0:00 ... Ross hello and welcome the crew ... episode #227 is dedicated to Jordan Walsh of the Celtics.

0:59 ... Bruce introduces his fellow "Brucie B" ... Bruce Bowen ...

1:49 ... Bruce tells the story of the "unretirement" of his #12 jersey that he wore with the Spurs.

3:17 ... How Bowen basically created the position we now know as the "Three and D" and what the role meant to him.

5:02 ... On his battles with Kobe Bryant and how he approached the matchup ... his description of how he used film to prepare is really interesting. And how Kobe was always in attack mode.

7:34 ... Bowen's legendary battle with LeBron James in the 2007 NBA Finals and how he forced LeBron into uncomfortable shots.  But Bruce also appreciates LeBron's skills.

9:00 ... Ross asks Bruce about current stars and how he would guard some of them.  Jaylen Brown is singled out by Bowen for his intelligence in many areas.

11:33 ... Phoenix Suns fan Ross still has nightmares from his Suns playing the Spurs back in the day.  Bruce explains how hard it was to beat those guys in the postseason and how the Suns never played defense under Mike D'Antoni.

14:25 ... Bruce played for Pat Riley in Miami early in his career and he shares some amazing insight on how he and Riles interacted during their time together.  He tells an incredible story about a tense contract discussion and how he said goodbye to Miami and bet on himself to succeed in San Antonio.

18:57 ... Bruce played for Miami in some intense playoff battles against the Knicks and Bruce explains the connection from two coaches named Van Gundy with Riles.  Bruce has memories of Knicks fans coming to Florida to root for the Knicks.

21:27 ... World B asks Bruce about Tim Duncan and why he is not in the "GOAT" conversation.  Bruce gives a great analysis of how Tim thinks and how he took the baton from David Robinson and won more championships.  Bruce gives a great blueprint on Duncan's road to becoming a leader.  Bruce shares a great story of how Gregg Popovich made it clear that if Tim felt he wanted to leave San Antonio, he should explore his options.  And Tim never left.

25:18 ... Bruce takes a deep dive into his relationship with Gregg Popovich and how people misconstrued Pop's relationship with players.  Pop always made it clear that his job was to coach guys and that the negative stuff always came from a good place.

29:18 ... As for the current Spurs team ... there's tremendous upside with Victor Wembanyama and young head coach Mitch Johnson.  Victor brings guys together and all the current players respect each other.  Bruce mentions Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper as young studs along with a mature group of veterans that have quickly developed great chemistry.

33:16 ... Wemby has a competitive edge that has surprised a lot of people because of the way he looks.  The way he presented himself at All Star Weekend demonstrated leadership.

36:08 ... Bruce explains how Mitch Johnson has echoed some of Pop's philosophy but in a more contemporary style.  Pop was so much of a legend that he seemed unapproachable to younger guys but Mitch is from their era and relates well.

39:09 ... Dylan Harper is a rookie who is learning quickly what it means to be a Spur.  Having a system that emphasizes the team over personal agendas helps young players develop more quickly.  Bruce feels the team success gives Harper a chance to make a bigger impact that hotter rookie names like Cooper Flagg and VJ Edgecombe.

42:07 ... Bruce from 48 Minutes predicted greatness for the Spurs long before they started playing like a championship contender.  But they're so far ahead of schedule that they look like they could win it all this year.  What could stop them?  The "other" Bruce breaks it all down.

44:57 ... When discussing the officials and all the heat they're getting, Bruce feels like the the replays have hurt the relationship between players, coaches, and refs.  Bruce has little patience for guys that can't put a bad call behind them and keep playing.   As always, he has a great story about official Danny Crawford, who was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame.

48:59 ... The 65 game minimum for postseason awards has cost some players awards that they might have won.  Is 65 the right number of minimum games or should the number be lower ... maybe 62?  Bruce feels the awards should take a back seat to what is best for the team.

52:13 ... Word Association ... David Robinson: Man of Faith

53:21 ... Draymond Green ... Fiery and Comfortable with Self

56:11 ... Luka Doncic ... Talented to a Fault

57:42 ...Tony Parker ... Wisdom at a Young Age

59:14 ... Shai Gilgeous Alexander ... Aggressive Competitor

1:00:17 ... Ross wraps it up ... thanks Bruce ... and says goodbye ...

TRT 1:01:13

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