Bruce Bowen was a major part of San Antonio's 3 Championship runs.

Bruce Bowen, retired Spur, is making news again. In the tail of an NBA comet named Jeremy Lin, Bowen garners noteworthy mention.

The story of Lin’s ascent from obscure Harvard grad to NBA phenom has spawned sidebars about the best undrafted players in league history. Every Top 10 list I’ve seen includes Bowen.

Unwanted out of Cal-State Fullerton, Bowen became one of the great perimeter defenders of all-time. Dismissed as a one-dimensional player, he led the NBA in three-point shooting in 2002-2003 and retired with three championship rings.

His No. 12 jersey will be hung next month in the AT&T Center rafters. The story of how Bowen secured a place in Spurs lore alongside The Iceman and The Admiral is remarkable. Behind the light of Bowen’s legacy is a journey that began in shadow.

Bowen picks up the phone and calls the head coach at Cal-State Fullerton. Donny Daniels answers. Bowen disguises his voice, lowering it an octave, and delivers a confident pitch.

“This is Bill Engel,” Bowen says, “coach at Edison High School. I’ve got this kid you’ve got to see. He’s really good. About 6-6, 180 pounds. He’s going to be at a tournament near your university. Bruce Bowen. …”

Daniels bites. Days later Bowen drops 38 points in a game, wins tournament MVP honors and changes his future. …

Before Daniels showed up, Bowen had an offer to play for Division II Cal-Poly Pomona. Afterward, Bowen secured a scholarship from the school of his choice. “True story,” he says. “I don’t know why I wanted to go to Cal-State Fullerton. I just did.”

Even then, Bowen was creative and resourceful. Determined, too. He needed to be. After four years in college, the NBA ignored him. In response, Bowen took his game to Europe.

He averaged 30 points his first season in France but didn’t get along with the coach. Bowen played two more seasons in France, spent a third in the Continental Basketball Association and was once cut by the Fort Wayne Fury.

The Bowen resume looked hopeless. Who in the NBA would take a chance on a guy cut in the CBA? The Heat, it turns out, plucked him from the Rockford Lightning of the CBA and signed him to a 10-day contract in 1997. Bowen’s stat line: One minute and one blocked shot in one game.

The NBA door now open, Bowen bounced from the Celtics to the 76ers and back to the Heat over the next four seasons, a journeyman with this assessment from the DraftExpress scouting report: “Below average athlete and all-around talent. Learned how to become a good enough spot-up shooter from the corners to not be a complete offensive liability.”

If his story had ended there, he would have been celebrated in Fresno for rising from nowhere to the NBA. But Bowen wanted more and found a way to stand out.

Read the complete article at Spurs.com

Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 24 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 21 points and the Blazers routed San Antonio 137-97 Tuesday night while the Spurs rested Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.

Jamal Crawford scored 20 points, shooting 5-of-7 on three-pointers, and had eight assists for the Blazers, who led by as many as 48 points and sat all of their starters for most of the fourth quarter.

Gerald Wallace and Nicolas Batum each had 19 points in the win.

Kawhi Leonard had 24 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and one block to lead San Antonio, which snapped an 11-game winning streak overall and an eight-game streak on the road.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before the game that he was resting Parker and Duncan because the Spurs were playing three games in four nights.

“They’ve been going and going and going and if you don’t do it now I think you’re asking for trouble,” Popovich said.

San Antonio were also without guard Manu Ginobili and center Tiago Splitter because of  injuries. Both are expected to miss two weeks.

The Spurs were playing their annual Rodeo Road trip which keeps them away from home for an extended period while the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo takes over the AT&T Center.

The Spurs reserves got plenty of playing time and valuable experience on the hard court.

Spurs rookie guard Corey Joseph got his first NBA start and finished with 13 points and three assist in 37 minutes, while James Anderson logged in 35 minutes and scored 11 points.

Eric Dawson also made his debut with the Spurs and finished with nine points, six rebounds, one steal and one block in 32 minutes of action.

Gary Neal and DeJuan Blair chipped in 10 points a piece in limited action and Danny Green added 16 points.

Raymond Felton who had just nine points in Portland’s 103-92 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, finished with 16 points off the bench against the Spurs.

Wesley Matthews, scored 11 points for Portland, but left the game early in the fourth quarter with a mild left ankle sprain.

