Gregg Popovich | SAN ANTONIO SPURS TICKETS

Spurs’ bench nearly steals one

By Jeff McDonald

DALLAS — As soon as the ball left his hand, Danny Green had a plan.

It is one he lifted from one of the most painful chapters of Spurs history, from a player who made a similar shot facing similar odds nearly eight years ago.

Even before Green pulled a Derek Fisher — swishing a turnaround jumper that appeared to give the Spurs a breathtaking buzzer-beating victory over Dallas — he had mapped his escape from the American Airlines Center.

“I was going to run out of the gym, just like Derek did,” said Green. “I said, ‘Guys, let’s go. Let’s get the heck out of here.’

“Nobody wanted to follow my lead.”

That was a stark contrast to what had happened for the previous quarter-plus, when the Spurs rode their young bench players to the brink of an improbable comeback victory against the defending NBA champs before falling in overtime 101-100.

Officials reviewed, then disallowed Green’s shot, launched with 0.5 seconds left — more time than Fisher had for his 0.4 dagger for the L.A. Lakers in the 2004 playoffs. The game went to OT, where Dallas — ahead by 18 points in the third — dodged more bullets.

“The one thing I’m not going to allow to happen is to have our team feel bad about a win,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “Wins are hard to get.”

With his starters stumbling into a 67-49 hole late in the third quarter, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich took the unorthodox step of benching them all.

Aside from 1.1 seconds logged by Kawhi Leonard in OT, no Spurs starter appeared after the 2:44 mark of the third.

Dallas (13-8) led 67-53 at that point, but behind a barrage of bench 3-pointers — three from Gary Neal and two apiece from Green, James Anderson and Matt Bonner — the Spurs clawed back.

Popovich said he never contemplated putting his starters back in the game, even as the deficit shrank.

“That group was playing great,” Popovich said. “Why would I?”

Implausibly, a game that seemed headed toward a blowout quickly took on the tenor of the most memorable Spurs-Mavericks playoff clashes.

Albeit, instead of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili battling Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, it was Neal, Anderson and Green.

Neal ended with 19 points, though he missed a free throw that could have tied the game with 12.6 seconds left in OT. Green scored 12 points, while Anderson added eight points, three assists and five rebounds.

In all, the Spurs’ reserves accounted for the team’s final 51 points and were largely responsible for the 24-6 run that had the Spurs (12-9) up nine with 5:33 to go in the fourth.

“Those guys got us back out of a hole,” said Duncan, who had 12 points in 23 minutes. “You ride with what’s going good. It was the right call.”

With the Spurs ahead by four with 37.8 seconds left, Dallas’ Rodrigue Beaubois answered with a drive. Then Terry — who finished with 34 points — took the ball coast-to-coast after a Neal miss to drill a game-tying 12-footer with 0.5 seconds left.

That set the stage for Green to reprise Fisher, with one notable exception.

“His goes in the books,” Green said. “Mine doesn’t.”

Referees originally ruled Green’s shot good, then disallowed it after replays showed the ball still on his fingertips as the horn blared. Afterward, Duncan joked he wished that same crew had been around for Fisher’s shot in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference semifinals.

“I don’t know if the clock started early, or Danny’s release is slower, or what,” Duncan said.

Still, even with Green going anti-Fisher, the Spurs had a chance to win in OT. They were ahead 98-95 on Green’s drive with 1:18 left but again could not close.

In the end, it came down to the Spurs behind by one, the ball again in Green’s hands. A discombobulated final play led Green to try a desperation 3-pointer that was no good.

So when Green finally left the floor at the American Airlines Center, he did not run. He walked.

