San Antonio will call on Bowen to put the clamps on Hamilton

SAN ANTONIO — Bruce Bowen has already done a lot of defensive heavy-lifting this postseason.

In the first round, the San Antonio perimeter ace covered Carmelo Anthony, and after that, it was Ray Allen and then Shawn Marion. The result has been the same — each of these prolific scorers saw his production drop, which helped the Spurs win each series and advance to the NBA Finals.

Now he has what may be an even tougher assignment — Detroit's wiry and elusive Richard Hamilton.

"He runs very well, and he understands the game well," Bowen said of Hamilton, who has scored 20 or more points in seven of the Pistons' last eight playoff games. "He's doing things that Reggie (Miller) did early in his career."

Hamilton knows what he's in for from Bowen, whose physical approach to defense has inspired more than one opponent to call him a dirty player. A frustrated Allen once took it even further, accusing Bowen of playing "sissy basketball."

"He's a guy that really comes out and tries to use every part of his body," Hamilton said. "He'll try to bump you with his hips, his legs, his knees and everything else."

Bowen's teammates, of course, see it another way.

"Inevitably, Bruce finds a way to stop somebody," said Brent Barry, who subs for Bowen at small forward. "It might not even be a way we talked about before the game. He just comes at you relentlessly with his athleticism, and he's smart. What higher compliment can you give a defensive guy who just keeps getting the job done?"

This season Bowen was named to All-Defensive first team, and he was runner-up to Detroit's Ben Wallace for the league's defensive player of the year.

The achievement is all the more impressive given that Bowen went undrafted out of Cal State Fullerton in 1993 and kicked around pro leagues in Europe and Latin America before catching on with the Boston Celtics in 1997-98. There were brief stops in Philadelphia and Miami before he was signed as a free agent by the Spurs in 2001 and immediately became a starter. He has made an All-Defensive team for five straight years, yet in his mind he's a journeyman who will never win the type of accolades as the offensive stars that he often shuts down.

"I'm committed to do what I have to do to stay on the court," Bowen said. "It's not a matter of getting upset that I don't get all the glory. Guys would give their right arm to be where I am right now."