Spurs

Web Posted: 05/22/2006 12:13 AM CDT

Mike Monroe
Express-News Staff Writer

As Bruce Bowen walked off the court moments after Friday's 91-86 victory over Dallas in Game 6, his path took him right past Mark Cuban.

When he got within earshot of the Mavericks' feisty owner, Bowen was startled when Cuban swore at him, a coarse, two-word curse whose meaning was unmistakable.

Bowen said he was too startled to respond. On reflection, he considers it something of a backhanded compliment but also believes the harsh words help define Cuban.

"It's him," Bowen said. "I was caught off guard by it, but it speaks a lot to me about who he is."

Bowen's goal for tonight's Game 7, to be played at the AT&T Center: Keep Cuban's curses coming, as long as they come out of frustration.

He has been scoreless in the past two games, but Bowen has frustrated several Mavericks with his defensive work. He has played 39 and 35 minutes in the Spurs' victories in Games 5 and 6, while taking only one shot in two games.

The leading vote getter in balloting by the league's head coaches for the NBA's All-Defensive team, Bowen has been able to focus more on defending Dallas' Josh Howard rather than Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki. That is because former Mavericks captain Michael Finley has done the bulk of the defensive work on Nowitzki and has been effective enough to keep Spurs coach Gregg Popovich from having to put Bowen on him.

With Bowen hounding him, Howard has scored only 41 points the past three games after scoring 56 in the first three games. He made only 7 of 17 shots in Game 6.

The defensive effort by Finley and Bowen has gone a long way toward explaining the Spurs' back-to-back victories.

"Whereas Josh can do other things, as far as being crafty, where Fin isn't reading his moves as I could read them, Dirk is getting into a position where he can shoot the ball," Bowen said. "It's easier for a guy to defend that, as compared to the athletic guys who are crafty."

Bowen has offered some suggestions to Finley about defending Nowitzki, who replaced Tim Duncan as a first-team All-NBA selection this season. Finley, however, is no "Edward Scissorhands," as Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson sometimes refers to Bowen.

"Bruce is first-team All-Defense," Finley said. "I'm about 30th team. There's no conversation there. He tells me tips.

"During our scouting report, different situations, I might pick his brain or ask him how he might defend a particular play. But Bruce is a unique kind of perimeter defender. Things he can get away with, I can't, because of his expertise at the position."

Finley, one of the league's better perimeter shooters, has played 47, 44 and 45 minutes the past three games. That helps to explain why Bowen has gotten off only one shot in the past two games.

The defensive specialist is content to play without the ball while the Mavericks aren't double-teaming one of his teammates by leaving him open.

"Luckily, Bruce is not a selfish individual," Popovich said. "He's not going to go home and say, 'I'm not getting any touches.' He just continues to play defense, and if he's not available, he's not available. It just means somebody else is."