The San Antonio Spurs Are Not ‘Dirty’

» May 16, 2007 | By Hoffman

From our Fox Blogging Community to the water cooler at work, people are calling the Spurs a ‘dirty’ team.

“Bruce Bowen is intentionally trying to hurt people…Manu Ginobili flails and flops too much…Tim Duncan is a whiner…the Spurs get every call…”

The San Antonio Spurs were always thought of as one of the classiest organizations in sports up until this series.

How quickly things change.

Bruce Bowen has earned his reputation as the toughest perimeter defender in the NBA. Bowen has been named to NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams for seven consecutive seasons.

Along with the reputation of being one of the most intense competitors, he has also been categorized as a ‘dirty’ defender.

Amare Stoudemire was recently added to an ever growing list of complainants when he accused Bowen of kicking his lower left leg while the Suns center jumped to dunk in the fourth quarter of the Phoenix Suns’ Game two win.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sc4yz__akIUp>

“I think the Spurs are a dirty team,” he said. “I mean, (Manu) Ginobili during the regular season kneed me in the crotch on purpose. I just hope the league takes a look at it and cleans the game up a little bit.”

Understandably, the Spurs took issue with Amare’s accusations.

“I saw the replay and it’s obvious I did clip him,” Bowen said. “But to kick him, that wasn’t the intention at all. It was an unfortunate situation, and I’m sorry he feels that way. But as far as me intentionally kicking him, that does nothing for me . . . I have a lot of respect for him so I wouldn’t do that.”

“I’ve got so many reactions but none worth saying,” Spurs forward Tim Duncan told Texas reporters. “We’re going to play hard, that’s all we do. I don’t think there’s a dirty person on our team with ill intent. But if he feels so, he feels so.”

Added Ginobili: “We try to play hard. I don’t think anybody’s dirty. I don’t know why (Stoudemire) said it.”

Game 3 provided more ammunition for those who disapprove of San Antonio’s play.

Once more, Bruce Bowen was in the crosshairs. Bowen kneed Nash in the groin as he pivoted towards him in order to clear space.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7J2SDouIqtAp>

A foul was called on Bowen and upon review the league upgraded the play to a flagrant foul one.

Compounding matters even further was the flagrant foul delivered on Steve Nash by Robert Horry in Monday night’s Game 4.

With 32 seconds remaining and the Suns up 100-97, Nash brought the ball up the sideline and was hip checked by Robert Horry into the scorer’s table.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yp4UF4Av_g0p>

Horry was assessed a flagrant foul two and ejected from the game.

Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw rushed onto the court in response to the hard foul and were each handed a one game suspension from Commissioner David Stern for having done so.

For instigating the melee and hitting Raja Bell with an elbow to the face Horry received a suspension of two games.

Despite the questionable tactics of Bruce Bowen and the unfortunate lapse in judgment by Robert Horry, I don’t think the Spurs, as a team, are ‘dirty’.

Appearance shouldn’t change principle.

The San Antonio Spurs are composed of family men who are active in their communities, lend their names to health advocacy, assist at-risk youth, literacy campaigns and staying in school projects.

During the regular season they were #1 in points allowed at 90.09 and last in the league in fouls assessed at 19.36 a game. *

Those who feel the Spurs are ‘dirty’ will counter these statistics by saying that they are somehow able to ‘get away’ with things that other teams cannot.

I don’t buy that.

The Spurs are a smart team. They play fundamental defense.

Feel free to question Bowen’s tactics.

Call Robert Horry’s actions deplorable but this is the intensity that is NBA playoff basketball.

It’s that intensity and physicality that seperates the men from the boys and determines who wants it the most.

Go ahead and hate that the Spurs are champions.

Hate San Antonio’s star player and their style of play because it’s ‘boring’.

But don’t call them ‘dirty’.

The Detroit Piston ‘Bad Boys’ and the early 90’s New York Knicks were ‘dirty’.

Those teams inflicted more punishment in one 7 game series than the San Antonio Spurs have in the past 7 seasons.

The old ’Bad Boys’ and Knicks left little doubt that their intent was to physically intimidate and do bodily harm to their opponets.

San Antonio doesn’t play to inflict injury or undermine the integrity of the game.