No Doubt About It

By Craig Kwasniewski

Bruce Bowen is a dirty player!

I know, I know... the sky is blue and water is wet. This is not really breaking news except that the sports media is afraid to say it because he comes off as such a nice guy (read: he speaks to the media).

We've had this discussion before on The Association followed up with a bunch of people defending Bowen's antics because he's an overachiever. Hey we all like the stories about the non-talented succeeding because of hard work and perseverance. Hollywood churns out 10 of those types of movies every year. It's the American dream!

Suck it!

Take Saturday night... in the first half of the Knicks-Spurs game, Bowen ran under a jump-shooting Jamal Crawford, increasing Crawford's chance of landing on Bowen's foot and rolling his ankle. Isiah Thomas was infuriated, drawing a technical foul for mouthing off to Bowen. I agree with Thomas's anger because Steve Francis injured his ankle earlier in the week from the exact same play against Bowen. Here's a video of Francis' injury:

Notice how Bowen over extends his left foot right under Francis? While this is not an illegal move it is an unwritten rule in basketball is that you never step under a jump-shooter, because it will result in a serious ankle injury. (BTW - unwritten rules in basketball all exist to protect the health of players as opposed to baseball which protect the pride of some dumb rednecks, like bunting in a perfect game.)

During the same replay of the video on the MSG broadcast, Mike Breen and Walt Frasier (a well-respected team) discussed Bowen's style of defense. Breen, who's also an ABC/ESPN announcer, took the vanilla stance of defending Bowen because of his aggressive nature on defense, going as far to say that it's not intentional. Obviously Breen wants to keep the national TV job and not offend anyone. Clyde Frasier, one of the greatest/coolest point guards in the history of the NBA, disagreed adding that, "other players have called him out... Ray Allen, Carter with the Nets..."

Here's the video of Bruce Bowen under cutting Vince Cater in the exact same way (watch closely as Bowen steps under a jump-shooting Cater with his left foot):

Bowen doing his "I didn't do anything!" is completely offensive to anyone who knows basketball.

Yet again here's a discussion on Pardon the Interruption regarding Bowen's cheap shot on Steve Francis, notice how reluctant both Michael Wilbon and Bob Ryan (both excellent hoops journalists) are to calling out Bruce Bowen as a dirty player. It's like a parent realizing that their perfect child is a drug adddict, they just can't accept the truth:

Comments

[Sean]

There were at least three fouls by Bowen on Carter _before_ the undercutting, too. Sick...and what B.S. commentating after Vince got ejected--are you saying that he deserves a tech for charging at a player?"--no shit!

Anyway, great post--I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that BB is a dirty player. Didn't he also knock Billups out of the air one time?

[John R]

Great post. Yesterday, I had a long internal debate and came to the conclusion that I would start a website called BanBruceBowen.com to chronical this sort of thing. And then I realized I don't have that kind of drive when it comes to the interwebs. But it was a good idea.

[Eeeee]

I like the second video. Bowen does have a tendency to stick that leg out underneath the player. Guaranteed to throw you off if you are worried about where you are going to come down.

[Dean S. Lee]

Just throwing my 2 cents out there on Bruce Bowen. I've watched thousands of games and have seen some of the greatest defenders to ever play the game, Michael Cooper, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan, Joe Dumars . . . I could go one, but let me make this one point clear. Undercutting a shooter does not make one a great defender: forget that it's illegal, or that it's an unwritten rule, it's not a part of anyone's game who would be considered a great defender. I don't mind slapping at a guy, using your hands or even bodying someone up on defense, but I draw the line at actually undercutting. Bruce Bowen needs to get undercut a few times to understand that it's just plain wrong.

[Jae]

I have been saying this for years about Bowen. He constantly does things that he can get away with because its always little things. The way that he tugs on people's arms and jerseys when they are driving in the middle, the way that he sticks his leg out right before a player lands after shooting. Its a travesty that no one says anything. Being a Knicks fan, I have a tremendous dislike for Isiah but he earned some respect for the way he stood up for the players by telling Bowen off. I didnt think the NBA would say anything to Bowen, but they did as I read in this morning's New York Times. I was happy to see that. Hopefully he will stop. Having turned my ankle numerous times by people who have done that, I know how dangerous that can be. Sometimes its inadvertant and you shake it off. But with Bowen? Its too obvious.

