Unsung Hero

The rivalry between the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs is undeniable. The neck-and-neck game between the two was proven too much for Roger Mason, who brought the Spurs victory against the Suns. Apart from the Suns, there's also the Memphis Grizzlies that the Spurs ought to worry about particularly the guy named Rudy Gay. So, what's the Gay-solution that Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich applied? Have Bruce Bowen tail Gay and it worked in the favor of the Spurs, beating off the Grizzlies, 106-103, in a double-overtime game.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 32 pts, five assists. And despite missing the remaining 1:13 minutes of the game with 6 fouls, Tim Duncan dished out 29 pts and five rebounds. Manu Ginobili meanwhile had his low profile night with 20 pts. The Spurs' BIG 3 is pulling off games the way they should. But there's another player wearing grey and white jersey that deserves almost the same credit as the Spurs' BIG 3 gets and that's Bowen.

The perimeter defender of the Spurs took charge of Gay and limited him with 5-to-18 shooting. “A lot of times, I start out off them, then I end up on them, and they don't know what's going on. I more or less give them a different diet of things and slide my feet. They try to feel my body, and I'm nowhere to be felt,” said Bowen. Knowing the damage that the Grizzlies' ace player can do, Pop knows that Bowen can do the lock-down defense he's good at while the rest finish the game off. Gay finished with 13 pts and 11 boards. O.J. Mayo, the Grizzly rookie, took 29 pts along with Marc Gasol's 15 pts, 10 rebounds, and four blocks.

With Parker and Bowen providing more pressure on the ball, the Spurs forced several missed shots and turnovers and start chipping away at the Memphis lead.

Top 5 Perimeter Defenders

What separates him [Bruce Bowen] are intelligence and effort. Some consider him a dirty player beacause of how shooters sometimes land on his feet, but I don’t agree. - Stan McNeal

1 Bruce Bowen, San Antonio Spurs
2 Tayshaun Prince, Detroit Pistons
3 Raja Bell, Phoenix Suns
4 James Posey, Boston Celtics
5 Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers/LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Suns Need a Miracle

The next theme: Win Sunday, and set ourselves up for a miracle. Give ourselves a chance. Why not?" -- Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix Suns coach

I was definitely super happy yesterday because the San Antonio Spurs have taken a 3-0 lead against the Phoenix Suns after winning Game 3, 115-99. The Suns had homecourt advantage and my goodness, they really have a loud crowd!.. But they never took a lead during the game. They played great defense at the paint, but Tony Parker was just all over the place, hitting jumper after jumper. TP was simply flawless during Game 3 and made a career-high 41 points. Manu Ginobili, who was always "heavily-guarded" by Raja Bell, finished with 20 points. He actually scores 20+ points even with Bell hanging around with him. And the birthday boy, Tim Duncan chippped with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Everybody on the Spurs' lineup had their fair share of the victory. Fab Oberto, who came off the bench, had six points and a block. Kurt Thomas, a former Suns, scored nine points. Bruce Bowen did an amazing job of containing Steve Nash. Game 3 was simply a display of the Spurs' excellence, offensively and defensively.

On the gloomy side of the Suns, Amare Stoudemire stood out with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Next to him was Leandro Barbosa finishing Game 3 with 20 points. Nash wasn't his usually sunny self with only seven points and nine assists. The Suns have fallen way behind the Spurs. They're on the brink of elimination and this is definitely not what Suns fans want especially after the Shawn Marion-Shaquille O'neal trade. I honestly think that O'neal isn't doing what he has to be doing. If Marion was still playing for the Suns, the team wouldn't have a huge whole on their defense. And I've read an article where O'neal mentioned that defense wins games. What is he talking about?! It sounded like he lost his confidence to his teammates. My apologies, but Steve Kerr made the wrong choice with regards to O'neal. He was a huge mistake, period. If the Suns win Sunday, they'll need to win two more to even out the series.

Now, all the Suns need is a miracle to happen this Sunday, just like what Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said to his team, "'Win Sunday. Set ourselves up for a miracle.'"

>>The Spurs are beating Phoenix in the way Phoenix used to win. by J.A. Adande

“I don’t know much about baseball. But I know that story,” said Ginobili after thinking about the historic 2004 Boston Red Sox' victory over the New York Yankees.

Spurs Too Short-Handed

I was very pissed when I found out that Bruce Bowen was given a one-game suspension because of the kicking issue during the game against the Hornets!.. Bowen haters are probably rejoicing right now. I am sure of that. I've had enough of Bowen's critics. Laughable suspension..

Okay, enough of the Bruce Bowen suspension, let's turn to the Pistons-Spurs game. The Detroit Pistons won against the San Antonio Spurs 84-80. Rip Hamilton scored 25 points and Tayshaun Prince adding 17 points. The Spurs were outrebounded by the Pistons, Antonio McDyess alone got 17 boards. On the Spurs lineup, it was Tony Parker that was hitting the shots with 26 points and 7 assists and Tim Duncan adding up 20 points and 10 boards. The Spurs are short-handed and inside I was sure that they'll lose to the Pistons. I am going to forgive for losing this game, but they have to gear up soon because the playoffs is near and the competition in the Western Conference has never been this tight.

