马刺1997-98赛季实录（680+篇）

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-01, By Buck Harvey

挥之不去的疼痛：隐形人，可见的裂痕

一个声音像他的人接起了电话，而且他在电视上被发现正在兜售汽车。但证明查尔斯·史密斯(Charles Smith)不是鬼魂的证据，是一连串的核磁共振成像。

史密斯本赛季还没有被看到，但他的膝盖出现在除了莱诺和莱特曼之外的所有节目中。在经历了一个秋天的测试后，指定的NBA医生终于进行了检查，马刺队预计很快就会做出退休的裁决。

截至今天，任何时候对他们来说都很好。如果这项决定在12月1日之前做出，马刺队将只有45天时间将史密斯一半的薪水花在另一个球员身上。现在，他们有时间直到明年夏天。

但马刺队并没有庆祝，不是在经历了星期天在亚特兰大的比赛之后，这场比赛看起来很像是在西雅图和犹他州的夜晚。如果有什么不同的话，马刺队诅咒了时机。如果史密斯去年夏天就接受了他的骨头对骨头的存在，马刺队可能就拥有了另一名射手。

现在？他们实际上买不到一个篮筐。

在星期天之后，马刺队不能沉溺于外线比赛，不能像在亚特兰大的内线比赛那样。迪肯贝·穆托姆博打出了在丹佛时从未有过的表现。

但穆托姆博依靠沙克、尤因和奥拉朱旺拥有的一切。射手。穆托姆博星期天很少看到双人包夹，因为马刺队认为看到他的丑陋跳投比看到史蒂夫·史密斯投三分球更好。

与此同时，大卫·罗宾逊和蒂姆·邓肯有时会发现自己打的是二对五。当像穆托姆博这样的人仅仅与他们打成平手时，结果就是星期天的比赛。

因此，马刺队等待着肖恩·埃利奥特，等待着查克·珀森，等待着交易。但导致这一切的等待不能被忽视。那涉及到史密斯。

史密斯上赛季缺席了59场连续的比赛，试图让他的膝盖恢复正常。他带着同样的疼痛回来了，马刺队看了X光片并告诉了他原因。除非他知道如何长出软骨，否则他永远不会恢复正常。

史密斯陷入了否认，然后又回到了康复。他想打球，这与钱无关。无论如何，这都是有保障的。

最终，史密斯与汽车经销商一起客串的那些片段，就像看着他的训练一样痛苦（致敬乔丹福特公司的各位：感谢让我们知道史密斯现在长什么样子）。最终，史密斯终于明白马刺队一直以来都在说些什么。他的职业生涯结束了。

一旦NBA同意，马刺队将被允许使用他一半的薪水，大约170万美元，来填补他的位置。他们现在不会花这笔钱，因为没有一个人值得花这笔钱。但明年夏天，这笔钱可能会买到一名首发球员，甚至是一名像史蒂夫·科尔这样的替补得分手，如果公牛队解体，他可能想要离开。

但这里有两个问题。第一，明年夏天，马刺队还将有一个100万美元的特例位置要填补。第二，那是明年夏天。马刺队现在需要一名射手。

那么，如果史密斯去年春天就接受了现实呢？例如，马刺队可以签下休伯特·戴维斯，因为他以第一年53.7万美元的薪水签下了小牛队。

戴维斯不会在亚特兰大扭转一场大败。但他会在替补席上得到证明，一个体型大的后卫，可以防守一些史蒂夫·史密斯，当他不是以43%的三分球命中率场均得分时。

而戴维斯只是其中一个可能性。史密斯的位置是否会吸引雷克斯·查普曼，一个连续射手，他接受了最低工资坐在太阳队的替补席上，因为承诺以后会有更多机会？

戴维斯在达拉斯投篮，而查普曼在菲尼克斯投篮，是因为另一个人不在。他们都是鬼魂。

点击查看原文：Lingering pain: Invisible man, visible cracks

Lingering pain: Invisible man, visible cracks

Someone who sounds like him answers his phone, and he’s been spotted hawking cars on TV. But the evidence that confirms Charles Smith is not a ghost consists of a trail of MRIs.

Smith hasn’t been seen this season, but his knee has appeared on everything but Leno and Letterman. After an autumn of tests, the designated NBA doctors finally have taken their look and the Spurs expect a retirement ruling soon.

As of today, any time is fine for them. Had the decision come down before Dec. 1, the Spurs would have had only 45 days to spend half of Smith’s salary on another player. Now they have through next summer.

But the Spurs aren’t celebrating, not after a Sunday in Atlanta that looked a lot like nights in Seattle and Utah. If anything, the Spurs curse the timing. Had Smith come to grips with his bone-on-bone existence last summer, the Spurs might own another shooter.

Now? They literally can’t buy a basket.

After Sunday, the Spurs can’t be consumed with the outside game, not the way the inside one looked in Atlanta. Dikembe Mutombo played as he never did when he was in Denver.

But Mutombo operates with what Shaq, Ewing and Olajuwon have. Shooters. Mutombo rarely saw a double team Sunday because the Spurs figured it was better to see his ugly jump hook than it was to see Steve Smith stroke a trey.

David Robinson and Tim Duncan, meanwhile, sometimes find themselves playing two-on- five. When someone such as Mutombo merely matches them, the result is Sunday.

So the Spurs wait on Sean Elliott, on Chuck Person, on a trade. But the waiting that led up to this cannot be ignored. That involved Smith.

Smith missed 59 consecutive games last season trying to get the knee right. He returned with the same soreness, and the Spurs looked at the X-rays and told him why. Unless he knew how to grow cartilage, he never would be right again.

Smith went into denial, then back to rehab. He wanted to play, and it had little to do with money. It’s guaranteed either way.

Eventually Smith’s workouts became as painful as watching his guest spots with an auto dealer (Note to the fine folks a Jordan Ford: Thanks for letting us know what Smith still looks like). Eventually Smith came around to understand what the Spurs had been saying all along. His career is over.

Once the NBA agrees, the Spurs will be allowed to use half his salary, or about $1.7 million, to fill his spot. They won’t spend that now because there is no one out there to spend it on. But next summer the money might buy a starter, or even a spot scorer such as Steve Kerr, who could want out should the Bulls disintegrate.

But there are two problems with that. One, next summer the Spurs also will have a $1 million exception slot to fill. Two, that’s next summer. The Spurs need a shooter now.

So what if Smith had come around last spring? The Spurs could have signed Hubert Davis, for example, since he signed with the Mavericks at a first-year salary of $537,000.

Davis wouldn’t have turned around a blowout in Atlanta. But he’d be proven off the bench, a big guard who could defend some on Steve Smith, when he isn’t averaging 43 percent from the three-point line.

And Davis is only one possibility. Would Smith’s slot have interested Rex Chapman, a streak shooter who accepted the minimum to sit on the Suns’ bench on the promise of more to come later?

Davis shoots in Dallas and Chapman in Phoenix because of someone else who isn’t here. Ghosts, all of them.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-02, By Jerry Briggs

马刺希望对阵尼克斯能找回状态

马刺正在仔细聆听，但他们还没有听到。他们正在寻找那种声音——那种带他们取得6胜1负开局的、久违的自信节奏。

“任何玩过运动的人都知道，它都是关于节奏的，”中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)说。“如果你感觉良好，你就能打得好。如果你有信心，你就能打得好。作为一个团队，现在我们正处于一个需要彼此建立信心的时期。”

“我们是一支优秀的球队，一支坚实的防守球队。我们只需要相信自己，走出去，在球场上实现它。”

马刺（9胜7负）在周日以96比108输给亚特兰大之后，首次跌出中西部赛区榜首。尼克斯（10胜5负）将在今晚7点30分在阿拉莫穹顶对阵马刺之前，将带着周六在主场以22分战胜菲尼克斯的胜利势头而来。

周一上午在圣母无染原罪大学进行的训练后，马刺队中的气氛是担忧的。前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)没有参加训练，而是接受了双膝的磁共振成像检查。

到周一下午，马刺队收到了两方面的喜讯。

首先，蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)被评为11月份的联盟最佳新秀。其次，埃利奥特显然没有重新受伤，他的右膝股四头肌肌腱在去年2月接受了手术。

“由于手术，我们定期检查他，”球队发言人说。“他的左膝有点肌腱炎。但这没什么大不了的。他吃了一些药。他将要参加（对阵尼克斯的比赛）。”

邓肯是去年夏天选秀大会上的状元秀，场均得分超过15分，篮板超过11个。

但在周一训练和录像观摩结束后，他并没有考虑个人成就。邓肯仍然为马刺在半场让老鹰队得到60分以及对手全场命中率高达57%而感到遗憾。

从防守角度来看，前七场比赛和后九场比赛之间的统计数据可能是最具揭示性的。

在前七场比赛中，马刺队被认为是联盟中最好的防守球队之一，将对手限制在87.4分和38.1%的投篮命中率。在过去的九场比赛中，马刺队的对手场均得到98分，投篮命中率为46.5%。

“我们的防守水平是不可接受的，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说。“好消息是，我们（作为教练）知道这一点，他们（球员）作为一个团队知道这一点，我们正在努力解决它。”

在前七场比赛中，马刺队战胜了丹佛、温哥华和多伦多等彩票级别的球队。从那以后，他们被洛杉矶湖人、西雅图、犹他州和亚特兰大等强队击败。

但波波维奇否定了马刺队的问题源于比赛质量的观点。

“我们（在防守方面）打得很好，对阵湖人，”波波维奇说。“我们没有对阵西雅图、犹他州或亚特兰大那样做。这不是个人问题。这是一个团队问题。重要的是，作为一个团队，我们在大约第七或第八场比赛后就没有打出团队防守。”

“我们没有作为一个团队做出反应。这就是我们想要回到的地方——作为一个团队做出反应。”

马刺队在最近几周还输掉了他们非常想拿回来的比赛——他们在主场输给了明尼苏达和华盛顿。

“我们似乎开局总是很慢，”控球后卫埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)说。“我们环顾四周，我们落后12比2，10比4，感觉就像，‘我们又开始了。’我们必须努力摆脱这种心态。我们必须继续战斗，坚持下去。”

埃利奥特在两个赛季前场均得到20分，入选了全明星阵容。在本赛季的16场比赛中，他场均得到10.2分，投篮命中率为41.8%。

“我们想要一个健康的肖恩，”罗宾逊说。“这是一个关键。我们所有人都是这样想的。如果肖恩需要一天时间去检查（他的膝盖），那么我们必须让他去检查。如果需要一个星期的时间来让他的膝盖恢复到感觉很好的状态，（那么我们就接受它）。”

点击查看原文：Spurs hope it all clicks for Knicks

Spurs hope it all clicks for Knicks

The Spurs are listening intently. But they just can’t hear it yet. They are searching for that sound - that long, lost inner cadence of confidence - that carried them to a 6-1 start.

“Anybody who’s ever played a sport knows it’s all about rhythm,” center David Robinson said. "If you’re feeling good, you play well. If you have confidence, you play well. As a team, right now, we’re going through a time where we have to pick up the confidence in one another.

“We’re a good team, a solid defensive team. We just need to believe it, go out and make it happen on the floor.”

Reeling from six losses in their last nine games, the Spurs meet the New York Knicks at 7:30 tonight at the Alamodome.

The Spurs (9-7) fell out of first place in the Midwest Division for the first time after Sunday’s 108-96 loss at Atlanta. The Knicks (10-5) will come in riding the crest of a 22-point victory at home Saturday over Phoenix.

After a Monday-morning practice at the University of the Incarnate Word, the mood among the Spurs was one of concern. Forward Sean Elliott did not attend the workout, instead undergoing magnetic-resonance-imaging exams on both knees.

By Monday afternoon, the Spurs received good news on two fronts.

First, Tim Duncan was named the league’s rookie of the month for November. Second, Elliott apparently has not reinjured the right knee quadriceps tendon that required surgery last February.

“Because of the surgery, we check him periodically,” a team spokesman said. “He had a little tendinitis in his left knee. But it was nothing serious. He took some medication. He’s going to play (against the Knicks).”

Duncan, the No. 1 pick in the draft last summer, is averaging more than 15 points and 11 rebounds a game.

But he wasn’t thinking about personal accomplishments following Monday’s practice and film session. Duncan was still lamenting the Spurs giving up 60 points to the Hawks in the first half and an opponent season-high of 57 percent shooting overall.

Defensively, the statistics between the first seven games and the last nine may be the most revealing.

In the opening seven contests, the Spurs ranked as one of the top defensive teams in the league, limiting opponents to 87.4 points and 38.1 percent field-goal shooting. Spurs opponents, in the last nine games, averaged 98 points and 46.5 percent from the field.

“We’re playing at a level that’s unacceptable on defense,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “The good thing is, we (as coaches) know it, they (the players) know it as a group, and we’re working on it.”

In the first seven games, the Spurs defeated lottery-caliber teams like Denver, Vancouver and Toronto. Since then, they have been beaten by the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle, Utah and Atlanta.

But Popovich dismissed the notion that the Spurs’ problems stem from the quality of competition.

“We played well (defensively) against the Lakers,” Popovich said. "We didn’t do it against Seattle, Utah or Atlanta. That’s not an individual thing. It’s a group thing. The point that is important is that, as a group, we did not play team defense after about the seventh or eighth game of the year.

“We did not react as a team. That’s what we want to get back to - reacting on a team basis.”

The Spurs have also lost dropped games in the last few weeks that they would love to have back - setbacks to Minnesota and Washington on their home court.

“We seem to get off to slow starts,” point guard Avery Johnson said. “We look around and we’re down 12-2, 10-4 and it’s like, ‘Here we go again.’ We’ve got to try to break through that attitude. We’ve got to keep fighting and keep pushing through it.”

Elliott, who averaged 20 points a game and made the All-Star team two seasons ago, is scoring 10.2 points and is shooting 41.8 percent from the field in 16 games this season.

“We want a healthy Sean,” Robinson said. “That’s a key. All of us feel that way. If it takes Sean a day to get (his knee) checked out, then we need to go ahead and let him get checked out. If it takes a week to get his knees where they feel great, (then we accept that).”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-03, By Jerry Briggs

马刺扼制纽约——圣安东尼奥的防守在对阵尼克斯时重回正轨

周二上午，马刺主教练格雷格·波波维奇抱怨，自 11 月中旬以来，他的五人团队防守“如厕”。

在这方面，你可以将周二晚上马刺 90-84 战胜纽约尼克斯称为马桶清洁剂。

波波维奇的阵容冲走了它的问题，并闻到了战胜一支优秀球队的芳香——胜利。

波波维奇说：“我们打出了我们在训练营和赛季初所练习的防守。”“我们遇到了一个障碍，但我们今晚回来了。我为这些家伙能做到这一点而感到非常自豪。”

凭借这场胜利——在阿拉莫穹顶球馆的 14967 名观众面前——马刺的战绩提高到 10 胜 7 负。尼克斯自客场旅行开始以来，与大西洋分区领先者并列，现以 10 胜 6 负的战绩位居第二。

有一段时间，尼克斯似乎要取得胜利，而马刺也会输掉他们在过去 10 场比赛中遭遇的第七场失利。

第三节过半时，纽约领先八分，进入最后一节时领先六分。

但是，马刺的崩溃让亚特兰大老鹰队周日晚上的比赛中以 57% 的命中率大获全胜，他们开始进行防守。

在油漆区和外线，尼克斯无法好好盯住篮筐。对于马刺来说，一位军官和一位绅士接管了比赛。

最后一节大个子大卫·罗宾逊和蒂姆·邓肯联手得到 13 分，帮助球队最后一节以 27-15 领先尼克斯。罗宾逊是美国海军学院毕业生，在最后 12 分钟里还增加了 4 次盖帽。

“大卫和蒂姆对他们的球员们的所有行为都提出了挑战，”波波维奇说道。“最终在许多方面帮助了我们。你们不仅阻止了他们，而且还让你们的快攻稍微进行了一点。”

马刺在最后一节迫使尼克斯命中率为 23%，在 26 次尝试中仅限制他们命中 6 个投篮。

对于一支近期一直在与竞争对手争夺的球队来说，这是一个令人惊讶的转变。

最近在对阵西雅图、犹他和亚特兰大的比赛中，马刺在第三节落后 26 分以上。第四节是垃圾时间。

波波维奇很难找到马刺在对阵尼克斯时摆脱困境的原因。

他说：“无法确切地说出原因。”“构成一个团队的因素有很多。最重要的是，我们的队员今晚致力于相互竞争，而这推动了其他一切。”

罗宾逊和邓肯本赛季的状态很可能也帮助了他们。

罗宾逊得到 23 分、14 个篮板和 5 次盖帽。与此同时，邓肯得到了 23 分和 13 个篮板，创下赛季新高。这位身高 6 英尺 11 英寸的新秀大前锋在最后一节用一次转身投篮让帕特里克·尤因几乎得了扭伤。

“蒂姆今晚表现出色，”罗宾逊说。“他在篮板上表现得非常棒。他无所不能。”

35 岁的尤因一直坚持到最后。尽管他与罗宾逊的对战记录下降到 6-8，但他再次以 25 分和 15 个篮板赢得了马刺的尊重。

“他是最棒的之一，”邓肯说。“我非常尊重他。他的转身动作很快，他的投篮也很棒。”

在 11 月初马刺以 6-1 开局的出色表现中，他们将尼克斯的命中率限制在 39.5%。

他们的投篮命中率为 45.1%，并不是很好，但球的合理运转造成了 22 次助攻和 14 次失误。

艾弗里·约翰逊有 11 次助攻，并在比赛末期多次投篮命中。维尼·德尔·内格罗得到 17 分，蒙蒂·威廉姆斯在因教练决定而缺席了过去两场比赛后迎来了复出首秀，在第四节得到了 10 分中的 8 分。

马刺的首发小前锋肖恩·埃利奥特出场 22 分钟，得到 5 分。周一进行 MRI 检查后，他膝盖的健康和稳定性遭到质疑，他第三节只打了 6 分钟，最后一节坐在替补席上。

“医生给他开了一张健康证明，”波波维奇说。

埃利奥特说他很好： 前锋肖恩·埃利奥特周二上午说，他经过手术修复的右膝股四头肌肌腱“一切正常”。

埃利奥特不愿多说。他在早晨训练后快速走过大部分记者，走到阿拉莫穹顶球馆停车场。他摇下车窗，表示自己并没有生气。

当被具体问及周一进行的 MRI 检查是否显示膝盖有任何新的损伤时，他摇了摇头，回答了这两个字。

周一有消息称埃利奥特可能不得不缺席，但周二晚上他首发并对阵尼克斯。

马刺教练格雷格·波波维奇在谈到 MRI 结果时说：“他的左膝有肌腱炎，但与去年右膝的情况完全不同。”

点击查看原文：Spurs put clamps on New York - S.A.'s defense returns to form against Knicks

Spurs put clamps on New York - S.A.'s defense returns to form against Knicks

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich grumbled Tuesday morning that his five-man, team defense had been “in the toilet” since the middle of November.