“I guess it was just too good to be true,” he said.

jmcdonald@express-news.net

– Associated Press photos

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Mavericks 101, Spurs 100 (OT) – Jan. 29, 2012

Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry (31) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Matt Bonner (15) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter (25) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) looks to shoot as San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair (45) watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (2) dribbles past Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter (25) as Spurs center Tim Duncan watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) dribbles against Dallas Mavericks center Brendan Haywood (33) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Daniel Green (4) tries to block a shot by Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry (31) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Mavericks won in overtime. 101-100. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry (31) spreads his arms as the crowd cheers after Terry scored, forcing overtime in an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Mavericks won 101-100. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan raises his arms as he and fellow starter Tony Parker, left, watch from the bench with other teammates during overtime against the Dallas Mavericks in an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Mavericks won 101-100. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs center Tiago Splitter (22) shoots over Dallas Mavericks center Ian Mahinmi (28) during overtime in an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Mavericks won 1010-100. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs forward Richard Jefferson (24) and Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter (25) greet each other after an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Mavericks won 101-100. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs guard Daniel Green (4) shoots against Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry (31) as time expires in the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The shot went in, but a replay showed that he still has the ball when the buzzer sounded. The Mavericks won 101-100 in overtime. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle calls a play during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Mavericks won 101-100 in overtime. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) looks to shoot against Dallas Mavericks center Brendan Haywood (33) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Mavericks won 101-100 in overtime. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) closes his eyes and listens to coach Gregg Popovich during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012. The Mavericks won 101-100 in overtime. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (AP)

Bowen as busy, and defensive, as ever in retirement

By Richard Oliver

In the more than two years since Bruce Bowen retired from the NBA, he’s learned something interesting about life.

Knowing how to play defense still comes in handy.

Bowen, who often left the likes of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen feeling like birthday piñatas during a blue-collar career on the court, has in the months since dealt with divorce, the failure of a headline business and hard lessons about some friends and family reluctant to follow him out of the professional spotlight.

“I had a lot of relationships that have been severed because I’m no longer a basketball player,” said Bowen, 40. “I think one of the most disappointing things for athletes is to be around people and it all changes because the parties are no longer put on by you or the things that you used to do are no longer something that’s of interest because you’re not footing the bill.

“No one wants to be taken advantage of. But you see that it’s part of life. Some people’s elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top.”

Despite those disappointments, Bowen’s elevator continues to rise quite nicely.

One of the architects of three of San Antonio’s four NBA titles, the California native will be inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame on Feb. 10. Roughly six weeks later, the Spurs will retire Bowen’s No. 12 jersey.

The announcements will serve as exclamation points after a 13-season career that saw Bowen remake himself as a lockdown defender in San Antonio at the tail end of a serpentine journey, which took him from France to the CBA to brief NBA stopovers in Miami, Boston and Philadelphia.

“He had one tool that really worked for him and that was his work ethic,” good friend Sean Elliott said. “And that’s a talent, and I don’t think a lot of people understand that. He worked until he became a great 3-point shooter, and the way he worked on the defensive end is just really a testament to who he is as a person.”

Added Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich of Bowen: “There was no Sean Elliott shot, with his toes out of bounds. Bruce was more (one) of those steady factors, where he did the same thing night in and night out, whether it was a preseason game or a championship game. That’s just who he was.”

It’s a tenacity that serves Bowen well these days. When not heading to ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Conn., for camera time as an NBA analyst — always wearing a signature bow tie — the ex-player concentrates on his charity and promotional work closer to home.

And, whenever possible, a blossoming passion for golf.

“We went golfing early on, and Bruce would see me throw fits on the golf course and he’d say, ‘Man, you’ve got to relax out here, it’s all fun,’?” Elliott said. “This was when Bruce was really wet behind the ears, a virgin golfer. The last two or three times I’ve been out with Bruce, he’ll hit a bad shot and I’ll see him mumble to himself and I’m like, ‘Yeah, he’s starting to get it.’ It was only a matter of time. You can’t play defense in golf.”

It’s all part of the adjustment for Bowen, whose signature sense of humor is still as much a part of his game plan as being approachable for fans.

Sitting at a popular breakfast joint on a recent morning, Bowen was dismayed when a part of his meal spilled onto his lap.

“I just dropped butter on my leg,” he said, shaking his head. “Back in the day, (Spurs athletic trainer) Will Sevening would be right there, on the spot. Hey, Will, take care of this.”