No Time To Waste Dirk

The acquisition of Jason Kidd in exchange for Devin Harris, Desagana Diop, & three other players meant that the San Antonio Spurs now have a chance to win against the Dallas Mavericks. Devin Harris & Desagana Diop were two of the Mavericks that really caused trouble for the Spurs. But since they're off to New Jersey now, the Spurs have a bigger chances of winning against the Mavs. And that's just been proven with the Spurs winning 97-94 against the Mavs. Every time we come down here it's a highly contested game. It's a big time rivalry," said coach Avery Johnson.

Yeah, I know that Mavs are still working on things but the clock is ticking. If they don't find their rhythm in time, they'll find themselves vying for a good spot in the playoffs which isn't gonna be easy. The Western Conference is tight and teams are few games behind the number one team, which is "currently" occupied by the LA Lakers. Jason Kidd is a great addition to the Mavs but they are still weak without the defense from Diop and quickness of Harris. They need to shape up now. Coach Avery is probably having migraines in shaping the Mavs into a greater team. Greater than the Mavs who faced last year's upset against the Golden State Warriors.

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Jason Terry charging at Bruce Bowen

2nd Straight Loss for the Spurs

So, it's 17-5 for the San Antonio Spurs. The starters for the San Antonio Spurs included Jacque Vaughn, Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Bruce Bowen, & Matt Bonner. For the LA Lakers, the starters were Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, & Andrew Bynum. The Lakers won 102-97, with Bryant having 30 pts, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, & 3 assists. As for the Spurs, the leading scorer was the underrated and tough defender Bruce Bowen. Fabricio Oberto topped the Spurs' lineup in rebounds having a total of 16 rebounds [season high]. Manu Ginobili got 14 pts, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 7 turnovers. Robery Horry had 3 blocks. Four of the Spurs are in double figures but still the Lakers have outscored the Spurs during the 2nd and 4th quarter. Tony Parker as I have expected was out of the game because of a sprained left ankle. I guess losing Tony Parker was too much a burden for the Spurs to get a win against KB24, who's got a whopping 30 pts and 3 assists. And oh! Kobe said he's happy he was not traded. I'm happy for him and to the teams that didn't lost their minds to make a trade for him.


The San Antonio Spurs record is now 17-5. The next game of the San Antonio Spurs will be against the Denver Nuggets. I think both Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will be ready to play against the Nuggets. I'm hoping for the best. Go Spurs!

Anyone Interested On Kobe Trade?

Parker, Duncan Sitting Out?

No, this can't be happening! Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will be out? While the rest of the San Antonio Spurs face KB24 & the LA Lakers. Tom James, spokesperson of the Spurs, said Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are injured, but will probably play against the Denver Nuggets on Dec 15 [Saturday]. Gosh, this is good news for the Lakers, I think. So, who will replace Tony Parker as point guard? I hope it's Manu Ginobili. This is my prospected starters from the Spurs [if Tony Parker will be unable to play]: Manu Ginobili[G], Michael Finley[G], Francisco Elson[C], Bruce Bowen[F], & Matt Bonner[F].

But as much as possible I want this starting lineup [without Tim Duncan]: Tony Parker[G], Michael Finley[G], Francisco Elson[C], Bruce Bowen[F], & Matt Bonner[F]. I hope Tony Parker could play [finger's crossed]. I don't want the San Antonio Spurs to lose against the LA Lakers.

"They are not machines." - Popovich, San Antonio Spurs coach

Spurs 12-0 at home

Manu Ginobili of the San Antonio Spurs against Utah Jazz' Carlos Boozer

Yes. The San Antonio Spurs has won against the Utah Jazz without Tim Duncan. The starting lineup of the Utah Jazz included Deron Williams, Ronnie Brewer, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, & Mehmet Okur. The San Antonio Spurs on the other hand has placed Manu Ginobili back to the bench and started with Tony Parker, Michael Finley, Francisco Elson, Bruce Bowen, and Matt Bonner. By halftime, the Jazz led by only a point, 51-50. But then came the 4th quarter, the Spurs got into their rhythm, outscoring the Jazz and winning 104-98. As expected, Manu Ginobili excelled with 37pts, 6 assists, 3 steals [which he does very well], and oh! a block. Fabricio Oberto led the Spurs in rebounds having a total of 11. And Michael Finley, back as a starter, contributed to the Spurs win by having 15pts, four of which were 3-pointers. And Tony Parker? Well, he was in a bad shooting mood but still added 16pts and 7 assists, not bad. Winning against the Jazz at the AT&T Center meant a 12-0 record at home for the Spurs. Kampai!!

Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams each had 28pts. I guess the Jazz duo weren't enough to beat even a Duncan-less Spurs. So, has the Utah Jazz measured their aptitude after losing to the San Antonio Spurs "without" Tim Duncan? I bet they had. Regardless of the Jazz' loss to the Duncan-less Spurs, they were more determined and skilled now than the Jazz who faced the Spurs during last season's Western Conference Finals. Maybe next year, January 28, 2008, the Utah Jazz would be able to beat the Spurs in the EnergySolutions Arena. To the fans, just don't throw stuffs okay?