In that respect, you might refer to the Spurs’ 90-84 victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night as the Tidy Bowl.

Popovich’s squad flushed its problems away and smelled the fragrant aroma of a win over a quality team.

“We played the kind of defense we worked on in training camp and in the first part of the season,” Popovich said. “We hit a roadblock there for a while. But we came back tonight. I’m very proud of these guys for doing that.”

With the victory - in front of 14,967 at the Alamodome - the Spurs improved to 10-7. The Knicks, who started a road trip tied for the Atlantic Division lead, fell to 10-6.

For a stretch, it appeared as if the Knicks would grind out a victory and send the Spurs to what would have been their seventh loss in their last 10 games.

New York led by eight points midway through the third quarter and by six going into the final period.

But the Spurs, whose breakdowns allowed the Atlanta Hawks to shoot 57 percent from the field in a runaway victory Sunday night, started to make defensive stops.

In the paint, and out on the perimeter, the Knicks couldn’t get a decent look at the basket. For the Spurs, an Officer and a Gentleman were taking over.

Big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan combined for 13 points as the Spurs outscored the Knicks 27-15 in the final period. Robinson, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, also added four blocks in the final 12 minutes.

“David and Tim challenged everything from their big guys,” Popovich said. “That ended up helping us in a lot of ways. You’re not only stopping them, but you also get your fast break going a little bit.”

The Spurs pestered the Knicks into 23 percent shooting in the final period, limiting them to six field goals in 26 attempts.

It was a surprising turnaround for a team that had been struggling lately against contending teams.

Against Seattle, Utah and Atlanta recently, the Spurs had fallen behind by 26 points or more in the third quarter. The fourth quarters were garbage time.

Popovich struggled to find a reason why the Spurs emerged from their funk against the Knicks.

“It’s impossible to say why exactly,” he said. “There are a lot of elements that make up a team. The bottom line is that our guys tonight were committed to competing for one another, and that drives everything else.”

It also probably helped that Robinson and Duncan played as well together as they have all season.

Robinson finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. Duncan, meanwhile, produced a season-high 23 points and 13 boards. The 6-foot-11 rookie forward also nearly gave Patrick Ewing whiplash on one spin to the hoop in the last period.

“Tim was great tonight,” Robinson said. “He was super off the boards. He did everything.”

Ewing, at 35, played hard to the end. Even though his record against Robinson dropped to 6-8 in head-to-head matchups, he won the Spurs’ respect again with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

“He’s one of the best,” Duncan said. “I’ve got a whole lot of respect for him. He’s very quick on his spin move and he’s got a great shot, too.”

In a performance reminiscent of early November, when the Spurs jumped out to a 6-1 start, they held the Knicks to 39.5 percent shooting.

Their offense wasn’t great at 45.1 percent accuracy, but it did have a decent flow with 22 assists and 14 turnovers.

Avery Johnson had 11 assists and set up a number of baskets down the stretch. Vinny Del Negro scored 17 points and Monty Williams, in his first game after sitting out the last two on coach’s decision, scored eight of his 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Sean Elliott, the Spurs’ starting small forward, played 22 minutes and scored five points. With the health and stability of his knees in question after being sent to the doctor for MRI exams Monday, he played only six minutes in the third period and sat on the bench for the last quarter.

“He got a clean bill of health from the doctor,” Popovich said.

Notes

- Elliott says he’s fine: Forward Sean Elliott said Tuesday morning that “everything’s fine” with his surgically-repaired right knee quadriceps tendon.

Elliott wouldn’t elaborate. He brushed past most reporters after a morning shootaround and walked to the Alamodome parking lot. He rolled down the window on his car and said he wasn’t mad at the media.

Asked specifically if MRI exams Monday showed any new damage to the knee, he shook his head and issued his two-word response.

There were hints Monday that Elliott might have to sit out, but he started and played Tuesday night against the Knicks.

Talking about the MRI results, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said: “There was tendinitis in his left knee, but nothing like it was in his right knee last year.” - Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-03, By Jerry Briggs
When the joking stopped Tuesday morning at the Alamodome, players and coaches on the Spurs and the visiting New York Knicks paused to consider the severity of a physical attack by a Golden State Warriors player on his coach.

According to published reports, Warriors guard Latrell Sprewell choked and later threw a glancing punch off the side of Coach P.J. Carlesimo’s neck.

During the fracas at the Warriors’ practice facility Monday afternoon in Oakland, Calif., Sprewell wrapped his hands around Carlesimo’s neck and threatened to kill him, a Bay Area newspaper reported.

As the Spurs and Knicks went through their morning warmup session to prepare for Tuesday night’s game, nobody seemed to be aware of the alleged death threat.

Players and coaches knew only that Sprewell and the first-year Warriors coach had grappled in an apparent blowup of their simmering feud that started soon after training camp opened in October.

“I asked my players if any of them ever wanted to choke me,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked. “Four of them said they wanted to choke me and three said they wanted to choke (assistant coach) Hank (Egan). I think they were probably being honest.”

Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy said, in jest, that he wants to send a message to his tall and muscled players.

“I am going to put in the media guide next year that I’m an avid bodybuilder in the offseason,” Van Gundy said.

The incident will almost assuredly quash any interest the Spurs have in Sprewell.

In the past few weeks, Popovich reportedly has been involved in trade talks in an effort to acquire Sprewell. But it is known inside the organization that Spurs chairman Peter Holt will not look favorably on recruitment of a potential troublemaker.

Asked to give a serious assessment of the incident, Popovich brushed off the question, saying, “I can’t be responsible for their guys.”

Spurs players cautioned fans not to judge Sprewell too harshly until a more complete picture of his relationship with Carlesimo has been painted.

“Am I surprised? Yeah,” Spurs guard Vinny Del Negro said. “It’s unfortunate for P.J. and the organization and obviously for Latrell. Their team is not off to the greatest start (at 1-13), and there’s a lot of pressure. These things happen.”

Players fighting with other players in the NBA is a fairly common occurrence. But incidents where players have attacked referees or team officials aren’t seen every year.

Ex-Spurs guard Alvin Robertson, playing in Detroit, once went after former Pistons general manager Billy McKinney in 1993. During a game in the spring of 1996, Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Van Exel shoved referee Ron Garretson into the scorer’s table.

The Sprewell incident may rekindle talk of tougher penalties on players who get out of line.

Buck Williams, a former president of the NBA Players Association and a 17th-year forward playing for the Knicks, lamented the potential damage to public perception of the game in general.

“Years ago when I first came into the league, we had an image problem,” Williams said. “The league was perceived as too black and drug infested. And I hate to see these kinds of incidents. It’s not good for NBA basketball.”

Spurs guard Cory Alexander said he empathizes with Sprewell, whose reputation may be permanently stained.

“This is bad for everyone involved,” Alexander said. “You never want to see something like that happen. It’s bad for everybody, but it’s probably worse for Spre because he’ll never be able to salvage that. He’s a great player, but this will never be forgiven.”

According to sources who spoke to the San Jose Mercury News, the first confrontation between Carlesimo and Sprewell developed during a shooting drill.

A source said Carlesimo gave instruction to Sprewell, but he told the coach, “I don’t want to hear it today.”

Carlesimo approached Sprewell, but the player put his hands around the coach’s throat and dragged him on the ground. Several players ran to the scene to separate the two.

According to a source, Sprewell threatened to kill Carlesimo and the coach responded, “I’m right here.”

After the two were separated, Sprewell went to the dressing area. He later returned to the floor, wading through teammates, and threw a punch that glanced off the side of the Carlesimo’s neck.

Carlesimo would not immediately comment on why he had scratches on his neck.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-04, By Buck Harvey

绞杀斯普雷维尔？交易的暴力转折

马刺队想把双手放到拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔的脖子上。然后拉近他，亲吻他的双颊。

不是因为他做了什么，而是因为他引起了什么。当斯普雷维尔对PJ·卡莱西莫实施绞杀时，他也扼杀了自己的市场价值。绞杀后的斯普雷的股票如此之低，马刺队实际上可能有价值相当的东西来交易。

这就是这个喉咙的转折。这次袭击并没有让马刺队失去兴趣，反而让交易电话再次接通。

这可能是一笔对双方都有帮助的交易。那些希望马刺队变得更好的人会庆祝，而那些希望格雷格·波波维奇被勒死的人会看到美味的潜力。

这需要一些说服，特别是对于彼得·霍尔特来说，因为攻击不是一个好的营销工具。但论点很简单：这个陷入困境的球队能承受得住放弃他们需要的球员吗？

斯普雷维尔是一位年轻的德雷克斯勒。勇士队将他选中作为一名防守队员，然后发现他可以得到40分。难怪马刺队一个月前和现在仍然想要他。想象一下他和大卫·罗宾逊以及蒂姆·邓肯在一起。

马刺队这样做。他们可能会让斯普雷维尔和艾弗里·约翰逊一起首发，让维尼·德尔内格罗担任他们的替补。在需要的时候，斯普雷维尔和德尔内格罗将会一起比赛，以掩盖AJ不稳定的投篮的劣势。

这件事以前发生过。四年前，当蒂姆·哈达威受伤时，AJ为勇士队首发。金州勇士队赢得了50场比赛。但在季后赛开始时，唐·尼尔森将斯普雷维尔调到了控球后卫位置，并让AJ替补。

这从未影响到AJ与斯普雷维尔的关系。这两人仍然保持联系，上个月，当金州勇士队来到城里时，斯普雷维尔问AJ有关交易的可能性。

这就是马刺队喜欢他们的机会的原因。他们了解他。除了AJ之外，还有马刺队的人事专家萨姆·舒勒，他在勇士队选中斯普雷维尔之前就研究过他。当时作为金州勇士队的助理教练保罗·普雷西。还有波波维奇，也是勇士队的助理教练，也是斯普雷维尔的长期粉丝。

他们在这一点上没有为斯普雷维尔辩护。如果有的话，他们知道这符合他的性格。斯普雷维尔接近反社会。他不仅不和媒体说话，他和任何人都不怎么说话。甚至试着让他参加团队圣诞节派对。

这些马刺队也看到了他暴力的一面。勇士队有一位来自俄克拉荷马州立大学的肌肉型前锋拜伦·休斯顿，他的体重比斯普雷维尔重60磅。“每个人都远离休斯顿，”尼尔森说。

一天在训练中，斯普雷维尔没有这样做。三拳之后，休斯顿倒地。在场的马刺队只有一个想法。可怕。

他的大学队友罗伯特·霍里是那个对他们的阿拉巴马教练大喊大叫的人。斯普雷维尔是一个安静的孩子，当马刺队的团队在那里的时候，他在金州勇士队也是这样。但那是四年前的事了。丹尼斯·罗德曼也发生了变化，随着他的职业生涯的发展。

尼尔森说，“拉特雷尔要做的就是来训练，努力比赛，然后回家。直到我执教他最后一年之前，他都是我的快乐源泉。”

直到他执教的最后一年？当尼尔森交易了斯普雷维尔的两位朋友克里斯·韦伯和比利·欧文斯时，斯普雷维尔愤怒到穿着写有他们名字的运动鞋比赛。

但尼尔森也记得另一件事，当他外出旅行时，很累，想着退出比赛。“他来到飞机后面，坐下来陪我，”尼尔森说。“他试图劝我打消这个念头。他非常支持我在我最低落的时候。”

尼尔森感觉很温暖。但当他接管达拉斯时，他没有计划交易斯普雷维尔。费城上个夏天考虑过这件事。迈阿密本周正在考虑，直到哈达威出来说，总之，如果斯普雷维尔出现，他就会离开。

因此，马刺队想知道联盟会怎么做。与斯普雷维尔见面。看看他有什么改变，以及他如何为此事道歉。并询问一个糟糕球队的得分后卫是否准备好适应。

这是假设谈判会变得认真。马刺队可能仍然没有什么可提供的。肖恩·埃利奥特要求交易的原因很明显：他应该要求某支球队先带走他。

如果发生任何事，为罗德曼而来过的威尔·帕杜也将为斯普雷维尔而来。罗德曼也压低了自己的市场价值。

所以现在情况相反了。马刺队将倾听并看看便宜的价格是否仍然值得投资。但他们获得这次机会的唯一原因是因为玉米行列里他自己。他真的亲自动手了。

点击查看原文：Killing Spre? Violent twist of a trade

Killing Spre? Violent twist of a trade

The Spurs would like to put their hands around Latrell Sprewell’s neck. Then pull him close to kiss him on both cheeks.

Not for what he did, but for what he caused. When Sprewell gave P.J. Carlesimo the choke-esimo, he also squeezed away his market value. The killing Spre’s stock is so low, the Spurs might actually have something of equal value to trade.

So that’s the twist of this throat. The assault didn’t turn off the Spurs as much as it turned the trade phones back on.

This could be the deal that helps both sides. Those who want the Spurs to get better would celebrate, and those who want Gregg Popovich to get strangled would see delicious potential.

It would take some selling, especially to Peter Holt, because assault is not a nice marketing tool. But the argument will be simple: Can this struggling team afford to pass on exactly the type of player it needs?

Sprewell is a young Drexler. The Warriors drafted him as a defender, then found out he could score 40. No wonder the Spurs wanted him a month ago and still do. Imagine him with David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

The Spurs do. They would probably start Sprewell next to Avery Johnson, with Vinny Del Negro backing up both. When needed, Sprewell and Del Negro would play together and remove AJ’s spotty shooting from the equation.

That’s happened before. Four years ago, AJ started for the Warriors when Tim Hardaway was injured. Golden State won 50 games. But when the playoffs began, Don Nelson moved Sprewell over to the point and benched AJ.

It never affected AJ’s relationship with Sprewell. The two still talk, and last month, when Golden State came to town, Sprewell asked AJ about trade possibilities.

That’s the reason the Spurs like their chances. They know him. Besides AJ, there’s Sam Schuler, the Spurs’ personnel guru, who researched Sprewell before the Warriors drafted him. Paul Pressey, an assistant at Golden State then. And Popovich, also an assistant with the Warriors and a longtime Sprewell fan.

They don’t defend Sprewell on this one. If anything, they know it fits the profile. Sprewell borders on anti-social. He not only doesn’t talk to the media, he doesn’t talk much to anyone. Try even getting him to the team Christmas party.

These Spurs also saw his violent side. The Warriors had a muscular forward from Oklahoma State, Byron Houston, who outweighed Sprewell by 60 pounds. “Everyone stayed away from Houston,” said Nelson.

One day in practice, Sprewell didn’t. Three punches and Houston went down. The Spurs there had one thought. Scary.

His college teammate, Robert Horry, was the one who yelled back at their Alabama coach. Sprewell was the quiet kid, and he was the same at Golden State when the Spurs’ group was there. But that was four years ago. Dennis Rodman changed, too, as his career went along.

Nelson says, “All Latrell would do was come to practice, play hard and go home. He was a pleasure for me to coach until my last year there.”

Until his last year? When Nelson traded two of Sprewell’s friends, Chris Webber and Billy Owens, Sprewell was angry enough that he played with their names written on his sneakers.

But Nelson also remembers something else, when he was on a road trip, tired, thinking about getting out of the game. “He came to the back of the plane to sit down with me,” said Nelson. “He tried to talk me out of it. He was very supportive of me in one of my lowest times.”

Nelson feels warm fuzzys. But as he takes over in Dallas, he has no plans to trade for Sprewell. Philadelphia thought about it last summer. Miami was thinking about it this week, until Hardaway came out and said, in short, he’s leaving if Sprewell shows.

So the Spurs will want to see what the league does. Meet with Sprewell. See what’s changed with him and how he apologizes for this. And ask if a scorer on a bad team is ready to fit in.

That’s assuming talks get serious. The Spurs still might not have enough to offer. And here’s the skinny on Sean Elliott demanding a trade: He ought to be demanding that some team take him first.

If anything happens, the same Will Perdue who came for Rodman would also go for Sprewell. And Rodman, too, had lowered his market value.

