马刺1997-98赛季实录（680+篇）

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-06, By Jerry Briggs

新秀现象：邓肯的明星地位并非儿戏

10月，马刺队在季前赛主场比赛中，球员们慢跑着走向球场准备热身。

至少有一位马刺球员是慢跑着出来的。

他就是蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)，显然是成为队友们精心策划的恶作剧的受害者。

这个恶作剧计划始于几天前，马刺队在弗吉尼亚州费尔法克斯观看华盛顿奇才队比赛时，看到奇才队是如何愚弄他们的新秀球员，让他们上当受骗。

当马刺队回到主场时，他们也尝试在邓肯身上使用这一招。

“嘿，蒂姆，”一位球员对邓肯说道，球员们在阿拉莫穹顶球场旁边排成一队。“新秀站在队伍的最前面。”

邓肯听从了老队员的建议，调整了自己的位置，准备以马刺队球员的身份首次站在主场观众面前。当球队准备出场时，他慢跑着走上了球场。

独自一人。

其他球员都留在了准备区，哈哈大笑。

他们中有些人可能真的以为他们愚弄了这个NBA选秀大会的状元秀。

但据记录，邓肯并没有被这个篮球界最古老的笑话所愚弄，这个笑话自米德洛·莱蒙(Meadowlark Lemon)向哈林篮球队球迷扔了一桶彩带以来，就被广泛使用。

“我知道他们要做什么，”邓肯说。“所以我还是走出去。”

为什么？

“只是为了好玩，”他说。“我还是个新秀。”

到目前为止，邓肯不仅忍耐了队友的恶作剧，还成为联盟中唯一一位入选NBA全明星阵容的新秀。

邓肯被教练选入西区全明星阵容，将在周日麦迪逊广场花园的比赛中担任替补。

在本赛季前半段，对手们派出了像卡尔·马龙(Karl Malone)、查尔斯·巴克利(Charles Barkley)和丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)这样的猛将对付他。手肘挥舞，身体碰撞。

但邓肯没有退缩。

总而言之，他从大学到职业篮球的过渡非常顺利，这超出了人们的想象。

“这和大学完全不同，”前维克森林明星球员邓肯说。“这都是关于篮球。我只是尽力去适应。我知道赛季中会有某个阶段，一切变得过于繁重。”

“也许将来我会轻松一些，找到应对的方法。但现在，感觉就像每场比赛都在拼尽全力，努力生存。（我）努力保持身体状态，避免做傻事。”

与常年入选全明星阵容的中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)并肩作战，邓肯场均贡献18.2分、11.5个篮板和2.4次封盖。他的投篮命中率为55.7%，在联盟中排名篮板和封盖榜前列。

弱点？邓肯并没有太多弱点。有时他会因为双人包夹而变得慌乱，并做出糟糕的传球。他的罚球命中率虽然有所提高，但仍然低于58.4%。

但球迷们在看到马刺队上赛季跌至20胜62负之后，没有人会对邓肯罚球线上的几个砖块感到不满。

马刺队正在再次取得胜利 - 34胜14负，西部联盟第三名 - 这才是最重要的。

相应地，邓肯的人气也正在上升。

越来越多的孩子在主场比赛中穿着21号球衣。越来越多的记者希望采访他。他现在很难在公共场合行走而不会被寻求签名的粉丝拦住。

他说，他试图不让自己迅速蹿红的明星地位影响到他的休闲娱乐。

“我想去哪里就去哪里，”邓肯说。“我不让别人控制我的生活。这（有时）很难，尤其是当你想要独处的时候。但你必须处理好。你告诉他们离开你。有些人会尊重这一点。有些人不会。倒霉。”

邓肯享受着远离比赛的时间。他大部分时间都在家里与朋友放松，听音乐或玩电子游戏。他的家是他的空间，在那里他可以做真实的自己，也许还可以玩弄他的武士刀。

他另一个有趣的物件是一支“梅林”蜡烛，一个慈祥的巫师的雕像，在故事书中是亚瑟王(King Arthur)的导师。“梅林”是邓肯希望人们叫他的昵称，如果他们一定要给他起一个昵称的话。

“除非他从帽子中变出一只兔子，否则我不会相信，”老队员威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)说。

当邓肯去年夏天首次来到圣安东尼奥时，他没有帽子，也没有兔子。他拥有的是球技。而且非常多。毫无疑问，这位身高6英尺11英寸，体重248磅的球员是训练场上的最佳球员。

当时，罗宾逊还没有恢复到最佳状态，而邓肯在季前赛中压制着这位老将球星。

任何可能对邓肯在7月份盐湖城举行的落基山脉回顾赛上表现不佳感到疑惑的人，很快就被他全面的表演所折服，他看起来和联盟中一些最佳球员一样流畅和精准。

巴克利，在马刺队5月份抽中状元签后，最初对邓肯持怀疑态度，在看到邓肯在秋季与他的休斯敦火箭队的比赛中得到17分和17个篮板后，很快改变了主意。

“我看到了未来，他穿着21号球衣，”巴克利说。“他非常出色，比我想象的要好。他很成熟。非常成熟。”

邓肯一直在稳步提高，赢得了联盟超级巨星的赞赏。在公牛队的主场芝加哥，邓肯在他的第三场职业比赛中打出了他最好的表现之一。

马刺队以87-83的比分在双加时赛中输掉了比赛，但他得到了19分，并与罗德曼 - 这位有争议的六届联盟篮板王 - 并列得到22个篮板。

“我能理解为什么他是状元秀，”公牛队的控球后卫迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)说。“他很有天赋。他很成熟。他进步很大。他在大学里待了四年，现在他的回报开始显现。”

邓肯，一个来自维尔京群岛的人，并不总是一个强大的人。他是一个瘦长的少年，在学会运球、投篮或灌篮之前，就学会了游泳比赛。

小时候，他为了保持体型，在圣克罗伊岛南部海岸的一片长达1.5英里的半便士海滩上跑步。这个海滩的名字对于一个可能在三年内获得1.5亿美元合同的球员来说，颇具讽刺意味。

“那时我从未想过NBA，”他说。“这只是一个随着时间推移才出现的梦想。”

现在，每次他走进球馆面对一支新球队时，这个梦想都会将他击中。总会有新的挑战。作为一名大学中锋，他转换到了大前锋。最近，他甚至打过一些小前锋。

然后还有作为一名新秀球员所要经历的荒谬的仪式。马刺队后卫科里·亚历山大(Cory Alexander)，邓肯最亲密的朋友之一，说他认为邓肯在季前赛初期就被这个恶作剧“彻底迷惑了”。

得知邓肯一直都知道发生了什么，亚历山大笑了。

“这说明他多么努力地融入这支球队，”亚历山大说。“这说明他是一个什么样的队友。”

邓肯耸耸肩，对这个恶作剧置之不理，用球迷们每天晚上都从他身上看到的技巧和优雅来处理它。

“这只是对新秀的待遇，”他说。“我预料到了。”

新秀比较

大卫·罗宾逊 (1989-90) 和蒂姆·邓肯 (1997-98) 在各自新秀赛季全明星赛时的比较。

罗宾逊 邓肯

得分平均值 23.2 18.2

篮板平均值 11.8 11.5

封盖平均值 3.2 2.4

罚球命中率 .727 .584

投篮命中率 .528 .557

助攻平均值 2.2 2.5

新秀丰收

• 大卫·罗宾逊 (1989-90)：年度最佳新秀；帮助马刺队取得56胜26负的战绩，比上赛季提高了35场胜利，创造了NBA历史纪录。

• 威利·安德森 (1988-89)：在新秀赛季的21胜61负的球队中入选最佳新秀阵容；从未发展成为球队所期待的全明星球员。

• 阿尔文·罗伯逊 (1984-85)：新秀赛季效力于全明星球员乔治·格文(George Gervin)之后，但在下一个赛季，马刺队交易了格文之后，他入选了全明星阵容，并获得了最佳防守球员称号。

• 肖恩·埃利奥特 (1989-90)：与一支有天赋的球队融为一体，场均得到10分，担任先发球员；与教练拉里·布朗(Larry Brown)的咆哮作斗争，但所学到的经验使他成为一名更好的球员，并两次入选全明星阵容。

新秀水货

• 阿尔弗雷德里克·休斯 (1985-86)：选秀日专家们推测，在马刺队选中休斯之后，“一定是有人在圣安东尼奥的纳乔斯里放了毒药”；在1986年训练营中，由于宿醉，他们放弃了他。

• 弗兰基·桑德斯 (1978-79)：作为选秀大会上的第20顺位，桑德斯只打了22场比赛就被马刺队裁掉了。

点击查看原文：First-year Phenom - Duncan's star status is no joking matter

First-year Phenom - Duncan’s star status is no joking matter

In October, the Spurs jogged onto the court for warmups in their preseason home- opener.

Well, at least one Spur jogged out.

It was Tim Duncan, an apparent victim of a devious plot by his own teammates.

The scheming started a few nights earlier when the Spurs saw how the Washington Wizards tricked their rookies into falling for the gag at a game in Fairfax, Va.

When the Spurs returned home, they tried it on Duncan.

“Hey Tim,” one player told Duncan as the players staged themselves just off the side of the court at the Alamodome. “Rookies get in the front of the line.”

Duncan, heeding the veteran’s advice, positioned himself accordingly for his first entrance as a Spur in front of the home crowd. When the team was scheduled to run out, he trotted onto the floor.

Alone.

The rest of the players remained in the staging area, laughing.

Some of them actually may have thought they had duped the incoming No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

But for the record, Duncan really didn’t fall for the oldest joke in basketball since Meadowlark Lemon threw a bucket of confetti Harlem Globetrotters fans.

“I knew what they were going to do,” Duncan said. “So I went out anyway.”

Why?

“It was just for fun,” he said. “I’m a rookie.”

So far, Duncan has not only endured bad jokes by his teammates - he has emerged as the only rookie in the league to earn a spot on the NBA All-Star team.

Duncan, voted to the West All-Star squad by the coaches, will play as a reserve in Sunday’s game at Madison Square Garden.

In the first half of the season, opponents have sent bad dudes like Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Dennis Rodman at him. Elbows have been thrown. Bodies have banged together.

But Duncan hasn’t flinched.

All in all, he has made about as smooth a transition from college to professional basketball as anyone could have imagined.

“It’s a lot different than college,” said Duncan, the former Wake Forest star. "It’s all basketball. I’m just trying to deal with that as it goes. I know there’s going to be a point in the season when it’s going to be too much.

“Maybe down the road I’ll be able to take it easier and find a way to get around it. But right now, it’s like I’m just playing game to game and trying to survive. (I) try to keep my body in shape and try not to do stupid things.”

Playing alongside perennial all-star center David Robinson, Duncan is averaging 18.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a game. He is shooting 55.7 percent from the field, and ranks among the league leaders in field-goal percentage, rebounds and blocks.

Weaknesses? Duncan doesn’t have many. Sometimes he gets rattled by double-teams and makes poor passes. His free-throw marksmanship, while improving, is still a less-than-stellar 58.4 percent.

But after fans watched the Spurs plummet to a 20-62 record last season, nobody is quibbling about a few bricks by Duncan at the stripe.

The Spurs are winning again - 34-14, third-best in the Western Conference - and that’s all that matters.

Duncan’s popularity, accordingly, is on the upswing.

More and more kids are wearing No. 21 jerseys to the home games. More reporters want his time. It’s getting harder for him to walk around in public without getting stopped by autograph hounds.

He said he tries not to let his burgeoning stardom affect his leisure-time pursuits.

“I go out when I want to go out,” Duncan said. “I don’t let people dictate my life. It is (hard sometimes), especially when you want to be alone. But you deal with it. You tell 'em to leave you alone. Some people respect that. Some people don’t. Tough luck.”

Duncan enjoys his time away from the game. Much of it is spent relaxing at home with friends, listening to music or playing video games. His home is his space, where he can be himself, maybe even play around with his samurai swords.

One of his other intriguing artifacts is a “Merlin” candle, a statue of the kindly wizard who was a mentor to King Arthur in the storybook tales. “Merlin” is the nickname Duncan would like people to use, if they insist on using one for him.

“I’m not buying it unless he pulls a rabbit out of a hat,” veteran teammate Will Perdue said.

When Duncan first arrived in San Antonio last summer, he had no hat and no rabbit. What he did have was game. And lots of it. There was no question that the 6-foot-11, 248-pounder was the best player on the practice floor.

At the time, Robinson had not yet worked himself into shape, and Duncan was dominating the veteran star in precamp scrimmages.

Anyone who may have wondered about Duncan’s lackluster showing at the Rocky Mountain Revue, a tournament in Salt Lake City in July, was quickly treated to an all-around showman who looked as smooth and finely tuned as some of the best players in the league.

Barkley, an early Duncan skeptic when the Spurs won the lottery in May, quickly changed his mind when he saw Duncan ring up 17 points and 17 rebounds in an exhibition game against his Houston Rockets last fall.

“I have seen the future and he wears No. 21,” Barkley said. “He was quite impressive, better than I thought he was. He’s polished. Very polished.”

Duncan has steadily improved, drawing praise from the game’s superstars. In Chicago, home of the defending-champion Bulls, Duncan put on one of his best performances in his third game as a pro.

The Spurs lost 87-83 in double overtime, but he scored 19 points and matched Rodman - the controversial, six- time league rebounding champion - with 22 boards.

“I can see why he went No. 1,” Bulls guard Michael Jordan said. “He has a lot of talent. He’s matured. He’s blossomed. He stayed those four years in college and his dividend is starting to show.”

Duncan, a native of the Virgin Islands, was not always a force. He was a gangly teen-ager who learned to swim competitively long before he could dribble, shoot or dunk a basketball.

As a youngster, he ran to stay in shape on Halfpenny Beach, a 11/2-mile stretch of sand on the southern shore of St. Croix. The name of the beach is ironic for a guy who might command a $150 million contract in three years.

“I never thought about the NBA back then,” he said. “It was just a dream that developed over time.”

Right now, the dream hits him flush every time he walks into an arena to face a new team. There’s always a new challenge. As a center in college, he switched to power forward. Lately, he has even played some small forward.

And then there are the ridiculous rites of being a first-year player. Spurs guard Cory Alexander, one of Duncan’s closest friends, said he thought Duncan had fallen “hook, line and sinker” for the gag early in the preseason.

Advised that Duncan knew what was happening all along, Alexander smiled.

“That just shows you how much he’s tried to fit in with this team,” Alexander said. “It shows what kind of teammate he is.”

Duncan shrugged off the stunt, handling it with the finesse and grace that fans have come to expect from him every night.

“It’s just rookie treatment,” he said. “I expect it.”

Rookie comparison

Comparison of David Robinson (1989-90) and Tim Duncan (1997-98) at the All-Star break of their rookie seasons.

Robinson Duncan

Scoring average 23.2 18.2

Average rebounds 11.8 11.5

Avgerage blocks 3.2 2.4

Free-throw percentage .727 .584

Field-goal percentage .528 .557

Average assists 2.2 2.5

Rookie bonanzas

- David Robinson (1989-90): Rookie of the year; helped catapult Spurs to 56-26 record, an NBA-record 35-game improvement over previous season.

- Willie Anderson (1988-89): All-rookie first team on 21-61 team; never developed into all-star talent the team envisioned.

- Alvin Robertson (1984-85): Played behind all-star George Gervin as a rookie, but by next season, after Spurs traded Gervin, made all-star team and earned defensive player of the year.

- Sean Elliott (1989-90): Blended well with talented team and averaged 10 points as a starter; struggled with ranting of Coach Larry Brown, but lessons learned made him a better player and a two-time all-star.

Rookie busts

- Alfrederick Hughes (1985-86): Draft-day pundits speculated after Spurs selected Hughes that “someone must have spiked the nachos” in San Antonio; suffering from a hangover, they waived him in 1986 training camp.