The Spurs continue their road trip and will travel to Denver on Thursday for their final game before the All-Star break.

Matt Bonner's 20-points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc was key to the Spurs victory over the Jazz.

Behind 20 points and 11 rebounds from Al Jefferson and 16 points and 11 boards from Paul Millsap, the Utah Jazz did their best to halt the NBA’s hottest team.

They man-handled San Antonio on inside points 56-30 and 41-33 on rebounds.

But the Spurs won anyway, thanks to a 47.6 percent (10-of-21) shooting from behind the arc.

Matt Bonner made 5-of-6 three-pointers enroute to his 20 point performance, and Gary Neal added 14 points off the bench as the Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 106-102 Monday night for their 11th consecutive victory.

A non-factor on the offensive end for most of the night, Richard Jefferson’s 3-pointer with 6.5 seconds left actually sealed the victory for the Spurs, who won their seven straight road win, improving their road record to 10-8.

Devin Harris scored 15 points for the Jazz (15-16), while C.J. Miles and Josh Howard added 13 points and 12 points respectively.

The loss was Utah’s fifth straight against the Spurs (23-9).

San Antonio kept the NBA’s longest win streak alive despite injuries to Ginobili and Splitter, who are both expected to miss two weeks.

San Antonio trailed by as many as eight points in the first half and 10 in the third quarter, before rallying.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points and 11 assists, Tim Duncan added 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes, while DeJuan Blair chipped in 15 points and four rebounds in 27 minutes of action.

James Anderson gave the Spurs some productive minutes off the bench scoring five points in just eight minutes of playing time.

Spurs’ rookie Kawhi Leonard had four points, eight rebounds and two steals in 29 minutes, while fellow rookie Cory Joseph went scoreless in four minutes but had three assists.

San Antonio will continue their road trip tomorrow night when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers.

The San Antonio Spurs called up Eric Dawson from Austin and signed him to a 10-day contract (Photo via Spurs Nation)

As reported by Tim Griffin of Spurs Nation, former Sam Houston standout Eric Dawson has signed a 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs, joining them from the Austin Toros.

Dawson, a bullish 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward, has played in 18 games with the Toros this season, averaging 15.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 blocked shots and 1.3 steals in 29.3 minutes. He ranks second in the D-League with 13 double-double and has scored 20 points three times.

This move should give the Spurs additional inside help they try to overcome Tiago Splitter’s injury, who strained his right calf in the Spurs’ 103-100 overtime victory at the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Dawson, 27, attended Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, where he was named a Division II Second Team All-American in 2007 and earned Lone Star Conference first-team honors in 2006 and 2007. He holds the school’s career record with 170 blocked shots.

He has spent the last five seasons with the Toros.

In 67 career games with them, Thomas has averaged 11.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.18 blocks. His professional career also has included stints with professional teams in Slovenia, Japan, South Korea and the Dominican Republic.

This move should provide the Spurs with immediate depth at frontcourt heading into tonight’s game as they gun for their 11th straight win when they visit the Utah Jazz.

The Spurs could miss Ginobili and Splitter for the next two weeks.

Ginobili was examined by team physician Dr. David Schmidt and an MRI confirmed Ginobili suffered a left internal oblique strain, he will remain in San Antonio for the remainder of the Spurs’ road trip and is expected to be out approximately two weeks.

Manu was hurt during the second half of San Antonio’s 103-100 victory at the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. The Spurs have won 10 straight heading into Monday night’s game at Utah.

Ginobili was playing in just his fourth game since missing 22 games with a broken left hand.

Meanwhile, forward Tiago Splitter is also expected to miss two weeks with a strained right calf, but he traveled with the team to Salt Lake City and will continue his rehab during the road trip.

Splitter’s inside presence will surely be missed, the Brazilian big has been a key reserve during the team’s winning streak.

Gary Neal made a 3-pointer in OT that kept the Spurs' winning streak going. (Photo via Spurs Nation)

But Neal redeemed himself and stole the ball 3.8 seconds later against Los Angeles Clippers star guard Chris Paul and hit the tying 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left that sent the game into overtime.

In the overtime, another 3-pointer by Neal, left wide open after a pass from Tim Duncan, gave the Spurs a 101-98 lead with 25.4 seconds left.

“We had a lot of guys play their hearts out,” Popovich said. “We’ve been on the road for a while, and I’m real proud of what they did just hanging in there. We started out real poorly, and they just kept their heads about themselves, played for each other, helped each other, and we were fortunate enough to get it done.”

