If you watch enough Spurs basketball, you know that Bruce Bowen has never committed a foul. Ever. His recent hilariously ironic suspension for attempting to drive his heel through Chris Paul's gonads got a discussion of Bowen's infamous tactics started. Via CSTB, Bowen defends his style, as well as his incessant complaining about whistles, to the San Antonio Express-News' Jeff McDonald."I'm a Christian," he said. "Sometimes when we feel like we're wrongfully accused, you have to look at it as people we try to emulate our lives after were wrongfully accused. It's about how you handle that, more than anything else."Bowen complains because, like Jesus Christ, Bowen is being wrongfully accused and persecuted. It is in Bowen's nature to fight back against foul calls four times a night in a regular season NBA game ... because the son of God was crucified 2,000 years ago.
Maybe I'm just a numbed Catholic, but I'm not finding the connection here. Not to question Bowen's faith -- by all accounts, of the court, he is tremendous -- but this sort of justification lacks ... reason.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-17-2008 @ 9:19AM
JJ said...
I'm sure that no one out there REALLY wants this conversation to be about christianity, but Jesus Christ took all the horribly unjust punishment that came his way without uttering a word. So, let's hope Bruce Bowen wasn't comparing being unjustly called for a personal foul to being beaten until blooding, crowned with thorns, and hung on a cross until death.
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3-17-2008 @ 9:20AM
David said...
Just when I think I couldn't hate Bruce Bowen more... I see this. Just... wow.
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3-17-2008 @ 9:48AM
Ryne Nelson said...
Bowen, wrongly accused or not, had this coming for a long time. To complain about it after the fact is ridiculous. He should be happy the NBA allowed him to play that way for 500+ games.
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3-17-2008 @ 10:43AM
August West said...
As Brian from Family Guy once said: "I'll be out on the veranda... since you're already on the cross."
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3-17-2008 @ 6:04PM
roger said...
Bruce Bowen bashing? How exciting and new. I was riveted by this article.
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3-17-2008 @ 6:17PM
dave said...
I don't get it because Jesus was actually wrongly accused. So can we give Bowen two quick T's please?
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3-18-2008 @ 4:24AM
paul said...
Bowen persecuted? Sure, what the heck. Horry never committed a foul either- ask Steve Nash! Ginobili has never flopped and Damon Stoudemire is a star.
Pops is a great coach and the Spurs have been a perennial great team- no question. All the same, it seems pretty clear that NBA refs, for whatever reason, rarely call the front-runners for fouls everyone else gets. Since the Spurs have struggled of late (and they're still on helluva team) all of the sudden, the cheap shots are finally getting called. Amazing, isn't it?
There is a precedent. Shaq, for example, was never called for a foul while the Lakers were winning championships. Maybe he isn't the player he once was but its curious that in Miami, he was a foul leader and in PHX has continued to get calls he would've never gotten in LA.
Maybe Bowen (and the Spurs) are feeling their age? IN any case, don't count them out in the playoffs.
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