- Frankie Sanders (1978-79): As the 20th overall pick in the draft, Sanders lasted only 22 games before Spurs cut him.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-07, By Jerry Briggs

健康却心碎的罗宾逊，唯一的痛苦来自辜负了上帝

马刺中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)的背痛已经消退了。他的骨折的脚也已经痊愈了。而上赛季球队20胜62负的惨败所带来的精神折磨也已经消散。

毕竟，他的马刺队在最近的28场比赛中赢了24场。他们已经强势升至中西部赛区第一，战绩为34胜14负，他也重回联盟最佳球员的行列。

为了证明这一点，请在周日的NBA全明星赛上收看，你会发现罗宾逊在纽约麦迪逊广场花园为西部队奔跑、扣篮和封盖。

随着马刺队在今年春季季后赛中强势冲击的希望高涨，你可能会认为，罗宾逊将是联盟中赛季中期人才展示中场地上最快乐的人。

从物质层面上来说，他或许的确是。

但在精神上，这位海军上将心中仍有一些挥之不去的伤痛。

要了解罗宾逊为何在私底下仍然心事重重，你必须回到上赛季末，他在一次基督教团契聚会上向大约5000名马刺球迷发表的讲话。

在一场主场对阵菲尼克斯的比赛结束后，他进行了一次非凡的20分钟演讲，告诉球迷们是上帝让他经历了最糟糕的运动噩梦。

“他说，‘大卫，今年你不会健康，’”罗宾逊引用了全能者的说法，不过这里指的是比喻意义上的。“‘你将坐在板凳上……你们将会输球。每个人都会不开心。而且，基本上，我要让你自己面对这一切，大卫。’”

当罗宾逊在阿拉莫圆顶的球场中央发表证词时，球迷们都很好奇。圆顶的灯光调暗了，一束聚光灯照在罗宾逊身上，他告诉球迷们，上帝在没有篮球的这个赛季“考验了他作为一个男人”。

他说上帝让他没有了“所有的灯光和摄像机”，来检验他信仰的深度。上帝认为这位马刺队的重生基督徒中锋不够虔诚。他可能只是在“走过场”般地信奉他的宗教。

“他让我跌倒了，然后他说，‘大卫，我想要你真诚地承诺，’”罗宾逊告诉球迷们。

在最坦诚的言论中，罗宾逊说，他在1996-97赛季最失望的不是他的背伤。也不是他的脚伤。更不是由此导致的球队命运的崩溃。

而是他辜负了自己的上帝。

“那让我心碎了，”罗宾逊告诉球迷们，“因为我以为一切都进展得很顺利……但他并不满意我。他说，‘你必须向我证明你真的爱我。’”

罗宾逊是职业体育界最具思辨能力的运动员之一，他上周表示，尽管他在九年的职业生涯中再次迎来了巅峰时刻，但他还没有完全摆脱这种心碎。

“我不知道你是否真的能够完全摆脱它，”罗宾逊在参加第八次全明星赛的前夕说道。“这就像是一种人生经历，上帝会时不时地让你审视自己。这很难，因为我们都会犯错。这对作为男人的你来说是一个挑战，因为事情并不总是按你预期的那样发展。”

罗宾逊上赛季因背伤和脚伤缺席了76场比赛。他的大多数健康问题都集中在背伤上。那是一种持续的疼痛和僵硬，在1996年夏天加重了，并且困扰了他整个上赛季，即使在1996年12月他发生脚骨折之后也是如此。

他的脚在去年春天已经恢复到可以开始跑步的程度，但背部的康复才刚刚开始。这将是一个漫长而艰苦的过程，要持续整个夏天。

“我是那些持怀疑态度的人之一，”马刺队前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)在去年秋季的训练营期间说道。“我对此很沉默。我去年在赛季末看到他的样子，坐在板凳末端，我以为他可能只打一半的比赛。我对他的背部充满了问号。”

罗宾逊以重回巅峰状态，连续第七年入选全明星赛，回答了这些问题。在本赛季，他参加了所有48场比赛，场均得到23分、11.2个篮板和2.5个盖帽。

罗宾逊与新秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)联手，组成了联盟中最强大的前场阵容之一，他沉浸在敏捷性和运动能力的复苏中。

“现在戴夫最大的不同之处在于他打得很开心，”马刺队后卫艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)说道。“戴夫在球场上打得很开心。我认为他现在打得太开心了，即使他的背部有疼痛，他可能也不会告诉任何人。”

大多数马刺球迷在球队去年5月赢得状元签，获得了在选秀中用状元签选择邓肯的权利时，在全城举行了派对。罗宾逊和邓肯的合作比大多数人预期的还要好。

“他很容易相处，”罗宾逊说道。“他很沉默寡言。我想说他更像一个观察者，而不是一个说话者。我们相处得很好，因为他很好相处。他的比赛反映了他的为人。他有时看起来很低调，但他渴望获胜，并希望变得更好。”

马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说，罗宾逊已经比1989-90赛季被誉为联盟年度最佳新秀的那位毛头小子成熟了许多。

“大卫最大的不同之处在于他拥有大量的NBA经验，”波波维奇说道。“现在比赛对他来说比他刚进入联盟时要重要得多。他对队友的要求也高得多。

“他还有能力理解球场上的形势。现在他既有天赋，又有智慧。当年他只有天赋。他还是那个戴夫。他仍然有很多兴趣爱好。但他对篮球的理解更深了。”

在经历了上赛季之后，罗宾逊也更多地了解了自己和人类的弱点。这位1995年的NBA最有价值球员说，他正在努力找到内心的平静，他知道上帝会掌控他的命运。

有时，这种平静似乎难以获得。

“就像我的背部（在康复期间）一样，”罗宾逊说道。“我不知道它是否会好起来。我知道我想变得更强壮，并努力再次成为联盟中最出色的球员。但我必须接受，我无法控制它。

“我只能放下自尊，低下头努力工作，并相信（上帝）会让我变得更强大。”

罗宾逊对此很乐观。他说，上帝并不总是给人们奇迹，正如他上赛季的遭遇所证明的那样。但他说他认为有一天他会获得NBA总冠军。

“无论对错，那都是我想要的。那是我的心之所向，我会尽我所能去争取，”罗宾逊说道。“我会尽力做好所有正确的事情（作为一个基督徒）。”

此时，罗宾逊开始说话，就像他正在为他自己和马刺队做一次恳切的祈祷。

“（上帝），如果你认为（获得总冠军）是正确的事，请赐予我们，”罗宾逊说道。

全明星海军上将

马刺队中锋大卫·罗宾逊(50)在他职业生涯中参加NBA全明星赛的战绩：

战绩：3胜4负

场均数据：16.8分，7.1个篮板

1990年迈阿密：这位新秀展现了自己的实力，在为西部队出战的25分钟里，拿下了15分和10个篮板。但东部队在迈阿密球馆以130-113大胜。MVP：魔术师约翰逊(Magic Johnson)，湖人队。

1991年夏洛特：罗宾逊首次被球迷选为首发球员，但他在比赛中遇到了犯规麻烦，只打了18分钟。他拿下了16分。东部队在夏洛特体育馆以116-114获胜。MVP：查尔斯·巴克利(Charles Barkley)，76人队。

1992年奥兰多：罗宾逊再次为西部队首发出场，他命中了9投7中，并在奥兰多球馆的18分钟时间里拿下了19分。他首次赢得了比赛，西部队以153-113大胜。MVP：魔术师约翰逊(Magic Johnson)，湖人队。

1993年盐湖城：罗宾逊在作为西部全明星球员的比赛中表现出色，在26分钟的时间里拿下了21分。他还抢下了10个篮板。西部队在三角洲中心以135-132获胜。MVP：卡尔·马龙(Karl Malone)和约翰·斯托克顿(John Stockton)，爵士队。

1994年明尼阿波利斯：罗宾逊替补上场表现出色，拿下了19分，包括7个罚球。东部队在目标中心以127-118获胜。MVP：斯科蒂·皮蓬(Scottie Pippen)，公牛队。

1995年菲尼克斯：罗宾逊在14分钟的时间里表现出色，拿下了10分，3个篮板和2次抢断。西部队在美国西线球馆以139-112获胜。MVP：米奇·里奇蒙德(Mitch Richmond)，国王队。

1996年圣安东尼奥：罗宾逊在主场球迷面前表现出色，拿下了18分和11个篮板。但东部队的中锋沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)在比赛结束前对他完成了一次暴扣。东部队以129-118获胜。MVP：迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)，公牛队。

点击查看原文：Healthy but Heartbroken Robinson's only pain is from letting down God

Healthy but Heartbroken Robinson’s only pain is from letting down God

The back pain for Spurs center David Robinson has subsided. His fractured foot has healed. And the mental anguish from sitting and watching the team’s 20-62 disaster last season has dissipated.

After all, his Spurs have won 24 of their last 28 games. They have surged into first place in the Midwest Division at 34-14, and he has regained his stature as one of the league’s best players.

For proof of that, tune in to the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, and you will find Robinson running and dunking and blocking shots for the Western Conference at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

With hopes flying high for a strong run by the Spurs in the playoffs this spring, you would think - with reasonable assurance - that Robinson will be about the happiest guy on the floor in the league’s midseason talent showcase.

And, in a material sense, he may be.

But in spirit, some heartbreak lingers for the Admiral.

For insight on why Robinson still broods in private moments, you have to go back to a message he delivered to about 5,000 Spurs fans in a Christian fellowship gathering late last season.

In a remarkable 20-minute talk after a home game against Phoenix, he told the fans that it was God who willed his worst athletic nightmare.

“He says, ‘David, this year, you’re not going to be healthy,’” Robinson said, quoting the Almighty in a figurative sense. “‘You’re going to sit down. … You guys are going to lose. Everybody’s going to be unhappy. And, basically, I’m going to let you deal with this, David.’”

Fans were intrigued as Robinson gave his testimony at center court in the Alamodome. The dome’s houselights were down low. A spotlight shown on Robinson, who told the fans that God “tested me as a man” during his season without basketball.

He said God left him without “all the lights and the cameras” to examine the depth of his faith. The Lord didn’t think the Spurs’ born- again Christian center was serious enough. That he may have been “going through the motions” with his religion.

“He took me down and he said, ‘David, I want you to commit seriously,’” Robinson told the fans.

In his most revealing statements, Robinson said his biggest disappointment over the course of the 1996-97 basketball season was not his back injury. It was not his foot injury. Nor was it the resulting collapse of the team’s fortunes.

It was that he had let down his own God.

“That broke my heart,” Robinson told the fans, “because I thought everything was going great. … But he wasn’t pleased with me. He said, ‘You have to show me that you really love me.’”

Robinson, one of the most contemplative athletes in major- league sports, said last week that he isn’t over the heartbreak completely even as he hits another peak moment in his nine-year career.

“I don’t know that you ever really get past that,” said Robinson, on the eve of his eighth All-Star Game appearance. “It’s just one of those things where, ever so often, God really makes you examine yourself. And that’s difficult because we all fall short. It’s a challenge to you as a man because things don’t always go the way you think they’re going to go.”

Robinson sat out 76 games last season with the back and foot injuries. Most of his health problems centered around the ailing back. It was a lingering pain and stiffness that flared up in the summer of 1996, and it bothered him all of last season, even after he fractured his foot in December of '96.

The foot healed enough for him to start running by the spring of last year, but the rehabilitation on his back had just begun. It would be an arduous process that would last all summer.

“I was one of the doubters,” Spurs forward Sean Elliott said during training camp last fall. “I was real quiet about it. The way I saw him last year, at the end of the season, sitting at the end of the bench, I thought he might play about half the games this (season). I had question marks about his back.”

Robinson has answered those questions by returning to the form that sent him to the All-Star Game for seven years in a row. He has re- emerged this season to play in all 48 games, while producing averages of 23 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots.

Teaming with rookie Tim Duncan to form one of the most stout frontcourts in the league, Robinson is reveling in the resurgence of his agility and athleticism.

“The big difference in Dave now is that he is having so much fun,” Spurs guard Avery Johnson said. “Dave is having a great time out there. I think he’s having so much fun now, that even if he was having pain in his back, he probably wouldn’t tell anyone.”

Most Spurs fans initiated a citywide party when the team won the lottery last May and the right to select Duncan with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Robinson and Duncan have meshed together better than most even thought they would.

“He’s very easy to get along with,” Robinson said. “He’s very soft-spoken. I’d say he’s more of an observer than a speaker. We get along because he’s not a hard guy to get along with. His game reflects what kind of person he is. He seems low key at times, but he wants to win and get better.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Robinson is much more advanced as a player than the raw athlete who was hailed as the league’s rookie of the year in 1989- 90.

“The main difference in David is that he possesses (so much) NBA experience,” Popovich said. "The game now is a lot more important to him than when he first entered the league. And he expects a lot more from his teammates.

“He also has the ability to understand situations on (the) court. Now he has the talent, with wisdom. Back then he had just talent. He is still Dave. He still has many interests. But he understands basketball more.”

After last season, Robinson also understands more about himself and his human frailties. The NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 1995 said he is trying to find peace in knowing that God will control his destiny.

Sometimes, it seems like an uneasy peace.

“Like my back (during rehabilitation),” Robinson said. "I didn’t know if it was going to be any good or not. I knew I wanted to be stronger and try to be the best player in the league again. But I had to accept that I had no control over it.

“I just have to swallow my pride, put my head down and work hard, and trust that (the Lord) will take me higher.”

Robinson is optimistic on that front. He said God doesn’t always bestow miracles on people, as evidenced by his fate last season. But he said he thinks that one day he will be blessed with an NBA championship.

“Right or wrong, that’s what I want. That’s where my heart is, and I’m going to work as hard as I can to get it,” Robinson said. “I’ll try to do all the right things (as a Christian).”

At this point, Robinson began to speak as if he was delivering an urgent prayer - on behalf of himself and the Spurs.

“(God), if you see that (delivery of a championship) is the right thing to do, please - give it up,” Robinson said.

All-Star Admiral

A look at how Spurs center David Robinson (50) has fared in NBA All-Star Games during his career:

Record: 3-4

Averages: 16.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg

1990 at Miami: The rookie showed he belonged with 15 points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes for the West. But the East won in a romp, 130-113, at Miami Arena. MVP: Magic Johnson, Lakers.

1991 at Charlotte, N.C.: Elected as a starter by the voters for the first time, Robinson experienced foul trouble and played only 18 minutes for the West. He scored 16 points. The East won 116-114 at Charlotte Coliseum. MVP: Charles Barkley, Sixers.

1992 at Orlando, Fla.: Robinson, starting again for the West, hit 7 of 9 shots from the floor and scored 19 points in 18 minutes at Orlando Arena. He was a winner for the first time in a 153-113 West runaway. MVP: Magic Johnson, Lakers.

1993 at Salt Lake City: Robinson enjoyed his best performance as a West star, scoring 21 points in 26 minutes. He also pulled down 10 rebounds. The West won 135-132 at the Delta Center. MVP: Karl Malone, John Stockton, Jazz.

1994 at Minneapolis: Effective off the bench, Robinson scored 19 points, including seven at the free-throw line. The East won 127-118 at the Target Center. MVP: Scottie Pippen, Bulls.

1995 at Phoenix: Robinson made the most of 14 minutes with 10 points, three rebounds and two steals. The West won 139-112 at America West Arena. MVP: Mitch Richmond, Kings.

1996 at San Antonio: Robinson enjoyed a solid game in front of the hometown fans, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. But East center Shaquille O’Neal went high to dunk on him near the end. The East won 129-118. MVP: Michael Jordan, Bulls.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-08, By Jerry Briggs

西部强队能否“压制”马刺？

马刺队本周将拿出他们的“标尺”，如果他们足够聪明，他们会用它来狠狠地教训西雅图超音速队和菲尼克斯太阳队，这两场比赛将在阿拉莫圆顶体育馆进行。

超音速队将在周三与马刺队进行比赛，这是马刺队全明星赛后首场比赛。

太阳队随后将在周六在主场进行另一场引人注目的比赛。

这两场比赛将被教练、球员和球迷视为“标尺”，用来衡量马刺队在过去两个月里取得的进步。

西雅图和菲尼克斯都属于西部联盟的顶级球队，预计将在四月份的八支球队季后赛阵容中占据一席之地，甚至有可能排名前四。

本赛季早些时候，马刺队在西雅图和菲尼克斯的比赛中都输了，而且毫无抵抗之力。

超音速队的后卫加里·佩顿(Gary Payton)和前锋文·贝克(Vin Baker)等人摧毁了马刺队，他们在下半场领先30多分，最终以20分获胜。

在前往菲尼克斯之前，马刺队感觉还不错，他们已经取得了五连胜，并取得了13场中的12场胜利。令人惊讶的是，杰森·基德(Jason Kidd)和太阳队在三节比赛中没有出现失误，最终以21分获胜。

这两场比赛是马刺队为了增强季后赛信心必须赢下的比赛。

自12月9日以来，马刺队以24胜4负的战绩横扫联盟。但众所周知，他们没有展现出持续击败西部顶级球队的实力。

在对阵潜在季后赛对手（超音速、湖人、太阳、开拓者、森林狼和火箭）的比赛中，马刺队的战绩为5胜9负。

- 全明星搭档：马刺队的双人组大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)和蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)将在今晚第48届NBA全明星赛上在麦迪逊广场花园表演。

这是马刺队20个赛季以来第七次有两名球员入选全明星阵容。乔治·格文(George Gervin)和拉里·肯农(Larry Kenon)是1978年第一对入选全明星阵容的马刺队队友，肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)和大卫·罗宾逊是1996年的最后一对。

- 愚人之地：马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)在上周对湾区记者承认，球队自去年夏季选秀以来一直在寻找“另一名球员”来填补后卫位置。

当一名记者追问波波维奇是否会签下被禁赛的后卫拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔(Latrell Sprewell)时，这位马刺队主教练说：“就像我说的，（猜测）是愚人之地。”

是的，但我仍然相信，如果波波维奇能用银黑相间的球衣包裹住斯普雷维尔，他会欣喜若狂。

仲裁员关于斯普雷维尔是否会缩短其一年禁赛的决定可能要到3月18日后才会公布。

这位三届全明星球员在12月训练中因掐住并威胁杀死勇士队主教练P.J.卡莱西莫(P.J. Carlesimo)而被禁赛一年，并被扣除了2400万美元的薪水。

一位勇士队官员表示，他相信斯普雷维尔最终会倾向于加入前队友克里斯·韦伯(Chris Webber)，为华盛顿子弹队效力。

- 丹佛的无骨之躯：前马刺队前锋艾伦·布里斯托(Allan Bristow)在被丹佛掘金队毫无骨气的老板解雇后，过得更好。

谁需要这样的老板？

拥有掘金队的Ascent Entertainment公司表现得好像球队在上半场战绩为4胜42负是完全令人震惊的事情。当布里斯托接手一支糟糕的球队，并开始重建，目光瞄准1998年的自由球员市场时，他们以为会发生什么？

- 菲奇记得：第一代弗兰肯斯坦博士在1月30日第一次遇到马刺队的怪物阵容，几乎杀死了这个野兽。快船队主教练比尔·菲奇(Bill Fitch)使用了一个激进的小个阵容，差点就震惊了马刺队，马刺队从落后15分的劣势中反超，最终以10分获胜。

比赛之前，菲奇表示，他在职业生涯中只在两次使用过三个身高6英尺10英寸或更高的球员，一次是在波士顿，一次是在休斯顿。在凯尔特人队，他在1981年夺冠赛季的不同时间里使用了罗伯特·帕里什(Robert Parish)、凯文·麦克海尔(Kevin McHale)和里克·罗比(Rick Roby)。

在火箭队，他使用了哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)、拉尔夫·桑普森(Ralph Sampson)和吉姆·彼得森(Jim Petersen)。火箭队的大个阵容从未达到预期，桑普森最终被交易，但菲奇带领球队在1986年打进了NBA总决赛。

点击查看原文：Spurs Beat: Will West's elite teams 'stick' it to Spurs?

