June 11, 2007

Spurs near fourth title

By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News

SAN ANTONIO - There must be something about the initials BB that translates into bridesmaid status.
Buffalo Bills.

For the third straight season, Bowen, a San Antonio Spurs forward, finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year. Next season, he can match the Bills' mark of four straight NFL runner-up finishes.

For now, Bowen appears to be taking his latest award snub out on playoff opponents.

"He's disappointed in that," Spurs guard Brent Barry said of voting by the media in which Nuggets center Marcus Camby was named Defensive Player of the Year. "Maybe he's got a little fuel. Maybe he's got a little fire."

It looked that way in Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday. In an 85-76 win, Bowen held Cleveland Cavaliers wunderkind

LeBron James to 14 points on 4- for-16 shooting.

Bowen had help from teammates. Still, a large pack of reporters hovered around him Friday, wanting to know about the man who turned LeBron into LeBaffled.

"I enjoy the aspect of being recognized as a player in this league and being able to be mentioned in the same sentence with LeBron and some of the other great scorers," said Bowen, who wants to make it "as tough possible" for James to get good shots.

"But it's only mentioned because I have the task of trying to guard those guys."

He has done more than just try. In a first-round series against the Nuggets, he helped stifle a former Most Valuable Player in Allen Iverson. Now, he's coming off a big game against a likely future MVP.

Would the vote for the top defensive player be different if conducted after the postseason?

"I would leave that up to (the media)," Bowen said. "I can't vote. The coaches can't vote. I think that, if the coaches voted, you know what would happen."

Bowen admitted he was "disappointed" to not get the award, but winning a third title might help him get over it. Bowen, who won rings with the Spurs in 2003 and 2005, figures to be outfitted for another if James doesn't get on track.

James missed his first eight shots. He had six turnovers.

James believes his shots will fall as the series progresses. That's a reasonable theory considering he shot 5-for-15 for 10 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit and scored 48 in Game 5.

"I watched (film of the game late Thursday night) and I'm probably going to watch it again (Friday night) to see throughout the course of the game what they tried to do defensively against me and offensively," said James, who vows to be more aggressive in Game 2 on Sunday. "I'll be a better player."

If James' teammates can make some shots, that will help. Two-time All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas had stage fright in his first Finals game, shooting 1-for-8.

"If they want to double him, we'll just have to make them pay," said Ilgauskas, confident he will be more in rhythm Sunday.

Rather than lavish praise on Bowen, many Cavaliers players spoke more about San Antonio's double- and triple-teams bothering James.

Guard Larry Hughes, who said Bowen's "reputation" allows him "to reach and grab," wasn't about to call Bowen the league's top perimeter defender.

"When you have Tim Duncan behind you, it's tough to say an individual guy is the best," Hughes said.

Those on the Spurs see it differently.

"He was guarding me when I got out of my car going into the arena," said Barry, who while with Seattle, was shut down by Bowen in a 2002 playoff series.

Bowen has for a long time been on a mission to hone his defense. It has kept him in the league after he was undrafted in 1993 from Cal State-Fullerton and initially played in the Continental Basketball Association and Europe.

"I come up old school," he said. "You didn't play any 'D,' you didn't get on the floor."

Bowen certainly is getting time now, his 40 minutes Thursday being a team high. If his stellar play continues, the Spurs figure to again show they're anything but the Buffalo Bills when it comes to NBA Finals.