So now it’s the other way. The Spurs will listen and see if the bargain price is still worth an investment. But the only reason they get even this chance is because of the corn-rowed Worm himself. He literally took this into his own hands.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-04, By Jerry Briggs

波波维奇否认埃利奥特交易报道

马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 否认了电视报道中关于前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 要求交易的说法。

埃利奥特目前无法立即发表评论。

“肖恩·埃利奥特没有要求交易，”波波维奇说，“无论从哪个角度来看，他都没有这样做。”

波波维奇在从他在加州圣莫尼卡的酒店打来的电话采访中说，他不知道埃利奥特是否想被交易，而且埃利奥特并没有正式提出交易请求。

“你得去问他，”波波维奇说，他还兼任球队的总经理。“他就像我的儿子。我在 1995 年与他签了一份（六年）3000 万美元的合同。如果发生了一些事，我会知道的。”

波波维奇表示，埃利奥特将在今晚 9:30 马刺队在洛杉矶体育馆与快船队比赛时首发上场。

当被问及他是否认为埃利奥特会在本赛季余下时间里留在马刺队时，波波维奇表示他不愿讨论交易传闻。

“我是个预言家吗？”波波维奇问道。“我不会确认或否认任何传闻。你知道的。我拒绝在这方面被逼到角落。这不是公开信息。”

一直以来，埃利奥特都表现出沮丧的情绪。他在去年 2 月接受了右膝手术，本赛季开局缓慢。

在周三位于圣母无原罪大学的训练中，埃利奥特在一次训练赛中遭到了波波维奇的口头训斥。

“认真点打，”波波维奇告诉他。“不全是别人的错。”

埃利奥特没有回应。

波波维奇在训练中还批评了其他球员。之后，球队在当晚飞往洛杉矶之前，波波维奇表示球迷们不应该对此过度解读。

“我批评了肖恩·埃利奥特五秒钟，”他说，“就像任何一个（教练）对任何一个（球员）那样。”

后卫艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 也表示，他怀疑埃利奥特是否要求交易。

“我不这么认为，”约翰逊说。“每个人都会有情绪。这个人一直在听到很多交易传闻。所以他很情绪化。但这是一个漫长的赛季。”

在周二与纽约尼克斯队的比赛第一节，马刺队叫了暂停。在加入替补席上的战术讨论之前，埃利奥特沮丧地将球踢到了计分台。

马刺队助理教练保罗·普雷西(Paul Pressey) 搂住埃利奥特的腰，和他交谈，并把他带到球队成员中。

在只打了 22 分钟，包括第三节的 6 分钟和第四节的 0 分钟后，埃利奥特（通常是球队中最容易接触到的球员之一）并没有在比赛结束后留下来接受媒体的采访。

埃利奥特可能觉得自己在进攻中被边缘化了。在过去的四场比赛中，他在 96 分钟内只出手 18 次，命中 6 次。在对阵尼克斯队的比赛中，他只出手 2 次，得到 5 分。

球队表示，根据周一进行的核磁共振检查，他的膝盖没有严重问题。他在 2 月份进行了右膝股四头肌腱手术。

纽约是马刺队自 11 月 11 日以 93-92 击败明尼苏达州以来击败的第一个争冠球队。

“当然，这减轻了很多心理压力，”约翰逊说。“我不知道为什么有人会说它没有。”

圣安东尼奥将在洛杉矶待到周六，他们将在今晚与快船队比赛，然后在周五晚上 9:30 在大西部论坛与湖人队比赛。

快船队在 2-14 的战绩下苦苦挣扎。马刺队（10-7）已经通过战胜弱旅提升了他们的战绩，他们两次击败达拉斯队，并战胜了金州勇士队。

这三场胜利是他们在与湖人队、明尼苏达队、西雅图队、犹他队、华盛顿队和亚特兰大队的一系列比赛期间仅取得的胜利。

快船队将没有马刺队的旧敌人洛伊·沃特(Loy Vaught)。他因背部肌肉拉伤缺席比赛。

圣安东尼奥队将在访问论坛时获得一个不错的休息机会。湖人队球星沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal) 由于腹部肌肉拉伤将不会上场。但马刺队仍然要应对他们最棘手的问题，那就是拥有尼克·范·埃克塞尔(Nick Van Exel)、埃迪·琼斯(Eddie Jones) 和科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant) 的运动能力强、得分能力高的后场组合。

“但我们不会把目光从快船队转移到湖人队，以及论坛中的所有炒作，”约翰逊说。“我们将专注于快船队。”

快船队在去年四场比赛中横扫了马刺队，但当时没有健康的蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 和健康的“海军上将”大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)。

“知道我们有这样的胜利能力，这很有帮助，”罗宾逊谈到战胜尼克斯队的比赛时说道。“当你输掉比赛的时候，你开始想知道它在哪里。现在我们只需要保持下去，并在接下来的比赛中以同样的方式打球。” 《快报》新闻编辑部撰稿人格伦·罗杰斯(Glenn Rogers) 对本报道有贡献。

点击查看原文：Popovich rejects Elliott trade report

Popovich rejects Elliott trade report

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has denied televised reports that forward Sean Elliott has demanded to be traded.

Elliott wasn’t immediately available for comment.

“Sean Elliott has not demanded to be traded,” Popovich said, “not in any way, shape or form.”

Popovich, speaking in a telephone interview from his Santa Monica, Calif., hotel, said he didn’t know whether Elliott wanted to be traded and simply hasn’t asked for it formally.

“You’ll have to ask him,” said Popovich, who also serves as the team’s general manager. “He’s been like my son. I signed a (six-year,) $30 million contract with him (in 1995). If something was going on, I’d know it.”

Popovich said Elliott will be in the starting lineup at 9:30 tonight when the Spurs play the Clippers at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Asked if he thought Elliott would be a Spur for the rest of the season, Popovich said he didn’t want to discuss trade rumors.

“Am I a soothsayer?” Popovich asked. “I don’t confirm or deny any rumors. You know that. I refuse to be cornered on that. It’s not public information.”

There have been signs of frustration building for Elliott, who underwent surgery on his right knee last February and is off to a slow start this season.

During a scrimmage at Wednesday’s practice at the University of the Incarnate Word, Elliott received a verbal blast from Popovich.

“Just play,” Popovich told him. “It’s not always everyone else’s fault.”

Elliott did not respond.

Popovich, who also was critical of other players during the practice before the team flew to L.A. later that night, said fans shouldn’t read anything into it.

“I criticized Sean Elliott in five seconds,” he said, “just like any one (coach) getting on any one (player).”

Guard Avery Johnson also said he doubts that Elliott has demanded to be traded.

“I don’t think so,” Johnson said. “Everyone gets emotional. The man’s been hearing a lot of trade rumors. So he is emotional. But this is a long season.”

In the first quarter of Tuesday’s game with the New York Knicks, the Spurs called timeout. Before joining the huddle at the bench, Elliott kicked the ball off the scorer’s table in frustration.

Spurs assistant coach Paul Pressey put a hand around Elliott’s waist and talked to him, leading him toward the group.

After playing only 22 minutes, including six in the third quarter and none in the fourth, Elliott - usually one of the most accessible players on the team - didn’t stay around after the game to talk to the media about it.

Elliott may feel he is being left out of the offense. He has taken only 18 shots, hitting six, in 96 minutes over the last four games. He took only two shots against the Knicks and scored five points.

The team said there was nothing seriously wrong with his knees based on MRI exams performed Monday. He had his right knee quadriceps tendon surgically repaired in February.

New York was the first contending team the Spurs had defeated since a 93-92 win over Minnesota on Nov. 11.

“Sure, that takes away a lot of mental pressure,” Johnson said. “I don’t know why anybody would say it doesn’t.”

San Antonio beds down in Los Angeles until Saturday and will play the Clippers tonight, then the Lakers at 9:30 p.m. Friday at The Great Western Forum.

The Clippers are staggering under the weight of a 2-14 record. The Spurs (10-7) already have bolstered their own mark with wins over bottom-feeders, having twice knocked off Dallas and dispatched Golden State.

Those three were the only wins during the stretch that saw losses to the Lakers, Minnesota, Seattle, Utah, Washington and Atlanta.

The Clippers will be without an old thorn-in- the-Spurs’ side, Loy Vaught. He is out with strained back muscles.

San Antonio also will get a nice break when it visits the Forum. Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal, suffering from strained abdominal muscles, will not play. But the Spurs still have to contend with their stickiest problem, an athletic and high-scoring backcourt featuring Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones and Kobe Bryant.

“But we won’t be looking past the Clippers to the Lakers and all the hype in The Forum,” Johnson said. “We’ll be concentrating on the Clippers.”

The Clippers swept the four-game series with the Spurs last year, but there was no healthy David Robinson wandering about, let alone a power forward like Tim Duncan.

“It helps a lot knowing that we have that kind of win in us,” Robinson said of the victory over the Knicks. “When you lose it, you start wondering where it is. Now we just have to maintain it and play the same way during the next games.” Express-News staff writer Glenn Rogers contributed to this report.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-05, By Glenn Rogers

马刺加时赛不敌快船

洛杉矶 - 马刺在周二晚上在阿拉莫穹顶战胜纽约尼克斯之后，他们的好运并没有持续太久。

洛杉矶快船在周四晚上体育馆以 100-96 的比分赢得了加时赛，让马刺的胜利蒙上了一层阴影。

达里克·马丁 (Darrick Martin) 在加时赛还剩不到两分钟时命中三分球，帮助快船以 94-93 领先。莫里斯·泰勒 (Maurice Taylor) 随后上篮得分，将快船的领先优势扩大到 96-93，距离比赛结束还有 1 分 19 秒，马刺此后便再无翻盘的机会。

快船凭借这场胜利将战绩提升至 3-14，排名联盟倒数第四。马刺则战绩变为 10-8，他们将在今晚前往城中与太平洋赛区领头羊湖人队进行比赛，比赛将于 9:30 开始。

大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson) 在常规时间还剩不到 5 秒时罚球命中一球，将比分扳平为 87-87。当时，他在接到肖恩·埃利奥特 (Sean Elliott) 的空中接力传球后试图扣篮，被洛伦森·赖特 (Lorenzen Wright) 犯规。

拉蒙德·穆雷 (Lamond Murray) 在比赛还剩 5.4 秒时突破上篮得分，帮助快船取得 87-86 的领先优势。

蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 在比赛还剩不到 40 秒时突破上篮得分，帮助马刺以 86-83 领先。

但是埃利奥特在比赛还剩 8 秒时两罚不中，将比分定格在 86-85，为比赛增添了紧张气氛。

快船整场比赛都在快速进攻，试图将球塞进圣安东尼奥队的喉咙。他们只是无法让马刺吞下足够多的球。

泰勒在比赛还剩 1 分 10 秒时突破上篮得分，将快船的比分追至 84-83，落后一分。快船在防守端阻止了罗宾逊，抢断球权，但两投不中，球权再次回到马刺手中。

穆雷在比赛还剩 5 分 24 秒时命中跳投，帮助快船以 79-78 领先。这记投篮终结了快船从落后 7 分的劣势中反超的势头。

当罗宾逊和艾弗里·约翰逊 (Avery Johnson) 在第四节比赛初期因为犯规次数达到 4 次而离场时，马刺的进攻陷入停滞。他们在马刺暂停后于比赛还剩 5 分 24 秒时重新回到场上。

马刺试图在第三节比赛中将洛杉矶快船打垮。他们将领先优势扩大到两位数，但快船利用马刺的进攻低迷，成功地将分差缩小。

马丁在第三节比赛结束前的最后几秒钟罚球命中一球，帮助快船将比分追至 76-69，落后 7 分。

快船在第二节比赛中一度给马刺制造了麻烦。在马丁和埃里克·皮亚特考斯基 (Eric Piatkowski) 连续命中三分球后，快船取得了 41-35 的领先优势，领先 6 分。皮亚特考斯基全场得到 24 分，是快船队得分最高的球员。

马刺消息： 主教练格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 表示，他不确定卡尔·埃雷拉 (Carl Herrera) 是否能今天从伤病名单中恢复。埃雷拉正在从肩部肌肉撕裂的伤势中恢复。

“我会在周五早上考虑一下，”波波维奇说。“在他上场之前，我可能会让他参加几次训练。”

点击查看原文：Spurs get Clipped in OT

Spurs get Clipped in OT

LOS ANGELES - The sun didn’t shine long for the Spurs after their victory over the New York Knicks on Tuesday night at the Alamodome.

The Los Angeles Clippers brought back overcast skies with a 100-96 overtime victory Thursday night at the Sports Arena.

Darrick Martin nailed a three- pointer to give Los Angeles a 94-93 edge with just under two minutes left in overtime. Maurice Taylor then banked in a shot to give the Clippers a 96-93 advantage with 1:19 left, and the Spurs never threatened after that.

With the victory, the Clippers move to 3-14, the fourth-worst record in the league. The Spurs fall to 10-8 and must travel across town tonight to meet the Pacific- leading Lakers for a 9:30 tipoff.

David Robinson hit one of two free throws with less than five seconds left to tie the game in regulation at 87-87. He was fouled by Lorenzen Wright when he took an alley-oop inbound pass from Sean Elliott and tried to dunk it.

Lamond Murray had scored on a driving layup with 5.4 seconds to go to give Los Angeles an 87-86 lead.

Tim Duncan scored on a move down the lane to give the Spurs an 86-83 lead with less than 40 seconds left in the game.

But Elliott made things a little tense when he missed two free throws and left the score at 86-85 with eight seconds left.

The Clippers spent the night racing down the court, trying to force the ball down San Antonio’s throat. They just couldn’t get the Spurs to swallow quite enough.

Taylor drove the baseline and jammed to bring the Clippers to within one, 84-83, with 1:10 left in the game. The Clippers stopped Robinson at the other end, stole the ball, but missed two shots and the ball went back to the Spurs.

Murray hit a jumper that gave the Clippers a 79-78 lead with 5:24 remaining. The shot ended a run that brought the Clippers back from a seven-point deficit.

The Spurs’ offense staggered when Robinson and Avery Johnson had to leave the action with four fouls early in the final quarter. Both reappeared after a Spurs timeout at the 5:24 mark.

The Spurs tried to take Los Angeles out in the third quarter. They pushed their leads to double digits but the Clippers managed to take advantage of dry sequences and shave points off the deficit.

Martin hit one free throw in the closing seconds in the third to bring the Clippers to within seven, 76-69.

The Clippers put a scare into the Spurs in the second quarter when they took a six-point, 41-35, lead after consecutive three-pointers by Martin and Eric Piatkowski, who led L.A. with 24 points. Spurs note: Coach Gregg Popovich said he was unsure whether or not Carl Herrera would come off the injured list today. Herrera is recovering from a torn shoulder muscle.

“I’ll consider that Friday morning,” Popovich said. “I’ll probably look at him during a couple of practices before he plays.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-05, By Kevin O’Keeffe

即使是埃利奥特也不知道自己想要什么

“他就像我的儿子一样。” - 马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)，指的是肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)。谈论你们这些功能失调的家庭吧……

正如本周所见，肖恩·迈克尔·埃利奥特(Sean Michael Elliott)要么想要被马刺交易，要么不想被交易，具体取决于哪个媒体机构联系他以及联系他的时间。

这就是问题所在：他不知道自己想要什么。

埃利奥特在周二晚上在阿拉莫穹顶对阵纽约尼克斯的比赛中整场比赛都坐在替补席上，这让他陷入了目前的这种心理状态。

似乎埃利奥特没有意识到蒙蒂·威廉姆斯(Monty Williams)打得很好。波波维奇坚持让威廉姆斯上场是正确的。

然后，埃利奥特在周三彻底崩溃，当时“爸爸”（波波维奇）在训练中对“儿子”（埃利奥特）大喊大叫。

“好好打，”波波维奇喊道。“不要总是把责任推到别人身上。”

波波维奇会说出这些话，这让人感到好奇。

在马刺队在95-96赛季西区半决赛输给犹他爵士队后，当时的教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)与每位球员进行了会面。

你可能还记得，只有威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue)和查克·珀森(Chuck Person)在那六场比赛中打得很好。

埃利奥特告诉希尔并非如此。似乎埃利奥特一直在抱怨他没有接到球，这就是问题所在。与埃利奥特的谈话让希尔感到难以置信。

毫无疑问，波波维奇今天也感到一样。

明白，爸爸在训练中对儿子大喊大叫是完全合理的。多年来，教练们对球员们做过无数次这种事。

波波维奇的这番话足以让埃利奥特勃然大怒，这进一步证明了这位球员心绪不宁。

马刺队董事长彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)明白，埃利奥特在从伤病困扰的1996-97赛季回来后，发现自己在球队中的新角色，感到很沮丧。

“但我相信埃利奥特从未说过他想被交易，”霍尔特提高了声音说道。“那个故事根本不是真的。”

我相信，在怒火中，埃利奥特可能会说出他想被交易的话。

但他不是认真的。

事实是，埃利奥特很沮丧，因为他知道马刺队一直在试图交易他，而且他们仍然在这么做。

离开圣安东尼奥是他最不想做的事情。

“当肖恩被交易到底特律（在1993年的一笔交易中）时，就好像有人把他送到了地狱，”霍尔特说。

埃利奥特很沮丧，因为他不再是进攻中的第二选择，这要归功于顶级选秀球员蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)的到来。

此外，埃利奥特的身体也不健康。他的膝盖肌腱炎困扰着他，让他非常痛苦。别提周一的那次核磁共振检查了，结果显示他没事。

埃利奥特没事才怪。至少，他不是100%健康。

还要考虑到，埃利奥特一直是球迷不满的焦点。他今年530万美元的薪水，是他6年3200万美元合同的一部分，是激怒球迷们的焦点。

马刺队的球迷们想知道，为什么他那明星般的薪水没有与明星的表现相匹配。

埃利奥特的薪水超过了他的表现，这并不是他的错。他在合适的时机成为自由球员，并获得了巨额薪水，这要感谢当时的总经理波波维奇。

奇怪的是，埃利奥特，一个八年的职业球员，竟然会如此缺乏安全感。

嘿，肖恩……你的钱是保证的，你所在的球队将会赢得55到60场比赛。

放松点。

努力变得更有侵略性……并培养更厚的脸皮。

点击查看原文：Even Elliott doesn't know what he wants

Even Elliott doesn’t know what he wants

“He’s been like my son.” - Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, referring to Sean Elliott. Talk about your dysfunctional families …

As evidenced this week, Sean Michael Elliott either does or does not want to be traded by the Spurs, depending on what media outlet contacts him and what time the contact is made.

