Bowen didn't shut me up. Offensively, he was WORSE than awful. And defensively, when he was covering Hamilton, he was sub-par, especially at the opening.
San An got a big game out of Tony Parker, and in my opinion, that was the difference in the game. Ginobilli didn't get going until Parker got going.
Detroit lost the game in the second quarter. Larry Brown wanted to save Tayshaun Prince from picking up his third foul, and when Prince went out, San An got their offense rolling. I think Brown would have been better served by playing Prince. We're not talking his fourth foul in the first half - we're talking his THIRD. 3 fouls in the first half can be dealt with.
It was obvious that Ginobilli isn't going to be able to cover Tayshaun Prince, and Bowen got caught cheating the screens on Rip Hamilton. Given that Ginobilli did a good job on Hamilton, and Bowen is better able to handle Prince, if I'm Popovich, I'm switching that match-up until someone steps up to burn me. Hamilton was getting HOT (angry) when Ginobilli was on him, moreso than when Bowen was on him.
Once Parker got going, Ginobilli got rolling, and Chauncey Billups was busy forgetting the smart things he learned from last year's finals. He converted back into the Billups of old, rather than the driving threat from last year.
Hunter and Arroyo were hideous, as was Brown for San An. It was good (if you're a San An fan) to see Robert Horry yellling at Brown on the way to the sidelines following a time-out.
Robinson was a pleasant surprise off of the San An bench. If you remember, George Karl used to credit Robinson's defense when Milwaukee was playing well. (When Milwaukee was playing poorly, Karl criticized EVERYONE'S defense.) Robinson isn't incapable as a defender, as many folks think.
Another question: if Brown was going to pull Prince, why didn't he go with Darvin Ham? This guy is smart and tough, and will punish San An physically if they try to put Ginobilli (and likely Bowen, as well) on him.