Spurs Beat: Will West’s elite teams ‘stick’ it to Spurs?

The Spurs will take out their measuring sticks this week, and, if they are smart, they will use them to whack the daylights out of the Seattle SuperSonics and the Phoenix Suns at the Alamodome.

The Sonics play here Wednesday in the Spurs’ first game after the All-Star break.

The Suns follow in another interesting match on the home court Saturday.

Both games will be used by coaches, players and fans as proverbial “measuring sticks” to gauge just how far the Spurs have advanced over the past two months.

Both Seattle and Phoenix rank among the best teams in the Western Conference and figure to be seeded somewhere in the eight- team playoff bracket - if not in the top four - in April.

In games at Seattle and Phoenix earlier this season, the Spurs lost both times without much resistance.

Sonics guard Gary Payton and forward Vin Baker and Co. demolished the Spurs, leading by more than 30 in the second half before settling for a 20-point victory.

The Spurs felt pretty good on the eve of their game at Phoenix, having won five straight and 12 of 13. Surprise. Jason Kidd and the Suns played turnover-free basketball for three quarters and zipped to a 21-point victory.

These are two games the Spurs need to win to stoke their playoff confidence.

Since Dec. 9, the Spurs have rampaged on a 24-4 pace. But as everyone knows, they haven’t displayed the ability to beat the best teams in the West consistently.

In games against potential playoff foes (Sonics, Lakers, Suns, Trail Blazers, Timberwolves and Rockets) the Spurs are a combined 5-9.

- All-Star duo: The Spurs duo of David Robinson and Tim Duncan will try to put on a show at Madison Square Garden tonight in the 48th NBA All-Star Game.

It is the seventh time in 20 seasons that the Spurs have placed two players on the team. George Gervin and Larry Kenon were the first Spurs teammates to make the team in 1978, and Sean Elliott and David Robinson were the last in 1996.

- A province of fools: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich admitted to Bay Area reporters last week that the team has been looking for “another body” in the backcourt since last summer’s draft.

When a reporter followed with a question inquiring whether Popovich would sign suspended guard Latrell Sprewell, the Spurs coach said, “Like I’ve said, (speculation) is a province of fools.”

Yes, but I’d still bet Popovich would be in a state of euphoria if he could wrap Sprewell in a silver and black jersey.

An arbitrator’s decision on whether Sprewell will have his one-year suspension reduced may not come before March 18.

The three-time All-Star was suspended a year and docked $24 million in salary for choking and threatening to kill Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo at practice in December.

A Warriors official said he believed that Sprewell would eventually lean toward joining former teammate Chris Webber with the Washington Bullets.

- Spineless in Denver: Former Spurs forward Allan Bristow is better off after being removed as vice president of basketball operations by the spineless ownership of the Denver Nuggets.

Who needs that kind of boss?

Ascent Entertainment, which owns the Nuggets, acted like it was a total shock that the team stagnated at 4-42 in the first half. What did they think would happen when Bristow took a bad team and started to rebuild with an eye on the 1998 free-agent market?

- Fitch remembers: The original Dr. Frankenstein met the Spurs’ monster lineup for the first time on Jan. 30 and nearly killed the beast. Clippers coach Bill Fitch used an aggressive smaller unit that nearly shocked the Spurs, who rallied from a 15-point deficit to win by 10.

Before the game, Fitch said he had used three big men - 6-10 or taller - on two occasions in his career, once in Boston and once in Houston. With the Celtics, it was Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Rick Roby at different times in the 1981 title season.

With the Rockets, it was Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson and Jim Petersen. The Rockets’ big lineup never lived up to expectations and Sampson was eventually traded, but Fitch took the team to the NBA Finals in 1986.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-08, By Glenn Rogers

银靴：最初的球队

- 概况：特里(Terry)，47岁，身高6英尺6英寸，在1973-74和1974-75赛季为马刺队效力了140场，场均4.6分。1975年8月8日，他与鲍比·沃伦(Bobby Warren)和里奇·琼斯(Rich Jones)被交易至纽约网队，换来比利·保尔茨(Billy Paultz)。马刺队在1973年以自由球员身份签下了特里。

- 他现在在哪？特里是加州尔湾市湖木工程师公司(Lakewood Engineer, Inc.)的副总裁。该公司由特里的父亲于1952年创办，最初生产飞机零件，现在更多地参与房地产和商业投资。

- 马刺队之后的历史：特里在纽约结束了自己的职业生涯，并于1976年帮助网队赢得了ABA的冠军，这也是ABA的最后一次冠军。ABA并入NBA后，他继续在网队效力了一个赛季。

"我们刚刚举办了那支冠军球队的重聚活动，” 特里说道。“朱利叶斯(埃尔文)(Julius (Erving))也在，所有那些家伙都在。仪式是在奥兰多与网队的比赛中场休息时举行的。那是一段非常美好的时光。”

在网队效力完之后，特里去了海外，在比利时打了一年球。

"他们希望我回来执教球队，但我妻子说她不想去，所以我回到了美国，”特里说道。“我完成了体育教育的学位，我打算开始执教生涯。”

然而，特里最终进入了他父亲公司的销售部门，并且一直待在那里至今。

"现在教练的薪水很高，但你需要付出相应的代价，”特里说道。“去年夏天我曾与乔治(卡尔)(George (Karl)，西雅图超音速队的教练)聊过。这其中有很多麻烦事。他当时正处于困境之中。我想现在他可能也正在经历着困难。

"我们都在爱达荷州拥有一些房产。我们希望能有机会在那里聚聚，”特里补充道。

- 作为马刺队球员的回忆："对我来说，最主要的回忆是那些球员和教练 - 琼斯、卡尔、格文、（教练）汤姆·尼萨尔克(Tom Nissalke)，”特里说道。“在客场的时候，我和斯文·纳特(Swen Nater)住在一起。

"我喜欢得分 - 我能投篮 - 但是我们有很多得分手，所以我不是进攻球员，更多地负责防守，”特里说道。“我真的很喜欢圣安东尼奥。它让我想起了我在加州的故乡。

"我知道这座城市现在已经发生了很大的变化，”特里说道。“我们曾经住在机场附近的一个公寓里，科比(迪特里克)(Coby (Dietrick))、鲍比·沃伦和我住在一起。那个时候，那里是城市的郊区。那时候的团队凝聚力很强。

"我认识雷德(麦克科姆斯)(Red (McCombs))，并且很喜欢他。我没有机会认识安吉洛(德罗索斯)(Angelo (Drossos))。”

- 个人生活：特里与瓦莱丽(Valerie)结婚已经22年了。他们有两个孩子，一个13岁的儿子德鲁(Drew)和一个17岁的女儿德瑞安(Drianne)。

点击查看原文：Silver Spurs: The Original Team

Silver Spurs: The Original Team

- The lowdown:The 6-6 Terry, 47, played 140 games for the Spurs during the 1973-74 and 1974-75 seasons and averaged 4.6 points. He was traded Aug. 8, 1975, along with Bobby Warren and Rich Jones to the New York Nets for Billy Paultz. The Spurs had signed Terry as a free agent in 1973.

- Where is he now? Terry is vice president of Lakewood Engineer, Inc., in Irvine, Calif. The firm, started in 1952 by Terry’s father, manufactured airplane parts but now is more involved in investing in real estate and commercial businesses.

- History after the Spurs: Terry finished his career in New York, winning the 1976 ABA title with the Nets, the last ABA championship. He remained with the team for one more season after it entered the NBA.

“We just had a reunion of that championship team,” Terry said. “Julius (Erving) was there, all the guys. The ceremony was held during halftime of the Orlando-Nets game. That was a pretty nice time.”

After his seasons with the Nets, Terry went overseas and played in Belgium for one year.

“They wanted me to come back and coach the team, but my wife said she didn’t want to, so I came back to the states,” Terry said. “I finished my degree in physical education; I planned on a coaching career.”

Instead, Terry went into the sales department of his father’s firm and has been with the firm ever since.

“There’s certainly good money now in coaching, but you have to pay the price,” Terry said. "I was talking to George (Karl, coach of the Seattle SuperSonics) this past summer. There’s a lot of headaches involved. He was really going through a time then. I guess he’s going through a time right now.

“We both own some property in Idaho. We’d like to get together there sometime,” Terry added.

- Memory as a Spur: “With me, it’s mostly remembering the guys, the coaches - Jones, Karl, Gervin, (Coach) Tom Nissalke,” Terry said. "On the road, I roomed with Swen Nater.

“I liked to score - I could put it up - but we had plenty of scorers so I wasn’t the offensive player, I was more on defense,” Terry said. "I really liked San Antonio. It reminded me a little of the part of California I was from.

“I know the city has really changed now,” Terry said. "We used to live in a complex out by the airport, Coby (Dietrick), Bobby Warren and me. That was the outskirts of the city back then. There was a lot of camaraderie.

“I knew Red (McCombs), liked him. I didn’t get to know Angelo (Drossos).”

- Personal: Terry has been married for 22 years to Valerie. The couple have two children, a son, Drew, 13, and a daughter, Drianne, 17. - Glenn Rogers

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-08, By David King

圣安东尼奥体育名人堂：麦克康姆斯入选

谈到体育，或者更确切地说，商业或慈善事业，雷德·麦克康姆斯(Red McCombs)的名字总是频频出现在新闻头条。

麦克康姆斯在汽车行业发家致富，最近因其向德克萨斯大学和西南部大学的捐款、最新的油气业务投资以及对NFL明尼苏达维京人队的收购提议而登上新闻。

但他两次拥有马刺队是他体育领域最引人注目的成就，也是他入选圣安东尼奥体育名人堂1998届的功劳，与杰瑞·格罗特(Jerry Grote)、阿尔瓦·乔·费舍尔(Alva Jo Fischer)和罗斯·杨斯(Ross Youngs)并列。颁奖典礼将于2月27日在阿拉莫穹顶举行。

这是第四批入选该名人堂的成员，该名人堂由圣安东尼奥体育基金会、圣安东尼奥市和《快报》共同赞助。

除了体育界之外，麦克康姆斯还向德克萨斯大学女子体育项目捐款600万美元，并向西南部大学和休斯顿的安德森癌症中心捐赠了大量资金。

“我不认为自己是榜样，”麦克康姆斯最近说。“我只是一个幸运儿，取得了一些财务上的成功，想分享我的成功。”

1973年，当圣安东尼奥有机会获得达拉斯的美国篮球协会特许经营权时，麦克康姆斯是安吉洛·德罗索斯(Angelo Drossos)联系的第一位投资者。

他最终出售了他在该队的股份，并买下了丹佛掘金队。1988年，在出售掘金队后，他买下了德罗索斯持有的马刺队股份。

五年后，他以7500万美元的价格从当地投资者手中买下了马刺队，尽管有报道称来自外地的竞标者提出了更高的报价。

除了其他投资和捐赠之外，麦克康姆斯还是帮助获得批准并建造阿拉莫穹顶的当地有影响力人物之一，他还参与了阿拉莫碗足球赛的创办。

但他的影响力和对马刺队的拥有权将脱颖而出。

“我差点就退缩了，”麦克康姆斯说。“安吉洛来到我家，他恳求我参与进来，因为交易的结构决定了我将投入最多的资金。”

协议非同寻常——当地团队将从达拉斯的业主手中租赁球队——但麦克康姆斯看到了机会。

“我感觉达拉斯的人们非常想离开，因此我们以租赁的方式作为一种退路，以防事情不顺利，”他说。

球队起步缓慢，但到赛季结束时，投资者已准备好将交易永久化。他们额外支付了600,000美元，永久拥有了球队。据估计，如今该队的价值约为1.5亿美元。

“我并不惊讶，”球队取得的成功让麦克康姆斯感到欣慰。“安吉洛同意学习这项业务，并全身心地投入其中。他成为了非常优秀的运营者。”

圣安东尼奥体育名人堂

1998届

-何时：颁奖典礼将于2月27日举行。

-地点：阿拉莫穹顶。

-谁：入选者包括阿尔瓦·乔·费舍尔（垒球/棒球）、杰瑞·格罗特（棒球）、雷德·麦克康姆斯（前马刺队和丹佛掘金队老板）、罗斯·杨斯（棒球）。

-现有成员：1995年 - 鲍勃·科尔曼、乔治·格文、汤米·诺比斯和凯尔·罗特；1996年 - 丹·库克、安吉洛·德罗索斯、韦尔登·汉布尔和汤米·克莱默；1997年 - 克利夫·古斯塔夫森、内莫·埃雷拉、贝蒂·詹姆斯、托宾·罗特、詹姆斯·西拉斯、塞西尔·史密斯。

-门票：拨打370-2158。

点击查看原文：S.A.'s headliner: McCombs in Hall

S.A.'s headliner: McCombs in Hall

When it comes to sports - or for that matter, business or philanthropy - Red McCombs is never far from the headlines.

McCombs, who made his fortune in the automobile business, has been in the news recently for his donations to the University of Texas and Southwestern University, his latest ventures in the oil and gas business and his standing offer to buy the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

But his ownership of the Spurs on two separate occasions is his highest-profile accomplishment in sports, and the one that most helped land him in the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame class of '98, along with Jerry Grote, Alva Jo Fischer and Ross Youngs. Ceremonies will be Feb. 27 at the Alamodome.

This is the fourth group to be inducted into the local hall of fame, which is sponsored by the San Antonio Sports Foundation, the city of San Antonio and the Express-News.

But beyond the world of sports, McCombs has given $6 million to women’s athletics at the University of Texas, as well as substantial amounts to Southwestern and the M.D. Anderson Hospital and Cancer Center in Houston.

“I don’t see myself as a role model,” McCombs said recently. “I am someone who has been fortunate enough to achieve some financial success and wants to share it.”

McCombs was the first investor Angelo Drossos contacted when San Antonio had a chance to get Dallas’ franchise in the American Basketball Association in 1973.

He eventually sold his share of the team and bought the Denver Nuggets. In 1988, having sold the Nuggets, he bought out Drossos’ share of the Spurs.

Five years later, he bought the Spurs for a reported $75 million to a group of local investors, despite reports of higher offers from out-of-town bidders.

In addition to his other ventures and donations, McCombs was among the influential local people who helped get the Alamodome approved and built, and he also had a hand in starting the Alamo Bowl football game.

But it’s his influence and ownership of the Spurs that will stand out.

“I almost got weak-kneed and didn’t do it,” McCombs said. “Angelo came over to my house, and he was begging me to get in the deal, because the way it was structured, I’d be putting the most money in it.”

The agreement was an unusual one - the local group was to lease the team from its owners in Dallas - but McCombs saw it as an opportunity.

“I sensed that the people in Dallas wanted out so badly, that we did the lease essentially as an escape for us if things didn’t work out,” he said.

The team took off slowly, but by the end of the season, the investors were ready to make the deal permanent. They paid an additional $600,000 to get the team permanently. Today the team is worth about $150 million, by some estimates.

“I’m not surprised,” by the team’s success, McCombs said. “Angelo agreed to learn the business and put his heart and soul into it. He became a very good operator.”

San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame

Class of '98

- When: Induction ceremonies will be Feb. 27.

- Where: Alamodome.

- Who: To be enshrined are Alva Jo Fischer, softball/baseball; Jerry Grote, baseball; Red McCombs, former owner of Spurs and Denver Nuggets; Ross Youngs, baseball.

- Current members: 1995 - Bob Coleman, George Gervin, Tommy Nobis and Kyle Rote; 1996 - Dan Cook, Angelo Drossos, Weldon Humble and Tommy Kramer; 1997 - Cliff Gustafson, Nemo Herrera, Betty Jameson, Tobin Rote, James Silas, Cecil Smith.

- Tickets: Call 370-2158.

