Witnessing Spurs' perspiration is an inspiration
Reggie Evans is putting together some of the more outrageous flops this side of Gigli, and Ray Allen's open campaigning against Bowen paid dividends in five fouls being called on the Spurs' top bulldog in just 17 minutes.
"It is what it is. There's nothing I can do about that," said Bowen, who added that the referees probably don't read the papers. "Still, it builds character for our team to step up in my absence because you never know what can happen.
"Basketball is not a one-person game. You need your teammates. You need them to pay attention to details and know how to help and stay ready and be ready at all times."
Brent Barry and Manu Ginobili did a nice job in limiting Allen while Bowen rode the pine, holding the All-Star to 14 shot attempts and making him get most of his points from the free-throw line. He wasn't allowed to slip into a groove, which is a reason Seattle was kept at an arm's distance almost the entire way.
After opening up a 10-point lead with 4:04 left in the first quarter, the Spurs put a vice grip on that edge, allowing Seattle to get within single-digits for all of two minutes after that. They led by at least 10 over the final 15 minutes.
"That's tough to do. It's a coach's worst nightmare to get a big lead that early. In this league, that's almost always going to change," coach Gregg Popovich said of maintaining the advantage. "With the 24-second shot clock and a team just as talented as you, there's always going to be a run. I thought we kept our focus, and for us to keep that lead was gratifying."
A large part of why San Antonio maintained its focus can be attributed to timely timeouts. The veteran coach made sure to baby-sit his cushion, stopping play every time he felt momentum might be shifting. The team gets its next play during those intervals, and a reminder from the perfectionist and his staff to stay intent on defending and executing.
San Antonio's team has a motto, one of those marketing ploys every team unveils at the start of the season. In the Spurs' case, it's quite fitting: One team, one goal. Like the team itself, it's simple and yet effective. That's why Manu Ginobili, an All-Star himself, comes off the bench without reservation.
Even Glenn Robinson, a malcontent in Philadelphia as recently as a few months ago, has caught the bug and understands the team's defensive concepts.
"We had him hypnotized about two weeks ago," Popovich said of his reserve forward, who had probably played about 48 minutes of defense in his 10 years in the league before joining the Spurs in March. "Glenn is trying to buy in to the defense and what we're trying to do here. He's responded really well in the short time that he's been here.
"We didn't bring Glenn in to be a defender. With Devin Brown out, we needed another scorer. We didn't know if he'd be able to come in and adjust having been out 10 months, but he's been great. We've been thrilled with how he's played."
"No one really cares who shines here. It's just the atmosphere that's bred," Mohammed said. "Play like a team. That comes from the coaches. You play defense or you don't play, and everyone wants to play."
C'mon. It really can't be that simple. If that's the case, wouldn't everyone be doing it?
Nazr didn't really have an answer for that. He just shook his head and smiled.
