Jeff McDonald: Bowen takes high road

[Spurs Brazil]

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2008/05/jeff_mcdonald_b_12.html

Jeff McDonald: Bowen takes high road
NEW ORLEANS -- Bruce Bowen is at the epicenter of controversy again in New Orleans. This time, he's doing his best to defuse it.

Bowen was raked across the face fairly hard in Game 1 by Bonzi Wells. Wells received a flagrant foul for the action, and it is uncertain whether he will receive additional punishment from the league.

The Spurs forward, who was suspended for a less conclusive kick at Chris Paul the last time he played in New Orleans, seemed to take Wells' hard foul in stride.

"It's part of the game I can't control," Bowen said Sunday, a day later. "You don't want to get caught up into, 'Well, so and so pushed me here and that shouldn't have happened.'

And as for the prospect of a Wells suspension?

"You allow whoever handles those situations from the league to handle that," Bowen said. "It's not up to me. I will play as if he will be there tomorrow, and there you have it."

Bowen was even flattering toward Chris Paul, with whom he exchanged words on more than one occasion in Game 1. The simmering tension between Bowen and Paul should prove to be a running subplot of this series, but again, Bowen did his best to defuse it.

"He's a very talented guard in this league," Bowen said. "With that talent comes a confidence. Sometimes people can mistake confidence for arrogance or mistake that for dirty."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, meanwhile, thinks all the Bowen vs. Paul talk is a tad overblown.

"It's the playoffs, things are going to happen, but I don't see anything there," Popovich said.

UPDATE: Just heard back from the league. Wells will face no disciplinary action for his hard foul on Bowen. So there you have it.

[pooh]

Funny how no one remembers Bowen bumping Paul out of the way during the 3rd Quarter last night when he tried to talk to the ref.

[BonnerDynasty]

"it is what it is"

"next question..."

"it is what it is"

"next"

[spursfan09]

Funny how no one remembers Bowen bumping Paul out of the way during the 3rd Quarter last night when he tried to talk to the ref.

you seem to remember it quite fondly, as do all spur haters I'm sure.

[E20]

Funny how no one remembers Bowen bumping Paul out of the way during the 3rd Quarter last night when he tried to talk to the ref.
What a bastard that Bowen is, almost as bad as Jermaine O'neal haystacking a fan and Artest decking another in the stands.

[The Truth #6]

Funny how no one remembers Bowen bumping Paul out of the way during the 3rd Quarter last night when he tried to talk to the ref.


Bruce bumped him and then Paul practically fell over in cardiac arrest like Fred Sanford.

"I'm coming to join you Elizabeth!!!"

As Mike Finger wrote, it might have been the first dead ball flop in the history of the league. Chris Paul is a great player but he's a baby in these situations. I think Bowen's tactics will finally get to him before the series is over.

[BonnerDynasty]

I remember thinking to myself, "why does he do this shit if he doesn't like his dirty label"

Then I remember thinking..."He must not care."

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

"He's a very talented guard in this league," Bowen said. "With that talent comes a confidence. Sometimes people can mistake confidence for arrogance or mistake that for dirty."

Spurs are so painstakingly politically correct and polite...nevertheless props to Bowen.

I think Horry's the only one who is blunt on the team, but even he's pretty mellow and carefree and he doesn't get asked for much quotes.

[WildcardManu]

Funny how no one remembers Bowen bumping Paul out of the way during the 3rd Quarter last night when he tried to talk to the ref.

Funny that you didn't see the replay, CP clearly just brushed with Bowen and tossed himself to the side. So don't talk smack when your players run up to the stands to smack the fans.

[Avitus1]

Such a massive "bump."

[2easy]

Bowen has to take the high road. His team just got bitchslapped. If they would've won im sure he'd be singing a different tune.

[Spurminator]

Bowen has to take the high road. His team just got bitchslapped. If they would've won im sure he'd be singing a different tune.

And you base this on what?

As you might not know, the Spurs have been a pretty winning franchise in the past decade. Surely you can find some examples of them refusing to take the high road after winning...

[pauls931]

I'm a Suns fan and trust me. This is the cleanest I've seen Bowen play. There's nothing you can knock him on this post season outside of a few grabs that everyone does.

[Ragin Cajun]

I'm a Suns fan and trust me. This is the cleanest I've seen Bowen play. There's nothing you can knock him on this post season outside of a few grabs that everyone does.

Maybe that's why CP3 flat-out abused him in the 2nd half?

[pauls931]

Maybe that's why CP3 flat-out abused him in the 2nd half?

Bowen is gettin' old, I doubt he can guard a quick point guard. With nash, he face guarded him and the other players made sure the lane was clogged to keep him from running around. CP3 is quicker and their spacing is better to make it harder to guard him.