By David King, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-08, By Staff and Wire Reports

NBA 全明星周末报道

- 乔丹(Michael Jordan)可能因流感缺席比赛：这位最著名的全明星的出场再次推迟，因为迈克尔·乔丹周六因流感缺席训练，并且被列为可能缺席他最后一场全明星赛的疑似球员。

NBA 表示，乔丹，今天比赛的最高票数获得者，正在床上发烧，体温达到 101 度，并伴有上呼吸道感染。

联盟在一份声明中说：“他希望参加 NBA 全明星赛，但他的参赛决定将在周日做出。”

乔丹，芝加哥公牛队的球星，曾表示他可能会在赛季结束后退役，他周五跳过了媒体日，以便可以与他的朋友查尔斯·巴克利(Charles Barkley)在拉斯维加斯打高尔夫。几年来，他们一直习惯在全明星周末的第一天翘课，并为此支付联盟规定的 10,000 美元罚款。

成千上万的球迷和媒体准备向乔丹抛出关于他未来的老生常谈的问题。现在，也许他最终已经打完了他最后一场全明星赛。

NBA 发言人克里斯·布里恩扎(Chris Brienza)不愿推测如果乔丹不能参加比赛，可能的替补是谁。队友、对手以及他的教练拉里·伯德(Larry Bird)表示，他们预计乔丹将在比赛开始时出现在球场上。

“他会来的，”伯德说，这位前波士顿凯尔特人队球星和乔丹的全明星队友。

- 邓肯(Tim Duncan)忙碌：马刺队的菜鸟蒂姆·邓肯经历了一个忙碌的全明星周末。

邓肯周四抵达纽约，并参加了在邓利维·米尔班克男孩和女孩俱乐部的 Sprite 青少年篮球训练营。

周五晚上，他和基思·范霍恩(Keith Van Horn)在投篮比赛中展开对决，范霍恩获胜。如果邓肯获胜，他将剃掉斯派克·李(Spike Lee)的胡子。范霍恩则剃掉了安东尼奥·萨巴托(Antonio Sabato Jr.)的胡子。

周六，他与西部球队进行了训练，下午还参加了“为职业球员而战”挑战赛。之后，他录制了 NBC 的“与新闻人物会面”，该节目将在今天播出。该新闻节目的主题将是运动员作为榜样。

邓肯谈到范霍恩：“他更像是一个三号位球员（小前锋）。他投篮很棒，是一个非常全面的球员。我更像是一个四号位球员，一个能够在低位背身单打和投篮的球员。他在外线更加得心应手，防守三号位，而不是在内线。”

- 时不我待：马刺队的中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)同意，任何希望夺冠的球队都有可能错过最佳时机。

“当然，我更加专注于争夺冠军，因为在九年之后，时间因素绝对是不可忽视的，”罗宾逊说。“如果迈克(乔丹)离开，很多球队的机会就来了。但我仍然坚信今年是我们最好的机会。

“我喜欢我们现在的阵容。但没有肖恩(埃利奥特)，我认为我们需要另一个射手。当他们对蒂姆或我进行包夹或三夹一的时候，我们必须能够在关键时刻得分。”

- 伯德谈全明星赛：印第安纳步行者队的教练拉里·伯德在作为波士顿凯尔特人队球员时曾打过一些令人难忘的全明星赛，但他坚持说，他从未真正期待过全明星赛。

“最让我惊讶的一件事是乔治·格文(George Gervin)在全明星赛中投篮的次数。我总是试图打团队篮球，把球传出去，而这些家伙却一直在投各种各样的远投。这是一种体验。”

格文是 1980 年比赛的 MVP，伯德则是 1982 年比赛的 MVP。

- 希尔(Grant Hill)的观点：底特律活塞队的前锋格兰特·希尔越来越对活塞队无法留住核心球员感到沮丧。观察家们也认为，希尔参与了教练道格·科林斯(Doug Collins)被解雇的事件。

“我仍然认为道格是我的朋友，”希尔说。“但他可能不认为我是他的朋友，因为他可能认为，如果我为他说话，我本可以保住他的工作。

“过去几年，五、六名球员离开了，无论出于什么原因，这令人沮丧。我不是不喜欢现在和我在一起的球员，而是那些和你一起战斗过的球员。没有保证现在在球队里的球员明年还会留在这里。

“看到西奥·拉特利夫(Theo Ratliff)离开，我感到很痛心。我要先说我喜欢杰里·斯塔克豪斯(Jerry Stackhouse)，他为我们做了很多贡献。但我并不赞成这笔交易。西奥能封盖，他能投中那些小跳投，他打球充满活力。”

点击查看原文：NBA All-Star Weekend Report

NBA All-Star Weekend Report

- Jordan may miss game with flu: The appearance of the most famous All-Star of all was delayed again Saturday when Michael Jordan missed practice with the flu and was listed as questionable for what could be his final All-Star Game.

Jordan, the top vote-getter for today’s game, was in bed with a 101- degree temperature and an upper respiratory infection, the NBA said.

“He wants to play in the NBA All- Star Game, but a decision on his status will not be made until Sunday,” the league said in a release.

Jordan, the Chicago Bulls star who has said he might retire at the end of the season, skipped media day Friday so he could play golf in Las Vegas with his friend, Charles Barkley. It has been their custom to play hooky on the first day of All- Star Weekend for several years and pay the $10,000 fine imposed by the league.

Thousands of fans and media were prepared to besiege Jordan with the usual questions about his future. Now, perhaps he has played his final All-Star Game after all.

NBA spokesman Chris Brienza wouldn’t speculate on a possible replacement if Jordan can’t play. Teammates, opponents and his coach, Larry Bird, said they expected Jordan to be on the court at game time.

“He’ll be here,” said Bird, the former Boston Celtics star and All- Star teammate of Jordan.

- Duncan busy: Spurs rookie Tim Duncan has had a hectic All-Star Weekend.

Duncan arrived in New York on Thursday and participated in the Sprite Clinic for Kids at the Dunlevy Milbank Boys and Girls Club.

He and Keith Van Horn squared off in a shooting competition - Van Horn won - on Friday night. If Duncan had won, he would have shaved Spike Lee’s face. Van Horn shaved Antonio Sabato Jr.'s face.

On Saturday, he practiced with the West team and then was involved in the Play for the Pros Challenge in the afternoon. Later, he taped NBC’s “Meet the Press,” which will air today. The theme of the news program will be athletes as role models.

Said Duncan about Van Horn: "He is more of a three man (small forward). He’s got a great shot, a very versatile player. I’m more of a four, a low-block player able to face up and take that jumper. He’s more comfortable out on the floor, defending the three man and not in the post.

- Time is now: Spurs center David Robinson agrees time can run out on any team hoping to reach championship status.

“Sure, I’m even more concentrated on going for the title now because after nine years, time definitely becomes an element,” Robinson said. "If Mike (Jordan) leaves, the door opens for a lot of teams. But I still really believe this year is a great opportunity for us.

“I like the group we have right now. But without Sean (Elliott), I’d say we need another shooter. We have to be able to score in crucial situations when they double-or triple-team Tim or myself.”

- Bird on All-Star Games: Indiana Pacers coach Larry Bird had some memorable All-Star Games while as a player with the Boston Celtics, but he insists he never really looked forward to them.

“The one thing that surprised me the most was how many times George Gervin shot the ball in the All-Star Game. I always tried to play team ball and move it around and these guys were taking all kinds of long shots. It was an experience.”

Gervin was the MVP of the 1980 game, and Bird was the MVP of the 1982 game.

- Hill’s perspective: Detroit forward Grant Hill has been increasingly upset over the Pistons’ failure to retain a core of players. Observers also figure that Hill had a hand in the firing of Coach Doug Collins.

“I still consider Doug a friend,” Hill said. "But he might not consider me a friend because he probably thinks that I could have saved his job if I had spoken up for him.

"Five or six players have left in the last few years, for whatever reason, and it’s upsetting. Not that I don’t like the guys who are with me right now, but those were the guys who you have been in the trenches with. There is no guarantee the guys on the team now are going to be here next year.

“It pained me to see Theo Ratliff leave. I should preface that by saying I like Jerry Stackhouse and he’s doing a good job for us. But I wasn’t for the trade. Theo can block shots, he can hit the little jumper and he plays with a lot of energy.” - Staff and Wire Reports

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

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-08, By Glenn Rogers

飞人登上全明星舞台，乔丹病倒，预计今日上场

纽约 - 他会来吗？还是不会来？

留给迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan) 的，是即使他还没有接受任何记者的笔记本或麦克风的采访，也能在 NBA 全明星赛中占据主导地位。

乔丹并没有和他的全明星队友们一起享受这场盛会，而是正在接受抗生素治疗上呼吸道疾病，他是否能参加今天的这场盛事，将在比赛开始前决定。

人们普遍认为乔丹会出现在球场上。虽然他确实病了，据报道，他在周四和周五身处拉斯维加斯，期间一直感到不适并呕吐。

这场比赛被誉为乔丹的告别演出，他已宣布将在赛季结束后退役，同时也是科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant) 的登场仪式，他被誉为下一个乔丹。

19岁的布莱恩特是史上最年轻的全明星球员，也是罕见的在常规赛中没有首发出场的球员却入选了全明星首发阵容，他对于这场比赛充满了期待。

“这会很有趣，我迫不及待想上场。想想你的情绪和肾上腺素，”他说。

“他被选入全明星阵容很有意思，”湖人总经理杰里·韦斯特(Jerry West) 表示，“我们绝对没有进行投票造假。这些投票来自其他明显喜欢看他打球的人。”

对于圣安东尼奥的代表来说，这是大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 第八次参加全明星赛，而蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 则是第一次。

马刺队的两位球星都是西部队的替补球员，比赛将在下午 5:38 开始。

“是的，能和戴维一起参加比赛让我感觉更舒适，”邓肯在周六西部队训练结束后说。“但一旦我上场，我必须打出自己的风格。那将取决于我，我只想打出好的表现。”

邓肯已经表达了对入选全明星阵容的惊喜和喜悦。

“这当然不是我今年年初的目标，”他说，“我只想确保我不会被排除在新人阵容之外。”

西部队主教练，西雅图超音速队的乔治·卡尔(George Karl) 说：“选择戴维是毫无疑问的。蒂姆在最近的几周里展示了他的实力，他变得非常稳定。”

所有媒体的关注并没有分散邓肯的注意力。

“我在大学的最后两年经历过很多这样的关注，但这次要比那多得多，”他说。“比我预期的要多得多。”

罗宾逊似乎很高兴再次来到这里，毕竟他在上个赛季一直与背部伤病作斗争。

“这会是一场有趣的比赛，这里有很多年轻球员，他们会尝试隔着每个人扣篮，”他说。“我希望我能封盖几次球，我也想扣几个篮。

“蒂姆需要来这里，”罗宾逊说。“这会让他获得裁判更多的尊重，他作为一名新秀还没有得到足够的尊重。”

麦迪逊广场花园被誉为篮球圣地，这场比赛自 1968 年以来首次回归纽约。已经发放了 1817 张媒体证件，黄牛党要求最好的座位超过 1000 美元，甚至球员们也似乎对此充满期待，而不是暗地里担心失去的假期时间。

西部首发阵容包括布莱恩特、凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett) 和沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal) 的青春活力。替补球员包括邓肯、文·贝克(Vin Baker)、埃迪·琼斯(Eddie Jones)、尼克·范·埃克塞尔(Nick Van Exel) 和杰森·基德(Jason Kidd)。

“是的，老牌(1992 年)梦之队似乎正在快速衰老，”西部首发前锋卡尔·马龙(Karl Malone) 说。“这是我的第 13 个赛季，感觉一下就过去了。”

今天在场上的梦之队成员有马龙、罗宾逊和乔丹。拉里·伯德(Larry Bird) 执教东部队。

“我喜欢我的球队，”卡尔说。

东部队赢得了过去两场和过去四场中的三场全明星赛。

伯德曾表示他不想参加这场比赛，但当他的步行者队以东部联盟最佳胜率完成赛季后，他很快妥协了。

“我当时说那样的话真是太自私了，”伯德说。

不过，当被问及这场比赛最糟糕的地方时，他说：“作为一名教练，我没有太多事可做。”

至于乔丹，他说：“我当然希望他能上场。如果我只给他 17 分钟，我就会被骂死。”

-美联社和洛杉矶时报为本报道做出了贡献。

第 48 届 NBA 全明星赛

何时何地：下午 5:38，纽约麦迪逊广场花园

电视：NBC，下午 5:00

广播：KTKR-AM 760

首发阵容：
东部队
位置
西部队
希尔 (活塞)
F
加内特 (森林狼)
肯普 (骑士)
F
马龙 (爵士)
穆托姆博 (老鹰)
C
奥尼尔 (湖人)
哈达威 (魔术)
G
布莱恩特 (湖人)
乔丹 (公牛)
G
佩顿 (超音速)

马刺队西部队球员：大卫·罗宾逊，中锋；蒂姆·邓肯，前锋。

点击查看原文：Air, heir apparent take All-Star stage Jordan ill, but expected to play today

Air, heir apparent take All-Star stage Jordan ill, but expected to play today

NEW YORK - Will he, or won’t he?

Leave it to Michael Jordan to dominate the NBA All-Star Game proceedings even though he hasn’t yet had to submit to either a notebook-or mike-carrying reporter.

Jordan, instead of enjoying the high jinks with the rest of his All- Star buddies, is being treated with antibiotics for an upper respiratory ailment, and his status for the Big Show today will be determined before game time.

The betting is that Jordan will be on the floor. He most definitely was ill, though. He was in Las Vegas on Thursday and Friday and reportedly was sick and vomiting while there.

The game is being billed as a farewell to Jordan, who has said he will retire at season’s end, and a coming out for Kobe Bryant, who is being billed as the next Jordan.

Bryant, 19, is the youngest-ever All-Star, the rare non-starter during the regular season to be voted a starter for the game and genuinely excited to be a part of the game.

“It’s going to be fun. I can’t wait. Talk about your emotions and adrenaline,” he said.

“The interesting thing about him being selected for the All-Star game,” Lakers GM Jerry West said, “we do not stuff ballots, period. These votes came from other people that obviously like to watch him play.”

As for San Antonio’s representatives, this is the eighth All-Star game for center David Robinson and the first for Tim Duncan.

The Spurs stars are reserves for the contest, which tips off at 5:38 p.m.

“Yes, it makes it more comfortable for me, going into the game with David,” Duncan said Saturday after the West team’s practice. “But once I get in there, I have to play my game. It will be up to me then. I just want to do well out there.”

Duncan already has expressed his surprise and delight about being selected for the game.

“It certainly wasn’t one of my goals at the beginning of the year,” he said “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t left off the rookie team.”

Said West coach George Karl of the Seattle SuperSonics: “Picking David was a no-brainer. Tim kind of showed us his game during the last three weeks or so. He became very consistent.”

All the media attention hasn’t distracted Duncan.

“I got a lot of it during my last two years in college, but this is a lot more than that,” he said. “It’s a lot more than I expected.”

Robinson seems delighted to be here again, after battling back problems throughout last season.

“It’s going to be a fun game. There are a lot of young guys here, and they’ll try to dunk over everybody,” he said. "I hope I can get in a few blocks. I want to get in a few dunks, too.

“Tim needs to be here,” Robinson said. “This should give him more respect from the referees. He hasn’t been getting it as a rookie.”

Madison Square Garden is known as the mecca of basketball and the game hasn’t been in the Big Apple since 1968. Some 1,817 media credentials have been issued, scalpers have been demanding more than $1,000 for the best seats and even the players seem to be looking forward to it instead of secretly dreading the lost vacation time.

The West starters include the youth and boiling energy of Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal. The youngsters off the bench are Duncan, Vin Baker, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel and Jason Kidd.

“Yeah, the 'ol (1992) Dream Teamers seem to be going fast,” said West starting forward Karl Malone. “This is my 13th year and it seems to have gone just like that.”

The original Dream Teamers here today are Malone, Robinson and Jordan. Larry Bird is coaching the East team.

“I like my team here,” Karl said.

The East has won the last two and three of the last four All-Star Games.

Bird had said he didn’t want to attend the game, but he quickly acquiesced when his Pacers finished with the best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference.

“That was pretty selfish of me to say,” Bird said.

Still, when asked what was the worst thing about the game, he said: “As a coach, I don’t have much to do.”

As for Jordan, he said, “I sure hope he plays. If I only give him 17 minutes, I’ll get killed.”

- The Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.

48th NBA All-Star Game

When, where: 5:38 p.m., Madison Square Garden, New York

TV: NBC, 5 p.m.

Radio: KTKR-AM 760

Starting lineups: EASTPos.WEST Hill (Pistons)FGarnett (Wolves) Kemp (Cavs)FMalone (Jazz) Mutombo (Hawks)CO’Neal (Lakers) Hardaway (Magic)GBryant (Lakers) Jordan (Bulls)GPayton (Sonics)

Spurs on West roster: David Robinson, C; Tim Duncan, F.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-09, By Glenn Rogers

马刺球星低调地展现实力，罗宾逊和邓肯在有限的出场时间里闪耀

纽约 - 马刺队全明星球员并没有在百老汇的聚光灯下停留太久，但他们却奉献了一场相当精彩的演出。

中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)和新秀前锋蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)在周日的全明星赛中被边缘化了，这场比赛的焦点是公牛队的迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)的“传位”以及湖人队的科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)的“上位”。

但罗宾逊替补上场，得到 15 分，抢下 6 个篮板，并送出 2 次封盖，为西部贡献力量。邓肯只打了 14 分钟，却抓下了 11 个篮板，并得到了 2 分。

“我认为这场比赛有点偏离了正轨，”罗宾逊谈到这个周末的焦点集中在乔丹将火炬传递给布莱恩特上时说道，“这很难。我们都专注于赢得比赛，而不是那种一对一的较量。”

罗宾逊和邓肯在场上短暂的合体成为了比赛的亮点之一。在邓肯在第二节还剩 5 分 36 秒时替补上场后，两人联手连续得到 10 分。罗宾逊在邓肯上场 20 秒后便用一记灌篮庆祝队友的到来。

西部主教练乔治·卡尔(George Karl)并没有让两人再次同时上场，而是选择在第四节用邓肯替换罗宾逊。

罗宾逊总共打了 22 分钟，他在首节还剩 1 分 07 秒时上演了一记飞身扣篮，赢得了麦迪逊广场花园球馆观众的阵阵欢呼声。他用一记漂亮的防守弥补了先前一次传球失误，那次失误将球传到了乔丹手中。他在乔丹试图上篮时，快速补防，并成功封盖了乔丹的投篮。

“今晚，我们的球队没有找到节奏，”罗宾逊说道，这是他参加的第八次全明星赛，“这使得我们很难找到感觉。

“但场上有很多精彩的表演，球迷们很喜欢。这里是纽约，这是一个大舞台。我们都玩得很开心，这才是最重要的。”

罗宾逊表示，一些替补球员在板凳席上评论说，西部应该更加注重团队合作。

“是的，好几次，”他说道，“但这是一场有趣的比赛，我们不能太严肃。”

邓肯表示他很享受比赛的过程，但他对自己的表现并不十分满意。

“我喜欢看迈克尔(乔丹)打球，”邓肯说道，“他是史上最伟大的球员，能和他一起上场是我的荣幸。科比(布莱恩特)和乔丹互相较劲，但那只是两团竞争的火焰。这场比赛是东部对西部，他们展现了最好的自己。

“我的表现不佳。我错过了一些简单的投篮。当然，我和大卫很默契 - 他是我在场上唯一认识的人。当我们一起上场时，我并没有太在意，但我想我们在一起打球会更好。”

两人在比赛前都表示，是时候开始比赛了。

“是的，是时候开始比赛了，”罗宾逊说道，“是时候回到常规赛了。不，这个周末我没有得到足够的休息，但我确实需要。整个过程都太疯狂了。”

邓肯说道：“毫无疑问，这场比赛已经等了很久了。我已经迫不及待了。”

点击查看原文：Spurs stars quietly hold their own Robinson, Duncan shine in limited action

Spurs stars quietly hold their own Robinson, Duncan shine in limited action

NEW YORK - The Spurs’ All- Stars didn’t stay in the Broadway spotlight long, but they turned in a pretty fancy number.

