Popovich's Main Adjustment: Bruce Bowen

ESPN analysts have pointed out many differences between Game 1 and Game 2, mostly focusing on defense in general, defensive rebounding, and Tony Parker’s offensive explosion. What no one has mentioned, and I thought was the biggest adjustment from Game 1 to Game 2, was the utilization of Bruce Bowen. Bruce spent most of the season in Popovich’s doghouse for reasons that have not been publicized. Bruce averaged 18.9 minutes per game this season, his lowest average since 1999 when he played sparingly for the Philadelphia 76ers. Bowen started for the Spurs during their championship runs in ’03, ’05, and ’07. He was a main contributor to those teams as he often shut down the best offensive weapon that the opposition had to offer. In Game 2, Popovich went with what wins and played Bowen a season high 29 minutes. During his time in the game he harassed Dirk, corralled Barea, mauled Howard, and shut down Terry. Do yourself a favor and watch the game a second time, as I did. You will be amazed with Bruce’s defensive performance.

Bruce played so well that Popovich started him in the second half with Parker, Duncan, Bonner, and Finley. As I mentioned before in WTF #9, starting a defensive lineup is the best move the Spurs can make. They are not going to outscore a team, so why should they start their best offensive lineup at the expense of their defense? If the Spurs are going to win, it will be because of their defense, not offense. Even with the Spurs shooting 53% and Tony pouring in 38, they still only managed to score 105 points. The Spurs won the game because they held Dallas to 84 points, not because they scored 105.

Bruce allows limitless flexibility on the defensive end. As I mentioned, Bruce defended Dallas’ power forward, forward, shooting guard, and point guard. Popovich can assign Bruce to whoever is hot to take them out of the offense. Bruce is also a great help defender. Many times he showed a double to force Dirk to pass the ball, then recovered to his man in time to deter the three point shot but still not allow him to drive to the basket. This is an incredibly difficult thing to do. If you recover from helping too slowly, you will allow a three point shot. If you are too fast, the offensive player will give a pump fake and drive right by. The ability to approach at just the right speed in order to deter the three point shot and still not allow the drive is incredibly challenging. The Mavs' shooters only need a second of daylight to get off their three point shots, but this second was not available with Bruce scrambling. When Bruce guarded Barea, he gave him a cushion on the pick and roll and dared him to shoot. Barea is so short that he needs an extended amount of space to get up his shot. Bruce’s length deterred him from shooting even when Bruce went under the pick. The few times that Barea was able to drive into the lane, Bruce guided him to Duncan or Thomas who promptly blocked his shot. When guarding Dirk, Bruce is simply a pest. He fronts Dirk, even when Dirk is 25 feet away from the basket. If Dirk manages to receive the ball, Bruce gets into his chest and dares Dirk to put the ball on the floor. Bruce is quick enough to make contact with Dirk and still recover if Dirk attempts to drive past him. Bruce shadowed Terry all over the court. Terry likes to use screens to find an opening. Bruce masterfully avoided the screens and played the passing lanes limiting Terry’s touches and wasting Dallas’ shot clock. Bruce played Howard somewhat soft. He knew that Howard was not healthy so he played a little off and dared him to shoot. In Game 1, Howard did most of his damage off of cuts and drives, so Bruce took that away and made him a jump shooter. If you like defense, watch Game 2 over again and study Bruce Bowen’s performance. It was truly a masterpiece.