Indeed, times have changed for the genial Bowen. His divorce from Yardley was finalized earlier this month, and the couple will share custody of sons Ojani, 6, and Ozmel, 4. Their upscale salon was shuttered last year.

The chapters of Bowen’s life keep turning, and he relies on his faith and an eternal optimism as he looks ahead.

“The greatest teacher in life is experience,” he said. “There’s more and more things that I want to do here. I love the city. I love the fact that my kids get a chance to see me do something other than basketball. The fact that they get to see me doing the things that I do now is more important to me and more special than when I was playing.”

Next month, they’ll get to see their dad be inducted into the Hall of Fame. A plaque with his likeness will soon hang at the Alamodome, and Bowen, bald for years, admits he has one hope for it.

“Maybe they can put hair on it,” he said.

roliver@express-news.net

SAN ANTONIO SPORTS HALL OF FAME

What: 2012 San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame Tribute

Who: Stan Bonewitz, Bruce Bowen, David Hill, Leticia? Morales-Bissaro, John Russell

When: Feb. 10 (6 p.m., cocktails and silent auction; 8 p.m., dinner and induction ceremony)

Where: Alamodome

Tickets: Individual for $165;? tables for $1,500, $2,500, $5,000 (eight seats) and $10,000 (10 seats). Reservations can be made online or by calling 210-820-2109.

Online: sasports.org

BRUCE BOWEN

Age: 40, born in Merced, Calif.

Fast facts: Journeyman had played on several foreign teams, along with Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat before finding home — and fame — with Spurs. … In San Antonio developed into one of game’s most respected perimeter defenders, earning eight selections on NBA All-Defensive first or second teams … Considered face of lockdown Spurs defense during title runs in 2003, 2005 and 2007 … Now serves as ESPN analyst on network’s NBA crew when not working with charity initiatives in San Antonio tied to eliminating obesity.

PROFILE SCHEDULE

Jan. 8: Russell
Jan. 15: Bonewitz
Jan. 21: Morales-Bissaro
Today: Bowen
Feb. 5: Hill

What they said: Dressing-room quotes from Sunday’s game

Here’s what the Spurs and Suns had to say in their dressing- room comments after the Spurs’ 102-91 victory Sunday night, courtesy of the Spurs media service department.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

(What was your confidence level keeping Cory(Joseph) out there until Alvin (Gentry) made the move with Steve (Nash)?)

“Well, obviously you know because I left him out there for quite a while. He’s a young, energetic player who is willing to stick his nose in. For a sophomore in college, I think he’s pretty special.”

(On the play of Tim Duncan and Steve Nash…was it kind of like a throwback game?)

“Timmy and Steve are two good examples of people taking care of their bodies, that’s for sure. They’re trim, cut and slim. They watch what they eat and they take care of themselves. You can see it really shows on both of them.”

(Did you get what you wanted to see out of the defense tonight?)

“Steve’s so tricky. He frustrates everyone no matter what you do. You can’t be perfect at it. We had a couple of steals and some good stops at appropriate times, but we can certainly get better.”

(On Tony Parker…)

“Tony, especially without Manu, it’s important for him to stay as aggressive as he has been. He’s playing defense and he’s busting his butt. When you’re the point guard and you’re handling the ball and you’re guarding somebody like Nash, so much of it is on your shoulders. I think he’s really shown great composure and great aggressiveness.”

Spurs forward Richard Jefferson:

(On Tim Duncan’s play.)

“I always think he has ‘it,’ even on the nights he doesn’t have it. I think it’s amazing how he gets all of those rebounds, blocks and he’s just good on defense. He’s always doing a lot of things that probably never show up in the stat sheet.”

(On rookie Cory Joseph’s play.)

“He was great. He’s extremely young and he’s got into a tough situation backing up as tough a point guard as Tony (Parker). I think tonight was one of the first times he was able to get up and play defense and know how to control the offense. He was able to direct the plays, kind of break the offense in and do the right thing. For him it’s going to be key to continue playing defense, but he’s quick, he’s young, he’s got a lot of energy, and he’s going to use that to his advantage. ”

Spurs guard Tony Parker:

(On keys to the Spurs’ victory over the Suns.)

