"Bruce Bowen is gone.

And so are standouts like David Robinson, Mario Elie, Jaren Jackson, Fabricio Oberto and Robert Horry who made the Spurs' defense such a formidable weapon during the glory years of four previous NBA titles.

So it was understandable after watching Minnesota torch the Spurs for 57.7 percent earlier this season and Miami rip them for 58.2 percent for Gregg Popovich to bemoan his defense as one of the worst he's ever had.

Maybe those stinging words have resulted in an attitude change. But since allowing Houston to shoot 55.7 percent in a loss on Jan. 21 and New Orleans to shoot 50.6 percent on Jan. 23, the Spurs have shown a remarkable transformation."