Whether the Spurs win the championship or not will be in the hands of one man. And it's not who you expect. This is the time for Bruce Bowen to shine. It's his time to become a star in this league. It's his time make his fame.
Rip Hamilton has led the Pistons in scoring in nine consecutive playoff series. It's often said that the Pistons don't have a go to guy, but that is somewhat of a myth. Hamilton is Detroit's best and most consistent offensive weapon.
Rip knows how to win. He won a le in college. He won a le in the NBA. He's a proven scorer who seemingly gets better with added pressure. There's no Ray Allen in him. There's no Vince Carter in him. Though he's all of 150 pounds, he's all warrior. Think of him as a Reggie Miller who actually knows how to win.
The good news for San Antonio is the Spurs, in theory, have the perfect Rip stopper. Bruce Bowen was built for this. He can get through picks like liquid finding its way through the smallest of cracks. Rip is one of the most well conditioned athletes in all of sport who oftentimes runs around screens until he finds himself open. But Bowen can close those openings. He can run with him.
It's time for Bowen to step up. Stop Rip and you'll have your own barge floating down the San Antonio river. Let Rip run wild and well ... R.I.P.
I worry more about Billups to be honest.
Rip can score, but I think the Spurs can live with it if Billups is limited.
BTW Ray is a much better scorer than Rip. Bowen should be able to keep Rip from exploding. He better otherwise what is Bowen good for?
Very nice.
I agree on the points about Bruce. Though I also admit that it's Billups that's got me worried too. Devin Brown will be sorely missed during this series. He'd be the perfect answer to Billups.
What has Ray Allen ever done? He's a regular season wunderkind. Rip gets better in the playoffs. He's led the "balanced" Pistons attack in nice consecutive playoff series.
While Billups is dangerous and very clutch, if Rip is taken out ... it doesn't even come down to that.
You might be right timvp that stopping Rip is the key to stopping the Pistons but I don't see the Rip/Bowen matchup as being as pivotal as the Parker/Billups matchup. It's well known that Spurs still seem to go as Parker goes more than any other player. When he has a bad game, we struggle to win. Although Bowen might slow Rip down, I don't think he'll be able to neutralize him enough to clear a path for easy victories.
Billups is probably one of the toughest matchups still left in the league for Parker. He has to realize that even if Billups goes off on him, his speed can still let him equalize the score offensively. Parker can't afford to disappear on us in this series because Beno is still a rookie and his possible output is a complete unknown.
Billups to me is the superior player. He is the heart of that team IMO.
You really think if Ray replaced Rip they would be a worse basketball team?
Ray hasn't had the talent that Rip has had supporting him.
Rip is a very good player, but he is definetely NOT better than Ray Allen.
Anyhow that doesn't really matter. Bowen should be able to keep Rip in check most of the time. If he doesn't I would be suprised.
Both backcourt matchups are quite important but I think the Mohammed v. whoever one is the key to the series. This is still a bigman's league. If the Spurs win the battle in the paint on both ends then Detroit will be hard pressed to push the Spurs in the series.
Rip Hamilton is definitely the motor to the Pistons team. I think Bowen will be able to do a very good job on him though. Like timvp said, he's built to guard guys like Rip. Bowen is probably studying Rip tape right now.
Billups is good offensively but streaky. Defensively, he might give Tony problems. I think Tony will really have to focus this series to produce. He will probably be guarded by Billups to start out, but also by Hamilton in stretches -- both can cause Tony problems.
Yes. There is a differnce between good regular season basketball players and good postseason basketball players. Rip has never averaged less than his regular season output in any series as a Piston. While Allen has good playoff numbers too, he's no near the proven winner than Hamilton is.
Bowen did a good job on Ray. He'll have to do an even better job on Rip.
Ray Allen was a beast in the 2001 NBA Playoffs. Go check his stats. Cassell, Mr.Clutch ironically was weak in that playoff run, and Big Dog was just OK. Iverson had the better defensive support, and squeaked out the Eastern Conference that year.
Just because Ray didn't have the support, doesn't mean he is an inferior player to Rip Hamilton. Actually I am not even sure its debatable, Ray Allen is the superior player and it's not even really all that close. Rip has the results in the playoffs because he has the better team support. He has stepped up, but so has Ray Allen in his stints in the playoffs. Just because he is a whiner doesn't mean he is an inferior player.
Props to Rip for stepping up in the past in the playoffs, but it doesn't make him better or more of a 'winner' than Ray Allen whatever that means in this context. It's not Ray's fault he wasn't paired with great defensive role players.