Center David Robinson and rookie forward Tim Duncan were pushed aside in Sunday’s All-Star Game that featured the “passing” of the Bulls’ Michael Jordan and the “coming” of the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.

But Robinson scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots off the bench for the Western Conference. Duncan, playing just 14 minutes, had 11 boards and two points.

“I think it kind of broke down into too much of that stuff,” Robinson said of the weekend’s concentration of Jordan’s passing the torch to Bryant. “It’s hard. We’re all about trying to win the game and not into that one-on-one deal.”

Robinson and Duncan joined together for one highlight stretch. The two combined for 10 consecutive points after Duncan came off the bench with 5:36 left in the second quarter. Robinson marked his teammate’s arrival with a dunk 20 seconds later.

West coach George Karl didn’t play the two together again, opting instead to substitute Duncan for Robinson in the final quarter.

Robinson, who played 22 minutes in all, drew his first share of oohs from the Madison Square Garden crowd with a racing jam at the 1:07 mark of the opening period. He made up for a bad pass that went into the hands of Jordan when he swept over and stopped Jordan cold on the latter’s drive for a layup.

“Tonight, our team just didn’t have any rhythm,” said Robinson, who played in his eighth All-Star Game. "That makes it tough to go out there and get things rolling.

“But there was a lot of fancy stuff out there, and the fans enjoy that. This is New York. It’s a big show. We all had fun, so that’s what is important.”

Robinson said some players commented on the bench that the West should concentrate more on playing as a team.

“Yeah, a few times,” he said. “But it’s a fun game, and we can’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Duncan said he enjoyed the proceedings but wasn’t overly thrilled with his performance.

“I love to watch Michael (Jordan) play,” Duncan said. "He’s the greatest player ever, and it’s an honor to be out there with him. Kobe (Bryant) and Jordan were trying to go at it, but that’s just two competitive fires in there. It was East versus West and they took the best of it.

“My performance wasn’t that great. I missed a few easy shots. Of course, I felt comfortable with David - that’s the one guy I know out there. When we were out there together, I really didn’t realize it much, but I guess we play better together.”

Both had said before the game that it was time to play.

“Yeah, it’s time to get this on,” Robinson said. “It’s time to get back to work on the regular season. No, I didn’t get that much rest this weekend as I could have used. The whole thing has been crazy here.”

Said Duncan: “Definitely, it (the game) has been a long time coming. I’m just ready to go.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-09, By Glenn Rogers

乔丹在麦迪逊花园广场大放异彩，力压科比率领东部取得大胜

纽约 - 周日晚上，麦迪逊花园广场的球场上充满了欢呼声。

最耀眼的明星无疑是迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)，他率领东部以 135 比 114 大胜西部，赢得了第 48 届 NBA 全明星赛的冠军。

乔丹在赛后表示，自己因上呼吸道感染恢复尚未完全，但依然贡献了全场最高的 23 分，并第三次获得全明星赛最有价值球员奖。

当晚的主题是百老汇音乐，几乎每一次暂停都会响起不同的音乐，从《歌剧魅影》到《狮子王》。百老汇明星们在中场休息时献上了精彩表演，或者在巨型显示屏上抢镜。杰克·尼科尔森(Jack Nicholson)则从场边座位为这场盛宴增添了一丝好莱坞的味道。

球员们也以自己的方式诠释了全明星的主题，并奉献了一系列令人惊叹的表演，满足了 18,323 名球迷，他们涌入球场观看麦迪逊花园广场 30 年来的首次全明星赛。

这场比赛的主题是什么？是将火炬从乔丹手中传递给湖人球星科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)，以及两位球星早期为了 MVP 荣誉展开的一对一较量。

布莱恩特在比赛初期表现出色，但乔丹顶住了压力，最终赢得了荣誉。或许这是因为布莱恩特在最后 18 分钟里都坐在西部板凳席上。

“由于比分差距太大，我认为应该让所有队员都获得公平的出场时间。他们都配得上上场时间，”西部主教练乔治·卡尔(George Karl)说，他输掉了他的第三场全明星赛。“如果这是一场可以赢的比赛，我可能会让奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)、布莱恩特和加里·佩顿(Gary Payton)继续上场。”

东部在首节取得 33 比 25 的领先优势，此后一直保持领先，最多领先了 27 分。

尽管如此，如果布莱恩特继续留在场上，他很有可能给乔丹带来更大的挑战，甚至有可能争夺 MVP 奖杯。

这两位巨星在场上互相较量，布莱恩特很好地感受了防守“篮球之神”的滋味。乔丹背靠着这位 19 岁的年轻人，转身突破，然后在底线附近完成得分。

公牛队的超级巨星还展现了各种高难度投篮，包括后仰跳投和突破内线后的反手上篮。他还送出了全队最高的 8 次助攻。

“嘿，这是一场精彩的较量，”乔丹说。“很有趣。我认为这是一场非常有趣的比赛。我尽力压制着（布莱恩特），他早早就向我发起进攻，如果我是他，我也会这样做。”

的确，布莱恩特一直紧追着这位传奇人物。

乔丹不想在防守上消耗太多体力，让布莱恩特比较自由地活动，他也抓住了机会，投进了 3 次三分球中的 2 次。

这位年轻球星用自己乔丹式的动作点燃了全场。他在上半场表演了 360 度扣篮。在下半场，他飞速冲刺，连续运球，然后完成扣篮。

“我不为最后 18 分钟没有上场而感到失望，”布莱恩特说。“和（乔丹）一对一较量非常棒。嘿，正是因为他，我才站在这里。我从他那里学到了很多东西。”

乔丹的“学生”可能不多了。

这位带领公牛队获得五个 NBA 总冠军的传奇人物在比赛之前和之后都表示，如果菲尔·杰克逊(Phil Jackson)没有回归执教，他不会在下赛季继续打球。

“在我职业生涯的这个阶段，我为什么要那样做？”他问道。“这就像二次婚姻一样。你必须重新开始。新教练会带来新的理念，‘你能做到吗？你能做到那吗？’”乔丹说。“我知道我现在应该做什么，我不希望陷入到不知道自己应该做什么的境地。”

东部的新任主教练拉里·伯德(Larry Bird)充分利用了乔丹，并赢得了他的第一场全明星赛。

“只需要把球传给迈克尔，然后躲开，”伯德说。“但我所有队员的表现都超出了预期。”

乔丹和布莱恩特试图抢占风头，但其他球星也用有限的出场时间展现了自己的光芒。

马刺队的戴维·罗宾逊(David Robinson)在 22 分钟的出场时间里贡献了 15 分。蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)在 14 分钟的出场时间里得到 2 分，抢下了 11 个篮板球。

这两位队友在第二节还剩 5 分 36 秒时联手得分，他们在 10 分钟内连续得分。罗宾逊在队友上场 20 秒后用一记扣篮为他的队友到来画上了圆满的句号。

比赛节奏非常快，球员们似乎是成批地得分。

蒂姆·哈达威(Tim Hardaway)在上半场替补出场后，连续投进了两个三分球。米奇·里奇蒙德(Mitch Richmond)用两次远投回应了他的队友，继续点燃了现场球迷的热情。

格伦·莱斯(Glen Rice)在 20 秒内投进了两个三分球，文·贝克(Vin Baker)在三分钟内完成了两次扣篮和一次投篮。

一些此前隐藏的天赋终于展现出来：步行者队的中锋里克·斯密茨(Rik Smits)为球迷最喜爱的球员杰森·威廉姆斯(Jayson Williams)送出了一记精彩的背后传球，威廉姆斯带球冲向底线，然后完成扣篮。

这是从哪里学来的？

“来自马克·杰克逊(Mark Jackson)，”斯密茨说道，他指的是步行者的控球后卫。

比赛概览

周日比赛结果：东部 135，西部 114

最有价值球员：迈克尔·乔丹，公牛队 - 第三度获得此奖项，带领东部以全场最高的 23 分领先。

西部最佳球员：科比·布莱恩特，湖人队 - 史上最年轻的全明星球员，得到全队最高的 18 分。

马刺队球员表现：戴维·罗宾逊在 22 分钟的出场时间里得到 15 分和 6 个篮板球。蒂姆·邓肯出场 14 分钟，只得到 2 分，但抢下了 11 个篮板球，与西部球队的埃迪·琼斯(Eddie Jones)（湖人队）和东部球队的肖恩·坎普(Shawn Kemp)（骑士队）并列全场篮板球王。

点击查看原文：Jordan brightest on Broadway Mike outduels Bryant to lead East in rout

Jordan brightest on Broadway Mike outduels Bryant to lead East in rout

NEW YORK - There were a lot of Yankee Doodle Dandies on the Madison Square Garden floor Sunday night.

The dandiest was Michael Jordan, who led the East to a 135-114 romp over the West in the 48th NBA All-Star Game.

Jordan, who said he was not at full strength after recovering from a bout with an upper respiratory infection, managed to score a game-high 23 points and earn his third All-Star MVP trophy.

Broadway tunes were the theme of the night and one sounded at almost every pause in the action, from “Phantom of the Opera” to “The Lion King.” Broadway stars either performed at halftime or were caught mugging for the JumboTRON camera. Jack Nicholson added a dash of Hollywood from his courtside seat.

The players responded with their own all-star theme and a variety of show-stopping plays to please the 18,323 who flocked to see the Garden’s first All-Star Game in 30 years.

That theme? The passing of the torch from Jordan to Lakers star Kobe Bryant and the early one-on- one battle between the two for MVP honors.

Bryant hung in there early, but Jordan weathered the matchup and strode home with the honor. Perhaps that was only because Bryant sat on the West bench for the final 18 minutes of the game.

“With the score being a blowout, I just felt that I should distribute the time equally to everybody on the team. They all earned the right to play,” said West coach George Karl, who lost his third All-Star Game. “If it was a winnable game, I probably would have brought Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal), Bryant and Gary Payton back in.”

The East scooted to a 33-25 lead in the first period, never felt threatened and led by as many as 27 points.

Still, Bryant may well have given Jordan a serious run for the MVP trophy if he had remained on the floor.

The two stars were matched against each other at both ends of the floor. Bryant got a good taste of trying to defend the great one. Jordan backed the 19-year-old down and spun off him for baseline-driving scores.

The Bulls’ superstar mixed in fadeaways and drives through the lanes for flipped layups. He also spotted his teammates and handed out a team-high eight assists.

“Hey, it was a good battle,” Jordan said. “It was fun. I think this was a real fun game. I was trying to fend (Bryant) off as much as I could. He came at me pretty early and that’s what I would have done if I was him.”

Indeed, Bryant stayed with the wonder man.

Jordan, not willing to expend much energy on defense, let Bryant roam fairly free and he took advantage by burying 2 of 3 three- pointers.

The youngster thrilled the crowd with his own Jordan-esque moves. He twirled to a 360 slammer in the first half. He flew down the court, circus dribbled and dunked in the second half.

“I’m not disappointed I didn’t play the last 18 minutes,” Bryant said. “It was just incredible mixing it up head to head with (Jordan). Hey, it’s on account of him I that I’m here now. I’ve learned a great deal from him.”

There may not be many more students left for Jordan to teach.

The man who has guided the Bulls to five NBA titles insisted before and again after the game that he would not return to play next season if Phil Jackson does not return as coach.

“Why would I at this stage of my career?” he asked. “It’s like a second marriage. You have to start all over again. A new coach comes in with a new philosophy. ‘Can you do this? Can you do that?’” Jordan said. “I know what I’m doing now and I don’t want to get to where I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Rookie East coach Larry Bird took full advantage of Jordan while winning his first All-Star game.

“Just give it to Michael and get out of the way,” Bird said. “But everyone I played had an above-average day.”

Jordan and Bryant tried to steal the big production, but the supporting stars shown as bright as their minutes allowed.

The Spurs’ David Robinson scored 15 points in his 22 minutes. Tim Duncan had 11 rebounds and two points in 14 minutes.

The two combined for 10 consecutive points after the rookie came off the bench with 5:36 left in the second quarter. Robinson marked his teammate’s arrival with a dunk 20 seconds later.

The players, caught up with the racing tempo, seemed to score points in batches.

Tim Hardaway hit consecutive three-pointers moments after coming off the bench in the first half. Mitch Richmond kept the crowd thrilled by answering each with two long jumpers.

Glen Rice buried two threes in a span of 20 seconds and Vin Baker jammed twice and floated in a shot in a three-minutes span.

Talents heretofore concealed were revealed: Indiana center Rik Smits unveiled a running, behind- the-back pass to crowd favorite Jayson Williams, who took it down the baseline and slammed it.

Where did that come from?

“From Mark Jackson,” said Smits, referring to the Pacers’ point guard.

Game at a glance

Sunday’s result: East 135, West 114

MVP: Michael Jordan, Bulls - Wins award for third time, leading East with game-high 23 points.

Best of West: Kobe Bryant, Lakers - Youngest All-Star ever scores team- high 18 points.

How the Spurs fared: David Robinson had 15 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes. Tim Duncan played 14 minutes, scoring just two points, but grabbed 11 boards, tying with the West’s Eddie Jones (Lakers) and the East’s Shawn Kemp (Cavaliers) for game-high honors.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-10, By Jerry Briggs

马刺队意识到后半季需要弥补投篮问题

在全明星周末之后，NBA恢复了常规赛程，马刺队已跻身联盟重量级球队之列。

他们拥有最好的投篮命中率防守，第三好的主场记录和第四好的总记录。

马刺队也可能在另一个类别中跻身领先地位——关于他们能否获得总冠军的问题。

“我们还有很大的进步空间”，马刺队教练格雷格·波波维奇说。“这是一件伟大的事情。这对我们来说是令人兴奋的。如果像第一轮一样取得进步，我们便有机会追赶领先我们的球队”。

马刺队星期一进行了两次练习，一次是在上午，没有全明星大卫·罗宾逊、蒂姆·邓肯和老将控球后卫艾弗里·约翰逊。

罗宾逊和邓肯从纽约赶来，他们在星期天晚上参加了第48届NBA全明星比赛。约翰逊从休斯顿返回时遇到了航班问题。

马刺队重新投入训练，希望星期三主场迎战西雅图时，星期六迎战菲尼克斯时能够占据优势。据大多数观察家称，他们可以利用的是另一个外线投篮威胁。

“我喜爱我们的现有阵容，但如果没有肖恩（埃利奥特），我想说我们需要另一个射手”，罗宾逊说。“当他们包夹蒂姆和我时，我们必须能够在关键时刻得分。”

埃利奥特于1月27日接受了左股四头肌肌腱手术。马刺队说埃利奥特也许可以在常规赛最后一个月和季后赛中上场，但没有人认为他会以全明星水准返回。

在这方面，马刺队毫不掩饰自己的升级渴望。他们有两个选择——在2月19日的截止日期前进行交易，或签下被禁赛的后卫拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔。

斯普雷维尔因12月袭击金州勇士队教练P.J.卡莱西莫而被禁赛一年，目前正在等待仲裁员对他案情的裁决。

据报道，马刺队的最佳情况是，在仲裁员三到六周内做出裁决时，斯普雷维尔就会被解除禁赛。其他人预测，裁决将在夏季自由球员签约期间解除禁赛。

斯普雷维尔的朋友兼前金州勇士队队友乔·史密斯表示，如果马刺队能够在季后赛开始前签下这名三届全明星，那他们将立即成为西部冠军竞争者。

史密斯问道：“他们能有多好？”“这肯定会让他们提升到一个新水平”。

目前，马刺队显然没有任何进行交易的举措。如果截止日期临近而他们无法达成协议，那么在仲裁员对斯普雷维尔做出裁决之前，会有焦虑时刻。

史密斯说，如果马刺队能够劝说斯普雷维尔签署一份最低薪合同，那么他们的天赋水平将接近超音速队或洛杉矶湖人队。

史密斯说：“我认为是这样”。“如果他们能将拉特雷尔与蒂姆·邓肯、大卫·罗宾逊和艾弗里·约翰逊这样的老将搭配，那么他们会组建一支很难阻挡的球队”。

尽管马刺队的进攻有时似乎还在摸索阶段，但他们一直擅长阻止对手，只允许对方投篮命中率达到41％，领先NBA。

但在本赛季的某个时刻，波波维奇回忆起球队“表现得很糟糕”。他不必列举时间或情况。在11月下旬和12月初，马刺队13场比赛磕磕绊绊，战绩仅为4胜9负。

从那以后，马刺队改变了进攻重点，让约翰逊更多地控制控球。球队也因为邓肯而发生了变化。去年夏天选秀状元稳定提升，已经成为一位全明星级别的球员。

加上罗宾逊的灵感表现，重点和态度的改变，马刺队已经取得了令人震惊的24胜4负的战绩，取得了34胜14负的总战绩，并且在中西部赛区领先犹他队两场。

只有超音速队（37胜10负）、湖人队（34胜11负）和东部联盟的印第安纳步行者队（33胜13负）拥有更好的战绩。最擅长保护主场的球队包括卫冕冠军芝加哥公牛队（21胜2负）、超音速队（20胜2负）和马刺队（19胜3负），他们在阿拉莫圆顶体育馆已经连续赢得了15场比赛。

马刺队球员希望他们能够超越前面的球队，成为联盟中战绩最好的球队。

邓肯说：“我们还没有作为一个团队讨论过这件事（战胜西雅图）”。“但显然赢得最多的比赛才是目标，获得（季后赛）主场优势。所以以最好的战绩收官是我们想做的事情”。

对于马刺队来说，击败西部最好的俱乐部十分困难，他们在与超音速队、湖人队、太阳队、爵士队、森林狼队和火箭队的比赛中总战绩为5胜9负。

马刺队对阵湖人队为0胜2负，对阵西雅图和菲尼克斯均为0胜1负。

马刺队后卫文尼·德尔·内格罗说：“我们还有很多比赛”。“我们必须看看我们对阵犹他队、西雅图队和联盟中的芝加哥队表现如何。在第二轮中，我们的赛程会变得更加艰难”。

点击查看原文：Outside Influence Needed - Spurs realize shooting needs shoring up in second half

Outside Influence Needed - Spurs realize shooting needs shoring up in second half

As the NBA sends teams back to work for regular- season competition following the All-Star break, the Spurs have established themselves as one of the league’s heaviest hitters.