Duncan, who had 11 points and 17 rebounds in 41 minutes, welcomed the only good luck the Spurs had on an otherwise troublesome day.

“It happened, and sometimes you’ve got to get lucky in this league,” Duncan said. “We definitely got lucky on that one. They say luck favors the prepared, and we’re prepared in many different respects. It’s good to have one bounce our way.”

The Spurs extended their NBA-best winning streak to 10 games on Saturday night, tightening their grip on the West’s second best record (22-9) and improving their road record to 9-8, and  but it didn’t come without a cost.

San Antonio lost guard Manu Ginobili and big man Tiago Splitter to injuries.

“I think we just lost (Ginobili) again, and (Splitter),” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said following the game, which the Spurs won 103-100. “I think it’s going to be a while.”

Ginobili left at the end of the third quarter with a strained left oblique. Splitter came out of the game in the first quarter with a right calf sprain. Both will be examined in Los Angeles on Saturday, according to a team official.

“It sort of looks like we won the battle, but it makes it tough to win the war,” Popovich said.

Saturday was Ginobili’s fourth game back since being sidelined for 22 games after he broke his left hand in a game against Minnesota on January 2. Ginobili was wincing in pain after Clippers forward Kenyon Martin set a hard screen on him away from the ball. Ginobili came out of the game moments later.

Entering Saturday’s game, Ginobili, a two-time All-Star, had played only eight games for the Spurs, averaging 13.4 points on 56.3 percent shooting from the field.

Splitter has served as a key reserve in the frontcourt for San Antonio in his second season with the Spurs. Prior to Saturday’s game, he’d tallied 9.7 points per game while shooting 62.3 percent from the field to go along with 5.4 rebounds in 21.3 minutes.

Parker led the Spurs with 30 points and 10 assists, DeJuan Blair chipped in 10 points, Neal added 17 points, three rebounds and three steals, while Matt Bonner scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench.

Blake Griffin had a monster game for the Clippers finishing with 22 points and 20 rebounds, Paul and Randy Foye scored 21 points each and Caron Butler had 11.

The Spurs will try to win their seventh straight road win without Ginobili and Splitter when they visit the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Manu Ginobili is still rounding into shape.

After missing 22 games with a broken left hand, San Antonio Spurs star guard Manu Ginobili is trying to play his way back into shape after his first three games since returning to action February 11 at New Jersey.

“I’m a little tired,” Ginobili said. “My legs are a little sore after the long lockout and the short training camp.” (Hat tip Spurs Nation)

Even before his injury, Ginobili said his conditioning suffered.

“In the four games before I got hurt, I wasn’t even there in great shape and sitting for 40 days didn’t help me,” Ginobili said. “That’s why I have to be patient, take it easy and let the game come to me slowly. I’m not looking forward to too many things, taking too many shots. Just let it come to me.”

With the Spurs’ depth, Ginobili said he doesn’t feel it’s necessary to rush back into the team’s offense.

“I’m not ready to take over a game or get five minutes or make decisions very often. I need time,” Ginobili said.”I guess I want to push too hard and I fall or I dribble on my toes or that I’m out of rhythm.

“So, at this point, I’m trying to just contribute, little things, try to get a steal on a pass, a charge, a rebound. I’m going to shoot, but I’m not going to be forcing a lot of shots right now.”

Meanwhile, Spurs’ backup point guard T.J. Ford went through his most extensive workout of his rehabilitation Friday as he prepares to return from the lineup after recovering from a torn left hamstring.

Despite his extensive work with Cory Joseph for about 20 minutes after practice ended, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said that Ford won’t play until after the All-Star break and the Rodeo Road Trip concludes.

T.J. Ford is making progress and could join the team after the Rodeo Trip.

“He’s not ready,” Popovich said. “This is his first contact, one-one one. Two-on-two will be next, that kind of thing.”

Ford was injured in the Spurs’ January 10 loss at Milwaukee. The Spurs have posted a 15-5 record since his injury.

But Tony Parker’s playing time and scoring have zoomed without Ford in the rotation.

In the first nine games before Ford’s injury, Parker averaged 27.3 minutes per game and 15.9 points per game.

In his last 20 games without Ford to share in the playing time, Parker is averaging 37.5 minutes per game and 20.4 points per game.

