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http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s...old_times.html
By Jeff McDonald - Express-News EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For 26 minutes and 19 seconds Tuesday, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had watched New Jersey's Vince Carter run amok.
See Carter shoot. See Carter drive. See Carter flummox every defender and every double-team the Spurs sent his way.
Having finally seen enough, Popovich turned to Bruce Bowen and asked him to guard an old nemesis.
Bowen entered the game for the first time with 9:41 to go in the third quarter, by which point Carter already had 21 points.
He had just four points the rest of the way, a testament to Bowen and the Spurs' team defense, which ratcheted up in intensity in the second half of a 108-93 victory.
“Bruce did a really good job for us in the second half for us,” Popovich said. “I thought our defense as a whole was better.”
Nets coach Lawrence Frank pointed to Bowen's arrival on the scene as the moment the game began to get away from his team. Bowen has long been a thorn in Carter's side, with the Nets guard once accusing Bowen of trying to undercut and injure him.
“Bowen is an elite defender,” Frank said. “The thing they did that screwed us up is their denials, when we're trying to feed Vince in the post. They were fronting Vince at times and being very aggressive.”
Roger Mason Jr., the luckless Spurs defender assigned to Carter to start the game, said he was in awe of Bowen's second-half surge.
“I was sitting on the bench, taking notes,” Mason said. “To be able to watch one of the best defenders in the game, it was a good learning experience for me.”
Mason almost sits: When he left the Spurs' shootaround Tuesday morning, Mason was fairly certain he wasn't going to be able to play against the Nets.
He had bruised his right (shooting shoulder) Sunday at Boston, victim of a hard pick by Kendrick Perkins, and it was still sore two days later.
After a brisk pregame workout at the Izod Center, Mason decided to give it a go. He finished with 14 points, made three of six 3-pointers, and came through the night no worse for wear.
“I wouldn't say I was pain-free,” Mason said. “But it was manageable.”
Audition for Carter? Carter scored 25 points against the Spurs, but it would be premature to consider his performance an audition for his future team.
The Spurs recently called the Nets to inquire about Carter's trade availability, but it remains unlikely they will be able to put together a package to get him before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
In fact, it appears unlikely the Spurs are apt to make any major moves. Popovich says the team will “take calls, and make calls and do our due diligence,” but isn't optimistic any deal will be consummated.
Duncan's block party: With four blocks, Duncan moved past George Johnson and into 13th place on the NBA's all-time list. He now has 2,083 blocks and needs four more to pass Manute Bol for 12th place.
another milestone coming up.