Therein lies the problem: He doesn’t know what he wants.

Elliott reached his current mental state when he sat for the entire fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s game in the Alamodome against the New York Knicks.

That Monty Williams was playing great seemed to be lost on Elliott. Popovich was correct in sticking with Williams.

Then, Elliott went over the edge Wednesday when “Daddy” (Popovich) yelled at “Sonny” (Elliott) during practice.

“Just play,” Popovich shouted. “It’s not always somebody else’s fault.”

That Popovich would use those words is curious.

After the Spurs’ debacle in the '95-96 Western Conference semis against Utah, then-coach Bob Hill met with each player.

You’ll recall only Will Perdue and Chuck Person played well in that six-game set with the Jazz.

Not so, Elliott told Hill. Seems Elliott talked about how he didn’t get the ball in the right spot and that was the problem. The talk with Elliott left Hill incredulous.

Popovich, no doubt, feels the same today.

Understand, Daddy was well within his right to shout at Sonny in practice. It’s only something coaches have done to players about a zillion times through the years.

That Popovich’s remark was enough to send Elliott into a snit is further testament to the player’s jumbled state of mind.

Spurs chairman of the board Peter Holt understands Elliott is frustrated after coming back from an injury-plagued 1996-97 season and learning his new role on the team.

“But I don’t believe Elliott ever said that he wanted to be traded,” Holt said, his voice rising. “That story was simply not true.”

I believe in a fit of pique Elliott probably uttered that he did want to be traded.

But he didn’t mean it.

The truth of the matter is that Elliott is upset because he knows the Spurs have tried to trade him … and continue to do so.

Leaving San Antonio is the last thing he wants.

“When Sean went to Detroit (in a 1993 trade), it was as though somebody sent him to hell,” Holt said.

Elliott is upset that he no longer is the second option on offense, thanks to the arrival of top draft choice Tim Duncan.

Also, Elliott is not healthy. The tendinitis in his knees bothers him a great deal. Forget the MRI exam Monday that showed him to be OK.

Elliott is not OK. At least, he’s not 100 percent.

Factor in, too, that Elliott has been the lightning rod of fan unrest thus far. His $5.3 million salary this year, which is part of his six- year, $32 million contract, is the focus of the irate faithful.

Spurs patrons wonder why his star salary is not being matched by a star’s performance.

That Elliott is making more money than his play merits isn’t his fault. He was a free agent at the right time and grabbed the big bucks, courtesy of Popovich, who then was general manager only.

Odd, isn’t it, that Elliott, an eight-year pro, would be so insecure.

Hey, Sean … your money is guaranteed and you’re on a team that will win between 55 and 60 games.

Relax.

Work on being more aggressive … and developing a thicker skin.

By Kevin O’Keeffe, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-05, By Glenn Rogers

埃利奥特否认交易请求 - 马刺队小前锋状态低迷

洛杉矶 - 肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 周四表示，他从未要求被马刺队交易。

埃利奥特是在回应一些报道，报道称他告诉消息人士他对马刺队感到不满并想要离开。在周四的采访中，这位前锋表示他并不想离开圣安东尼奥，但暗示他仍在努力解决其他问题。

“不，我不想被交易，”埃利奥特说。“我不知道那从哪里来的。不是我说的。我正在努力找出是谁说的。”

尽管如此，埃利奥特确实表示他对现状并不完全满意，但他没有提及任何导致他不满意的原因。

“有 10,000 件事，”这位前锋说道。“我真的不能深入探讨 - 那些真正的问题。但我与波波维奇（教练格雷格·波波维奇）没有任何问题。我和他相处得很好。”

“我不知道谣言是如何开始的，我只保持中立，”他说。“波波维奇和我（周三晚上）进行了非常好的谈话。很多事情都谈到了。”

这位前锋表示他感觉好多了，但也指出他仍在努力“理清自己的情绪”。他停顿了一下，才回答是否还有任何事情困扰着他。

他确实表示，他对自己的上场时间或自己的名字被提及在交易传闻中并不感到沮丧。

“我很乐意分享我的上场时间，每场只打 21 分钟，让年轻人有机会上场，”他说。“如果在我的职业生涯这个阶段我不得不让出时间，那没关系。”

“关于我的交易传闻很荒谬，”他说。“我不能被交易，我的膝盖和肾脏（问题）不允许。那样的传闻真是太愚蠢了。”

埃利奥特曾被提及在涉及米奇·里奇蒙德和拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔的交易中。

“可能有一些事情让我不开心，但这些事情是可以解决的，”他说。“现在是赛季初期。我们还有很长的路要走。”

“你知道，我永远不会说我想要被交易或者有被交易的愿望，无论是在这里，还是离开这个球队，”他说。“我关心这座城市、球迷和我的队友。我不是那种会引起旋风的人。”

“我在底特律说过那些话，那是不同的情况，”他说。“我甚至不知道他们把我交易了（到休斯顿），但我必须回到球队。”

活塞队将埃利奥特交易到休斯顿，但火箭队的医生建议取消了这笔交易。

埃利奥特降低了之前报道的周三在圣安东尼奥训练期间发生的事件的严重程度。波波维奇对着这位前锋大喊：“肖恩，只管打球。不总是别人的错。”埃利奥特继续打球，训练结束后看起来还不错。

“那绝对没什么，”埃利奥特说。“从 1 到 10 分，那顶多是 5 分——或者 1 分，真的。”

这位前锋在球场上似乎表现挣扎，最近三场比赛只得到 5 分，并且在对阵达拉斯和纽约的比赛中没有在第四节上场。

“波波维奇考虑过让我在对阵达拉斯的比赛中重新上场，但随后我们又打出一波进攻波扩大了分差，没有必要再次上场，他希望我为对阵亚特兰大的比赛保持新鲜，”埃利奥特说。“对阵纽约，他只是使用了当时打得不错的阵容。”

“我不认为我需要为自己的表现辩护，”这位前锋说。“我认为我打得还不错。早些时候的交易传闻只是给了某些球迷一些火力。”

埃利奥特重复说，问他是否快乐是一个太过笼统的问题。

“很多球员在职业生涯中不得不改变自己的角色，”他说。“那只是职业生涯的一部分。如果我真的不快乐，我会掐死人，”他笑着补充道，指的是斯普雷维尔与教练 P.J. 卡莱西莫之间的事件。

波波维奇表示，埃利奥特从未提及任何想要被交易的愿望。

“我和他非常亲近，我会知道任何类似的事情，”这位教练说。“无论是他本人还是与他有关的人都没有向我提起过。”

点击查看原文：Elliott denies demand for trade - Slumping small forward content in San Antonio

Elliott denies demand for trade - Slumping small forward content in San Antonio

LOS ANGELES - Sean Elliott said Thursday he has never demanded to be traded from the Spurs.

Elliott was replying to reports that he told sources he was unhappy with the Spurs and wanted out. During interviews on Thursday, the forward said he doesn’t want out of San Antonio, but indicated he is still trying to come to terms with other problems.

“No, I don’t want to be traded,” Elliott said. “I don’t know where that came from. It didn’t come from me. I’m trying to find out who did say that.”

Nevertheless, Elliott did say he was not completely happy, but he did not mention any reasons for his dissatisfaction.

“There are 10,000 things,” the forward said. "I really can’t get into that - the real problems. But I have no problem with Pop (Coach Gregg Popovich). He and I get along very well.

“I don’t know how the rumors started, I’m just staying neutral on that,” he said. “Pop and I had a real good conversation (Wednesday night). A lot of things came out.”

The forward said he felt happier but also noted he was still trying to “sort out my emotions.” He paused before answering whether or not anything was still bothering him.

He did say he was not upset about his playing time or the fact that his name had been mentioned in trade rumors.

“I’d be happy to share my playing time, going just 21 minutes a game, to give young guys a chance on the floor,” he said. "If I have to split time at this stage of my career, that’s OK.

“The trade talk involving me was silly,” he said. “I can’t be traded, not with my knee and my kidney (problems). That talk is really just stupid.”

Elliott had been mentioned in talks involving Mitch Richmond and Latrell Sprewell.

“They’re probably some things I’m upset about, but those things can be worked out,” he said. "This is early in the season. We have a long way to go.

“You know, I never would say that I’d like to be traded or had a desire to be traded, not here, not from this team,” he said. "I care about the city, about the fans and about my teammates. I’m not a guy who would cause a whirlwind.

“I said those things in Detroit, that was a different situation,” he said. “I didn’t even know they had traded me (to Houston), but then I had to go back to the team.”

The Pistons traded Elliott to Houston, but the trade was voided on the advice of the Rockets’ doctors.

Elliott downgraded what had been reported as an incident during practice Wednesday in San Antonio. Popovich yelled at the forward, saying, “Just play, Sean. It’s not always somebody’s fault.” Elliott continued playing and seemed fine after practice.

“That was absolutely nothing,” Elliott said. “On a scale of 1 to 10, that was a five - or a 1 - really.”

The forward seemingly has struggled on the floor, scoring just five points in the last three games and not playing during the fourth quarters against Dallas and New York.

“Pop was thinking about putting me back into the game against Dallas, but then we went on another run and it wasn’t necessary and he wanted me fresh for the Atlanta game,” Elliott said. "Against New York, he just went with the group that was playing well at the time.

“I don’t believe I have to defend my playing,” the forward said. “I think I’m playing all right. That trade talk (earlier) just gave some firepower to some of the fans.”

Elliott repeated that asking him if he was happy was too general a question.

“A lot of players have to change their roles during their careers,” he said. “That’s just part of a career. If I really wasn’t happy, I’d be strangling people,” he added with a laugh, referring to the Sprewell incident with Coach P.J. Carlesimo.

Popovich said that Elliott never mentioned any desire to be traded.

“He and I are very close and I would know anything of that nature,” the coach said. “Neither he nor anybody associated with him ever mentioned that to me.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-05, By Compiled from Staff and Wire Reports

NBA 强硬回击：斯普雷维尔停赛一年

NBA 在周四以强硬手段回击了拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔(Latrell Sprewell)，对他做出了职业体育史上最严厉的处罚之一。

联盟总裁大卫·斯特恩(David Stern) 宣布斯普雷维尔停赛一年且无薪 - 这是 NBA 历史上最长的停赛处罚 - 原因是他袭击了教练 P.J. 卡莱西莫(P.J. Carlesimo) 并在训练中威胁要杀害他。

斯特恩在周四的行动紧随勇士队在周三晚间采取的史无前例的措施。金州勇士队解除了斯普雷维尔价值 3200 万美元的合同。

实际上，勇士队放弃了斯普雷维尔，这是历史上第一次球员因不服从而被解雇。

在合同被解雇后不到 24 小时，斯特恩宣布停赛之前，马刺队和联盟中其他球队都在猜测斯普雷维尔是否会成为自由球员，并能以工资帽允许的任何金额被签下。

斯特恩迅速给出了答案。

“体育联盟不能接受或容忍在社会其他任何领域都无法容忍的行为，”斯特恩说。“因此，拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔被停赛一年。”

停赛立即生效，并将于 1998 年 12 月 3 日结束。斯普雷维尔此前已经接受了球队对他开出的 10 场比赛停赛且无薪的处罚。

联盟的处罚还禁止斯普雷维尔在一年内为其他 NBA 球队效力 - 即使他被放弃。

“拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔在周一训练中两次袭击了教练 P.J. 卡莱西莫，”斯特恩说。“第一次，他掐住了他的脖子，直到被强行拉开。然后，在离开训练后，斯普雷维尔又回来，并强行推开其他人，进行第二次袭击，这次袭击显然是预谋的。”

马刺队在斯普雷维尔与教练发生冲突之前就一直有意招募他。联盟观察员表示，马刺队仍然可能对他感兴趣，尤其是如果他针对停赛提出申诉并胜诉，并能够在本赛季重新上场。

“目前我不会对任何交易或球员引进的猜测发表评论，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 在周三晚些时候从洛杉矶表示，当时斯特恩还没有做出裁决。

马刺队中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 在本周早些时候的一次联盟电话会议中表示，他认为斯普雷维尔“是个不错的人”，并坚称他不介意与他一起打球。

“我多少了解一些场外的拉特雷尔，”罗宾逊说。“他是个挺不错的人。显然，他情绪失控了，他将为自己的行为付出巨大的代价，包括名誉和金钱。

“嘿，我很乐意和斯普雷维尔一起打球。

“我认为他打球很拼，很有活力。我认为他想赢球，我认为这是他沮丧的一部分。”

但斯特恩表示，NBA 无法容忍斯普雷维尔的这种行为，这就是他决定停赛的原因。

斯普雷维尔在勇士队解雇他之后一直没有发表评论；他的经纪人阿恩·泰勒姆(Arn Tellem) 也没有回复他办公室和家中的电话。

球员协会执行理事比尔·亨特(Bill Hunter) 表示，他们将针对合同解雇提出申诉。

一位联盟消息人士表示，合同解雇很可能会最终走向法庭。这位消息人士表示，他理解如果斯普雷维尔坚持申诉，停赛可能会进入仲裁。

周四，匡威公司也宣布解雇斯普雷维尔，他不再是该公司的代言人和发言人。

斯普雷维尔，这位三次全明星球员，也是球队得分王，场均 21.4 分，他在勇士队总经理加里·圣让(Garry St. Jean) 发给他的信中被告知解雇的消息。

在合同被解雇之前，斯普雷维尔表示他准备在 NBA 之外打球。他可以加入美国大陆篮球协会 (CBA)，这是 NBA 的官方发展联盟，但不能获得他在欧洲能赚到的那样高的薪水。

“如果必须，我会去海外打球。如果我再也不打篮球，我的生活也会继续下去，”斯普雷维尔告诉《旧金山纪事报》。“篮球没有造就我，我会没事的。我会足够坚强，能够应对任何事情。”

通过解雇斯普雷维尔的合同，勇士队避免了支付他在为期四年的合同最后三年中预计将赚取的约 2400 万美元，这笔合同是在上赛季之前签署的。

这是 NBA 球员第一次因不服从而被解雇合同。两名球员罗伊·塔普利(Roy Tarpley) 和理查德·杜马斯(Richard Dumas) 的合同因违反联盟的禁药规定而被宣布无效。

本报道由撰稿人杰里·布里格斯(Jerry Briggs) 协助完成。

点击查看原文：NBA chokes back: Sprewell out a year

NBA chokes back: Sprewell out a year

The NBA met force with force Thursday and handed Latrell Sprewell one of the harshest sentences ever in professional sports.

Commissioner David Stern suspended Sprewell for a year without pay - the longest suspension in NBA history - for assaulting Coach P.J. Carlesimo at practice and threatening to kill him.

Stern’s action Thursday followed the unprecedented steps taken by the Warriors on Wednesday night. Golden State terminated Sprewell’s $32 million contract.

In effect, the Warriors waived Sprewell, the first time in history a player has been fired for insubordination.

For less than 24 hours, after the termination and before Stern’s suspension, the Spurs and other teams in the league wondered if Sprewell would become a free agent who could be signed for any amount allowable under the salary cap.

Stern swiftly supplied the answer.

“A sports league does not have to accept or condone behavior that would not be tolerated in any other segment of society,” Stern said. “Accordingly, Latrell Sprewell is suspended from the NBA for one year.”

The suspension is effective immediately and will end on Dec. 3, 1998. Sprewell was already serving a 10- game suspension without pay imposed by the team.

The league’s penalty also prevents Sprewell from playing for another NBA team for a year - even if he is claimed on waivers.

“Latrell Sprewell assaulted Coach P.J. Carlesimo twice at Monday’s practice,” Stern said. “First, he choked him until forcibly pulled away. Then, after leaving practice, Mr. Sprewell returned and fought his way through others in order to commit a second, and this time clearly premeditated, assault.”

The Spurs were known to be suitors of Sprewell before he got into the fight with his coach. League observers said the Spurs could still be interested, especially if he files a grievance on his suspension, wins and becomes eligible to play this season.

“I have no comment on any trade or player acquisition speculation at this point,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said from Los Angeles late Wednesday night, before Stern made his ruling.

Spurs center David Robinson said earlier this week on a league conference call that he considered Sprewell “a solid guy” and insisted that he wouldn’t mind playing with him.

“I know Latrell a little bit off the court,” Robinson said. "He’s a pretty solid guy. Obviously, it was a bad outburst and there’s a stiff penalty he’s going to have to pay for with his reputation and money.

"Hey, I’d be glad to play with Spre anytime.

“I think he plays hard and plays with great energy. I think he wants to win, and I think that was part of his frustration.”

But Stern said the NBA couldn’t tolerate Sprewell’s behavior, and that’s why he levied the suspension.

Sprewell has not commented since the Warriors terminated his contract; his agent, Arn Tellem, did not return phone calls to his office and home.

Bill Hunter, executive director of the players’ union, said a grievance would be filed about the contract termination.

One league source said termination of the contract likely would end up in court. The source said he understood the suspension would likely go to arbitration, if Sprewell pressed it.

Also Thursday, Converse said it had fired Sprewell as an endorser and spokesman for the shoe company.

Sprewell, the three-time all-star and the team’s leading scorer with a 21.4 average, was notified of the termination in a letter sent by Warriors general manager Garry St. Jean.

Before his contract was terminated, Sprewell said he was prepared to play outside the NBA. He could join the Continental Basketball Association, the NBA’s official developmental league, but not for the kind of salary he could make in Europe.