“We had to follow the ball and play great defense, which is tough against Steve Nash when he plays the pick and roll. Overall we did a great job not giving up three’s when we usually let up around 21 attempts a game. We did a great job covering that and on Steve (Nash) and (Marcin) Gortat, we did the best we could.”

(On the Spurs’ defensive improvements at home versus playing on the road.)

“I think we just paid attention more. We were around the bottom of the league and Pop, with film, showed us a lot of stuff we can improve from against Milwaukee, when it was a game we should have won. So I think everybody had a conscious effort and everybody shored up their defense, so that we can be successful in this league.”

Suns coach Alvin Gentry:

(Opening statement)

“It was an uphill battle. The game would’ve been an even game if we would’ve put ourselves in an opportunity to make it interesting. Once again, we dug ourselves a hole as we spend most of our time trying to get ourselves out of it. On the flip side, we continued to play as we were within five points as at one point it was 89-94. Then from there they scored eight and we scored two the rest of the way. We just have to continue to work as we have some new guys trying to fit in as well as some rookies still trying to find themselves. Tim [Duncan] played great tonight and when you’re in a place like that it’s really tough to beat. You have to make a decision as they have shooters all around him, so you can’t really go out and double-team him as he played great and made some plays. Overall, we continued to struggle with shooting it, but I thought we played hard and for the most part they did what was asked despite the few breakdowns which were to be expected. I just think we will continue to play hard and get better as that’s the only thing that we can do.”

(On the performance of Nash and Gortat)

“Yeah, they played great as Marcin [Gortat] is getting better as Steve [Nash] had a lot of zip tonight as he’s still not feeling great. I thought he played well as I thought at the end he ran out of gas a little bit as he also got hit. I thought we did a great job of reading situations in the game and using the pick and roll at appropriate times with Steve making the shot. We’re still not shooting it like we’re capable of and we’re not scoring like we’re capable of, but the shots were there. We just have to get the confidence to step up and knock them down.”

(On the performances of Splitter and Leonard)

“Well Splitter has played good from them in the past. I have watched four or five of their games and actually what has happened is that when the second unit is in the offense really goes through him. He’s played pro basketball half his life so it’s not anything unusual as he did a good job of creating post space and post moves with a couple of big plays. Leonard is an athletic guy as he has a lot of confidence as they have instilled that in him. He really feels free to shoot the ball when he wants to and he’s going to be a really good player in the league.”

Suns center Marcin Gortat:

(On matching-up against Tim Duncan tonight)

“Obviously playing against Tim Duncan is a huge challenge as he’s one of the best post guys currently in the NBA, if not one of the best. It’s always a pleasure to play against him as it’s always great to compete against him. I’m always learning something new from each game I play against him. Tonight was a challenge as I don’t think I was really focused today as he got me a couple of times on the pump fakes, which resulted in me fouling him. I have had worst games against him, so tonight was pretty decent as I’m looking forward to the next match-up.”

(On his offensive performance tonight)

“First of all, I don’t think I had a great offensive game. I missed a lot of shots that I usually make as I started really bad and really slow. I started out 0-4 as I had to figure it out as Nash continued to pass me the ball so I had to find a way to score. I tried to be more aggressive and tried to put the ball on the ground as I knew in that aspect, Tim Duncan couldn’t keep up with me. Over time, I tried to make him tired and tried to make him aggressive.”

Suns forward Grant Hill:

(On how he was feeling tonight)

“I felt fine. The legs felt good, I was running well and the knee felt good.”

(On what they can do on defense to limit the other team)

“We had been doing well defensively and offensively we weren’t at our best. Going into tonight’s game, they put a lot of pressure on you. Defensively, I think we could’ve made a couple changes here and there, such as not leaving Bonner to make an open three and things like that. For the most part it wasn’t too bad as offensively we are just not in a good rhythm and groove yet as hopefully that will come sooner then later.”

(On the performance of Leonard tonight)

“I thought he did fine. He didn’t really kill us but I think he’s a good young player. He works hard as he’s getting an opportunity now with Manu out as he’s making the most of it.”