The Spurs have now lost the last four games I personally attended. So it goes.
Tonight's game featured a new chapter in the Ray Allen and Bruce Bowen love affair. Sometime in the second quarter Ray Allen jumped into Bruce Bowen to try and draw a shooting foul. Nothing was called and the two players end up tangled up on the floor. Bruce then, well, pretty much kicked Ray Allen right in the back. Not violently, but not a precursor to a sensual foot-on-back massage either. The Sonics Video Director Person did not show the replay (probably because a riot would have ensued), so I don't know if Bowen was retaliating or just launching a preemptive strike. Either way I cannot figure out why Bruce was not ejected; they gave him a technical so the refs must have seen something.
Again, I haven't seen the replay, but the NBA will probably suspend him a game. And you know what? The Spurs should suspend him an additional game. Look, I dislike Ray Allen with an unbridled passion, to the point where I will just totally make stuff up about him: he gets his pedicures at a low-rent place in Pioneer Square and I swear he once fondled my package while waiting in line at Red Mill Burgers. But you just don't kick people, OK? Yes, I know Bruce once kicked Wally Szczerbiak in the face. But that was during live action and showed Van Damme-like flexibility, so I will let that pass. The Spurs organization loves to embrace the "we do things differently / we are part of the community / we are a family / we value character" reputation; let's see the Spurs do something unthinkable: discipline a player for acting like an ass on the court.
Speaking of ass, the Spurs played like it tonight, but the comeback at the end of the fourth was a site to behold. The Spurs forced 2 turnovers and scored 7 points over a 63 second stretch that reminded me of an older brother deciding to crush his younger sibling's spirit at the end of a game of 21. SA had the game in hand when Horry grabbed a loose ball with about 15 seconds left and a 2 points Spurs' lead. He was along the sideline on the Sonics end and instead of just calling a time out he tried the old "I Will Just Fall Out of Bounds and Pretend that Wilcox Pushed Me and Will get the Call Because I am Robert Horry and I Smile Handsomely at the Refs" move. Didn't work; turnover. Ray Allen then buried a 3 in Duncan's mug and then bit his cheaply manicured thumb in Bowen's general direction.
The Spurs, not satisfied with the squandering the game with a mental-error, decided to have Ginobili throw the weakest inbound pass imaginable, floating it towards Tim who was trying to keep that damn Frenchman Petro behind him. Johan proved slippery, knocked the ball away and Rashard grabbed it and was fouled.
The Spurs, ever-fixed on driving me crazy with bonehead plays, fought over the rebound of Lewis' missed free throw and ended up giving the ball back to the Sonics. Granted, it would have taken a near miracle even if they secured the ball, but Jiminy Christmas will you just throw me a bone?