“I’ll go overseas to play if I have to. And my life will go on if I never play basketball again,” Sprewell told the San Francisco Chronicle. “Basketball didn’t make me what I am. I’ll be OK. I’ll be man enough to deal with whatever happens.”

By ending his contract, the Warriors avoided paying the approximately $24 million Sprewell was scheduled to earn in the final three years of the four-year deal signed before last season.

It was the first time an NBA player had his contract terminated for insubordination. The contracts of two players, Roy Tarpley and Richard Dumas, were voided for violating the league’s drug policy. Staff writer Jerry Briggs contributed to this report.

By Compiled from Staff and Wire Reports, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-06, By Glenn Rogers

马刺在洛杉矶被湖人击败，加州之旅遭遇两连败

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - 马刺队在周六凌晨通过私人包机离开了洛杉矶。

这实在是太晚了。

马刺队在战胜纽约尼克斯队后抵达洛杉矶。他们离开洛杉矶时，却在对阵快船和湖人的比赛中连续失利。

湖人队在周五晚上下半场拉开了与马刺队的距离，最终在伟大西部论坛以 98-88 的比分获胜。

尼克·范·埃克塞尔 (Nick Van Exel) 整场比赛都对马刺队造成了很大的麻烦，他在比赛还剩 3 分 01 秒时罚中两罚，将湖人队领先优势扩大到 10 分，90-80。范·埃克塞尔在比赛还剩 5 分钟时命中三分球，将湖人队领先优势扩大到 10 分，88-78。

范·埃克塞尔全场砍下全场最高的 25 分。埃尔登·坎贝尔 (Elden Campbell) 贡献了 21 分，科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant) 为洛杉矶队 (15-2) 贡献了 17 分。

马刺队 (10-9) 在比赛中某些阶段似乎在攻防两端都显得迷茫。湖人队全场快速、灵活、充满运动天赋，给马刺队的防守带来了巨大的挑战。马刺队的进攻时断时续，投篮命中率仅为 45%。

大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson) 为马刺队贡献了 19 分和 10 个篮板。新秀蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 贡献了 18 分和 9 个篮板。

科里·亚历山大 (Cory Alexander) 在比赛还剩 8 分钟时连投两记三分球，将马刺队追至 9 分，82-73，让圣安东尼奥队看到了一丝希望。

湖人在第三节打出一波 7-0 的进攻高潮，将比分反超至 69-60。他们以 74-65 的比分进入第四节。

“科比 (布莱恩特) 在下半场发挥出色，带领球队打出了一波进攻高潮，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 说。“没有沙奎尔 (奥尼尔) 的比赛，他们打法完全不同。他们在一边有错位优势，而我们在另一边也有错位优势。”

波波维奇说，马刺队的 21 次失误导致了他们的失利。

“他们的失误不是因为压力，”波波维奇说。“我们打出了不错的防守，但有两个问题，一是追球，二是我们的选择。追球是指，我们虽然做了几次防守，但没有追球。球被他们抢走，这导致了他们的几次三分球。”

两支球队在上半场都没有拉开差距，湖人队以 45-43 的比分领先进入中场休息。范·埃克塞尔在上半场命中两记三分球，贡献了 13 分。邓肯为圣安东尼奥队贡献了 12 分。

马刺队错失了一些跳投和补篮机会，命中率只有 39%。但他们的内线防守稳固，帮助限制了湖人的投篮命中率，湖人队的投篮命中率只有 45%。

马刺队新闻： 罗宾逊将周四对阵快船队的失利归咎于球队的防守。

“显然，我们所有的问题都没有解决，”罗宾逊说，指的是球队周二晚上战胜尼克斯队的比赛。“我们对防守的投入必须提高。我感到很失望。在最后 5 分钟，对手五、六次直接杀入禁区。”

点击查看原文：Spurs victimized by L.A. law Lakers hand San Antonio 2nd straight loss on California trip

Spurs victimized by L.A. law Lakers hand San Antonio 2nd straight loss on California trip

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Spurs made their escape from Los Angeles via private charter early Saturday morning.

It was way too late.

The Spurs arrived in Los Angeles on the heels of a tough victory over the New York Knicks. They left L.A. down at the heels after consecutive losses to the Clippers and Lakers.

The Lakers got away from the Spurs in the second half Friday night and finished with a 98-88 win at the Great Western Forum.

Nick Van Exel, a painful thorn in the Spurs’ side all evening, hit two free throws to give the Lakers a 90- 80 advantage with 3:01 left to play. Van Exel had hit a three-pointer to give the Lakers an 88-78 lead with five minutes left.

Van Exel finished with a game- high 25 points. Elden Campbell added 21 points and Kobe Bryant had 17 for Los Angeles (15-2).

The Spurs (10-9) seemed confused on both ends of the floor through stretches of the game. The defense had its hands full with the racing, darting and athletic Lakers all night. The offense sputtered sporadically and hit just 45 percent of its shots.

David Robinson led the Spurs with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Tim Duncan added 18 points and nine rebounds.

Cory Alexander gave San Antonio some hope when he hit consecutive three-pointers to bring the Spurs to within nine, 82-73, with eight minutes left.

The Lakers began to break through with a 7-0 run in the third period that gave them a 69-60 advantage. They led 74-65 after three quarters.

“Kobe (Bryant) did his thing in the second half, got them in gear and on a run,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They play a different game without Shaquille (O’Neal). They have a mismatch at one end and then we have a mismatch at the other.”

Popovich said the Spurs’ 21 turnovers did them in.

“They didn’t come against the press,” Popovich said. “We played good defense, but there were two things, pursuit of basketball and our choices. By pursuit, I mean we made some stops but didn’t pursue the ball. It went into their hands and some of those led to three- pointers.”

Neither team could break loose in the first half, and the Lakers led 45-43 at halftime. Van Exel, putting down two three-pointers, had 13 points in the opening half. Duncan had 12 for San Antonio.

The Spurs missed jumpers and a batch of tips, hitting 39 percent of their shots. But their interior defense held up and helped limit the Lakers to 45 percent shooting.

- Spurs notes: Robinson blamed Thursday’s loss to the Clippers on the team’s defense.

“Obviously, all our problems haven’t been solved,” Robinson said, referring to the team’s victory over the Knicks on Tuesday night. “Our commitment to defense has to improve. I’m just disappointed. In the last five minutes, guys went right to the rim five or six times.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-07, By Glenn Rogers

波波维奇在马刺队西海岸之旅表现不佳后呼吁耐心

在经历了本赛季的 17 场比赛后，马刺队的表现与球迷们的预期相差甚远。

大卫·罗宾逊恢复健康，他身旁的蒂姆·邓肯的表现超出大部分人的预期，解决了球队此前的大前锋问题。

其他球员也表现出色，包括肖恩·艾利奥特、维尼·德尔·内格罗和埃弗里·约翰逊。查克·帕森看起来准备三分出手。许多其他球队想要得到的威尔·珀杜随时准备替换这两名大个子。科里·亚历山大过去几年一直在进步。

球迷们认为球队会夺冠，球员们也认为会夺冠。事实上，球员们在每场比赛前的战斗口号是，“我们的目标是什么？总决赛。”

然而，眼下球队战绩 10 胜 9 负，表现平平。更糟糕的是，他们在最近 11 场比赛中输掉了七场。

马刺队刚刚结束了一场令人沮丧的西海岸之旅。星期四，快船队在加时赛中以 100-96 击败了他们。星期五，湖人队在常规时间以 98-88 战胜了他们。

快船队的战绩为 2-14，缺少了洛伊·沃特和布伦特·巴里。湖人队缺少了沙奎尔·奥尼尔。

马刺队缺少了卡尔·埃雷拉。

教练格雷格·波波维奇表示，马刺队要到 2 月份或 3 月份才能成为原先应有的球队。波波维奇坚持这一预测，并表示球队内部正在进行整合。

“我一直说，11 月份不会发生任何惊人的事情，”波波维奇在从洛杉矶返回后于星期六表示。“我说我们希望在 2 月份和 3 月份成为一支地狱般的球队，这没有改变。”

但这一群人能否塑造出一支“地狱般的”球队？

“如果我们继续学习，如果我们所有人都相互承诺，如果我们都保持健康，我们就可以成为一支非常出色的篮球队，”波波维奇说。“我们将在 4 月份完成这项工作，能够与顶级球队较量。”

“这绝不是任何形式的借口。我并不是说我们的战绩之所以会出现这种情况是因为这样或那样。我担心的是学习曲线，以及为彼此效力。”

他说，马刺队的换人模式将开始变得更加一致。

“我们已经尝试了无数种球员组合，”波波维奇说。“我们现在需要做出决定。也许我们应该早点做出决定，但我们想给球员们一个机会，让他们展示自己能做什么和会做什么。”

“蒙蒂（威廉姆斯）打过二号位（得分后卫）、三号位（小前锋）和四号位（大前锋）。威尔（珀杜）在不同的时间上场，查克（帕森）也是如此。这对球员来说非常困难。这种模式现在将改变。”

“至关重要的是，球员们要知道在比赛的不同阶段，谁会站在他们旁边，谁会投篮，这个球员会扮演什么角色。球员们现在已经有很多机会（在）多个位置上出场。”

“现在，教练组将对谁会在场上以及何时在场做出艰难的决定。这将会立即完成。”

马刺队的下一场比赛将于星期二晚上在 Summit 球场对阵对手休斯敦。

到目前为止，马刺队看起来不是争冠热门。他们在内线拥有很强的优势，但对手的运动能力和技术娴熟的外线球员常常相匹配并造成制约。

快船队后卫埃里克·皮亚特科夫斯基对阵圣安东尼奥得到职业生涯最高的 24 分。快船队的新秀莫里斯·泰勒从替补席上下来，几乎在最后几分钟摧毁了马刺队。

在大西部球馆，尼克·范·埃克塞尔得到 25 分，科比·布莱恩特替补出场得到 17 分。

点击查看原文：Popovich pleads for patience after Spurs struggle on West Coast

Popovich pleads for patience after Spurs struggle on West Coast

This is not quite where Spurs fans figured their team would be after 17 games this season.

David Robinson is back healthy. Tim Duncan, better than most thought he would be, is next to him, solving the power-forward problems of the past.

The surrounding cast appeared fine - Sean Elliott, Vinny Del Negro and Avery Johnson. Chuck Person looked ready to fire threes. Will Perdue, wanted by a host of other teams, stood ready to relieve the two big men. Cory Alexander had to be improving over the years.

The fans thought title. The players thought title. Indeed, the players’ rallying cry before each game is, “What’s our goal? The Finals.”

But, here the team is, locked in early mediocrity with a 10-9 record. Maybe worse, it has lost seven of its last 11.

The Spurs just finished a disheartening trip to the West Coast. The Clippers beat them 100-96 in overtime Thursday. The Lakers finished them off 98-88 in regulation Friday.

The Clippers sported a 2-14 record going in and were without Loy Vaught and Brent Barry. The Lakers were without Shaquille O’Neal.

The Spurs were without Carl Herrera.

Coach Gregg Popovich has said the Spurs are not going to be near the team it can be until February or March. Popovich sticks with that prognosis and says consolidation is coming.

“I’ve always said that nothing amazing will happen in November,” Popovich said Saturday after arriving back from Los Angeles. “I’ve said we want to be a helluva team in February and March, and nothing has changed.”

But can this group mold into a “helluva” team?

“If we continue the learning process and if we’re all committed to each other, if we all stay healthy, we can be a very good basketball team,” Popovich said. "We will be able to do the job in April. We will be able to play with the big boys.

“This is not in any way making excuses. I’m not saying our record is such-and-such because of such- and-such. What concerns me is the learning curve and playing for each other.”

He said the Spurs’ substitution pattern will start to become more consistent.

“We have experimented a zillion ways with the players,” Popovich said. "We will make our decisions now. Perhaps we should have made them sooner, but we wanted to give the players a chance to demonstrate what they can and will do.

"We’ve had Monty (Williams) playing the two (shooting guard), three (small forward) and four (power forward) positions. We’ve had Will (Perdue) coming in at different times; the same with Chuck (Person). This is very hard on the players. The pattern will change now.

"It’s crucial that players know who will be standing next to them at different stages of the game, who will be the shooter, what role will this player play. The players now have had a lot of opportunity to (be) at a lot of positions.

“Now the coaching staff will make the tough decisions on who will be on the court and when. It will be done now.”

The Spurs’ next game comes against rival Houston on Tuesday night at The Summit.

So far, the Spurs don’t look like a contender. They have a strong advantage in the paint, but it’s too often matched and checked by opponents’ athletic and skilled perimeter players.

Clippers guard Eric Piatkowski scored a career-high 24 points against San Antonio. Clippers rookie Maurice Taylor came off the bench and all but destroyed the Spurs in the final minutes.

At the Great Western Forum, guards Nick Van Exel had 25 points and Kobe Bryant added 17 off the bench.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-07, By Jerry Briggs

马刺可能卷入斯普雷维尔的交易

上周初，我确信马刺队在拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔(Latrell Sprewell)试图掐住并威胁要杀死金州勇士队主教练P.J. 卡莱西莫(P.J. Carlesimo)后，不会与他有任何瓜葛。

勇士队随后解除了斯普雷维尔的合同，NBA对他处以一年的禁赛。

在事件发生之前，马刺队曾通过交易方式询问过斯普雷维尔的交易可能性。

然后有报道称，即使在斯普雷维尔在周一训练中袭击卡莱西莫后，让全国球迷感到震惊，马刺队仍然对他感兴趣。

以我对马刺队老板彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)的了解，我很难想象他会继续考虑招募这样的球员。

斯普雷维尔很可能会因为几项重罪指控而被逮捕，如果卡莱西莫选择将此事提交给执法部门。

但是，从最新的报道来看，如果斯普雷维尔能够通过联盟的申诉程序解除禁赛，马刺队仍然对他表现出谨慎的兴趣。

据报道，此案可能在30到60天内提交给仲裁员。

如果仲裁员裁决支持斯普雷维尔，并在今年春天将他释放，资金有限的马刺队只能支付他最低工资。

但这不会阻止他们安排一支低于工资帽的球队签下他，然后将他交易到马刺队。

话说回来，如果斯普雷维尔选择放弃申诉程序，并找到一支可以立即为他腾出位置的欧洲球队，那么这可能就无关紧要了。

马刺队中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)表示，他认为斯普雷维尔“是一个非常可靠的人”，他在压力下反应过度。

“嘿，”罗宾逊说，“我很乐意随时与斯普雷维尔一起打球。我认为他打得很努力，而且很有活力。我认为他想要赢球，我认为这是他沮丧的一部分。

“我很难谈论这件事，因为我当时不在场。但我认为他是一位非常有价值的球员，我认为很多人仍然会这样认为。”

我希望罗宾逊是对的。我想相信如果斯普雷维尔每天不用面对卡莱西莫，他会表现得很好。但我同时认为马刺队管理层在为他穿上球衣之前，最好问一些棘手的问题。

夺冠，否则就失败？

马刺队在训练营期间团结一致，并提出了一个长远目标——进入NBA总决赛。

没有人认为这会很容易，但很少有人会认为他们的战绩会是10胜9负，而且最近12场比赛输了8场。

最近的失利发生在洛杉矶，他们输了两场——周五输给了实力低微、伤病缠身的快船队，周六输给了争冠热门湖人队。

“第一场比赛让我们感到痛苦的是失误和最后时刻的罚球不中，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说。“我们在对阵湖人队的比赛中大部分时间都打得很好。让我们感到痛苦的是，他们在投篮不中后没有积极抢篮板。

“其中几次导致了（湖人队）进攻篮板和三分球。这非常令人沮丧。他们也通过我们21次失误拿到了27分，这些失误都不是因为他们的防守压力。我们只是做了一些糟糕的决定。”

点击查看原文：Spurs Beat: Spurs may get caught up in trading Spre

Spurs Beat: Spurs may get caught up in trading Spre

Early last week, I was convinced the Spurs would have nothing to do with guard Latrell Sprewell after he tried to choke and threatened to kill Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo.

The Warriors subsequently terminated Sprewell’s contract and the NBA suspended him for a year.

The Spurs had made inquiries into Sprewell’s availability through a trade before the incident.

Then reports leaked that the Spurs were still interested, even after Sprewell mortified fans nationwide when he attacked Carlesimo at practice Monday.

Knowing Spurs owner Peter Holt, it was difficult for me to imagine him entertaining any further thoughts of recruiting a player like that.

In Sprewell, you have a guy who likely would have been charged with a couple of felonies if Carlesimo had elected to take his case to law-enforcement authorities.

But from the latest reports, the Spurs are still showing cautious interest in the 6-foot-5 guard, if he can beat his suspension through the league’s grievance process.

Reportedly, the case could go to an arbitrator in 30 to 60 days.

If the arbitrator rules for Sprewell and sets him free this spring, the capped-out Spurs could only pay him the minimum salary.

But that wouldn’t stop them from arranging for a team below the salary cap to sign him and then trade him to the Spurs.

Then again, it could be a moot point if Sprewell elects to scrap the grievance procedure and finds a team in Europe that can make room for him right away.

Spurs center David Robinson said he considers Sprewell “a pretty solid guy” who overreacted under stress.

“Hey,” Robinson said, "I’d be glad to play with Spre anytime. I think he plays hard and he’s got great energy. I think he wants to win and I think that was part of his frustration.

“It’s hard for me to talk about it because I wasn’t there. But I think he’s a real valuable player and I think a lot of people are still going to think that.”

I hope Robinson is right. I want to believe that Sprewell would behave if he didn’t have Carlesimo in his face every day. But I also think Spurs management better ask a lot of hard questions before they put a uniform on him.

