On the ‘Fense

Defense is a tricky thing. It’s a vital part of any sport, but most athletes tend to focus on perfecting the offensive side to reach the top of their game.  With the recent news of defensive great Bruce Bowen retiring from the NBA I thought it would be appropriate to write a tribute to those exhibiting tenacious D.

The fundamentals of defense change quite a bit depending on the size and position of a player.  While big men focus more on blocking the ball, preventing the post-up, back door cuts, and easy dunks, guards tend to focus on stealing the ball while preventing their men from driving the lane and taking open jumpers.

Most often, the players recognized for their defensive abilities tend to be the bigger men because of their size. Tim Duncan currently holds the record for being the player most selected for the NBA All Defensive Team with 12 selections, However Ben Wallace holds the record for most selections for the Defensive Player of the Year Award with four. In addition to these overpowering defensive forces are a handful of guards who also had outstanding defensive careers including Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, Scottie Pippen and Bruce Bowen.

I frequently hear from the naysayers of professional basketball that “there’s no defense in the NBA.”  What these people are overlooking is the extreme height of physical talent of each and every player in the NBA which makes it so difficult to play good defense.  This is why when an extraordinary defensive player comes around, it is something special.  Gary Payton earned his nickname “The Glove” for refusing to let his men go by him on defense, this kind of tenacity is a rare thing in professional sports, and even more so on the defensive end.

When it comes to Bruce Bowen, you won’t find his box score stats all that impressive; however, this is exactly what makes him so unique.  Bowen was the type of role player that coaches dream about, one who would grind it out every single game to lock down on defense in order to get his team the win.  Bowen was not about getting the glory or the credit, but rather exhibiting the fundamentals of the game.  In the 8 seasons that he played with the San Antonio Spurs, Bowen and his teammates won 3 NBA championships and made it to the Western Conference Finals 4 times.  Bowen’s stats might not wow you, but his contribution to his team is beyond measure.

With the main goal of most sports to score more points than the opponent it is easy to overlook the necessity of a solid defense.  Here’s to Bruce Bowen and to hoping that more professional athletes take his approach to the game.