Barry takes turn as 'the pest'
Web Posted: 05/11/2005 01:00 AM CDT
Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...261734595.html
For just a moment, Spurs' guard Brent Barry wished he were a sports reporter.
Sports reporters carry tape recorders, and Barry wanted to have a permanent record of Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich's postgame talk to his team after their 108-91 victory over the Seattle SuperSonics in Game 2 of their NBA Western Conference semifinals series at SBC Center.
Popovich singled out Barry's defensive work on Seattle's Ray Allen.
In Barry's entire NBA career, the moments when his defensive excellence were mentioned by a coach have been rare.
"It was the one time I wished I had a tape recorder to record what a coach says after the game," Barry said.
What Barry did was do a pretty fair impression of Bruce "The Pest" Bowen, the guy Ray Allen has called a sissy and accused of using unfair defensive tactics.
Barry had no choice. Bowen was in foul trouble from start to finish on Tuesday night, able to log only 17 minutes.
The Spurs cycled Manu Ginobili and Barry on Allen when Bowen had to sit out, and gave both of them plenty of help. But Barry's assignments on both Allen and Rashard Lewis matched him against two All-Stars, and he never really was burned all night.
Popovich called him a good defender in his postgame press conference.
"That's not usually what you think about when you think of him," Popovich said.
Bowen was whistled for two fouls in the first 4:52 of the game and sat the remainder of the first period. He was called for his third foul with 2:12 left in the first half, and Popovich started Ginobili on Allen in the third period and Barry on Lewis. When Bowen finally returned to the game in the third, he was charged with his fourth foul quickly, with 5:30 remaining in the period.
"You have to accept it and move on," Bowen said. "Nothing I can do about that. It is what it is. Early on, as far as calling it closer, I felt that and tried to adjust to it, showing my hands. It just didn't work out to my advantage."
Barry ended up on Allen when Ginobili needed a break late in the third. He gave up a 3-point basket and a foul on Allen's first two possessions, but shut him out for the final three minutes of the quarter.
"I just tried to get in Ray's way," he said.
"Really, we're just trying to defend the 3-point line as best we can. Both Ray and Rashard and (Vladimir) Radmanovich, before he got hurt, we try to get to. That's how that team really gets going and feeds off that energy, by making threes.
"You work hard for baskets and it starts to wear on you and you start thinking of things. But Rashard is an All-Star. Ray is an All-Star. Those guys are going to find a way to either score or get their other guys involved."
Barry also had a complete game at the offensive end. He made 3 of 6 shots, for nine points, and had four assists and seven rebounds in 33 minutes.
"You play enough minutes you're going to be able to contribute," Barry said. "Tonight was a night when a lot of other guys were in foul trouble, so I was on the floor. The ball's going to sometimes bounce your way."
He shut down Lewis completely... again. I didn't think he'd do as well when he started matching up with Allen, but he did a pretty decent job there too. Even I wouldn't be one to call Barry a defensive powerhouse, but he has really stepped it up on the defensive end this series.
::Runs away before the haters converge::
i think this is the best game for Brent Barry in the playoffs as a Spur.
take it to the next game Brent?
Brent played pretty good defense tonight.
They could foul him out in 5 minutes in Seattle, though. Keep those hands OFF the opponent on the perimeter, Brent. That's a foul.
"Brent Barry is a dirty player" --Ray Allen
Brent played a pretty good game. This is what he needs to do here. I'm sure it was because he got more "touches".
Brent by the numbers for game 2:
Pts 9 (3 of 6 FG), Rebs 7, Assists 4, Fouls 2, Steals 1, TO 1.
Play like that every night, and no one can complain.
I'd like to draw special attention to his rebounding. He looked to hawk the boards last night and really stretched to get some on the defensive end. He knows Seattle thrives on getting extra possessions off the offensive glass and set himself to it, along with the defense.
What was the touchometer total anyway?
Barry and Robinson getting praise for defense. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA
Look out world, the "Spurs disease"-- Suffocating Defensivitus--is catching.
This is getting funny--'NASR for THREEEEEEEEEE'-- because we have so many players contributing, especially in areas where they weren't supposed to.
that was hilarious...the first three of his CAREER...
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