Stoudemire calls Spurs Bowen a dirty player

Anyone who watched Game 2 of the Suns-Spurs series remembers the play: Just over a minute into Tuesday’s fourth quarter, Phoenix’s Boris Diaw hit Amaré Stoudemire with a behind-the-head pass for an open slam dunk.

But Stoudemire remembers it for a different reason — the sharp pain he felt in his lower left calf after he was kicked from behind by San Antonio defender Bruce Bowen. On Thursday, Stoudemire called the Spurs “a dirty team” and singled out Bowen and teammate Manu Ginobili as those responsible for his critique.

Replays show Stoudemire completing the dunk as Bowen, late helping on defense, kicked his right leg forward. Stoudemire said he landed awkwardly and felt pain in the calf immediately. He exited the game shortly thereafter, spending the next seven minutes on the bench.

“The Spurs are a dirty team. That was a dirty play, and I hope the NBA looks into it,” said Stoudemire, who had a massage treatment on the calf Thursday.

“I know it’s the playoffs. I understand hard fouls. But that wasn’t a hard foul. It wasn’t a case of playing hard. It was a case of trying to injure someone.”

The San Antonio Express-News reported that Stu Jackson, NBA senior executive vice president for basketball operations, has reviewed videotape of the play and determined that no disciplinary action against Bowen was warranted.

Suns coach Mike D’Antoni waved off the significance of the play.

“I don’t think it’s a big deal,” D’Antoni said. “I have no idea what Bruce Bowen does. I don’t really care. I don’t want to get into it because it’s so minimal.”

Stoudemire said he warned Bowen about his reckless play in Game 1 after Bowen ran into him at full speed.

“I told Bruce to kind of calm down because he might get somebody hurt out there,” Stoudemire said. “His response was, 'shut up.’ He didn’t want to hear it. He had an 'I don’t care’ attitude, and it showed in Game 2 when he kicked me purposely.

“He’s known for doing it … and it’s something we don’t need. We don’t need dirty players out there trying to injure someone.”

Stoudemire said he didn’t say anything to Bowen after the play because he didn’t realize how he was kicked until after he watched replays.

“You can’t just react,” he said. “It’s a playoff game. We can’t afford me to get suspended or more fouls.”

But after watching replays, Stoudemire had no doubt of Bowen’s intent.

“When I reviewed it three or four times there was no doubt … Bruce Bowen came up behind me, measured his feet and kicked me purposely in the back of (my) Achilles,” he said.

Stoudemire later backed off the assertion that the Spurs as a whole are dirty, instead reserving that label for Bowen and Ginobili.

Stoudemire said Ginobili grabbed his knee in a bear-hug during Game 2 while lying on the ground in an attempt to stop a pick-and-roll play, and that Ginobili kicked him in the groin on purpose in a Suns regular season win on Feb. 1.

“I wouldn’t consider them a dirty team because Timmy (Duncan) is not a dirty player. (Brent) Barry is not a dirty player. Michael Finley is not,” Stoudemire said. “But Bruce and Manu have dirty tendencies.”

Stoudemire returned to the game for less than two minutes late in Game 2 and threw down another dunk — testing the calf to see if he was OK.

“I came out sore but injury-free, which is a plus,” he said.

Suns guard Raja Bell — who like Bowen, was an all-defensive first-team selection this season and has been the target of complaints from opposition players — said he hadn’t seen the play.

“Dirty is not a word I like to use about anybody,” Bell said. “They play hard. They’re physical. It’s a physical time of year.

“But I didn’t get kicked. Amaré has the right to feel the way he wants to feel.”