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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.”

Game rewind: Why the Spurs’ road defense has to improve

Even with a breakout game from Tiago Splitter, the Spurs couldn’t overcome their defensive woes in another road defeat Saturday night in Houston.

It was more of the same road problems that have dogged the team all season when the Rockets singed them for 57.7 percent field-goal shooting in a 105-102 victory.

The Rockets were the sixth road teams in seven games that has shot better than 50 percent against the Spurs. San Antonio has lost all of those games.

And even including a frigid 33.3 effort by Orlando earlier this week in a game where the Magic were coming off their third game in three nights, Spurs road opponents have shot a collective 50.8 percent from the field.

At the ATT Center, opponents have shot a more respectable 42.9 percent as the Spurs have gone 9-1. Only one opponent has shot better than 50 percent against them at their home facility.

Until that road defense improves, the Spurs are doomed to a lot of similar performances as the one that beat them at the Toyota Center Saturday night.

No matter how good their offense may be, the inability to make critical defensive stops down the stretch remains their biggest weakness.

It cost them the victory Saturday night.

Here’s a look at the specifics of San Antonio’s third loss in its last four games.

Game analysis: The Spurs fell behind early before catching up and going ahead on strong performances by Splitter and Tony Parker. But they again didn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with Houston down the stretch as the game got away in the final minutes.

Where the game was won: A 7-0 run punctuated by five straight points by Gary Neal appeared to have given San Antonio a boost with an 84-79 lead with 9:15 left. But Houston answered with a run of eight straight points capped by a 17-foot jumper by Samuel Dalembert and never trailed during the rest of the game.

Almosts don’t count: The Spurs made Houston sweat after Richard Jefferson’s 3-pointer had pulled them within 103-102 with 10.1 seconds left. But Kevin Martin sank two foul shots and Neal misfired on a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 4.8 seconds remaining to allow Houston to escape with the victory.

Player of the game I: Martin was the most consistent weapon for Houston throughout the game with 25 points and three assists.

Player of the game II: Houston point guard Kyle Lowry was the Rockets’ go-to player down the stretch, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter. Lowry also added five rebounds and eight assists as he expertly ran Houston’s offense.

Player of the game III: Splitter took advantage of Tim Duncan’s absence to produce the best game of his NBA career. He scored a career-high 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished off four assists. A variety of Houston defenders unsuccessfully tried to combat him as he missed only two of his 13 field-goal attempts.

Most unsung: Houston guard Goran Dragic scored 14 points, but none was bigger than a circus scoop shot that bailed the Rockets out of a near 24-second violation with 54.6 seconds left. Earlier in the possession, the Rockets nearly lost the ball in the backcourt, but Dragic maintained the possession before just beating the shot clock with a one-hander to give them a four-point lead.

Did you notice: Other than Splitter inside, the Spurs had a lot of trouble with Dalembert. San Antonio was rattled early when Dalembert produced three blocks and a steal in the first 7:17 of the game despite hobbling with a sprained ankle.

Did you notice II: Even though he struggled offensively in a miserable 2-for-11 shooting night, Jefferson was an active defender who came up with several big plays to help spark the run that gave the Spurs the lead in the fourth quarter. Most impressively, he was making them at the power forward position.

Stat of the game: Houston shot 55.7 percent from the field and 58.8 percent from the field in the fourth quarter to bring home the comeback victory and claim their sixth straight victory. It’s their longest winning streak since late in the 2008-09 season.

Stat of the game II: The Spurs’ 3-point shooting improved for the third consecutive game, but it was still at only 31.8 percent. In their last five games the Spurs have shot 26.9 percent from 3-point territory and are 2-3.

Stat of the game III: Parker produced 13 assists — the first time this season a Spur has notched a double-figure assist total this season.

Weird stat of the game: Despite not having leading rebounder Duncan in the lineup as he rested, the Spurs had a 43-32 rebounding edge and piled up a season-best 60 points in the paint.

Weird stat of the game II: Duncan’s absence was the seventh game his missed over the last two seasons. The Spurs are 1-6 in those games.

Weird stat of the game III: The Spurs are now 0-3 in the second game of home-road back-to-backs this season.

Quote of the game: “Splitter did his best Tim Duncan impresson,” Houston coach Kevin McHale, to reporters after the game about Splitter’s big game.

How the schedule stacks up: The Spurs have the day off before facing Western Conference bottom feeder New Orleans Monday night, a home game Wednesday against Atlanta and road games Friday night at Minnesota and Jan. 29 at Dallas. For the Rockets, they play Monday at Minnesota, and then return home Wednesday against Milwaukee and Friday with Washington.

Injuries: Manu Ginobili missed his 12th game (record 7-5) after undergoing surgery for a fractured fifth left metacarpal. T.J. Ford missed his seventh game (record 4-3) with a torn left hamstring. Parker appeared to be favoring his hip along the San Antonio sidelines midway during the fourth quarter, but later told reporters it was merely discomfort from a fall suffered earlier this week. Houston center Jordan Hill returned to the lineup after missing his last game with flu-like symptoms. Dalembert played despite a sprained left ankle. And rookie forward Marcus Morris is out indefinitely with a sprained left ankle.