http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14239750p-15059722c.html
Kings notes: Artest steams over Bowen's style of defense
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, April 6, 2006
SAN ANTONIO - Bruce Bowen isn't making many friends these days.
First, the San Antonio small forward and renowned defensive player kicked Seattle's Ray Allen in the back recently, furthering what already was a heated rivalry.
Then during the Kings' 97-87 upset of the Spurs at the AT&T Center on Wednesday night, Bowen upset the one player who would seem most capable of understanding him.
If Ron Artest is crying foul about defense, something must be awry. And while the Kings' small forward clarified that he and Bowen remain on good terms, he said Bowen's tactics were nothing short of bad play.
"Bruce Bowen was smacking me the whole game," said Artest, who had 15 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. "I couldn't believe it. He was just smacking me. I was like, that's not even legal. That's why I'm the Defensive Player of the Year. That's why. Because I play good defense. No gimmicks."
The two were cordial before tipoff, standing side by side while chatting about perceived injustices of the past.
"I love Bruce," Artest said. "I told him me and him should have been Defensive Player of the Year. (Detroit's) Ben Wallace already stole it from me three times."
While Wallace has won in three of the past four seasons, Bowen never has received the award. When Artest won in the 2003-04 season, some claimed that Bowen was the more deserving pick, leading Artest to tell the media that perhaps the two should square off in a game of one-on-one to decide the prize. Artest won the latest matchup, holding Manu Ginobili to eight points on 3-for-8 shooting.
Early lobbying - For as much as the Kings claimed this was not a message sent to the Spurs, Artest - who was called for a technical foul in the second quarter - had a message of his own for the officials.
"The players are working hard, trying to entertain the crowd and do good for the NBA, (so) I think the referees got to work a little bit harder on looking at the calls," Artest said. "Hopefully, going into the playoffs, the referees could improve a little bit, because I know the players are going to try to improve, make it fun for the fans, and I just think it just needs to be a good effort on the referees' part also."
Take Two - Bonzi Wells was rewarded for his hard work this time.
One night after scoring 30 points in the 26-point loss to Dallas, the Kings' shooting guard had 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting, six rebounds and five steals. His lone block set the defensive tone in the first quarter, as he soared against the glass to stuff 6-foot-10 Spurs center Nazr Mohammed.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
Kings notes: Artest steams over Bowen's style of defense
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, April 6, 2006
SAN ANTONIO - Bruce Bowen isn't making many friends these days.
First, the San Antonio small forward and renowned defensive player kicked Seattle's Ray Allen in the back recently, furthering what already was a heated rivalry.
Then during the Kings' 97-87 upset of the Spurs at the AT&T Center on Wednesday night, Bowen upset the one player who would seem most capable of understanding him.
If Ron Artest is crying foul about defense, something must be awry. And while the Kings' small forward clarified that he and Bowen remain on good terms, he said Bowen's tactics were nothing short of bad play.
"Bruce Bowen was smacking me the whole game," said Artest, who had 15 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. "I couldn't believe it. He was just smacking me. I was like, that's not even legal. That's why I'm the Defensive Player of the Year. That's why. Because I play good defense. No gimmicks."
The two were cordial before tipoff, standing side by side while chatting about perceived injustices of the past.
"I love Bruce," Artest said. "I told him me and him should have been Defensive Player of the Year. (Detroit's) Ben Wallace already stole it from me three times."
While Wallace has won in three of the past four seasons, Bowen never has received the award. When Artest won in the 2003-04 season, some claimed that Bowen was the more deserving pick, leading Artest to tell the media that perhaps the two should square off in a game of one-on-one to decide the prize. Artest won the latest matchup, holding Manu Ginobili to eight points on 3-for-8 shooting.
Early lobbying - For as much as the Kings claimed this was not a message sent to the Spurs, Artest - who was called for a technical foul in the second quarter - had a message of his own for the officials.
"The players are working hard, trying to entertain the crowd and do good for the NBA, (so) I think the referees got to work a little bit harder on looking at the calls," Artest said. "Hopefully, going into the playoffs, the referees could improve a little bit, because I know the players are going to try to improve, make it fun for the fans, and I just think it just needs to be a good effort on the referees' part also."
Take Two - Bonzi Wells was rewarded for his hard work this time.
One night after scoring 30 points in the 26-point loss to Dallas, the Kings' shooting guard had 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting, six rebounds and five steals. His lone block set the defensive tone in the first quarter, as he soared against the glass to stuff 6-foot-10 Spurs center Nazr Mohammed.
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at (916) 326-5582 or samick@sacbee.com.