While Parker has done a terrific job in Ford’s absence, having his primary backup the soonest should be a welcome change for the Tony.

At some point, the Spurs’ All-Star point guard will need some rest, considering the compacted schedule this season.

Tony Parker had another big game, scoring 34 points leading the Spurs to their 9th straight victory. (Photo via Spurs Nation)

Danny Green scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high seven rebounds in his fourth start of the season.

While Tiago Splitter had 13 points, Manu Ginobili scored 11 points, and Matt Bonner added 10 points off the bench for the Spurs, who have not lost since a 101-100 overtime defeat at Dallas on January 29.

The victory was San Antonio’s sixth straight away from home, their longest run since winning eight straight road games to begin the 2010-11 season.

Tim Duncan failed to extend his run of five straight double-doubles, finishing with eight points and three rebounds in 19 minutes of action.

DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 29 points, while Jose Calderon added 16 points and 11 assists.

Toronto trailed by five points to begin the fourth, but used a pair of baskets by Calderon and a driving layup by DeRozan to cut it to one at 97-96 with 4:14 left.

San Antonio answered with a baseline jump shot by Gary Neal and a pair of free throws by Parker, restoring a five point advantage with 3:25 remaining.

Parker made all eight of his free throws down the stretch as the Spurs improved to 8-8 on the road and 21-9 overall.

Spurs rookie and Canada native Cory Joseph got some playing time in the second quarter in Toronto with the Spurs leading 50-39 with 2:19 left in the first half.

Green got all seven of his rebounds and made three of San Antonio’s six 3-pointers in the opening half helping the Spurs to lead at the break 55-45.

However, the Raptors battled back by making their first 10 shots in the second half.

DeRozan scored 13 points in less than six minutes, including two on a reverse alley-oop from Calderon, and the Raptors followed with a layup from James Johnson that tied the game at 66.

San Antonio answered with a 13-4 run over the next four minutes, taking a 79-70 lead and held an 83-78 advantage entering the fourth.

The Spurs will continue their road trip and return to action on Saturday night when they visit the Los Angeles Clippers.

Tim Duncan helped the Spurs defeat the Pistons 99-95, as he muscled his way to 18 points and 13 boards.

Tim Duncan had 18 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 33 minutes of action as the San Antonio Spurs overcame a fourth quarter rally from the Detroit Pistons, winning 99-95 on Tuesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills to extend their NBA-best eighth consecutive victory.

Detroit trailed by 15 points in the fourth quarter but came back to take the lead, 83-82 with 5:28 minutes left, behind some inspiring play from Ben Wallace, the veteran big man who set a record by appearing in his 1,055th career game — the most for an undrafted player since the NBA-ABA merger.

However, the Spurs wouldn’t meltdown down the stretch.

Richard Jefferson made a huge 3-pointer to give the Spurs a 90-89 lead with 2:20 remaining and after that, San Antonio went a “Hack-a-Ben” tactic that paid off.

Tony Parker who scored the Spurs final seven points made a floater with 27.2 seconds left to play to give San Antonio a 95-92 lead, and Ben Gordon couldn’t convert on the ensuing play for the Pistons.

With the Pistons down three, Gordon missed on the perimeter with Duncan contesting, and the Detroit guard was called for a technical foul with 21 seconds remaining.

The Spurs held Greg Monroe to just four points on 2-of-11 shooting from the field.

Wallace finished with nine points and five rebounds, Brandon Knight added 16 points and four assists, while Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 23 points.

San Antonio had seven players in double figures led by Duncan’s 18 points.

Parker scored 14 points, Jefferson had 13 points, Tiago Splitter chipped 13 points and seven rebounds, Matt Bonner and Kawhi Leonard scored 11 points each and DeJuan Blair added 10 points and five rebounds.

Manu Ginobili scored only one point in 25 minutes in his second game since recovering from the injury, but had seven assists, two rebounds and one block shot off the bench.

The Spurs won their fourth straight game of a nine-game rodeo trip and improved their road record to 7-8.

They will try to extend their winning streak to nine games tomorrow night when they visit the Toronto Raptors.

Coach Frank talked about how tough it is to guard Tim Duncan inside the paint, the Spurs’ three-point shooters and their bench play. While Prince thinks the Pistons should focus on keeping the Spurs from getting inside the lane, especially Tony Parker.