June 11,2007

Cavs lack sure stopper against Spurs
They have Snow, but he can't match Spurs' Bowen

By MAUREEN FULTON

SAN ANTONIO - Many of the better teams in the NBA have what is called a "defensive stopper" on their rosters - someone who can be counted on every night to defend the other team's best player.

For the Spurs, of course, it's starting forward Bruce Bowen. The closest thing the Cavaliers have to one is Eric Snow, but he only plays a few minutes a night.

Finding a player to call your defensive stopper mig

ht be a new art. Cavs coach Mike Brown and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich agreed it's not as easy as just using a draft pick.

"I think most people would be paranoid about drafting someone who was just a defender, as opposed to someone who exhibited talent, as we describe it," Popovich said.

Said Brown: "A lot of times you can find your 'defenders' in the minor leagues. After they've had a chance to be out of school two or three years, to work on either shooting the basketball or an offensive skill, you can go find those guys that are hungry and that haven't been given anything that want to go take it every single night."

Brown was probably thinking of Bowen when he said that, because the veteran was undrafted out of Cal-State Fullerton. Bowen bounced around at first, spending a brief

period playing in Europe, but has been with the Spurs for six seasons, headlining the All-NBA defensive team.
The Cavs haven't been able to find their stopper yet, but a major reason they are here in the NBA finals is because of their much-improved defense, instilled by the second-year coach Brown.

His first year, Brown's practices focused almost entirely on defense. This year it's more evenly divided, but forward Drew Gooden said it was the first thing Brown brought up to the team in their initial meetings.

"He put four teams up, I think it's the Pistons, San Antonio, Miami Heat and another team, and they all had a certain percentage of defensive field goal percentage where they kept their opponent," Gooden said. "He said if we can get here from here, I'll tell you what, we'll be a great team.

"When we actually got into practice and started figuring out the different defensive schemes and how he wants us to play defense, it kind of grew on us, and now it's to a point where it's second nature."POMONA 'POP': Going for his fourth title in nine years, Popovich could soon be known as one of the NBA's best coaches.

But Popovich said if he had never moved from his first job, he wouldn't have cared.
Popovich coached eight seasons at Division III Pomona-Pitzer in Claremont, Calif., starting in 1979.
One year he and his family lived in a dormitory.

"I would have been fat, dumb and happy to be at Pomona forever," Popovich said. "I loved it."
WAITING GAME: With two days in between the first and second games, LeBron James watched Game 1 twice in its entirety. He determined he needed to get the Cavs into their offense more quickly when he brought the ball down the floor.

"I don't want to hold it as much," James said. "They're very good when you allow them to set."
After last night's game James said he would do one thing first before watching the game film.
"I'll watch the last episode of the Sopranos, definitely," James said.
"I'll watch the game afterwards."