["L"]

Bowen might be a dirty player but he's a damn good defender. Don't be hating him just because he sticks a foot out. It's not like he does it to injure the player. Bruce is one of the legaue nicest players out there. And I dont think he would take a 180 turn just to play basketball.

[JOSE]

AS "L" PUTS IT, ITS NOT LIKE HE IS OUT TO INJURE SOMEONE. HOW THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW THAT. YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED AT THE 180 TURNS SOME PEOPLE DO TO MAKE THE KIND OF MONEY NBA PLAYERS DO. HE IS DIRTY PERIOD. RODMAN PLAYED GOOD DEFENSE. BOWEN IS JUST OBVIOUS..

["G"]

Bring back the enforcers. Other teams need to undercut Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. Then maybe this will stop.

[dave]

wow. the stupendous ignorance of these arguments is astounding. this is a man's game. these guys aren't children. they play hard. knees and elbows are flying. hands are constantly jabbing toward faces. sometimes you get under somebody trying to make a play. it happens. grow up.
stop being such pussies. ray allen and vince carter can't get into their offensive rhythm with bowen defending them so they resort to calling him dirty. kobe says bowen plays him better than anyone in the league. kobe is a man. ray and vince are babies.
the phoenix suns are babies. mike "i look like a gay cop" d'antoni is a giant douchebag baby. amare "i am tim duncan's bitch" stoudemire is a hulking, thumbsucking baby. steve "i'm frustrated with bowen, so i'm going to fall down and pretend he racked me" nash is the mvp of little faker baby squirrels. stop whining, man up and play some ball.
oh, and jon barry sucks!

[bhonjaze]

"kobe is a man. ray and vince are babies."

well, just like raja bell who can't play good man-to-man D on the black mamba. he is one pussy too. not even good enough to guard babies. lol

the black mamba is still the best scorer and the flashiest player in the sport to date.

[BannedFromPickUpBasketball]

Only no "D" playing, only want to shot the ball players complained about hard nosed defense.

I hate the saying
"Basketball is not a contact sport"

Thats why they invented tennis.

[tgarcia]

Why are you folks defending the Spurs dirty play??? Bowens knee to the groin and Horry's bullying cheap shot elbow are examples of dirty insecure playing, the fact Nash is a great point guard is deserving of another MVP, could jealousy be a factor? Horrys blank emotional demeanor as he delivered the blow shows the thug he is. Would he do this to a large like shaq, Kobe or one of the Utah Jazz's forwards or guard. defintely not. He is a PUNK...

[dave]

are you serious? firstof all, if the spurs are dirty, so are the suns. bell, diaw, and nash, in particular, have been grabbing, shoving & pushing the whole series, and getting away with it. they also have the audacity to call the spurs dirty on top of it all. the suns are no choir boys.
second, horry's demeanor shows he is a pro making a play he had to make. the spurs were not going to let the suns get away with all that "dirty play".
i've seen horry give hard fouls to bigger players, david robinson, in particular. the fact that you would call a clutch shooting, veteran with 6 championships, a punk, shows that you are not a fan of the game and know absolutely nothing.

[B]

Dave,

You must be out of your mind. I'm a fan of neither team, but it is now commonly accepted that Bruce Bowen is the dirtiest player on the dirtiest team. I can't believe the NBA lets him get away with it. Read Bill Simmon's article on ESPN.

He's right you know. If he played in a pickup game at my school's gym, somebody would've shown him that you don't play dirty like that and under-cut the shooter.

[dave]

ugh! i give up. you people are dumber than amare stoudemire.
"duh, i readed bill simmons' article and he said the spurs are dirty, and i believe everything i read because i'm a teenaged goon with water on my brain."
uh-huh. bowen would run circles around you and everybody else at your "school's gym". when would you show him? when you're gasping for air and puking in the corner?
go do your homework, genius.

[kobe's daddy]

Kobe's name is Tanya Sealy.
(see end)
.
.

"kobe is a man. ray and vince are babies."

well, just like raja bell who can't play good man-to-man D on the black mamba. he is one pussy too. not even good enough to guard babies. lol

the black mamba is still the best scorer and the flashiest player in the sport to date.