[td4mvp21]

The Spurs are the same win or lose. They aren't going to talk shit if they win and they aren't going to talk shit if they lose. Hornets fans for the most part on this board have shown very, very little knowledge of the Spurs team in general.

[CubanMustGo]

The Spurs are the same win or lose. They aren't going to talk shit if they win and they aren't going to talk shit if they lose. Hornets fans for the most part on this board have shown very, very little knowledge of the Spurs team in general.

90% of the NO posters here probably couldn't spell "hornets" before this season even if you spotted them the "hor" and "net" parts. Why would they know anything about SA?

[hater]

Why does CP3 act like a little bitch??

he is a great player with great talent. But he acts like a little whorenet out there talkin shit and giving looks at everyone. it's just annoying that's all. he is like ray allen on a really bad period. Even KG and Cassell seem like a great ppl next to CP3

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Funny how no one remembers Bowen bumping Paul out of the way during the 3rd Quarter last night when he tried to talk to the ref.dude. they bumped and paul flopped. it was a bit uncalled for.

[slowchild25]

As Mike Finger wrote, it might have been the first dead ball flop in the history of the league.

s_kNkksY8go

[arial]

You call this a bump? I like CP but after this I see him a little bitch now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41tGIj2lk8Y

[hater]

I'm a Suns fan and trust me. This is the cleanest I've seen Bowen play. There's nothing you can knock him on this post season outside of a few grabs that everyone does.

yup. and cp3 was still being a bitch. and yeah, he flopped worse than Kirilenko when Bowen bumped him

[DarrinS]

Is CP3 okay? That was pretty damn vicious from what I saw.

[hater]

my concern is, if Bowen and the Spurs really start gettin physical with CP3, is he gonna need a change of diapers on every timeout?

[SAGambler]

Bowen has to take the high road. His team just got bitchslapped. If they would've won im sure he'd be singing a different tune.

Since you are so "sure", I guess you won't have a problem coming up with comments made by Bruce or any Spur for that matter after they have won. And yeah, they have won a hell of a lot more than the Hornets have.

So get to huntin big mouth.

[SAGambler]

Is CP3 okay? That was pretty damn vicious from what I saw.

Needs some acting lessons from Nash. Then he could have thrown himself into the second or third row.

For NO fans..What the hell was Paul doing following Bowen anyway? That little shit was doing it to instigate something. Why didn't he just stay where he was? Cause as good as he is, he is still an immature punk.

[TampaDude]

You call this a bump? I like CP but after this I see him a little bitch now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41tGIj2lk8Y

Wow...that was one vicious hip check... :lol

[Ya Vez]

I am surprised he didn't go flying off into the scorers table... lol

[pawe]

Paul is annoying, just like a little stinky nugget in the toilet that wont go down when flushed.

[RandomGuy]

Funny how no one remembers Bowen bumping Paul out of the way during the 3rd Quarter last night when he tried to talk to the ref.

Heh, I remember the lession in flopitude by Paul after that... :lol

[RandomGuy]

Paul was floptastic...

He was the flopinator.

He served up a helping of floperoni and cheese.

He flopped where no one had flopped before.

He came, he saw, he flopped.

Ask not how your country can flop for Paul, ask how Paul could flop for his coutnry.

If he were a president, he would be Flopraham Lincoln.

Was it over when Paul flopped at Pearl Harbor?

[nfg3]

The Spurs are the same win or lose. They aren't going to talk shit if they win and they aren't going to talk shit if they lose. Hornets fans for the most part on this board have shown very, very little knowledge of the Spurs team in general.

:tu

Exactly. Little if any coming from the Spurs over the years.

Not our style.:nope

[Thompson]

Someone find the video they showed a little later that showed Paul walking into Bowen and then flailing his arms...

Or the play a little while later where Paul hit a jumper while kicking Bowen and then looked at Bowen as if he'd done something...

Or the overhead view of the "fantastic spin move" Paul did on Bowen, when Bruce was called for the foul. Overhead replay showed Bowen never touched him.

Heck, show the slow motion video from when they ended Bowen's streak for "kicking" Paul. Paul nailed him in the nuts with his wrist, and as an off-balance Bruce tried to step back, Paul flailed as if he was hit. One of the angles was so obvious it was a travesty Bowen was held out by the league.

Paul is pathetic; I sure hope the refs watch the replays later on and stop buying all the crap he does. I don't think they bought the "Bowen hip checked me" at the time, either.

[PDXSpursFan]

"It's the playoffs, things are going to happen, but I don't see anything there," Popovich said.

Nothing else to say :ihit