tough-as-nails opposing forward, or an MVP-caliber point guard?
For Popovich and the Spurs, all of those still await them. Chances are, they'll want to go on anyway.
[email protected]
Mike Finger: Series has combustible personalities
Web Posted: 05/04/2008 01:20 AM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
NEW ORLEANS — Given a chance to do it over again, the people who put together the New Orleans Hornets' on-court promotions would have changed a few things. They would've started by replacing Super Hugo with Bruce Bowen.
Some of the locals already were prepared to burn Bowen alive when he came to town, and when he opened his mouth before Game 1 of the second round Saturday, he didn't endear himself any further. Asked about his March suspension-drawing kick to Chris Paul, Bowen said he'd “seen a lot worse.”
Soon enough, so will the rest of us.
Maybe the Western Conference semifinals will end without any more of what Bowen likes to politely call “situations,” but from the looks of things in Game 1, that's not likely. These are two teams with a combustible mix of irritants and fiery personalities, and it has the potential to get ugly.
By the time this is over — and it might go seven games to settle this — the same makeshift crew of New Orleans Arena staffers who spent 20 minutes mopping up flame retardant might be clearing the court of body parts.
The Spurs have plenty of game-related concerns of their own, and for a change, the power-forward matchup is chief among them. When Tim Duncan wasn't coming up short on jump hooks Saturday night, David West was swishing 18-footers, and the Spurs couldn't blame that trend on rings of fire or a snowy playing surface. If they hope to prolong this series, Duncan will need to do better than 1 for 9, no matter how many 3-pointers Bowen and Manu Ginobili throw in.
But even more telling about Saturday's game was the way these teams — who have gone out of their way to proclaim their mutual respect for each other — are teetering on the edge of a different brand of pyrotechnics. It was less than two months ago when Bowen had his run-in with Paul, and as Bowen pointed out before the game, “I'm sure they remember.”
How did those memories manifest themselves? Midway through the second quarter, when Bowen drove down the baseline toward a seemingly unprotected rim, Bonzi Wells grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him to the floor to earn a flagrant foul.
Bowen took his time getting up, and even when he found his feet, the chippiness wasn't over. With 2:38 left in the third quarter, Bowen caught Paul's hand on a jump shot, and when a foul wasn't called, we witnessed what might have been a playoff first:
A dead-ball flop.
Paul and Bowen bumped into each other as both approached an official, and Paul fell backwards as if he was trying to draw a charge. It wasn't the first time he glared in Bowen's direction, nor was it the only time players had to be separated. As the series intensifies, there's a good chance those moments will become even more frequent.
In the last round, West pushed on Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks fell over. In the last round, Bowen and Ginobili were at their irritate-the-opponent best, and the Suns wilted. But in this series? Players like Wells, Tyson Chandler, Robert Horry and Kurt Thomas won't react as passively.
That all got put on hold for about 20 minutes between the first and second quarters Saturday, as players on both benches could only watch the bizarre post-Super Hugo scene, one highlighted by official Eddie F. Rush's quest to find a decent mop.
Afterwards, Gregg Popovich said he was satisfied with the cleanup.
“We definitely wouldn't have wanted to go on if we thought there was a situation that was dangerous,” Popovich said.
But as for other dangerous situations? Ones involving a fired-up crowd, or flying elbows, or a tough-as-nails opposing forward, or an MVP-caliber point guard?
For Popovich and the Spurs, all of those still await them. Chances are, they'll want to go on anyway.
[email protected]