Unsung hero

NEW YORK–Robert Horry was undisputedly the hero in San Antonio’s 96 95 overtime win over Detroit in the pivotal Game 5 of their best-of-7 series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) championship last Sunday (Monday morning, Manila).

Horry, known as Big Shot Bob and Mr. Intangible, hit 21 of his 24 points in the fourth period and extension to lift the Spurs to a 3-2 lead in the Finals. He shot 5-of-6 treys, including the triple that settled the outcome with 5.9 ticks left in OT.

In the playoffs, Horry has knocked down 11-of-22 triples and is now the all-time leader in three-point conversions in Finals history, outscoring Michael Jordan.

San Antonio has two chances to clinch and the first possible closeout could come in Game 6 at the SBC Center this morning (Manila). If the Pistons survive, the winner-take-all Game 7 will be hosted by the Spurs on Friday morning (Manila).

It doesn’t look good for Detroit because the Spurs are almost unbeatable at home. They posted a 38-3 record in the regular season and are 8-2 in the playoffs so far. That’s a combined 42-5 at the SBC Center.

Still, the Pistons can’t be counted out. If there’s a team capable of coming back from a 2-3 deficit, it’s Detroit. The Pistons were in a similar predicament against New Jersey last year and Miami this year but they pulled through. The big difference, however, is Games 6 of the New Jersey and Miami series were played in Detroit.

While fans are heaping hosannas on Horry, the Spur who deserves as much adulation is 6-7 defensive guard Bruce Bowen.

In Game 5, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich tapped Bowen to eyeball Chauncey Billups with the score tied at 89-all, time down to 33.8 seconds, and the Pistons in possession.

Before the defensive switch, Bowen was assigned to shadow Rip Hamilton. But Popovich knew at crunchtime, Billups–not Hamilton–would get the call for the last shot. So Tony Parker switched to Hamilton, moving Bowen on Billups.

The trick worked. Billups, who scored the Pistons’ last two baskets, missed off Bowen with 16.9 seconds left. San Antonio failed to connect on Manu Ginobili’s driving layup and Tim Duncan’s put back as time ran out to force OT.

Bowen remained on top of Billups in extension. The result? Billups was 0-3 from the field and shot only two free throws. With 5.9 seconds to go and the Spurs leading by a point, Pistons coach Larry Brown decided to gamble on Hamilton instead of Billups for the final shot. Hamilton, trying to draw contact from Parker, should’ve been called for an offensive foul in unleashing the potential winner. There was no call. Hamilton got off a jumper and missed the mark badly. Billups never got to touch the ball in the last possession–Bowen made sure of that.

Bowen didn’t only shine in defense in Game 5. He also delivered 10 points, five rebounds and three assists in 44 minutes. Bowen buried 2-of-5 treys. In the Finals, he’s averaging 8.8 points and hitting 45.5 percent from three-point distance.

As Popovich’s top stopper, Bowen is the key to the Spurs’ underrated defense. In the first round of the playoffs, he held Denver’s Carmelo Anthony close to two points below his average. In the second round, Bowen did the same to Seattle’s Ray Allen. And in the Western Conference Finals, he suffocated Shawn Marion into averaging 7.8 points from 19.4 in the regular season.

"Bruce never gives up," said Brown. "He’s really intelligent and physical. He can guard you at the post. He can guard you out in the perimeter. He’s relentless in what he does."

Hamilton, who is Bowen’s primary matchup in the Finals, said the referees are allowing too much contact on defense. "Bowen gets away with a lot," he protested. "It’s crazy. The game is basketball. You go out and play basketball. He’s out there hitting you, holding you, tripping you."

For his part, Bowen said: "I don’t know if I’m getting in his head. But it’s kind of like, what’s new? It’s been going on in the playoffs. If you look at film, where you think calls are going against you, look at the opposing bad calls as well. You can’t just say, poor me. You never point the finger at the officials. Complaining to the media, that’s not my style."

What’s incredible is the 34-year-old California State at Fullerton guard was never drafted by an NBA team. He’s played for Miami, Boston, Philadelphia and San Antonio in an 8-year career that began in 1996-97.

Bowen struggled to get to where he is. His early years were marked by despair and misery. His mother Dietra was a drug addict and his father Bruce, Sr. was a drug dealer and alcoholic. An only child, Bowen was abandoned by his parents and cared for as a boy by neighbors and Good Samaritans. He did odd jobs, from delivering phone books to selling cookies, to put a few bucks in his pocket before his teens.

Basketball was Bowen’s ticket out of poverty. He played in Europe and the minors for three lonely years before finally breaking into the NBA in 1997.

Bowen is married to Yardley Barbon, born in Cuba and raised in Miami. They are expecting their first child, a boy to be named Ojani, in September. Bowen is close to his parents-in-law Rolando and Margarita who escaped Cuba in a boat in the 1980s. The Barbons are the family he never enjoyed as a kid. Because of the close relationship, Bowen learned to speak fluent Spanish.

Bowen was on the Spurs title squad in 2003. He’s hoping to add another ring to his collection before the week ends.