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Buck Harvey: What Popovich couldn’t say — it wasn’t our night

MIAMI — Gregg Popovich went at his guys again, because this is what he does. He tells them what he thinks they need to hear on a certain night and, Tuesday, he thought they needed a scolding.

“We should be embarrassed,” he said.

He thinks this will help them next time. But he also knows this stance is better than acknowledging what really happened. There wasn’t much the Spurs could have done, no matter how physical they became, because this is what happens when LeBron James makes outside shots.

Mostly, you lose.

Mostly, you don’t lose like this. The Spurs scored 35 points in the first quarter without shooting a free throw, which might be an NBA first. Then, in the span of the third quarter, the Spurs went from a 14-point lead to wondering when Popovich would pull the starters to get ready for Orlando tonight.

Ever seen anything like it?

“Never,” said Richard Jefferson, and he’s been in the league for only 10 years.

There was certainly something to Popovich’s I-felt-we-folded speech. The Heat played the first half as if all of them had caught James’ cold, then began the second by blitzing and cutting. The Spurs, led by a suddenly unsure Tony Parker, had no response.

Still, when someone such as Mike Miller comes off the bench, playing for the first time all season, and throws in all six of his shots, all 3-pointers, well, how physical would the Spurs have had to be? Rarely do teams lose with an 18-point windfall like that.

But it started with James, not Miller, and with a similar reversal. While Miller hadn’t attempted a 3-pointer this season before Tuesday, James had made only three.

James swished that many in the third quarter alone, and maybe he only thought that was fair. When Danny Green ended the second quarter as he did the first, with a last-second 3, it happened at halfcourt with James next to him.

James looked at his bench with wide eyes, as if to say, can you believe it?

In the third quarter, James gave another look. Then, after his third 3-pointer, Popovich called time out, and James gave a long, significant stare at the Spurs’ bench.

Why?

“If they are going to back off,” he said, “I’m going to shoot.”

But everyone backs off of him, and that’s been the genesis of his playoff collapses in Cleveland and last year against Dallas. James can lose all confidence in his jumper and, with that gone, he loses confidence in everything else.

Bruce Bowen used the strategy in the 2007 Finals. If you give James anything, you give him the area behind the arc where he’s less than 33 percent for his career. Kawhi Leonard played James as Bowen did, but James turned into what he can be, which is the best player in the world.

Tim Duncan witnessed both 2007 and Tuesday. And afterward, when told what Popovich had said to the media, Duncan’s answer was telling.

“LeBron was coming down hitting tough ones,” he said. “That’s what you want guys to do. Every once in a while, someone’s going to get in the zone.”

Embarrassed?

Duncan didn’t sound that way.

That said, everything can’t be attributed to the other team shooting well. Duncan and the Spurs are one of only three teams that are winless on the road, and they face another test tonight in Orlando.

So Popovich will push on, correcting what he can, chewing out the Spurs when he isn’t encouraging them. And, in doing so, he will never give in to the reality of these nights, not as Parker did when he was asked about James.

“There is,” Parker shrugged, “not much you can do.”

bharvey@express-news.net

– Associated Press photos

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Heat 120, Spurs 98: Jan. 17, 2012

San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) looks to pass as Miami Heat’s Mike Miller (13) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (9) passes the ball as Miami Heat’s LeBron James, left, looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) wipes his face during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) shoots over San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard (2) and DeJuan Blair (45) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra puts his hand to his head during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s LeBron James (6) looks to pass as San Antonio Spurs’ Daniel Green (4) and Matt Bonner (15) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s Norris Cole (30) looks to pass the ball as San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan (21) and Richard Jefferson (24) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s Chris Bosh (1) shoots as San Antonio Spurs’ DeJuan Blair (45) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade cheers from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat defeated the Spurs 120-98. Wade did not play due to a sprained right ankle. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

Miami Heat’s Mike Miller (13) reacts after shooting a 3-pointer as San Antonio Spurs’ Danny Green (4) looks on during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. Miller contributed 18 points as the Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’, from left, DeJuan Blair, Richard Jefferson, Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Danny Green watch from the bench in the closing seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs’ Danny Green (4) drives to the basket as Miami Heat’s James Jones (22) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich watches his team during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, in Miami. The Heat won 120-98. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (AP)

With Wade absent, weight of Miami’s offense falls on LeBron

Before the Spurs headed to Florida for back-to-back games against the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was asked about his approach to defending the Heat and its Big Three of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

His response: “As soon as either Dwyane or LeBron catches the ball, I cover my eyes.”

Popovich can keep his eyes open more often tonight. It appears the right ankle sprain Wade suffered Friday night in Denver is going to keep him on the sidelines. Coach Erik Spoelstra won’t give a timetable for his return, but it is almost certainly not for tonight’s game.

Of course, that means more touches for James, the two-time Most Valuable Player who enters tonight’s game averaging 29.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists.

For James, the burden of carrying the Heat for however long they are without Wade becomes one more measure of his value to a team that polarized NBA fans last season after James helped orchestrate the construction of a roster some believed would dominate the league for several years.

This season’s team returned after being humbled by the Mavericks in the NBA Finals and reeled off victories in eight of its first nine games, but comes into its game against the Spurs on a three-game losing streak that revealed, yet again, James’ tendency to shrink from the challenge of the fourth quarter.

Here’s a look at the latest dilemma for James, Wade and the Heat:

LeBron James

The good

• In 11 games (he sat out one game with a sore left ankle, a road win in Atlanta), he is averaging 29.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in 40.1 minutes per game.

• In the two games he played during the three games Wade missed, he scored 65 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and handed out 22 assists.

The bad

• Until he made 3 of 5 3-point shots in Friday’s loss to the Nuggets, he had not made a shot from long distance all season, going 0 for 5.

• He has committed 23 turnovers in his last four games.

The ugly

• He did not attempt a shot in the fourth quarter of the Heat’s overtime road loss to the Warriors last Tuesday; also failed to get a rebound or an assist in the fourth quarter.

• Acutely aware of the criticism leveled at him for his passivity in the fourth period at Golden State, he scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in the fourth quarter of what would be another overtime loss, this time to the Clippers, the next night in Los Angeles. However, he also missed 4 of 10 fourth-quarter free throws in that one, including two in the final 16.7 seconds.

Dwyane Wade

The injuries

Today is Wade’s 30th birthday, and he reached this milestone with evidence mounting that time is taking a toll on a player whose game is based on athleticism and reckless abandon. Thus far this season, he has missed two games with a sprained right mid-foot, one with a strained left calf and, in all likelihood, several more with an ankle sprain that hurt so badly when it happened, he feared a broken bone.

The quandary

Playing hurt already had limited Wade’s effectiveness this season, his shooting percentage (43.9) and scoring average (19.6) down significantly from last season (50.0 and 25.5). Spoelstra insisted he was not being coy with the media Sunday when he maintained he could not give a timetable for Wade’s return. The safest course may be to shut him down for a while to allow all his injuries to fully heal, but in a compressed season, that might mean losing a lot of ground to the Bulls in the battle for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

mikemonroe@express-news.net

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