- Finals, or bust? The Spurs banded together during training camp and cited a long-range goal - the NBA Finals.

Nobody figured it would be easy, but few thought they would be 10-9 and coming off losses in eight of their last 12 games.

The most recent heartaches developed in Los Angeles, where they lost twice - once Friday to the lowly, injury-battered Clippers and again Saturday to the championship-contending Lakers.

“What hurt us in that first game were turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We played well for a large part of the game against the Lakers. What hurt us was pursuit of the ball after they missed shots.

“A couple of those ended in (offensive rebounds for the Lakers) and three-pointers. It was very debilitating. They also scored 27 points off our 21 turnovers, none of which were because of their pressure. We just made some horrendous decisions.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-07

球迷看台

马刺队绝对必须得到一名外线射手 马刺队要等到赛季开始多久后才会意识到他们必须得到一名真正意义上的外线射手？

肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)在大多数比赛中都没有“表现出色”已经不能再归咎于伤病了。如果真的是这样，那就趁他还有价值的时候把他交易出去。

马刺队在对阵犹他爵士队、西雅图超音速队和亚特兰大老鹰队的比赛中惨败，这是因为对手的防守无视了马刺队的在外线投篮……他们为什么应该关注？

用肖恩和科里·亚历山大(Cory Alexander)换米奇·里奇蒙德(Mitch Richmond)怎么样？我们可以免费把格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)也送出去。罗恩·法尔迪克(Ron Faldik)，塞古因

---

“无防守”希尔被解雇了；“无防守”波波怎么样？ 在过去的几周里，我看着马刺队一场接一场地输球，我发现这支球队既没有进攻也没有防守。

让我感到有趣的是，鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)被解雇的部分原因是格雷格·波波维奇声称他的球队没有足够重视防守。所以，如果希尔因为没有防守而被解雇，那么我们应该怎么处理波波维奇？

当然，马刺队有很多天赋，也有一些关键球员受伤，但我对伟大的波波寄予了更高的期望。这个赛季原本应该是特别的——是的，现在还早——但我们要等多久才能看到最终的产品？

肖恩·埃利奥特投不进球，查克·珀森(Chuck Person)也投不进球。进攻停滞不前，防守看起来更糟糕。

波波维奇，如果你和马刺队想要一个新的球馆，那就给我们一个我们想看的东西，而不是仅仅是潜力。本·托瓦尔(Ben Tovar)，圣安东尼奥

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斯普雷尔不是马刺队应该寻找的那类人 首先，我阅读了关于拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔(Latrell Sprewell)在金州勇士队的事件的所有信息，想知道这个人是否拥有全部 52 张牌。然后我读到马刺队曾考虑用肖恩·埃利奥特交易他。

在这样的时刻，人们不禁要问，马刺队的专职心理医生是否已经离开了这座城市。他们一定有一个心理医生，因为他们雇用了像丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)这样的人，而且还考虑过得到斯普雷维尔这个疯子。

我说，让我们留住肖恩，直到出现一个像马刺队一直以来追求的那样的优秀球员——像罗宾逊(Robinson)、埃利奥特、邓肯(Duncan)和约翰逊(Johnson)这样的人。约翰·萨维奇三世(John Savage III)，圣安东尼奥

点击查看原文：Fanstand

Fanstand

- Mackovic not lacking in academic success Perhaps John Mackovic should have been reassigned because of his prowess - or lack thereof - as a head coach, but he should receive a hefty bonus for bringing the academic aspect of the University of Texas football program back to respectability.

The contract for his successor should include a clause requiring that the graduation rate of football players be maintained at least at that of Mackovic’s best years. Otherwise, the new coach should be dismissed, or at least take a significant cut in pay.

A 50 percent graduation rate is not only unacceptable, but a disgrace for any educational institution, especially one that receives public funding and has as its goal the achievement of academic excellence. William K. Latshaw, San Antonio

- Spurs absolutely must obtain outside shooter

How long will the Spurs go into the season before they realize that they must get a bona fide outside shooting threat?

Sean Elliott’s failure to “show up” for most of the games can no longer be blamed on an injury. If it still is, get rid of him while he still has some value.

The blowout losses suffered to Utah, Seattle and Atlanta were due to defenses by opponents that paid no attention to the Spurs’ outside shooting … and why should they?

How about Sean and Cory Alexander for Mitch Richmond? And we can throw in Gregg Popovich for free. Ron Faldik, Seguin

- ‘No D’ Hill was fired; How about ‘No D’ Pop?

As I watched the Spurs drop game after game the last few weeks, it came to my attention that the team had neither an offense nor a defense.

What intrigued me was that Bob Hill was fired as coach partly because Gregg Popovich claimed his teams didn’t play enough defense. So if Hill had to go because of no defense, then what should we do with Popovich?

Sure, the Spurs have much talent and a few key injuries, but I expected more from the great Pop. This season was supposed to be special - and, yes, it’s still early - but how long are we going to have to wait for the final product?

Sean Elliott can’t make a shot and neither can Chuck Person. The offense is stagnant and the defense looks even worse.

C’mon, Popovich, if you and the Spurs want a new arena, give us a product that we want to see, not just potential. Ben Tovar, San Antonio

- Spre not kind of man Spurs should look for

First, I read all the information on the Latrell Sprewell incident at Golden State and wondered if this individual has all 52 cards. Then I read this was an individual the Spurs had considered trading Sean Elliott for.

One must, at times like these, wonder if the Spurs’ resident shrink has left the city. They must have one if they hire people like Dennis Rodman and thought about obtaining this Sprewell psycho.

I say let’s keep Sean until a class player, the kind the Spurs have generally gone for - the Robinson, Elliott, Duncan and Johnson type - becomes available. John Savage III, San Antonio

- NFL’s new heroes have chinks in armor, also

I can’t believe all this Oilers drivel. The Houston Oilers were always my second-favorite NFL team. Face it, the Dallas Cowboys, good or bad, outdraw every other team, including the precious Green Bay Packers, who have their own “gangsters.”

If there were any justice, the Packers’ pill-popping, drunk quarterback Brett “Neck” Favre would have been suspended last year. Jo Ann Thabet, San Antonio

via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-08, By Jerry Briggs

马刺将查克·帕森剔除轮换阵容

鉴于查克·帕森(Chuck Person)上周日收到的坏消息的严重程度，他表现得相当平静。

帕森被排除在马刺的轮换阵容之外。

在他的篮球生涯中，这是第一次，有教练告诉“NBA6C神射手”他必须坐在板凳上。

“我显然很失望，”帕森说。“我不喜欢这样，因为我是一个竞争者。我认为我是一个战士。但我将尊重这个决定。”

帕森坦率地承认，在上周日的训练之后，主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)决定采用九人轮换阵容，包括所有现任首发球员，以及马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)、贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)、蒙蒂·威廉姆斯(Monty Williams)和科里·亚历山大(Cory Alexander)。

帕森和替补中锋威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue)显然不在马刺近期常规上场时间的计划中。卡尔·埃雷拉(Carl Herrera)是一个未知数，因为他左肩后侧肌肉轻微撕裂，仍然无法参加训练。

“这是我第一次，”帕森说，他在 12 年的 NBA 生涯中得分超过 13000 分。“但这种情况会发生在所有球员身上，你面临逆境，你没有得到上场时间。”

波波维奇拒绝详细说明他对球员们说了什么，他指出，“你会看到我们周二晚上会做什么”，届时马刺队（10-9）将在休斯敦迎战势头强劲的火箭队（11-5）。

“在任何级别的篮球中，每支球队都会走到需要确定轮换阵容的时候，”波波维奇说。“这不是一件大事，也不是什么奇怪的事情。我们已经决定采用九人轮换阵容。这将使球员更有安全感，并真正让他们适应自己的角色。

“但是 - 这一点很重要 - 这并不意味着有些人不会上场。会有很多情况，那些不在轮换阵容中的球员将有机会重返球场。”

波波维奇对帕森的反应并不感到意外。

“他对此不喜欢，这是一个好兆头，”波波维奇说。“我尊重他这一点。”

帕森说他不会寻求交易。相反，他希望通过保持状态并在训练中努力比赛来改变教练们的想法。

“希望这套阵容能让我们有一个好的开始，”他说。“希望它能让我们持续地取得进步。”

自因背部手术缺席上赛季以来，帕森的表现一直不佳。这位 6 英尺 8 英寸的三分球专家投篮命中率仅为 28%，三分球命中率仅为 23.1%。

在可能引发争议的事情中，马刺教练可能认为，帕森在防守端没有做到足以让他获得延长上场时间，而延长上场时间可能会帮助他走出投篮低迷。

“我会在训练中做好我的工作，”帕森说。“我会保持我的状态。我会继续努力争取上场时间。我是一名球员。”

马刺队（10-9）在最近的 12 场比赛中输掉了 8 场。他们在客场已经连续输掉 3 场比赛，最近 6 场比赛输掉了 5 场。有些人可能会认为，很久以前就应该确定一个稳定的轮换阵容了。

“我们已经非常耐心，给了每个人很多机会在很多比赛中展示他们的实力，”波波维奇说。“如果说有什么的话，我们可能在做出这个决定方面过于耐心了。”

点击查看原文：Spurs take Person out of rotation

Spurs take Person out of rotation

Given the magnitude of the bad news Chuck Person received Sunday, he took it pretty well.

Person is out of the Spurs’ playing rotation.

For the first time in his basketball career, a coach has told “The More on NBA6C Rifleman” that he will have to sit on the bench.

“I’m obviously disappointed,” Person said. “I don’t like it, because I’m a competitor. I like to think I’m a warrior. But I’m going to respect the decision.”

Person matter-of-factly admitted after Sunday’s practice that Coach Gregg Popovich has decided on a nine-man rotation that includes all the current starters, plus Malik Rose, Jaren Jackson, Monty Williams and Cory Alexander.

Person and reserve center Will Perdue apparently aren’t in the Spurs’ immediate plans for regular playing time. Carl Herrera is a question mark since he still can’t practice because of a slight muscle tear in the back of his left shoulder.

“It’s the first time for me,” said Person, who has scored more than 13,000 points in his 12-year NBA career. “But it happens to all players at some point, where you face adversity and you’re not getting minutes.”

Popovich declined to spell out exactly what he told his players, noting, “you’ll see what we’re going to do Tuesday” night, when the Spurs (10-9) meet the streaking Rockets (11-5) in Houston.

“Every team at any level of basketball comes to a point when they have a rotation,” Popovich said. "It’s not a great happening or an odd circumstance. We’ve decided on a nine-man rotation. It will make players more secure and really settle them into their roles.

“But - and this is important - it by no means will mean that some people will not play. There will be many situations where people who are not in the immediate rotation will have an opportunity to get back on the court.”

Popovich wasn’t surprised at Person’s reaction.

“It’s a good sign he doesn’t like it,” Popovich said. “I respect him for that.”

Person said he will not seek a trade. Rather, he hopes to change the coaches’ minds by staying in shape and playing hard during practices.

“Hopefully, that lineup will get us started,” he said. “Hopefully, it can get us going on a consistent basis.”

Person hasn’t been the same since he missed last season because of back surgery. The 6-foot-8, three-point-shooting specialist is hitting only 28 percent from the field and 23.1 percent on treys.

In what might be a matter for debate, Spurs coaches probably believe that Person hasn’t been able to do enough defensively to warrant the extended minutes that might help him break out of his shooting slump.

“I’ll get my work in, in practices,” Person said. “I’ll keep my conditioning up. I’ll continue to strive to be on the court. I’m a player.”

The Spurs (10-9) are coming off eight losses in their last dozen games. On the road, they have lost three straight and five of their last six. Some might have suggested that a settled rotation was needed long ago.

“We have been very patient in giving everyone many opportunities in many games to show what they can do,” Popovich said. “If anything, we’ve probably been too patient in making this decision.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-09, By Jerry Briggs

巴克利指责马刺上赛季“摆烂”

休斯敦 - 查尔斯·巴克利(Charles Barkley) 周一提出一个理论，解释了为什么马刺在大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 和蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 时代的初期表现不佳。

火箭队的明星前锋巴克利说，马刺目前的10胜9负战绩是他们应得的，因为他们为了得到邓肯这个5月份选秀抽签的奖品，以及6月份选秀大会上的状元签，而故意输掉比赛。

这个说法会在休斯敦球迷和圣安东尼奥球迷之间引起争论，而今晚7:30在康柏中心进行的本赛季马刺对火箭的首场比赛，将是双方球迷之间“10号州际公路”恩怨的第一个回合。

巴克利的出色表现帮助火箭取得了八连胜，以11胜5负的战绩领跑中西部赛区。

周一训练结束后，巴克利分析了马刺最近12场比赛输掉8场的原因。他暗示是某种更高的力量在起作用，惩罚马刺过去的不道德行为。

巴克利认为，上赛季马刺让健康的球员坐在板凳上，目的是为了输掉比赛，从而增加他们赢得选秀抽签的机会。

“当你让健康的球员休息，好让你能得到状元签，”巴克利告诉《休斯顿纪事报》，“这就是作弊。这不是选秀的本意。”

巴克利没有指明哪些马刺球员在上个春天可能足够健康，可以上场打球。但这并不妨碍他抨击球队的管理层。

“如果你是一个好人，好事就会降临在你头上，”巴克利说。“如果你做错了事，就会发生不好的事。”

马刺方面对这些指控嗤之以鼻，认为荒谬可笑。

“如果查尔斯真的这么说，而且是认真的，”马刺主教练兼总经理格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 说，“我会很惊讶，因为他是一个非常聪明的人，这种想法太荒谬了。”

巴克利的评论就是波波维奇需要听到的一切。波波维奇已经有很多问题要处理，最突出的就是急躁的球迷和不满意的老将球员。

每个人似乎都认为马刺应该比现在的表现更好，这支球队似乎突然忘记了如何在客场赢球。他们在赛季开始时客场取得了2胜1负的战绩，但此后连续输掉了三场，最近六场比赛输掉了五场。

“这是一个令人失望的赛季，”马刺替补前锋查克·珀森(Chuck Person) 说。“非常令人失望。我们以为我们会打得更好，但事实并非如此。对每个人来说都很艰难。”

珀森、中锋威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue) 和前锋卡尔·埃雷拉(Carl Herrera) 同时面临着两个困境——为什么球队无法战胜像洛杉矶快船这样的球队，以及为什么他们被无情地从轮换阵容中剔除。

珀杜和埃雷拉分别拥有之前球队——芝加哥公牛和火箭——的总冠军戒指，但他们对在未来获得重要出场时间却几乎没有希望。

目前，这三人将坐在场边观看波波维奇安排马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)、科里·亚历山大(Cory Alexander)、贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson) 和蒙蒂·威廉姆斯(Monty Williams) 从板凳上替补出场。

“你不必对此太过在意，”波波维奇在周一圣安东尼奥的训练结束后说。“五名首发球员会继续打球，其他人也会上场。让我们看看接下来的10到15场比赛是什么样子。然后我们再来看看轮换阵容的安排。”

马刺的内线轮换阵容可能尤其引人注目。你拥有“双塔”罗宾逊和邓肯，现在还有罗斯，他身高6尺7寸，体重250磅，可能只能当停车场管理员。

珀杜身高7尺，上赛季场均9.8个篮板，领衔球队篮板榜，他认为自己会被交易。

“很多球队似乎对我感兴趣，”珀杜说。“有些球队似乎希望我成为首发。但我连在这里进入轮换阵容都不够格。我相信这就是我会被交易的原因。”

点击查看原文：Barkely accuses Spurs of tank job last season

Barkely accuses Spurs of tank job last season

HOUSTON - Charles Barkley offered a theory Monday about why the Spurs have stumbled in the early stages of the David Robinson-Tim Duncan era.

Barkley, the Houston Rockets’ star forward, said the Spurs deserved their 10-9 record because they cheated their way into position to draft Duncan, the prize of May’s lottery and the No. 1 pick in the June draft.

It’s a suggestion that will fuel discussion between fans at both ends of the Interstate-10 rivalry, which commences with the first edition of Spurs-Rockets this season at 7:30 tonight at the Compaq Center.

Barkley’s play has sparked the Rockets on an eight-game winning streak, vaulting them to the top of the Midwest Division with an 11-5 record.

After Monday’s practice, Barkley speculated on why the Spurs have lost eight of their last 12. He suggested a higher power is at work, punishing the Spurs for past moral indiscretions.

Last season, Barkley believes the Spurs kept healthy players on the bench in order to lose games and increase their chances of winning the draft lottery.

“When you rest healthy players so you can get the No. 1 pick,” Barkley told the Houston Chronicle, “that’s cheating. That’s not the way the draft was designed.”

Barkley did not pinpoint which Spurs he believed might have been healthy enough to play last spring. But it didn’t stop him from blasting the team’s management.

“If you’re a good person, good things might happen to you,” Barkley said. “If you do things wrong, bad things happen.”

The Spurs brushed off the accusations as absurd.

“If, in fact, Charles said that - and meant that - then I’d be surprised because he’s a very intelligent individual, and such a thought would be an absurdity,” said Gregg Popovich, the Spurs’ coach and general manager.

Barkley’s commentary was all Popovich needed to hear. Popovich has enough problems to deal with, most notably impatient fans and unhappy veteran players.

Everyone seems to think the Spurs should be better than the team that has suddenly forgotten how to win on the road. They started the season 2-1 away from home, but have since lost three in a row and five of six.

“It’s a disappointing season,” Spurs reserve forward Chuck Person said. “It’s highly disappointing. We thought we’d be playing better, and we’re not. It’s tough on everyone.”