They have the best field-goal percentage defense, the third-best home-court record and the fourth- best record overall.

The Spurs also may rank among the leaders in another category - questions regarding their ability to win a championship.

“We have a lot of room for improvement,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “And that’s a great thing. It’s exciting to us. If we improve as we did in the first half, we’ll have a great opportunity to catch the teams that are ahead of us.”

The Spurs practiced twice Monday, once in the morning without All-Stars David Robinson and Tim Duncan and veteran point guard Avery Johnson.

Robinson and Duncan were en route from New York, where they played in the 48th NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night. Johnson experienced flight problems returning from Houston.

The Spurs returned to work, looking for an edge that will give them an advantage in home games Wednesday against Seattle and Saturday against Phoenix. What they could use, according to most observers, is another outside shooting threat.

“I like the group we have now, but without Sean (Elliott), I’d say we need another shooter,” Robinson said. “We have to be able to score in crucial situations when they double Tim and myself.”

Elliott underwent surgery Jan. 27 on his left quadriceps tendon. The Spurs said Elliott should be available for perhaps the last month of the regular season and the playoffs, but nobody is thinking he will return at an All-Star level.

In that respect, the Spurs are making no secret about their desire to upgrade. They have two alternatives - a trade, by the Feb. 19 deadline, or an acquisition of suspended guard Latrell Sprewell.

Sprewell, suspended for a year in December for assaulting Golden State coach P.J. Carlesimo, is awaiting the outcome of an arbitrator’s hearing on his case.

Reportedly, the best-case scenario for the Spurs is that Sprewell may be available when the arbitrator makes his ruling in three to six weeks. Others are predicting the ruling will call for the suspension to be lifted for the summer free-agent signing period.

Joe Smith, Sprewell’s friend and former teammate at Golden State, said the Spurs would be an instant contender in the West if they could acquire the three-time All-Star before the playoffs started.

“How good would they be?” Smith asked. “It would definitely raise them to the next level.”

For now, the Spurs apparently don’t have anything working in regard to a trade. If the deadline passes and they can’t make a deal, there will be anxious moments leading up to the arbitrator’s decision on Sprewell.

Smith said the Spurs would be closer to the talent level of the SuperSonics or Los Angeles Lakers if they can coax Sprewell into signing a minimum-salary contract.

“I think so,” Smith said. “With Tim Duncan and David Robinson and a veteran like Avery Johnson, if they add Latrell to that, all of a sudden, that’s a pretty tough team to stop.”

Even though the Spurs’ offense seems to plod along at times, the team has made a living out of stopping the opposition, leading the NBA by allowing only 41 percent shooting from the field.

But at one point this season, Popovich recalled the team “wasn’t very good.” He didn’t have to cite the times or the circumstances. It was late November and early December when the Spurs stumbled through a 13-game stretch at 4-9.

Since then, the Spurs have changed the focus of the offense to give Johnson more control of the ballhandling. The team also changed for the better because of Duncan. The No. 1 pick in last summer’s draft has improved steadily into an All-Star quality player.

Combined with the inspired play of Robinson, the changes in focus and attitude have added up to the Spurs running off on a stunning 24- 4 roll, leading to a 34-14 record and a two-game advantage over Utah in the Midwest Division.

Only the Sonics (37-10), Lakers (34-11) and the Eastern Conference’s Indiana Pacers (33- 13) have better records. The best at protecting their home courts have been the defending champion Chicago Bulls (21-2), the Sonics (20-2) and the Spurs (19-3), who have won 15 in a row at the Alamodome.

Spurs players are hopeful they can overtake the teams ahead of them for the best record in the league.

“We haven’t talked as a team about it (overcoming Seattle),” Duncan said. “But obviously winning the most games is the object, to capture the home-court advantage (in the playoffs). So finishing with the best record is something we’d like to do.”

Beating the best clubs in the West has been difficult for the Spurs, who are 5-9 combined against the Sonics, Lakers, Suns, Jazz, Timberwolves and Rockets.

The Spurs are 0-2 against the Lakers and 0-1 against both Seattle and Phoenix.

“We have a lot of games left,” Spurs guard Vinny Del Negro said. “We have to see how we do against the Utahs, the Seattles, the Chicagos of the league. In the second half, the schedule is going to get a lot tougher for us.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-11, By Jerry Briggs

马刺队试图打破音速障碍 圣安东尼奥备战西部对决

11 月份在西雅图钥匙球馆，超音速队的球迷在马刺队遭遇的重大不幸中跳舞、摇摆并参加派对。

马刺队的球迷将在今晚 7 点在阿拉莫穹顶与超音速队对决时，希望能在对方脸上狂欢。

“我们在那里遇到了困难，”马刺队的新秀前锋蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)说。“他们真的痛击了我们。我们从未真正进入比赛，所以我们期待着再次挑战他们。”

在全明星赛后的第一场比赛中，马刺队（34-14）将试图向超音速队复仇。他们还希望保持两条连胜。总的来说，马刺队已经取得了五连胜。在主场，他们已经取得了 15 连胜。

对手是顶级球队，据所有估计。

尽管对芝加哥的迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)表示尊重，但西雅图（37-11）在MVP级别的控球后卫加里·佩顿(Gary Payton)带领下取得了联盟最佳战绩。超音速队在周二晚上在休斯敦输掉了背靠背比赛的第一场。

“如果他们不是最好的，那么他们就是联盟中前两三支球队之一，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说。“他们非常有才华。他们在一起很久了。你打西雅图，你必须打一场非常棒的比赛才能击败他们。”

每位马刺队球员都明白在佩顿、文·贝克(Vin Baker)和其他球员面前树立优势的重要性。如果马刺队希望赢得西部冠军，他们很可能将在比赛的某个阶段被迫面对超音速队。

在这方面，在休息过后立即战胜他们将带来心理上的提升。如果有什么不同，这至少会向超音速队发出一个信号，他们在 11 月 21 日在西雅图对阵马刺队的比赛中，下半场领先 31 分，最终以 94-74 获胜。

“他们移动迅速窜，总是双人夹击，”马刺队中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)说。“他们都是活跃的球员，有活跃的手。我们必须做出明智的决定并传球。西雅图所做的是让你打出好的篮球。”

西雅图在第一次相遇中就让马刺队失去了比赛节奏。他们在前 9 分钟领先 29-12，首节结束时领先 36-16，在中场休息前 8 分 35 秒领先 44-18。

“我们当时（作为一个团队）处于转型期，他们火力全开，”马刺队控球后卫艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)说。“现在，我们会看看我们取得了多大的进步。如果我们打出自己的比赛并保持一致，那么我们就会没事。”

第一场与西雅图的比赛是本赛季唯一一场邓肯和罗宾逊得分都不到 10 分的比赛。马刺队的两座塔楼被降级为虚拟的街角路标。罗宾逊得到 9 分，邓肯得到 8 分。

“我认为那天晚上他们比我们强多了，”罗宾逊说。“但我们从那时起进步了很多。我认为我们有很大的机会。我期待这场比赛。”

马刺队在休赛前两个月的比赛中取得了 24 胜 4 负的战绩。他们在周一回到训练之前休息了 5 天。周一，为了让球队重新集中注意力，波波维奇让球队进行了两次高强度的训练。

• 马刺队新闻：尽管主教练格雷格·波波维奇否认有任何交易正在进行，但有报道称，与洛杉矶快船队关于威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)和布伦特·巴里(Brent Barry)的交换再次被讨论。

一位联盟消息人士透露，包括洛杉矶湖人队和金州勇士队在内的几支球队也可能争夺巴里，他是一位身高 6 英尺 6 英寸的三年生控球后卫。

• 前锋查克·珀森(Chuck Person)因个人原因缺席训练，理由是请假。珀森在上一次客场之旅中替补出场，场均得到 15.3 分，三分球 25 投 12 中。

• 马刺队前老板雷德·麦康姆斯(Red McCombs)将在今晚的比赛中获得荣誉，以纪念球队成立 25 周年。

点击查看原文：Spurs try to break Sonic barrier S.A. braces for West showdown

Spurs try to break Sonic barrier S.A. braces for West showdown

Fans of the Seattle SuperSonics danced and swayed and partied in the aisles amid the Spurs’ considerable misfortune in November at KeyArena.

In the rematch, Spurs fans would love to fiesta in the Sonics’ faces at 7 tonight in the Alamodome.

“We had a tough time up there,” Spurs rookie forward Tim Duncan said. “They really beat us up. We were never really in the game, so we’re looking forward to the challenge of playing them again.”

In their first game after the All- Star break, the Spurs (34-14) will try for a payback against the Sonics. They also would like to keep alive a pair of winning streaks. Overall, the Spurs have won five in a row. At home, they have won 15 straight.

The opposition is top shelf, by all estimations.

With all due respect to Michael Jordan in Chicago, Seattle (37-11) features an MVP-type star in guard Gary Payton and comes in with the best record in the league. The Sonics lost at Houston on Tuesday night in the front end of a back-to-back sequence.

“If they’re not the best, then they are one of the top two or three teams in the league,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They’re very talented. They’ve been together for a long time. You play Seattle and you have to play one helluva game in order to beat them.”

Every Spurs player understands the importance of establishing a presence against Payton, Vin Baker and the rest. If the Spurs hope to win the Western Conference title, they likely will be forced to face the Sonics somewhere along the way.

In that regard, winning a game off them immediately after the break would provide a boost mentally. If anything, it would at least send a message to the Sonics, who led by 31 points in the second half en route to a 94-74 victory over the Spurs on Nov. 21 in Seattle.

“They scramble around and they’re always double-teaming,” Spurs center David Robinson said. “They’re active guys with active hands. We have to make good decisions and move the ball. What Seattle does is make you play good basketball.”

Seattle took the Spurs out of the game early in the first meeting. It was 29-12 after nine minutes, 36-16 at the end of one quarter and 44-18 with 8:35 remaining before halftime.

“We were in transition (as a team) at that time and they were hitting on all cylinders,” Spurs point guard Avery Johnson said. “Now, we’ll see how far we’ve come. If we play our game and stay consistent, then we’ll be all right.”

The first Seattle game marked the only time this season that both Duncan and Robinson were held to less than 10 points. The Spurs’ towers were relegated to status as virtual street-corner signposts. Robinson finished with nine points and Duncan eight.

“I think that night they were that much better than us,” Robinson said. “But we’ve gotten a lot better since then. I think we’ve got a good chance. I’m looking forward to it.”

The Spurs went 24-4 in a two- month stretch leading into the break. They had five days off before returning to practice Monday. On Monday, in an effort to regain his team’s concentration, Popovich ran the team through two hard workouts.

- Spurs notes: Although Coach Gregg Popovich denied he has any trades working, reports have surfaced that a Will Perdue-Brent Barry swap is being discussed again with the Los Angeles Clippers.

A league source said several teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, also may be in the running for Barry, a 6-foot-6, third-year guard.

- Forward Chuck Person had an excused absence to miss practice for personal reasons. Person averaged 15.3 points off the bench during the last road trip, hitting 12 of 25 from three-point distance.

- Former Spurs owner Red McCombs will be honored at tonight’s game in conjunction with the team’s 25th-anniversary celebration.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-11, By Kevin O’Keeffe

卡尔印记：西雅图如今是个幸福的大家庭

西雅图主教练乔治·卡尔(George Karl)这些天看起来颇有几分教授风范，这得益于他那精心修剪的胡须，完美地修饰了他的脸庞。

虽然在北卡罗来纳大学求学期间，卡尔是一位文科生，但在休赛期，他学习了一些重要的数学知识：

减法加法。

好吧，这可不是E=mc2。

不过，这可能是让超音速队时隔三年再次杀入NBA总决赛的正确公式。

“这可能是我执教生涯中最积极的一年，甚至超过了CBA时期，”卡尔说道，他已在教练岗位上工作了18年，其中11年是在NBA。

“本赛季的情况非常积极，”他说，“现在，虽然我更愿意等到赛季结束再进行评估，但我必须告诉你，我现在感觉真的很不错。”

为什么不呢？

以37胜11负的战绩，卡尔的球队拥有NBA最佳战绩。

今晚，马刺队将在阿拉莫穹顶球馆迎战超音速队，这场比赛对圣安东尼奥队来说至关重要，他们将试图将超音速队的拉下马。

超音速队去年9月在三方交易中将麻烦不断的锋线球员肖恩·坎普(Shawn Kemp)交易至克利夫兰，并将文·贝克(Vin Baker)从密尔沃基带到西雅图，正是这笔交易让卡尔感到高兴。

“如果我说我认为和文·贝克搭档会这么好，我就是在撒谎，”卡尔说，“当然，我们喜欢他的技术，但他的安静性格将这里所有的负面因素都变成了正面因素。”

身高6英尺11英寸的贝克在超音速队中得分（场均20.4分）和篮板（场均8.1个）均领跑。

当然，他并不是超音速队本赛季表现强势的唯一原因。

控球后卫加里·佩顿(Gary Payton)曾经因坎普而心烦意乱，如今看起来像个渴望赢得总冠军的人。

德特勒夫·施雷姆夫(Detlef Schrempf)，可能是NBA中最被低估的球员，在小前锋位置上依然稳固，而赫西·霍金斯(Hersey Hawkins)在受伤的纳特·麦克米兰(Nate McMillan)缺席的情况下，在得分后卫位置上成为了更好的防守球员，预计麦克米兰将在2月18日重返赛场。

戴尔·埃利斯(Dale Ellis)，NBA历史三分球命中率最高的球员，以及萨姆·帕金斯(Sam Perkins)是卡尔的两个替补大将，卡尔对37岁的埃利斯赞不绝口，后者于10月2日从丹佛加盟。

马刺队的球迷们可能会记得，在鲍勃·贝斯(Bob Bass)被解雇后，埃利斯在1994年夏天作为一名没有签合同的自由球员离开了圣安东尼奥。

哦，如果你在家记账，埃利斯的三分球命中率为49.4%，而马刺队为34.2%。

不过，对卡尔来说，可能有一些因素会破坏这个梦幻般的赛季。

超音速队在篮板球方面排名联盟倒数第一，每场比赛少抢了近3个篮板，部分原因是由于吉姆·麦克尔维恩(Jim McIlvaine)在内线的表现。

而且超音速队的防守也不如以前强势，排名联盟第11位。然而，他们在得分差方面以场均8.7分的优势领先联盟。

而且卡尔在超音速队的处境也岌岌可危。

他的合同将在本赛季后结束，而总经理沃利·沃克(Wally Walker)似乎对重新签下卡尔兴趣寥寥。

对于此事，卡尔保持沉默。他不想让任何事情分散球队的注意力。

但考虑到卡尔在西雅图所取得的成就，这种情况已经到了令人难以置信的程度。

现在，你可能已经读过或听说过卡尔希望获得每年500万美元的薪水。这并不属实。

佩顿和贝克都支持卡尔，他至少可以理解自己与芝加哥的菲尔·杰克逊(Phil Jackson)处境相同，杰克逊将在本赛季结束后“正式”离开。

再次试图从卡尔那里得到有关此事的消息，他礼貌地拒绝了，他说：“我想要展示这支篮球队。今年没有多少教练拥有我所拥有的东西。”

这要归功于一些简单的数学。

点击查看原文：Karl's mark: Seattle now a happy family

Karl’s mark: Seattle now a happy family

It’s apropos that Seattle coach George Karl is looking rather professorial these days, thanks to a beard that nicely frames his face.

Although a man of letters during his matriculation at the University of North Carolina, Karl learned some important mathematics in the off-season:

Addition by subtraction.

OK, so it isn’t E=mc2.

Still, it just may be the right formula to get the SuperSonics back to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.

“This has been probably the most positive year I’ve had in coaching, going back to the CBA days,” said Karl, who has been in the business for 18 years, 11 of those in the NBA.

“It’s been an amazingly positive situation this season,” he said. “Now, while I’d rather wait until year’s end to evaluate, I’ve got to tell you that I feel pretty darn good right now.”

Why wouldn’t he?

At 37-11, Karl’s club owns the best record in the NBA.

The Spurs will try to dent that tonight in the Alamodome when the Sonics visit for what is a pivotal encounter for San Antonio.

The Sonics’ trade of troubled forward Shawn Kemp to Cleveland last September in a three-way deal that brought Vin Baker to Seattle from Milwaukee is the reason Karl is feeling chipper.

“I’d be lying if I told you I thought it would be this good with Vin,” Karl said. “Sure, we liked his skills, but his quiet character has changed the negatives around here to positives.”

The 6-foot-11 Baker leads the Sonics in scoring (20.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg).

Certainly, he is not the only reason the Sonics have been dominant this season.

Point guard Gary Payton, no doubt soured at times by Kemp, looks like a man wanting to win a championship.

Detlef Schrempf, perhaps the most underappreciated player in the NBA, is his usual solid self at small forward, while Hersey Hawkins has become a better defender at off-guard in place of hobbled Nate McMillan, who is expected back on the floor Feb. 18.

Dale Ellis, the NBA’s leading career three-point shooter, and Sam Perkins are two stalwarts off the bench for Karl, who can’t say enough about the 37-year-old Ellis, who came from Denver on Oct. 2.

Spurs fans may recall that Ellis was allowed to leave here as an unsigned free agent in the summer of 1994 after Bob Bass had been pushed out as Spurs vice president of basketball operations.

Oh, if you’re keeping track at home, Ellis is shooting 49.4 percent from three-point range, while the Spurs are at 34.2.

For Karl, though, there are factors that may yet spoil this idyllic season.