Nikos -- why are you arguing about Ray Allen? He's laying home on his couch watching the Finals with an icepack on his bruised vagina.
she said vagina.
Billups streaky? Perhaps, but thats Detroit's offense in general. Streaky. Their calling card is D. Their backcourt is their main source of offense, but they do get help from their frontcourt on plenty of occasions.
Offensively Billups is their most efficient player. Rip may get more points, but Billups makes more use of his possesions, and in the end I find him to be the superior player. That's not to say Rip is chopped liver, he is a huge part of their offense, but I do not consider him to be their best player. In some series in the past he has been, but certainly not in all of them.
Just saying he is a superior player to Rip, thats all. Rip has stepped up in the playoffs for a few years now, but so has Ray Allen. I don't like Ray's whining either, but to say he isn't a winner, and that Rip is just doesn't make all that much sense.
I think Bruce can do it. Rip moves remarkably without the ball, and Bruce is very good at guarding moving players that don't have the rock.
Bruce will limit Rip's chances of gettin' free.
Nikos, I take it you are arguing just to argue, because you are coming off like a prick. The original reference to Ray Allen in this thread said, He's no Ray Allen .. he's no Vince Carter. If you don't get it -- that is in reference to the fact that Allen and Carter are whining pussies who complained about Bowen's D and Rip Hamilton is just a gritty player who let's his on the court performances speak for themselves. It wasn't about their percentages or anything else -- it was referencing that. So it makes a lot of sense.
And if you don't think that Billups is streaky, just look at his game-by-game stats and shooting percentages.
The point I am trying to make is that Rip is an inferior player to Ray.
Timvp was trying to imply that Rip is the superior force because of his teams success and the fact that he has stepped up in the playoffs. And all I am saying is that Ray has stepped up too, and is the superior player. If Bruce can guard Ray well, he sure as better be able to guard Rip even better.
Billups is streaky, but Rip until this Miami series wasn't exactly playing great basketball. I just think Billups is the better player between the two, but probably not by a huge margin.
I am not trying to be a prick? I just don't buy the whole argument that Rip is a winner and Ray is some playoff nobody. I don't think Ray has ever had the support that Rip has had.
I just don't agree with this -- thus the reason I am debating/arguing Kori? I don't really understand why you are implying that I am trying to be a prick?Yes. There is a differnce between good regular season basketball players and good postseason basketball players. Rip has never averaged less than his regular season output in any series as a Piston. While Allen has good playoff numbers too, he's no near the proven winner than Hamilton is.
Isn't this forum built to have these kind of debates?
You just don't get that the original post wasn't anything about comparing Rip's play to Ray's play - it was about Rip not being a wuss/complainer like Ray Allen and Vince Carter. So I'm saying that you are just arguing for the sake of arguing regarding something that has nothing to do with this thread. timvp didn't say anything about Ray Allen in the postseason blahblahblah until you brought it up, then he got in the argument with you. .
You realize that he was injured in the first few series, right?but Rip until this Miami series wasn't exactly playing great basketball.
Okay back to Rip versus Bowen, it will be interesting to see how Bowen reacts. He also has to shoot well offensively to stay on the court. Against the Nets in his other Finals experience, Bowen laid an egg offensively.
He has to do better this time.
The Spurs can't really afford to let Barry stay on the court for long stretches in this series -- so Bowen really needs to be able to produce. Plus we'll probably see more Big Dog.
I just don't see what Rip's lack of whining has to do with anything in terms of the outcome of the series. I got the impression that when Timvp said that, that he was impying that Rip would be a superior force to Ray Allen. And he followed it up with a post asking basically 'what Ray has ever won?'
I just don't agree with the logic that because Rip has won a le, that he is > Allen or than he will be a more difficult cover because he whines LESS or doesn't at all compared to Ray Allen.
To me its all about how good the player is. And I simply stated that I felt Rip is less of a force than Ray, and that Bowen shouls keep him from exploding.
You were wrong. Most people would have figure out that the reference to Ray Allen and Vince Carter was about their pussy tendencies.I got the impression that when Timvp said that, that he was impying that Rip would be a superior force to Ray Allen
Yeah he did, after you brought up the subject of Ray's scoring.And he followed it up with a post asking basically 'what Ray has ever won?'
If I'm saying Rip Hamilton is a warrior and I'm comparing him against Carter and Allen, I'm saying that Allen and Carter are not warriors. In other words, they are whiners who would rather cry to the press than get into the trenches. Allen and Carter are great players, but they are soft.
Get it?
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