Person, center Will Perdue and forward Carl Herrera are wondering about two dilemmas at once - why the team can’t beat teams like the Los Angeles Clippers, and why they have unceremoniously been dropped from the playing rotation.

Perdue and Herrera have championship rings from previous teams - the Chicago Bulls and Rockets, respectively - and yet they don’t have much hope of playing significant minutes in the near future.

For now, the trio will sit and watch as Popovich goes with Malik Rose, Cory Alexander, Jaren Jackson and Monty Williams off the bench.

“You don’t have to make anything too big out of it,” Popovich said after Monday’s practice in San Antonio. “The five starters will continue to play, along with the others. Let’s see what it looks like over the next 10 to 15 games. Then we’ll see where we are with the rotation.”

The Spurs’ big-man rotation may be especially interesting to watch. You have the “Twin Towers” of Robinson and Duncan and now Rose, who - at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds - may qualify only as a parking garage.

Perdue, a 7-footer who led the team in rebounding last season at 9.8 per game, thinks he will be traded.

“So many teams seem to have interest in me,” Perdue said. “Some seem to be interested in me to be a starter. But I’m not good enough to even be in the rotation here. I’m sure that’s a reason I’ll be traded.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-10, By Jerry Briggs

马刺在10号州际公路上成为路杀 火箭队对圣安东尼奥队取得30分胜利

休斯敦 - 在马刺队新任命的9人轮换阵容首次亮相中，休斯敦火箭队轮换着他们的10号州际公路对手，直到他们晕头转向，难以置信。

火箭队取得了他们连续的第9场胜利，并在康柏中心16285名观众面前，以108-78的轻松比分击败了正在滑坡的马刺队，后者在过去的13场比赛中输掉了9场。

马刺队没有时间为他们几乎无法解释的跌落而感到悲伤。他们将在今晚7:30在阿拉莫穹顶与洛杉矶快船队比赛。

在火箭队比赛前两天，马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)确定了他的轮换阵容，并将其缩减至9名球员。此举是为了弥补他们在之前12场比赛中实验性轮换阵容造成的伤害。

令波波维奇沮丧的是，这并没有奏效。

他的轮换阵容变成了可以用“模糊的九人”来形容的东西。

火箭队在下半场最后10分钟打出一波24-7的进攻，彻底打开了局面。他们在中场休息时带着60-42的领先优势离场。

马刺队的进攻在第一节以70%的命中率表现出色，但在第二节完全脱节了。

波波维奇对自己的教练职位感到满意

马刺队主教练兼总经理格雷格·波波维奇表示，他没有考虑退位并请另一位教练来执教。

周一晚上，一位打电话到WOAI电台的听众在他的教练节目中问他是否会考虑聘请一位全国知名的教练。

“我想回答这个问题最好的方式就是，我现在还没有准备好聘请一位新教练，”波波维奇告诉这位听众。

周二，当被要求澄清他的立场时，波波维奇表示，他并没有暗示他将来可能会考虑这样的举动。

“没有任何事情正在发生，无论如何，无论什么形式，”他说。

点击查看原文：Spurs become roadkill on I-10 Houston drops 30-point loss on San Antonio

Spurs become roadkill on I-10 Houston drops 30-point loss on San Antonio

HOUSTON - In a dubious debut for the Spurs’ freshly anointed nine-man playing rotation, the Houston Rockets rotated their Interstate 10 rivals until they were dizzy with disbelief.

The Rockets won their ninth game in a row and handed the skidding Spurs their ninth loss in their last 13 outings with an easy 108-78 decision in front of 16,285 fans at the Compaq Center.

There is no time for the Spurs to lament their nearly inexplicable fall from grace. They play the Los Angeles Clippers at 7:30 tonight at the Alamodome.

Two days before the Rockets game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich defined his playing rotation and cut it to nine players. It was a move to shore up damage that experimental rotations may have caused in their previous 12 games.

To Popovich’s dismay, it didn’t work.

His rotation turned into something that could be described charitably as the Nebulous Nine.

The Rockets blew the game open with a 24-7 run in the final 10 minutes of the half. They left the floor at intermission with a 60-42 lead.

The Spurs’ offense, which sizzled with 70 percent shooting in the first quarter, disconnected completely in the second period.

NOTES

Popovich satisfied with his coach: Spurs coach and general manager Gregg Popovich said he isn’t thinking about stepping aside and bringing in another coach.

A caller Monday night on WOAI radio asked him during his coach’s show if he would consider hiring a nationally-known coach.

“I guess the best way to answer that question is that I’m not prepared yet to hire a new coach,” Popovich told the caller.

Asked Tuesday to clarify his position, Popovich said he wasn’t implying that he might be thinking about such a move in the future.

“There’s nothing going on, in any way, shape or form,” he said. - Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-10, By Glenn Rogers

NBA 纵览： - 斯普雷维尔的离开让史密斯成为交易的焦点

现在拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔(Latrell Sprewell) 已经离开了，勇士队的乔·史密斯(Joe Smith) 成了众矢之的。

各支球队都把交易谈判的焦点放在了这位表现一直不尽如人意的前锋身上，而波士顿的里克·皮蒂诺(Rick Pitino) 率先出手，用了一份包括钱西·比卢普斯(Chauncey Billups) 在内的交易方案。

皮蒂诺似乎找不到适合自己战术体系的球员，甚至连他自己选中的球员也不行。

多伦多仍然试图在明年夏天达蒙·斯塔德迈尔(Damon Stoudamire) 成为自由球员之前把他交易出去。有人说菲尼克斯愿意听取其他球队的意见。杰森·基德(Jason Kidd) 和凯文·约翰逊(Kevin Johnson) 一定会对任何不包括另一位能接住他们传球的大个子的交易报道感到好笑。

中西部赛区

像是马刺队的翻版：森林狼主教练弗利普·桑德斯(Flip Saunders) 对自己 CBA 七年的执教经历记忆犹新。

“我们现在状态非常糟糕。我能从 CBA 找到 12 个比我们打得更拼的家伙，”他在森林狼又一次输球后说道。

上赛季还入选全明星阵容的前锋汤姆·古格里奥塔(Tom Gugliotta) 补充道：“我们现在已经到了无法指导的地步。你无法指导 12 个球员一起打球…… 这根本算不上篮球。”

太平洋赛区

飞人怒火中烧：前开拓者球员克莱德·德雷克斯勒(Clyde Drexler) 对波特兰总裁鲍勃·惠特西特(Bob Whitsitt) 最近的一些言论感到愤怒。惠特西特暗示媒体喜欢对 J.R. 莱德(J.R. Rider) 的所有错误，包括缺席训练，进行批评，但对克莱德却格外宽容，忽视了他缺席训练的事情。

德雷克斯勒说，这种理由就像把惠特西特比作密尔沃基连环杀手杰弗里·达莫(Jeffrey Dahmer) 一样。

德雷克斯勒在热身时一直等到惠特西特通常坐的位置，但惠特西特一直到比赛开始才出现。“是的，我一直在等他，”克莱德说道。“但他没有出现。”

天使降临？ 杰梅因·奥尼尔(Jermaine O’Neal) 的母亲认为，儿子在遭遇车祸后可能得到了神的帮助。

“一辆卡车突然失控，”奥尼尔说道。“我开始转弯躲避，但他撞上了我，把我车撞进了沟里。我被困在车里，车子冒着烟。我只能祈祷上帝让我活下来。

然后，“我抬头一看，有人朝我的车走来。他不知道怎么把我救了出来，把我放到地上就走开了。这真是太奇怪了。我都没来得及说声谢谢。我甚至都没看清他的脸，因为我有点晕。”

“我妈妈说那个人是天使。这让人不得不思考。”

大西洋赛区

米尔斯不是迈克尔： 热火主教练帕特·莱利(Pat Riley) 经常抱怨他的球员在“强行投三分球”方面的鲁莽。但这不包括特里·米尔斯(Terry Mills)。

“我们在挡拆战术中为他创造了空间，”莱利说道。“他必须投篮。”

相反，米尔斯一直在假投之后出现麻烦，然后尝试笨拙地突破篮筐。

“当他把球投出去的时候，他应该先做一次突破，然后再投篮，”莱利说道。“他试图把球运到篮下，我不知道这是否适合他的打法。”

• 范甘迪沮丧：** 尼克斯主教练杰夫·范甘迪(Jeff Van Gundy) 承认他正在用错误的方式执教球队，并表示球员们离理解如何取胜的距离跟一年前一样远。

范甘迪是一个情绪化的人。猎头公司已经开始责怪他导致了尼克斯的困境。如果他加入失业大军也就不足为奇了。

中部赛区

忽视他的声音？ 活塞正在火上浇油，可能导致教练道格·科林斯(Doug Collins) 下课。

“我想说，危机程度很高，士气很低，”中锋布莱恩·威廉姆斯(Brian Williams) 说。然后，他暗示科林斯的沟通方式可能存在问题。

“我认为最糟糕的情况是，”威廉姆斯说道，“教练像一台冰箱一样在角落里嗡嗡作响，他说的话就像背景噪音一样，所有球员都只是说‘哦，哦，哦’。我认为我们还没有到那个地步，但教练必须找到一种方法与球员沟通。”

记者们询问了科林斯关于他进攻战术的有效性，他转向了站在附近的三名球员——乔·杜马斯(Joe Dumars)、格兰特·希尔(Grant Hill) 和林赛·亨特(Lindsey Hunter)——问道：“嘿，伙计们，我们对我们的进攻感到困惑吗？”三个人都摇了摇头，他们当然明白，另一个选择可能不是最明智的。

成功是有代价的： 步行者队的里克·斯密茨(Rik Smits) 解释了为什么拉里·布朗(Larry Brown) 在印第安纳取得成功，但最终不得不离开：“这是他处理球员的方式。一开始，你会对他非常生气，然后你就会拼尽全力。但过了一段时间，你就会受不了了。除非你亲身经历过，否则很难解释他的技巧。我相信这就是他不断跳槽的原因。

“但他带来了成功。我从他那里学到了很多东西。”

这段话听起来与布朗离开马刺后人们的评价非常相似。

值得一提

• 爱尔兰人拉里：菲尼克斯主教练丹尼·安吉(Danny Ainge) 看着波士顿过去几个赛季的战绩，并指出：“当拉里·伯德(Larry Bird) 退役后，小妖精神秘地消失了。”

• 重新考虑：前小牛主教练吉姆·克利蒙斯(Jim Cleamons) 声称：“据我所知，管理层是支持我的。”他在被解雇的前一天说出了这番话。

• 值得注意的数据：本世纪以来，公牛队七次输球超过 20 分。小牛队则输了 83 次。

点击查看原文：Around the NBA: - Sprewell's exit leaves Smith in trade spotlight

Around the NBA: - Sprewell’s exit leaves Smith in trade spotlight

Now that Latrell Sprewell has left the building, the Warriors’ Joe Smith is wearing a bull’s eye on his back.

Teams are focusing their trade talks on the so-far underachieving forward, and Boston’s Rick Pitino is leading the way with a package that would include Chauncey Billups.

Pitino can’t seem to find players who will fit into his system, not even those he drafts.

Toronto is still trying to unload Damon Stoudamire before he packs up as a free agent next summer. Some say Phoenix is willing to listen to ideas. Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson must be amused by any reports that don’t include another big man who can receive some of their passes.

Midwest Division

- Sounds like the Spurs: Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders remembers well his roots in the CBA, where he coached for seven years.

“We’re playing in a total funk. I can get 12 guys from the CBA who’ll play harder than we played,” he said after still another Minnesota loss.

Added forward Tom Gugliotta, an all-star just last season: “We’re in a boundary now where we’re uncoachable. You can’t coach 12 guys to play together. … It’s not basketball, by any stretch of the imagination.”

Pacific Division

- Glide livid: Former Blazer Clyde Drexler was burned over some recent statements by Portland president Bob Whitsitt, who suggested the media like to hammer J.R. Rider for all his mistakes, including missed practices, but coddled Clyde and overlooked his missed workouts.

Drexler said that reasoning would be the same as comparing to Whitsitt to Milwaukee serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

Drexler waited around by Whitsitt’s normal baseline seat during warmups, but Whitsitt didn’t come out until tipoff. “Yeah, I was waiting for him,” Clyde said. “But he didn’t show.”

- Touched by an angel? Jermaine O’Neal’s mother thinks the player may have had heavenly help after a car accident.

“This truck swerved out of control,” O’Neal said. "I started to turn out of the way, but he hit me and knocked my car into a ditch. I was stuck in there and my car was smoking. I was just praying to God I would survive.

Then, "I looked up, and someone was walking up to the car. He got me out somehow, set me on the ground and just walked away, I guess. It was the funniest thing. I didn’t have a chance to say thank you. I didn’t even get a good look at his face, because I was kind of dizzy.

“My mom said the guy was an angel. It makes you wonder.”

Atlantic Division

- Mills no Michael: Miami coach Pat Riley regularly laments his players’ hastiness in “jacking up three-pointers.” That doesn’t include Terry Mills.

“We have created air space for him in our pick-and-roll game,” Riley said. “He’s got to shoot that.”

Instead, Mills has been pump- faking himself into trouble and then tries awkward drives to the basket.

“When he gets 'em up in the air, he should take one escape dribble and put it back up,” Riley said. “He’s trying to take things all the way to the rim, and I don’t know if that’s his game.”

- Van Gundy glum: Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy has admitted he’s doing a bad job with his team and says the players are no closer to understanding what they have to do to win than they were a year ago.

Van Gundy is an emotional guy. Already headhunters are blaming him for the Knicks’ woes. No surprise if he joins the unemployed list.

Central Division

- Tuning him out? The Pistons are adding fuel to the fire that may consume Coach Doug Collins.

“I would say the crisis level is high and the mood is low,” center Brian Williams said. Then he implied that maybe Collins’ communication style is lacking.

“I think the worst thing that can happen,” Williams said, “is for a coach to be like a refrigerator droning in a corner, for what he says to be like background static, with all the guys saying, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’ I don’t think we’re at that point, but a coach always has to find out a way to reach his players.”

Reporters quizzed Collins about the effectiveness of his offense and he turned to three of his players - Joe Dumars, Grant Hill and Lindsey Hunter, standing nearby - and asked, “Hey, guys, are we confused about our offense?” The three shook their heads no, figuring no doubt that the other option was probably not the wisest.

- Success at a price: The Pacers’ Rik Smits on why Larry Brown was successful in Indiana but eventually had to leave: "It was his approach to dealing with the guys. At first, you’d get so mad at him that you’d play your butt off. But after a while, it gets too much for you. It’s tough to explain his techniques unless you’ve been through it. That’s the reason he keeps moving, I believe.

“But he brings success. I learned a tremendous amount from him.”

The statement sounds pretty similar to those that followed Brown’s departure from the Spurs.

For what it’s worth

- Irish Larry: Phoenix coach Danny Ainge looks at Boston’s records the past few seasons and notes, “The leprechaun mysteriously died when Larry Bird retired.”

- Think again: “As far as I know, management is behind me,” former Dallas coach Jim Cleamons claimed about a day before he was fired.

- Telling statistic: The Chicago Bulls have lost by 20 or more points seven times this decade. Dallas has done it 83 times.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-10, By Rob Gloster

NBA 球星对教练袭击事件发表声明

奥克兰，加州 - 在袭击金州勇士队教练P.J. 卡莱西莫(P.J. Carlesimo)并失去工作后，拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔(Latrell Sprewell)周二首次公开发表声明，他说他必须学会控制自己的脾气，但他认为自己不应该因为一个错误而毁掉自己的职业生涯。

“我知道这种行为在社会和职业体育中是不可接受的。我为自己的所作所为承担责任，”他在新闻发布会上说。当时，五名前队友站在他身后，律师约翰尼·科克伦(Johnnie Cochran)和经纪人阿恩·特勒姆(Arn Tellem)站在他旁边。

斯普雷维尔在周日给卡莱西莫打电话道歉，因为他在12月1日的训练中掐住卡莱西莫的脖子并威胁要杀了他。

斯普雷维尔说，他不想在私下与勇士队教练谈话之前公开道歉。

圣安东尼奥马刺队在斯普雷维尔与教练发生冲突之前有意将他招募进来。联盟观察人士说，马刺队仍然可能对他感兴趣，尤其是如果斯普雷维尔能成功上诉其禁赛处罚。

“我是一个好人，我以前从未遇到过这样的情况，”27岁的斯普雷维尔说。“我认为十年来的努力不应该因为一个错误而付诸东流。我的职业生涯不是一蹴而就的，我不认为它应该在一夜之间消失。

“我知道我会更好地控制自己的脾气，注意自己的行为。”

斯普雷维尔是三届全明星球员，上周三被勇士队解雇，这让他损失了在四年合同的最后三年中应得的2500万美元。

第二天，NBA对他处以一年的禁赛，这是联盟历史上最长的非药物相关禁赛处罚。

球员联盟已经向NBA和勇士队提出申诉，认为处罚过重。而斯普雷维尔本人说他从来没有机会说出自己的故事，这一点遭到NBA的否认。

该案将于1月4日或之后由福特汉姆法学院院长约翰·费里克(John Feerick)仲裁。

这次袭击不仅在NBA和整个体育界引起了波澜，还引发了关于体育精神、榜样和权威人士的全国性辩论。

特勒姆和全国篮球运动员协会执行董事比利·亨特(Billy Hunter)在新闻发布会上表示，种族因素并非袭击事件的起因，尽管该经纪人周末暗示他认为种族可能起到了作用。

斯普雷维尔没有透露袭击事件的细节，他说卡莱西莫用言语辱骂他，激怒了他。卡莱西莫的执教风格强硬，咄咄逼人，他之前也与其他球员发生过冲突，并在担任波特兰开拓者队主教练期间与前马刺队后卫罗德·斯特里克兰(Rod Strickland)发生过争执。