The Sonics are last in the NBA in rebounding - by nearly three per game - because in part to Jim McIlvaine in the middle.

And the Sonics are not quite as strong defensively, ranking 11th. However, they do lead the league in point differential at 8.7 ppg.

And Karl’s situation with the Sonics is in turmoil.

He’ll become a free agent at year’s end, and there seems to be marginal interest on the part of General Manager Wally Walker to get Karl re-signed.

On this matter, Karl takes a vow of silence. He wants nothing to detract from the team.

But considering what Karl has accomplished in Seattle, it’s absurd that it has reached that point.

Now, you may have read or heard that Karl wants $5 million per season. Not true.

Payton and Baker both are supportive of Karl, who can at least appreciate being in the same bind as Chicago’s Phil Jackson, who “officially” is being forced out at year’s end.

Trying again to get a comment from Karl on this matter, he politely declines, saying, “This basketball team of mine … I want to show them off. Not many coaches have what I have this year.”

Thanks to a little simple mathematics.

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

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-11, By Glenn Rogers

球队开始动员，季后赛阵容逐渐成形

现在，顶级球队将更上一层楼，而垫底球队则可能会退居二线，关注选秀抽签排名。

季后赛球队几乎已经确定，也许纽约会掉队，而华盛顿或密尔沃基会在东部上升。

在接下来的几周里，西部的强队将会展现实力，西雅图、洛杉矶湖人、圣安东尼奥、犹他州和菲尼克斯将决定谁将最终排名前四。

这里预测，超音速队凭借文·贝克(Vin Baker)的出色表现将夺得头号种子，并直奔NBA总决赛。

湖人队阵容强大，但公牛队主教练菲尔·杰克逊(Phil Jackson)一针见血地说：“我不认为身体素质就是天赋，那是运动能力。他们是联盟中最具运动能力的球队。”

菲尼克斯队实力强大，现在他们也开始依靠防守赢得比赛。太阳队在联盟中30年来从未让对手场均得分低于102分。本赛季，他们让对手场均得分低于95分。

圣安东尼奥队拥有足够强大的前场阵容——自从大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)到来后，他们几乎一直拥有这样的阵容——足以挑战头号种子，但外线球员的帮助对他们成功进入季后赛至关重要。一位西部联盟主教练愿意打赌，马刺队在季后赛中很难场均得分超过80分。

马刺队当心，休斯顿队，以及如果他们最终排名第五的太阳队，将是可怕的首轮对手。

大西洋赛区

糟糕的举动：波士顿队的主教练里克·皮蒂诺(Rick Pitino)希望在2月19日交易截止日期前加入交易狂潮，他一直在与帕特·莱利(Pat Riley)谈话，这对于这位年轻教练来说可能是一个危险的策略。

在一项复杂的三角交易中，迈阿密最终将得到米奇·里奇蒙德(Mitch Richmond)，萨克拉门托将得到朗·默瑟(Ron Mercer)和特拉维斯·奈特(Travis Knight)，凯尔特人将签下艾克·奥斯汀(Ike Austin)和贾马尔·马什伯恩(Jamal Mashburn)。

为什么？皮蒂诺似乎急于将他的选秀权之一交易出去，但马什伯恩显然不适合凯尔特人队体系，而凯尔特人队的体系似乎在奈特带领下运作良好。

中央赛区

公牛队的教训：公牛队赛季后即将卸任的主教练杰克逊再次体验到了当年在圣安东尼奥队时那个令人讨厌的丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)。

罗德曼的目标是再拿一个篮板王，他正在远离自己的防守职责，频频与篮筐亲密接触。爵士队的卡尔·马龙(Karl Malone)在上周爵士队战胜公牛队的比赛中充分利用了这一优势，投进了很多中距离跳投。

“菲尔看到了正在发生的事情，”公牛队即将退役的超级巨星迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)说道。“我们必须讨论一下。”

太平洋赛区

回到原点：马刺队希望拉特雷尔·斯普雷维尔(Latrell Sprewell)能够重获自由，并被扔进联盟的鱼塘里。但有些人说，整个混乱局面可以通过结束禁赛，恢复斯普雷维尔的合同，并在下一个季后赛之前将这位后卫送回金州勇士队进行交易来解决。

勇士队不仅要担心斯普雷维尔。他们在截止日期之前必须将乔·史密斯(Joe Smith)交易出去，否则今夏他们将失去他，而且一分钱也拿不到。

中西部赛区

一场风波：火箭队试图在追逐多伦多后卫达蒙·斯塔德迈尔(Damon Stoudamire)的过程中坚持到底，但他们不愿意放弃他们自己的新秀罗德里克·罗兹(Rodrick Rhodes)。

这不太可能，但有消息称，休斯顿队非常想交易克莱德·德雷克斯勒(Clyde Drexler)。然而，想要得到这位前全明星球员的补偿会很困难。火箭队最好尝试用他们三个老家伙进行可能也是他们最后一次真正冲击冠军的努力。

罗杰斯的排名

基于常规赛最终战绩，对NBA球队最终排名的一种预测。

1. 西雅图 2. 洛杉矶湖人 3. 圣安东尼奥 4. 芝加哥 5. 印第安纳 6. 犹他州 7. 菲尼克斯 8. 迈阿密 9. 新泽西 10. 夏洛特 11. 亚特兰大 12. 克利夫兰 13. 明尼苏达 14. 休斯顿 15. 波特兰 16. 华盛顿 17. 密尔沃基 18. 纽约 19. 波士顿 20. 底特律 21. 奥兰多 22. 萨克拉门托 23. 温哥华 24. 洛杉矶快船 25. 费城 26. 多伦多 27. 达拉斯 28. 金州勇士队 29. 达拉斯。

点击查看原文：Teams start mobilizing as postseason takes form

Teams start mobilizing as postseason takes form

Now the top teams will step it up a notch, and the bottom teams might slip down a gear and keep an eye on the lottery rankings.

The playoff teams have all but been decided, with maybe New York slipping away and Washington or Milwaukee moving up in the East.

The muscle in the West will be flexed during the next few weeks when Seattle, the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio, Utah and Phoenix decide who will finish in the top four.

The betting here is that the Sonics, with the remarkable play of Vin Baker, will grab the top seed and speed right into the NBA Finals.

The Lakers are loaded but Bulls coach Phil Jackson hit the nail on the head when he said, “I don’t consider physical talent (as) talent. That’s athleticism. They’re the most athletic team in the league.”

Phoenix is potent and now it’s winning with some defense. The Suns never have allowed fewer than an average of 102 points a game in 30 years in the league. They’re giving up less than 95 a game this season.

San Antonio has enough force up front - they almost always have had this since David Robinson arrived - to challenge for the top seed, but perimeter help will be essential to move successfully in the playoffs. One Western Conference coach was willing to bet money that the Spurs would have trouble scoring more than 80 points in the playoffs.

Spurs beware. Houston, and the Suns if they finish at No. 5, will be scary first-round opponents.

Atlantic Division

Bad move: Boston’s hyper Rick Pitino wants to get into the trading frenzy before the Feb. 19 deadline, and he’s been talking to Pat Riley, maybe a dangerous ploy for the young coach.

In a convoluted three-way deal, Miami would wind up with Mitch Richmond, Sacramento with Ron Mercer and Travis Knight, and the Celtics would suit up Ike Austin and Jamal Mashburn.

Why? Pitino seems desperate to move one of his draft picks, but Mashburn definitely is all wrong for the Celtics system, which seems to be doing fine with Knight.

Central Division

Bulls learn: Bulls lame-duck coach Jackson again is getting a taste of the Dennis Rodman that was so sour in San Antonio.

Zeroing in on another rebounding title, Rodman is straying far from his defensive assignment, flirting closely with the glass. The Jazz’s Karl Malone took full advantage during Utah’s win over the Bulls last week by pumping in those mid-range jumpers.

“Phil sees what’s going on,” lame- duck superstar Michael Jordan said. “It’s something we have to discuss.”

Pacific Division

Square 1: The Spurs are hoping that Latrell Sprewell will be sprung and tossed into a league fishing pond. But some say that the whole mess could be cleaned up by ending the suspension, reinstating Sprewell’s contract and sending the guard back to Golden State for trading come the next postseason.

The Warriors aren’t just worrying about Sprewell. They have to move Joe Smith before the deadline or lose him for nothing this summer.

Midwest Division

A furor: The Rockets tried to hang in in their pursuit of Toronto point guard Damon Stoudamire, but they wouldn’t part with their own rookie, Rodrick Rhodes.

It’s doubtful, but reports are fairly strong that Houston would love to trade Clyde Drexler. Just compensation, however, would be tough to come by for the former all- star. The Rockets best try to make maybe their final real run at the top prize with their three old guys.

Rogers’ rankings

One prognostication on how NBA teams will finish based on final regular-season records.

1. Seattle 2. L.A. Lakers 3. San Antonio 4. Chicago 5. Indiana 6. Utah 7. Phoenix 8. Miami 9. New Jersey 10. Charlotte 11. Atlanta 12. Cleveland 13. Minnesota 14. Houston 15. Portland 16. Washington 17. Milwaukee 18. New York 19 Boston 20 Detroit 21. Orlando 22. Sacramento 23. Vancouver 24. L.A. Clippers 25. Philadelphia 26. Toronto 27. Dallas 28. Golden State 29. Dallas.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-12, By Jerry Briggs

超音速队淹没马刺队 贝克最后时刻投篮终结主场连胜

一股反抗的气氛弥漫在马刺队更衣室，他们在周三晚上以 106-105 输给了西雅图超音速队。

不，他们没能守住第四节领先的 11 分。

而且，是的，超音速队抢走了他们所有的主场优势，当前锋 温·贝克(Vin Baker) 在比赛还剩 1.9 秒时投进了一个 14 英尺的跳投，完成了绝杀。

但马刺队发誓他们会在另一个夜晚与超音速队再战，他们说结果将会不同。

“到目前为止，他们更强，”马刺队的新秀 蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 说。“他们在比赛的最后阶段比我们打得更好。我们犯了一些错误，很难让这场比赛从手中溜走。但我们知道我们可以击败那支球队。他们已经两次战胜我们了。但我们知道，当我们再次对阵他们时，我们将能够战胜他们。”

尽管马刺队打出了本赛季最出色的比赛之一，但阿拉莫穹顶球场的 17405 名观众还是见证了超音速队追赶并以惊险的方式终结了主队。

贝克，当他的球队落后一分时，面对马刺队巨星 大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)，他运球突破，假动作晃过，然后在篮下投出一记跳投，命中绝杀，结束了马刺队 15 场主场连胜的纪录。

“我认为我对他（防守）做得很好，”罗宾逊说，他的右膝盖患有肌腱炎，行动受限。“我让他投了一个有难度的球，大约 14 英尺的后仰投篮。我认为我已经把他控制住了。”

凭借这场胜利，超音速队的战绩提升到 38 胜 11 负，客场战绩 18 胜 9 负，这两项数据都是 NBA 最佳。马刺队在全明星赛后的第一场比赛中输给了超音速队，他们的战绩降至 34 胜 15 负。他们此前取得了五连胜，并在最近 28 场比赛中取得了 24 场胜利。

这场失利也让马刺队在中西部赛区仅领先爵士队 1 场。

在大部分比赛时间里，马刺队似乎表现得足够好，足以报仇去年 11 月输给超音速队的 20 分惨败，并确立自己作为西部冠军的有力竞争者。

当 艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 的速度爆发，在第三节末段帮助马刺队将领先优势扩大到 12 分时，全场观众都沸腾了。马刺队在第四节初期保持了进攻压力，罗宾逊补篮命中，将比分拉开到 98-87，当时比赛还剩 8 分 50 秒。

从那里开始，任何球迷都可以计算出超音速队要从这个坑里爬出来需要付出多少努力。不用说，他们非常努力，大部分努力都花在了马刺队的身上。

老将前锋 萨姆·帕金斯(Sam Perkins) 命中了一记上篮，将比分追成 104-102，当时比赛还剩 1 分 56 秒。马刺队随后叫了暂停，并布置了战术，让 查克·珀森(Chuck Person) 上场，他命中了一记三分球，将比分反超，将全场观众的热情推向了高潮。

在帕金斯错失了一记三分球后，比赛还剩不到一分钟，马刺队似乎又要取得胜利——自 11 月 26 日以来，他们还没有在主场输过球，但命运弄人。

马刺队在最后 27 秒里有三次机会将比赛锁定，但他们都没能把握住。首先，贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson) 错失了一记三分球，罗宾逊抢下篮板。然后，珀森又错失了一记三分球，帕金斯将球碰出界外。

随后，珀森从边线发球给杰克逊，但球从他手中弹了出去，比赛还剩 18.4 秒时，全场观众鸦雀无声。超音速队叫了暂停，并布置了战术，让贝克上场，他冷静地运球，在比赛还剩 1.9 秒时投进了绝杀球。

“这都是上帝的恩赐，”贝克说。

马刺队在最后一次暂停时，布置了一个糟糕的发球战术。超音速队的球星 加里·佩顿(Gary Payton) 在篮下轻松断掉了传给罗宾逊的传球，锁定了客队的胜利。

“我们没有暂停了，所以我们必须把球传上去，希望会有好事发生，”约翰逊说。

马刺队这边，邓肯得到 26 分和 8 个篮板。罗宾逊的右膝受伤，行动不便，但他仍然得到 20 分、10 个篮板和 3 个盖帽。在与佩顿的对决中，约翰逊得到 17 分和 7 次助攻。

和往常一样，超音速队实力太强了。贝克表现出色，得到 24 分和 10 个篮板。他 19 投 12 中，其中许多球都是在拥挤的禁区内投进的困难球。德特勒夫·施雷姆普(Detlef Schrempf) 得到 21 分，佩顿得到 20 分和 8 次助攻。

如果马刺队获胜，这将是超音速队本赛季第二次遭遇背靠背失利。超音速队分别在 1 月 11 日和 1 月 13 日在客场输给了纽约和芝加哥，并在 1 月 14 日输给了休斯敦，输了 14 分。

点击查看原文：Sonics drown out the Spurs Baker puts end to home streak with late shot

Sonics drown out the Spurs Baker puts end to home streak with late shot

An air of defiance permeated the Spurs’ locker room following a 106- 105 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics on Wednesday night.

No, they could not hold on to an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter.

And, yes, the Sonics stole all of their considerable home- court thunder when forward Vin Baker hit a 14-foot jumper for the winning shot with 1.9 seconds remaining.

But the Spurs vowed they would see the Sonics on another night - and they said the outcome would be different.

“To this point, they are better,” Spurs rookie Tim Duncan said. “They played better down the stretch than we did. We made some mistakes, and it’s hard to let that one get away. But we know we can beat that team. They’ve got the best of us twice. But we know when we play them again, we’re going to be able to run them down.”

Even though the Spurs played one of their best games of the season, 17,405 at the Alamodome watched the Sonics chase down and finish off the home team in thrilling fashion.

Baker, with his team trailing by one, dribbled in one-on-one against Spurs star David Robinson, juked, faded and swished the game-winning shot in the lane to break the Spurs’ 15-game home-court winning streak.

“I thought I played pretty good (defense) on him,” said Robinson, slowed by tendinitis in his right knee. “I made him take a tough shot, about 14 feet falling away. I thought I had him where I wanted him.”

With the win, the Sonics improved to 38-11 and 18-9 on the road, both records the best in the NBA. The Spurs, who had won five in a row overall and 24 of their last 28, fell to 34-15 in their first game after the All-Star break.

The loss also reduced the Spurs’ lead to one game over idle Utah in the Midwest Division.

For most of the evening, it appeared the Spurs would play well enough to avenge a 20-point loss to the Sonics last November and establish themselves as a legitimate contender for the Western Conference title.

The crowd was roaring when Avery Johnson’s speed bursts through the lane bumped the Spurs’ lead to 12 late in the third period. The Spurs kept up the pressure early in the fourth quarter, with Robinson tipping in his own miss for a 98-87 lead with 8:50 remaining.

From there, any fan can do the math to figure out how much digging the Sonics had to do in order to climb out of their hole. It goes without saying that the dirt was flying - all over the Spurs, mostly.

Ageless forward Sam Perkins hit a driving layup to cap a 17-4 run to give the Sonics a 104-102 edge with 1:56 remaining. From there, the Spurs called time and set up Chuck Person, who sent the crowd into near delirium with a three-pointer for the lead.

After Perkins missed a trey with about a minute left, it looked like the Spurs were on their way to another victory - they had not lost at home since Nov. 26 - but it wasn’t meant to be.

The Spurs had three chances to put the game away in the final 27 seconds, and couldn’t finish it. First, Jaren Jackson missed a three and Robinson rebounded. Next, Person missed another trey, prompting Perkins to tip the ball out of bounds.

Subsequently, Person threw it inbounds from the end line to Jackson, but it bounced off his hands out of bounds, silencing the crowd with 18.4 seconds left. The Sonics called time and set up Baker, who calmly worked the clock down and made the winner.

“Just a blessing from God,” Baker said.

With their last timeout, the Spurs drew up an ill-fated inbounds. Sonics star Gary Payton easily knocked the pass away in the lane before Robinson could get his hands on it, sealing the win for the visitors.

“We had no timeouts left, so we had to get the ball up there and hope something good would happen,” Johnson said.

For the Spurs, Duncan led with 26 points and eight rebounds. Robinson, not moving well at all on the bad knee, finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. In a duel with Payton, Johnson had 17 points and seven assists.

As usual, the Sonics had too much. Baker enjoyed a monster game with 24 points and 10 rebounds. He hit 12 of 19 from the field, many of them difficult shots in traffic. Detlef Schrempf scored 21, while Payton produced 20 points and eight assists.

