Comments on: Bruce Bowen: Myth vs. Reality

By: Two Years Later, Gasol Trade Continues to Shape NBA, Spurs | 48 Minutes of Hell

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:48:58 +0000

[...] play four-on-five or three-on-five on the offensive end, as Graydon pointed out during an article discussing Bowen’s declining minutes last season: The second reason has a lot to do with the Lakers, actually. After a 4-1 thumping in last year’s [...]

By: 48 Minutes of Hell » Blog Archive » 48MoH’s Greatest Hits: The Bowen Collection

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:34:16 +0000

[...] Bruce Bowen: Myth vs. Reality [...]

By: 48 Minutes of Hell » Blog Archive » A Crown That Seldom Kings Enjoy: Assessing Pop’s Performance

Fri, 22 May 2009 14:52:52 +0000

[...] I am fine with the way Pop handled Bowen’s minutes. Back in March I suggested Pop use Bowen in a surgical manner, and to some extent, that is exactly what he [...]

By: ChillFAN

ChillFAN — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:37:40 +0000

Great article, thanks.
What was difficult watch was that Kobe was not needed for most of the game, he could sit or defer to teamates scoring.
Conventional wisdom says, force the ball to the lesser players, even if it means open shots, but
I’d actually prefer “Kobe dropping 50,” as you mentioned, because that means lots of misses and few assists. It works for him against the Knicks or the Raptors, not in a 7 game series. It works when the Spurs eventually double him quickly, getting the ball out of his hands in the final minute.

By: McShane

McShane — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:05:59 +0000

Did you read the article on Battier? Its entire premise was that Battier plays by probabilities and is mostly unselfish. And as we all know, winning or losing one game is hardly enough to support meaningful statistical conclusions – and one player still has to rely on his team to get results anyway.

And on Kobe being the house – you’ve heard of counting cards, right? There are ways to improve your chances, but unlike gambling in a casino, the other team can improve their chances as well.

McShane – Spurs Fan.

By: Duncan

Duncan — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 23:20:55 +0000

spurs are not a dynasty. they win when they can: lock-out season, crook referee. they couldn’t win back to back, they’re a “win when we can” team

By: Krista

Krista — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:08:45 +0000

I get tired of people saying Bowen is dirty, especially since, as you point out, he is not a physical defender.

When I was a kid, after constant fighting with my sister on long road trips, my mom would finally tell us to sit still and not to touch each other. So, I would just point at my sister. Knowing full well it drove her nuts. She’d complain, but my mom said point back. My sister knew it didn’t bother me and would just sulk.

Bowen is a pointer. And opponents who complain are like my sister was. They can’t annoy him back so they want the refs to stop him. Kobe doesn’t care if Bowen points. Bowen doesn’t get down when Kobe scores. He just keeps playing and gets his finger ready.

By: Graydon Gordian

Graydon Gordian — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:04:41 +0000

Ruth Bader Ginobili,

Honestly, I’m not sure how many minutes Bowen is capable of. It’s completely possible Pop has been resting him so he can use him for long stretches during the playoffs. But if I had to guess, I think Bowen will see a similar amount of minutes as well as the same type of minutes, regardless of how many he could be playing.

I say that because, as I mention above, Pop has been running with more offensively oriented units for the first 3 quarters but often puts our stoppers in to close out the game. For instance Hill has recently seen less minutes overall but more during the 4th. Similarly Bowen has played an awful lot of his minutes this season during the fourth quarter.

I wouldn’t be surprised if, during the playoffs, you saw a lot of late game scenarios with the big three, Mason and Bowen on the floor: Three shot creators, one pure shooter, and one stopper. It’s a small lineup but if the regular season is any indication, Popovich has a new found affinity for small ball.

Also, Congrats on having one of the better commenter names I’ve ever seen.

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:13:05 +0000

Whoever the author is………you have fabulous writing ability and analysis of the facts. Greatly enjoyable piece no matter whose team one is a fan of (Spurs fan here.)

By: ytb

ytb — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:12:38 +0000

Love your last line! Great read.

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:53:03 +0000

Great article… throughout the years Bruce has been one of my favorite players in the league… and btw i don’t think he has slowed a bit… it’s just Pop being cautions willing to have his cup full for the playoffs when D will win the games… the development of the scoring should be whole by then…

By: ruth bader ginobili

ruth bader ginobili — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:57:03 +0000

Graydon, what do you see Bruce’s minutes at for the playoffs? In the ‘07 title run, he’d often play 40+ in close games. Can he be a good defender at that volume this year?

Hope TNT does those website cameras again. I loved the feed that focused on Bruce chasing Kobe last spring.

By: dach

dach — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:56:00 +0000

one thing that kobe has never done is bitch about bowen being “dirty” like so many other star players… he always seemed to relish the challenge that bowen gave him…

By: Martin

Martin — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:32:51 +0000

Rick, it’s true that Bowen had some good defensive games against Bryant earlier in Bryant’s career. However, Bryant also had some monster games against the Spurs. And for the past four or five years, Kobe has been annihilating Bowen on a regular basis. Look at Kobe’s scoring average against the Spurs for the past couple years.

By: Simon

Simon — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:14:09 +0000

Unbelievable post, just a great read – thanks, and keep them coming.