斯普雷维尔说，他对卡莱西莫的不满一直在加剧，卡莱西莫是勇士队本赛季的第一位教练。

“我曾试图改善金州的情况，但没有人想听我说什么。我只想让联盟听取我的意见。

“当时没有人愿意听。”

斯普雷维尔还说，他认为自己在袭击事件之后受到了不公平的对待。

“人们把我当成一个负面人物，”斯普雷维尔说。他被建议不要回答记者的提问，因为仲裁正在进行。

“我被妖魔化了。每次我看到剪辑片段，总是看到我怒气冲冲，咄咄逼人。总是负面的。我觉得这很不公平。

“我知道经历这一切让我变得更强大，更优秀，”他说。“希望不会再发生类似的事情。我们要从中吸取教训。希望我们都能从中学习。”

卡莱西莫和勇士队其他官员也拒绝置评，原因同样是仲裁正在进行。

目击者说，斯普雷维尔在训练中掐住卡莱西莫的脖子并威胁要杀了他，当时球队战绩为1胜13负。大约15分钟后，斯普雷维尔回到训练场再次与教练对峙，卡莱西莫的脖子上留下了3英寸长的红色印记。

一些报道称斯普雷维尔在第二次对峙中向卡莱西莫挥拳，NBA总裁大卫·斯特恩(David Stern)在宣布禁赛处罚时称这次对峙是“明显的蓄意袭击”。

但一位消息人士周二表示，斯普雷维尔对第二次对峙的一些报道提出异议，他从未打算第二次袭击卡莱西莫。

“他出来要求P.J.交易他，”该消息人士说。

特勒姆说，这些对峙应该被视为“一起事件”。

“他不是回家呆了24小时。这只是一瞬间，他失去了理智，”特勒姆说。“他不应该那样做。就是这样。”

新闻发布会是在奥克兰会议中心举行的，勇士队在那里进行训练，开始时间比球队结束训练不到一小时。

斯普雷维尔与前队友穆格西·博格斯(Muggsy Bogues)、宾博·科尔斯(Bimbo Coles)、费尔顿·斯宾塞(Felton Spencer)、大卫·沃恩(David Vaughn)和乔·史密斯(Joe Smith)一起出席了发布会。史密斯在比赛中一直在脚踝上的胶带上写着“Spree”。

拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔在阿拉巴马州的队友罗伯特·霍里(Robert Horry)现在效力于洛杉矶湖人队，他也出席了发布会。

斯普雷维尔发言大约10分钟后，他静静地坐在讲台上，亨特告诉记者，在袭击事件发生到禁赛处罚期间，有10支球队对他发出了报价。

点击查看原文：NBA star puts his spin on coach assault

NBA star puts his spin on coach assault

OAKLAND, Calif. - In his first public comments since attacking Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo and losing his job, Latrell Sprewell said Tuesday he had to learn to control his temper but that his career should not be ruined by one mistake.

“I know this conduct is not acceptable in society and professional sports. I accept responsibility for what I’ve done,” he said during a news conference with five former teammates standing behind him and lawyer Johnnie Cochran and agent Arn Tellem at his side.

Sprewell had called Carlesimo on Sunday to apologize for choking and threatening to kill him during practice Dec. 1.

Sprewell said he didn’t want to apologize publicly before talking to the Warriors’ coach privately.

The San Antonio Spurs were interested in acquiring the star point guard before he got into the fight with his coach. League observers say the Spurs still may be interested, especially if Sprewell were to win an appeal of his suspension.

“I am a good person and I’ve never had any situation like this come up before,” the 27-year-old Sprewell said. "I feel 10 years of hard work shouldn’t be taken away for one mistake. My career didn’t happen overnight and I don’t feel it should be taken away overnight.

“I know I will do a better job controlling my temper and watching what I do.”

Sprewell, a three-time All-Star, was fired by the Warriors last Wednesday, costing him the $25 million he was to be paid over the final three years of his four-year contract.

The next day, the NBA suspended him for one year, the longest non-drug-related suspension in league history.

The players’ union has filed grievances against the NBA and the Warriors, arguing the penalties were ex- cessive. And Sprewell himself said he never got a chance to tell his side of the story, a point the NBA disputes.

The case will be heard no sooner than Jan. 4 by arbitrator John Feerick, dean of Fordham Law School.

The attack not only rippled across the NBA and all of sports but sparked a national debate over sportsmanship, role models and authority figures.

Tellem and Billy Hunter, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, said at the news conference that race wasn’t a factor in the attack, although the agent had hinted over the weekend he thought it may have played a role.

Sprewell, who gave no details of the attack, had said Carlesimo provoked him with verbal abuse. Carlesimo, who has an intense, in- your-face coaching style, has had run-ins with other players and feuded with former Spur guard Rod Strickland while coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Sprewell said his problems had been mounting with Carlesimo, who’s in his first season with the Warriors.

“There were times I reached out and tried to rectify the situation here at Golden State,” he said. "No one wanted to hear what I had to say. All I wanted was for the league to hear me out.

“No one was willing to listen at that time.”

Sprewell also said he felt he had been treated unfairly after the attack.

“I’ve been looked on as a negative person,” said Sprewell, who was advised not to answer reporters’ questions because of the pending arbitration.

"I’ve been vilified. Every time I look at a clip it’s always a picture of me looking mad and being aggressive. It was always negative. I felt that was unfair.

“I know going through all this makes me a better person and a better man,” he said. “Hopefully, nothing like this will happen again. There are lessons to be learned. Hopefully, we can all learn.”

Carlesimo and other Warriors officials declined to comment, also because of the pending arbitration.

Witnesses said Sprewell grabbed Carlesimo by the throat and threatened to kill him during practice for a team that began the season 1-13. About 15 minutes later, Sprewell returned to practice and again confronted the coach, who was left with a 3-inch red mark on his neck.

Some reports have said Sprewell threw a punch at Carlesimo during that second encounter, and NBA commissioner David Stern labeled that confrontation a “clearly premeditated assault” while announcing the suspension.

But a source said Tuesday that Sprewell disputes some reports of the second confrontation and that he never intended to assault Carlesimo a second time.

“He came out to demand that P.J. trade him,” said the source.

Tellem said the confrontations should be treated as “one episode.”

“It isn’t like he went home for 24 hours. This was one short time where he lost his cool,” Tellem said. “He shouldn’t have done what he did. That’s it.”

The news conference was held at the Oakland Convention Center, the building the Warriors use for practice, and began less than an hour after the team finished a workout.

Sprewell was joined by former teammates Muggsy Bogues, Bimbo Coles, Felton Spencer, David Vaughn and Joe Smith, who has been writing “Spree” on the tape around his ankles during games.

Robert Horry, Sprewell’s teammate at Alabama and now with the Los Angeles Lakers, also was on hand.

After Sprewell spoke for about 10 minutes, he sat quietly at the podium as Hunter told reporters that 10 teams had bid for the player between the time of the attack and the suspension.

By Rob Gloster, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1997-12-11, By Jerry Briggs

马刺队找到擒获快船队的方法 罗宾逊和约翰逊帮助圣安东尼奥队结束三连败

一年前的周三晚上，马刺队解雇鲍勃·希尔，这是该球队历史上最具争议的举动之一。总经理格雷格·波波维奇扣动了扳机，接替希尔成为主教练。

马刺队的球迷以略带愠怒的情绪来到与洛杉矶快船队的比赛现场，以此来纪念这一事件。

幸运的是，波波维奇没有让快船队给他们的主教练带来更多的痛苦。他们一度几乎丢失了 22 分领先优势，但最终以 102-87 获胜。

“人们喜新厌旧，”马刺队控球后卫艾弗里·约翰逊说，他以创职业生涯最高纪录的 20 次助攻引发了这场胜利。“但我想真正的马刺队球迷会给他一个机会。”

尽管如此，一名真正的马刺队球迷坐在阿拉莫穹顶球场地板附近几排的座位上，举着一个标语，上面写着，“辞职吧，波普，辞职吧。”

波波维奇则坚称，球迷的情绪以及希尔解雇周年纪念日的宣传并没有给他原本紧张的局面增加了任何压力。

“一点也没有，”他说。“球队就是我集中精力的地方。那是我的精力所在。”

波波维奇正在寻找可以从他的球队中获得的所有能量，该球队已经输掉了过去 14 场比赛中的 9 场，包括周二晚上在休斯顿以 30 分惨败。

他最不需要的是马刺队复制上周在 100-96 的客场输给低级快船队的表现，该场比赛开始了一波三连败。

老将提供了必要的冲击力。约翰逊指导了快速进攻，并接近约翰·卢卡斯创造的球队助攻纪录。中锋大卫·罗宾逊得到 30 分。

后卫文尼·德尔内格罗得到 22 分，新秀前锋蒂姆·邓肯封盖了快船队的六次投篮。这六次盖帽追平了邓肯的职业生涯最高纪录。

“我们非常积极，”波波维奇说。“我们在球场的两端都表现出了出色的团队协作，但这始于防守端。很明显，艾弗里为我们打出了一场伟大的比赛。”

快船队根本无法跟上约翰逊对篮下的突破，该队的赛季战绩跌至 4-17。随着这场胜利，马刺队的战绩提高到 11-10，挽回了球队在平庸开局中的颜面。此前预期球队将在西部联盟中竞争。

“获胜的感觉真好，”罗宾逊说。“在过去的一周里，一切都似乎进展得如此缓慢。这场比赛的大部分都是关于信心。我们必须尝试重建它。”

快船队中没有人真正进入进攻节奏。埃里克·皮亚特科夫斯基在上一场战胜马刺队的比赛中以创职业生涯最高纪录的 24 分爆发，但这次仅得到 11 分。

新秀莫里斯·泰勒可能在洛杉矶体育竞技场的比赛加时赛中用关键篮筐点燃了马刺队，但这次他只打了 21 分钟替补，得到 10 分。

总的来说，马刺队将快船队的投篮命中率限制在 39.5%。主教练比尔·菲奇的球队根本不是马刺队的对手，后者有着良好的进攻节奏。他们的投篮命中率为 47.9%，助攻 29 次，仅失误 12 次。

当然，快船队是一支 2-9 的客场球队。但对于一支在最近一系列惨败中信心受到动摇的马刺队来说，这仍然感觉很好。

“我们今晚的同步率更高，”德尔内格罗说。“我真的很为 AJ 感到高兴。像这样的比赛就是我们的必经之路。我们必须让肖恩（埃利奥特）和我有空投，让大卫和蒂姆在篮板上。”

在第二节中，当马刺队一波攻势将比分拉开到 50-28 时，球迷们欢呼起来。但当快船队在第三节将差距缩小到 73-70 时，他们坐立不安。

“我们可能已经说过，‘哦，又要开始了’，”波波维奇说。“但我们团结在一起。”

马刺队在第四节以 75-70 领先，并立即扑向快船队。罗宾逊在内线扣篮。邓肯得到 14 分，命中一记 10 英尺的投篮。然后，埃利奥特命中一记 19 英尺的跳投，将比分拉大到 11 分。

洛杉矶队剩余时间再也没有将比分缩小到 8 分以内。

约翰逊早早为马刺队定下基调，在第一节中进行快速进攻并送出 12 次助攻——比 NBA 纪录卢卡斯的 14 次助攻少了两次。

快船队迟缓的防守让马刺队打出快速进攻，毫无贡献，造成了 16 分的失误。第一节结束后，马刺队以 34-22 领先。这场比赛并不是偶然发生的。它是靠另一端的暂停推动的。

“如果球队像他们对付我们那样投篮，”波波维奇说，“就不会有快速进攻。我们踢得积极，我们一起抢篮板，这让我们开始进攻。”

从第一节的尾声开始，马刺队开始了一波连胜，最终以 23-6 结束。埃利奥特的快速进攻上篮结束连胜，并使马刺队的优势在半场还剩 5:54 时扩大到 50-28。

笔记

回到状态：马刺队最近宣布的九人球员轮换阵容进行了微调。

代替马利克·罗斯，威尔·普渡成为了第一节替补出场的巨汉。

普渡在中锋大卫·罗宾逊因早早吃到两次犯规而进入比赛，还有四分钟。

这是普渡长时间上场时间的开始，他在接下来的 11 分钟内出场，并抢下三个篮板。

普渡的名字仍在交易传闻中被提及。快船队可能不是巧合，是报道的追求者之一，还有底特律和费城。

三倍：在周二晚上休斯顿以 108-78 获胜的比赛中，火箭队命中了马刺队的对手最高的七个三分球。马刺队在罚球线上仅命中 10 个，创下赛季新低。

点击查看原文：Spurs find way to dock the Clippers Robinson, Johnson help S.A. put end to three-game slide

Spurs find way to dock the Clippers Robinson, Johnson help S.A. put end to three-game slide

One year ago Wednesday night, the Spurs fired Bob Hill in one of the most controversial moves in franchise history. General Manager Gregg Popovich pulled the trigger and took over Hill’s job as head coach.

Spurs fans remembered the occasion by showing up for a game with the Los Angeles Clippers in a bit of a surly mood.

Fortunately for Popovich, the Spurs didn’t let the Clippers heap any more misery on their embattled coach. They gave up most of a 22-point lead before pulling away at the end for a 102-87 victory.

“People are fickle,” said Spurs point guard Avery Johnson, who sparked the victory with a career- high 20 assists. “But I think real Spurs fans are going to give him a chance.”

Nevertheless, one real Spurs fan sat in the seats a few rows off the floor at the Alamodome holding a sign that read, “Quit, Pop, Quit.”

Popovich, for his part, insisted that the mood of the crowd and publicity about the anniversary of Hill’s firing didn’t add any pressure on him in an already tense situation.

“Not at all,” he said. “The team is what I concentrate on. That’s where my energy lies.”

Popovich was looking for all the energy he could get out of his squad, which had lost nine of its last 14 games, including a 30-point blowout at Houston on Tuesday night.

The last thing he needed was for the Spurs to duplicate last week’s effort in a 100-96 road loss to the lowly Clippers, which started a three-game losing streak.

Veterans supplied the necessary punch. Johnson directed the fast break and came within four assists of John Lucas’ franchise record. Center David Robinson scored 30 points.

Guard Vinny Del Negro added 22 points and rookie forward Tim Duncan swatted away six Clippers shots. The half-dozen blocks tied a career high for Duncan.

“We were real active,” Popovich said. “We had great team effort at both ends of the floor, but it started on the defensive end. Obviously, Avery had a great game for us.”

The Clippers, who simply couldn’t keep pace with Johnson’s penetrations to the basket, fell to 4-17 on the season. With the victory, the Spurs improved to 11-10 and salvaged some pride in what has been characterized as an underachieving start by a team picked to contend in the Western Conference.

“It just feels good to win,” Robinson said. “It just seems like, in the last week, everything has been going so slow. Most of this game is about confidence. We have to try and build that back.”

Nobody on the Clippers really got into an offensive rhythm. Eric Piatkowski, who erupted for a career-high 24 points in last week’s stunner over the Spurs, was held to 11.

Rookie Maurice Taylor may have burned the Spurs with clutch baskets in overtime in the game at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, but this time he played only 21 minutes off the bench and was held to 10 points.

In all, the Spurs held the Clippers to 39.5 percent shooting. Coach Bill Fitch’s team was no match for the Spurs, who had a good offensive flow. They hit 47.9 percent from the field, passed for 29 assists and turned it over only 12 times.

Granted, the Clippers are a 2-9 road team. But it still felt good for a Spurs squad that has had its confidence shaken during the recent binge of ugly losses.

“We were just in better synch tonight,” Del Negro said. “I was really happy for AJ. A game like this is what we have to do. We have to get Sean (Elliott) and I open shots and have David and Tim on the boards.”

Fans cheered when the Spurs went on a run in the second quarter that lifted them to a 50-28 lead. But they stirred nervously in their seats in the third when the Clippers cut the gap to 73-70.

“We might have said, ‘Oh, here we go again,’” Popovich said. “But we stayed together.”

The Spurs led 75-70 going into the fourth and jumped on the Clippers immediately. Robinson worked inside for a dunk. Duncan, who scored 14 points, hit a 10-footer. Then Elliott nailed a 19-footer to make it an 11-point game.

Los Angeles never drew closer than eight the rest of the way.

Johnson set the tone for the Spurs early, running the fast break and passing for 12 assists in the first quarter - two off the NBA record of 14 by Lucas.

The Clippers generously contributed to the run with a sluggish defense that allowed 16 fast-break points, as the Spurs streaked to a 34-22 lead after one. The running game didn’t happen by accident. It was fueled by stops on the other end.

“If teams shoot like they have been against us,” Popovich said, “there are no fast breaks. We played aggressively, we gang rebounded, and that’s what got us going.”

Starting late in the first, the Spurs began a roll that turned into a 23-6 run. Elliott’s fast-break layup capped the streak and bumped the Spurs’ advantage to 50-28 with 5:54 remaining before halftime.

NOTES

Back in the flow: There was a minor adjustment in the Spurs’ recently pronounced nine-man playing rotation.

Instead of Malik Rose, Will Perdue emerged as the first big man off the bench in the first quarter.

Perdue checked in with four minutes remaining for center David Robinson, who picked up two early fouls.

It was the start of a long stretch of floor time for Perdue, who played the next 11 minutes and grabbed three rebounds.

Perdue’s name is still being mentioned in trade rumors. The Clippers, perhaps not coincidentally, are among the reported suitors, along with Detroit and Philadelphia.

Tripled: In Houston’s 108-78 victory Tuesday night, the Rockets hit a Spurs opponent-high seven three-point field goals. The Spurs hit only 10 of 13 at the free-throw line, both season lows. - Jerry Briggs

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News