.
.
Black Mamba is a Marvel
Comics Heroin which is an
ex-Call Girl.

http://www.marvel.com/universe/Black_Mamba

[Bowen A Dick]

Bruce Bown is

Dirty!!!!!!!!
Dirty!!!!!!!!
DIrty!!!!!!!!
Dirty!!!!!!!!

and is Filty!!!!!

[tgarcia]

Daive(Dave),,rhymes with naive. you know zilch about basketball. Sounds like your experience is limited to the tv set listening to steve lavin, franchella, vitale, musberger and steve jones. Go back to your make believe pickup games. Horry is a Punk cheap shot artist who deliberately landed a cheap shot elbow to a smaller player. Let him try it on one of the big boyz from Utah. spurs were given the series from there benefactor Stern and his house boy Stu Jackson

[dave]

sounds like you're the one with all the tv knowledge. you can't back up your insults with any solid facts and you're just repeating what you see and hear on espn, verbatim.
i'm not gonna pretend i'm the best baller in the world (like most of the fools on this site), but i wouldn't back down from a challenge from anyone here. especially not you. talk is cheap.

[huigbhjgh]

"BTW - unwritten rules in basketball all exist to protect the health of players as opposed to baseball which protect the pride of some dumb rednecks, like bunting in a perfect game."

Ha! You've got to kidding me! Basketball is full of ego and 'unwritten rules' to protect people's pride!

[aaaarrggghhhh]

A good defender is completely aware of where his body is the whole time he is defending. Bowen is perfectly aware of where his feet and hands are, that's one of the reasons why he's such a good defender. My point is this: a good defender KNOWS when his feet are under the shooter. When I played, my game was all defense. Intense body-checking well-timed solid basketball defense. But I have never undercut a guy, in fact, I was always extra careful not to, no matter how close I got to his face on the shot. Bowen is DIRTY. You give a guy a three week injury for what? disturbing the play that extra fraction, which you can achieve in other ways anyway? Wrong wrong wrong
And that comment about the local gym is right. Dave - Bowen could run rings around us yeah, but after we're done vomiting, somebody would definetely show him... in the locke room or the parking lot. You just don't get away with that shit in environments where people aren't under the scrutiny af a million cameras and David Stern's Spurs-aasshole-licking gaze.

[John]

Hm, in the Vince Carter video it looks as if Vince swings his legs into Bowen, is that a dirty play for an offensive guy to swing his legs about groin high on the defensive player?

[B]

Dave,

Way to misconsture comments and then attack me for being a "teenaged goon with water for brains". Ad hominem really works. Or I guess ppl down in SA are really that dumb. Especially you. When I say read Simmon's article, I meant to look at another commentator's articulation of the situation. However, you being a dumbass spurs fan, didn't know how to take it and attacked me. Now, i'm commiting the same fault of attacking you. Enjoy SA. I visited SA once. I took a dump in teh airport, and moved on. I'll never go there again.

B

[dave]

timely comeback, b. it only took you a month. i guess you hadn't learned "ad hominem" in your latin class yet. i'm not from san antonio, i live in austin.

i understand what you intended by refering to the simmons' article, i just don't care. i can form an opinion of my own without the help of a no talent hack sports writer like bill simmons. you also seem to, conveniently, forget that you called me out first, not only on this subject but on another article as well.

i admit to responding immaturely and i'm sorry if i hurt your feelings. the teenage years are difficult. i should been more sensative. i can only say that i will try harder in the future.

you can attack san antonio all you like. i don't live there. i don't care. i am a spurs fan because they play the game the right way. i enjoy living in austin, thanks, and i am also enjoying a fourth championship. adios!

[dave]

timely comeback, b. it only took you a month. i guess you hadn't learned "ad hominem" in your latin class yet. i'm not from san antonio, i live in austin.

i understand what you intended by refering to the simmons' article, i just don't care. i can form an opinion of my own without the help of a no talent hack sports writer like bill simmons. you also seem to, conveniently, forget that you called me out first, not only on this subject but on another article as well.

i admit to responding immaturely and i'm sorry if i hurt your feelings. the teenage years are difficult. i should been more sensative. i can only say that i will try harder in the future.

you can attack san antonio all you like. i don't live there. i don't care. i am a spurs fan because they play the game the right way. i enjoy living in austin, thanks, and i am also enjoying a fourth championship. adios!