A Spurs victory would have sent Seattle to only its second pair of back-to-back losses this season. The Sonics fell on the road at New York and Chicago on Jan. 11 and Jan. 13, respectively. Seattle lost by 14 at Houston on Tuesday night.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-12, By Glenn Rogers

超音速发现马刺队的“弱点”

西雅图教练乔治·卡尔(George Karl)在周三晚上阿拉莫穹顶球馆取得一场小胜并发表了对马刺队的看法。

卡尔谈论马刺队的先发阵容“三塔”——大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)、蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)和威尔·帕杜(Will Perdue)说：“那只是一个烟幕弹。那不是他们的 A 队。他们在重大比赛中不会用那么高的阵容。”

卡尔没有进一步详细说明，但马刺队在小前锋位置上派出了查克·珀森(Chuck Person)，在罗宾逊在比赛还有 8:49 时补篮得分，马刺队以 11 分的优势牢牢控制着比赛。

超音速随后找到了关键。

卡尔说：“我本来觉得这场比赛打得不错，尽管对我们的防守表现很失望。我一直在想，‘我们什么时候才能打出一些防守？’第四节快结束的时候我们做到了，这也是我们赢得比赛的关键”。

西雅图加强了防守强度，在罗宾逊得分后以 19-7 击败马刺队，最终以 106-105 获胜。超音速曾在 11 月 21 日在西雅图以 94-74 大败马刺队。

这次，文·贝克至今的表现还算对得起肖恩·坎普(Shawn Kemp)的名声，他突破上篮，在距离比赛结束还有 1.9 秒时在罗宾逊的防守下命中了制胜球。

贝克轻松地说道：“我根本没有担心会投失。”“我知道我会得到一个好机会。我的信仰和决心让我能够找到空位。我针对罗宾逊用尽了我能想到的所有动作，但他始终都粘着我。

“前三节我们没有给他们的大个子施加任何压力。我们没有真正防守邓肯或罗宾逊的低位。”

邓肯以 26 分领跑所有得分，而罗宾逊得到 20 分。卡尔也对邓肯印象深刻。

卡尔说：“他们现在看起来更依赖邓肯，而不是大卫。你不可能每次都用同样的方式来盯防他们俩；你必须灵活应变。今晚裁判对邓肯的判罚就跟对一个打球打了 10 年的老将一样。”

贝克在前场面对邓肯或罗宾逊的跳投或油漆区内的强打，砍下了全队最高的 24 分，还有 10 个篮板。

前马刺球员戴尔·埃利斯(Dale Ellis)替补出场，13 投 8 中得到 17 分，似乎证实了超音速内外线结合更强的优势。

埃利斯说：“他们有外线射手。”“我不知道为什么人们说马刺的外线那么弱。查克（珀森）和文尼（德尔 内格罗）投篮都很准，能投中关键球。但马刺就是没能建立起化学反应。他们需要与外线射手融合在一起。”

点击查看原文：Sonics find Spurs' liabilities

Sonics find Spurs’ liabilities

Seattle coach George Karl slipped away with a slim victory and his own observations on the Spurs on Wednesday night at the Alamodome.

“That’s just a smoke screen,” Karl said of the Spurs’ “Tri-Tower” starting lineup of David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Will Perdue. “That’s not their A-Team. They won’t play that big team in a big- time game.”

Karl didn’t elaborate further, but the Spurs, with Chuck Person at small forward, had a lock on the game with an 11-point lead after a Robinson tip-in with 8:49 remaining.

The Sonics then found the key.

“I thought it was a good game although I was exasperated with our lack of defense,” Karl said. “I kept saying, ‘When are we going to play some defense?’ We did late in the fourth quarter and that’s what won the game for us.”

Seattle increased its defensive intensity and outscored the Spurs 19-7 after the Robinson score for the 106-105 victory. The Sonics walloped the Spurs, 94-74, Nov. 21 in Seattle.

This time, Vin Baker, thus far more than filling the shoes of Shawn Kemp, scored the winning bucket, dribbling into the lane, firing and hitting against the defending Robinson with 1.9 seconds left.

“I wasn’t worried about missing it,” a relaxed Baker said. "I knew I would get a good look. My faith and my determination allowed me to get open. I tried every move I could think of on Robinson and he stuck with me.

“For the first three quarters we just weren’t putting any pressure on their bigs. We didn’t really defend Duncan or Robinson on the post.”

Duncan led all scorers with 26 points and Robinson had 20. Karl, too, was impressed with Duncan.

“Their offense seems more geared now to Tim than to David,” Karl said. “You can’t cover both of them the same way every time; you have to mix it up. Tonight the refs kissed Tim like he was a 10- year vet.”

Baker, drawing Duncan or Robinson out to the perimeter for jumpers or taking them on in the paint with his power moves, scored a team-high 24 points. He also had 10 rebounds.

Former Spur Dale Ellis came off the bench and hit 8 of 13 shots for 17 points, seemingly giving credence to the Sonics’ superior inside-outside game.

“They have perimeter shooters,” Ellis said. “I don’t know why people say the Spurs are that weak outside. Chuck (Person) and Vinny (Del) Negro shoot well, hit big shots. But the Spurs just haven’t found that chemistry. They have to mesh with their perimeter shooters.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-12, By Buck Harvey

上天的眷顾？往更深处看

所以文·贝克(Vin Baker) 犯了第五次犯规，乔治·卡尔(George Karl) 的表情就像要再吃掉一撮自己的头发一样（这种高蛋白的 90 年代饮食解释了现在被称为“卡尔表情”的东西）。超音速队落后 11 分，如果卡尔需要一个能在没有人能战胜威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue) 成为首发中锋的土地上战斗的人，那这个人就是贝克。

格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 注意到了。埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 也注意到了。我们说让文·贝克 犯第六次犯规怎么样？

接下来发生的事情证明了马刺队应该庆幸现在是二月中旬而不是四月，因为在四月，主场输掉一分比分比在体育中心上播出一段 15 秒的片段更重要。马刺队除了进攻贝克以外什么都做了。

就这样，这位浸信会牧师的儿子在比赛还剩 1.9 秒时悬浮在球场上空，双腿像往常一样张开，投出了一个他后来说是上帝的祝福的东西。其他人会称之为绝杀跳投。

马刺队更衣室可能讨论的话题：思考是有帮助的。

再次输给另一个竞争对手会让一些人过度反应。马刺队显然无法在埃弗里·约翰逊担任控球后卫的情况下获胜，因为他无法在每节比赛结束时都投进压哨球。然后就是交易是必须的；马刺队需要不仅交易一个能投篮的人，还需要交易几个能完成界外球的人。

但是如果贝克的跳投弹出了，马刺队会比周三晚上好一点吗？无论输赢，马刺队都会在二月中旬的一个南德克萨斯之夜里，看起来像一支还很年轻、不稳定、不知道该怎么应对加里·佩顿(Gary Payton) 开始伸展他的橡胶手臂的球队。

一场胜利会掩盖这一点。现在就很清楚了。

超音速队是另一面。他们在一起待了这么久，他们知道如果现在是赛季中期，那么卡尔就必须开始谈论他的球队如何不尊重他，他可能不得不去别的地方。老将们也不介意拿他开玩笑。周三晚上，媒体围着卡尔转的时候，德特勒夫·施雷姆夫(Detlef Schrempf) 经过并建议道：“问问他关于他的合同。”

因此，超音速队把贝克插进了肖恩·坎普(Shawn Kemp) 的位置，并以西部最佳球队的姿态昂首阔步。施雷姆夫知道萨姆·帕金斯(Sam Perkins) 喜欢在哪里投篮，那就是远投，佩顿知道吉姆·麦克尔韦恩(Jim McIlvaine) 喜欢在哪里投篮，那就是哪里都不投，他们相处得很好，就好像他们永远在一起一样。

这并不能让他们不可战胜。上个月在客场输给小牛队 12 分的西雅图队在客场输给了国王队 19 分。但将他们与马刺队阵容的最后一节相比：首年的马刺队球员贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)、蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 和雷吉·吉尔(Reggie Geary)，一位缺席了整个上赛季（查克·珀森(Chuck Person)）的球员，以及一位几年来缺席了大部分比赛的球员（卡尔·埃雷拉(Carl Herrera)）。

卡尔后来表示，他认为马刺队将是一支“强劲的季后赛球队”，也许是因为他看到了图表。11 月份，马刺队无法与超音速队在球场上保持一致，而周三他们离将超音速队赶走只差几个球权。

然而，几个球权加起来就很多了。这里一个 3 秒违例，那里一个走步违例 - 这就是 11 分钟的第四节是如何形成的。而且随着时间的推移，在有了一个暂停可以精确地用于这种情况的情况下，珀森将界外球传给了杰克逊，这总结了这支还没有准备好像西雅图队一样执行的球队。

这给了超音速队最后一次机会，而这个人原本不应该得到机会。贝克。仍然有五次犯规。

“我试图在戴维(David) 身上做动作，”贝克说。“我尝试了所有可能的动作，他都跟着我。所以我回到了中间，进入禁区足够远，投了一个我觉得舒服的球。它能投进只是上帝的祝福。”

上帝的祝福？对抗罗宾逊(Robinson)？更准确地说，这是一个礼物。

点击查看原文：Blessing from above? Look further down

Blessing from above? Look further down

So Vin Baker gets his fifth foul, and George Karl looks as if he’s about to eat another clump of his hair (this high-protein '90s diet explains what is now known as The Karl Look). The Sonics are down by 11 points, and if there is one guy Karl needs in a land where nobody can beat out Will Perdue as the starting center, it’s Baker.

Gregg Popovich notices. Avery Johnson notices. Whatdoyasay we get Vin his sixth?

What follows is proof that the Spurs ought to be glad this is mid- February and not April, when a one-point loss at home means more than a 15-second moment on SportsCenter. The Spurs did everything but attack Baker.

And so this son of a Baptist minister hovered above the floor with 1.9 seconds left, splay-legged as usual, throwing up something he later said came with the blessing of the heavens. Others would call it a game-winning jumper.

Possible Spurs locker-room topic: Thinking helps.

Another loss to another contender will send some to over- reaction. The Spurs obviously can’t win with Avery Johnson at point guard, since he can’t end every quarter with a buzzer-beater. And then there’s the trade that is mandatory; the Spurs need to deal not only for someone who can shoot, but also for a couple of guys who can complete an inbounds pass.

But if Baker’s jumper had bounced off, would the Spurs be any better than what they were Wednesday night? Win or lose, the Spurs would have come out to a South Texas night in mid- February looking like a team still new and shaky and not sure what to do when Gary Payton starts stretching his rubber arms.

A win would have hidden that. Now it’s clear.

The Sonics are the other side of this. They’ve been together so long that they know if it’s mid-season, then it must be time for Karl to start talking about how his franchise doesn’t respect him and he might have to go elsewhere. The vets also don’t mind kidding him about it. With the media circling Karl on Wednesday night, Detlef Schrempf walked by with a suggestion: “Ask him about his contract.”

So the Sonics plugged Baker into Shawn Kemp’s slot, and swagger along as the best in the West. Schrempf knows where Sam Perkins likes to shoot, which is long, and Payton knows where Jim McIlvaine likes to shoot, which is nowhere, and they all get along as if they’ve been together forever.

That doesn’t make them unbeatable. The same Seattle who last month lost on the road to Dallas by 12 lost at Sacramento by 19. But compare them to this Spurs lineup that trotted out late in the first quarter: First-year Spurs Jaren Jackson, Tim Duncan and Reggie Geary, a guy who missed all of last season (Chuck Person) and a guy who has missed most of the games for a few years now (Carl Herrera).

Karl later said he thought the Spurs will be “a tough playoff team,” maybe because he’s seen the graph. In November, the Spurs were unable to stay on the court with the Sonics, and Wednesday they were a few possessions from running them off.

Still, a few possessions add up. A three-second violation here, a traveling there - that’s how 11- point fourth quarters are made. And with the clock down, with a timeout left to use precisely for this situation, Person threw an inbounds pass to Jackson that summed up a team not ready to execute on the Seattle level.

That gave the Sonics a last chance for a man who never should have had one. Baker. Still with five fouls.

“I tried to make a move on David,” said Baker. “I tried every move possible and he stuck with me. So I just came back to the middle and got far enough into the paint to take a shot that I felt comfortable with. The fact that it went in was just a blessing from God.”

A blessing from God? Against Robinson? More accurately, it had been a gift.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-14, By Jerry Briggs

马刺期待“大个阵容”更胜一筹 太阳队“小球战术”再次遭遇高塔

准备好再次见证“大个阵容”与“小球战术”的较量吧！

马刺队和菲尼克斯太阳队将在今晚7点30分于阿拉莫穹顶进行本赛季的第二次交锋，两队将再次以截然不同的风格展开对决。

1月9日在菲尼克斯，太阳队凭借其天赋异禀的后场阵容，以100-79的大比分轻松战胜马刺，小球战术在那场比赛中大获全胜。

“他们有很深的阵容，拥有出色的天赋，”马刺主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说。“他们是一支非常危险的对手。”

在周五的训练中，马刺队终于松了一口气，因为中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)——“中西部怪兽”三巨头中7尺高的核心——在训练赛中跑动自如，表现出色。

在周三以106-105惜败西雅图超音速队的比赛开始前，罗宾逊差点因右膝疼痛而无缘出场。

他周四大部分时间都休息，以减轻炎症，然后在周五回归，展示出良好的灵活性。

“休息一天确实帮助我很多，”罗宾逊说。“感觉好多了。膝盖就像任何其他部位一样，需要休息一下。我认为休息确实起到了作用。希望到今天，我会感觉好很多，能够轻松地弹跳和跳跃。”

马刺队需要在对阵太阳队的比赛中展现出足够的活力。

如果他们做不到，他们将面临连续第二场失利的风险，这将是他们自12月5日和9日分别输给洛杉矶湖人和休斯顿火箭队以来的首次。

菲尼克斯队（32-16）在西部排名第五。圣安东尼奥队（34-15）在中西部赛区领先犹他队半个胜场，在西部排名第三。

就像对阵超音速队的比赛一样，马刺队需要一场胜利来建立一个基础，以便向他们赛季前的目标——打进NBA总决赛——迈进。

目前，马刺队拥有稳固的整体战绩，但他们对阵可能进入西部季后赛的球队战绩不佳，仅为5胜10负。

更令人担忧的是，马刺队对阵超音速队、湖人队、太阳队和爵士队——西部战绩最好的球队——的战绩仅为1胜6负。

马刺队如何与联盟中的顶级球队抗衡，这个问题在情绪化的失利之后成为了一个敏感话题。马刺队前锋查克·珀森(Chuck Person)表示，他厌倦了人们拿他的球队与其他球队比较。

“我实在受不了人们把我们和那些球队比较，”珀森在对阵超音速队的比赛结束后说。“我们是一支优秀的篮球队。当我们赢球时，你们就对我们吹嘘赞美，当我们输球时，你们就问我们如何与他们抗衡。”

到周四，珀森对人们说他是在球队让11分的领先优势从手中溜走后心情不好，或者说球队正在经历某种集体的情绪低迷，表示否认。

“没有，”他说。“我们将在周六出战，我们会赢球。我们在周二（对阵底特律）也会赢球。我们接下来对阵谁？达拉斯？然后我们会击败达拉斯。所以这是一个漫长的赛季。本赛季最好的球队可能只会输掉18到20场比赛。”

菲尼克斯队拥有全明星控球后卫杰森·基德(Jason Kidd)，以及神射手雷克斯·查普曼(Rex Chapman)、凯文·约翰逊(Kevin Johnson)和史蒂夫·纳什(Steve Nash)。太阳队的阵容实力强大，甚至有人认为他们可以与奥兰多魔术队交易，换取全明星后卫安芬尼·哈达威(Anfernee Hardaway)。

这是一支可以在后场对决中击溃马刺队的球队。马刺队在某些情况下，比如上个月的那场比赛，新秀前锋蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)早早犯规，被罚下场，他们就显得特别脆弱。

当邓肯被罚下时，太阳队对罗宾逊进行了强硬的包夹，最终大比分领先。

“他们打得非常好，”罗宾逊说。“他们的打法很特别，第一次面对他们时你不会适应。你不会想到他们会投出那种类型的投篮，也不会想到他们会以那种方式奔跑。但希望我们能从上次的比赛中吸取教训，打出更好的表现。”

点击查看原文：Spurs hope bigger is much better Guard-oriented Suns again meet tall San Antonio

Spurs hope bigger is much better Guard-oriented Suns again meet tall San Antonio

Get ready for Tall Ball vs. Small Ball, one more time.

The Spurs and Phoenix Suns will hook up with their contrasting styles for the second time this season at 7:30 tonight in the Alamodome.

Small Ball prevailed in a rout Jan. 9 in Phoenix, where the Suns deployed their talented backcourt and blistered the Spurs in a 100-79 victory at America West Arena.

“They have great depth, great talent,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “They’re a dangerous, dangerous opponent.”

The Spurs breathed much easier at Friday’s practice as center David Robinson - the cornerstone of the three-man, “Monsters of the Midwest” 7-foot front line - ran and played hard in a scrimmage.

Robinson nearly had to be scratched from the lineup before tipoff of Wednesday’s 106-105 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics because of a sore right knee.

He took most of Thursday off to let the inflammation subside, and then he returned Friday to show good agility.

“Definitely, the day off helped me a lot,” Robinson said. “It was better. The knee’s like anything. It needs a little bit of rest. I think it did help. Hopefully (by today) I’ll feel a lot better and be able to bounce and jump real well.”

The Spurs will need considerable bounce in their steps against the Suns.

If they don’t have it, they will be in danger of losing back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 5 and 9, when they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, respectively.

Phoenix (32-16) has the fifth-best record in the Western Conference. San Antonio (34-15) has a half- game lead over Utah in the Midwest Division and the third-best record in the West.

Just as the case in the Seattle game, the Spurs need a victory to establish a base from which to launch themselves toward their preseason goal of reaching the NBA Finals.

As it is, the Spurs have the solid overall record, but they are a mushy 5-10 against teams that would make up the West’s playoff field if the postseason started today.

More worrisome, the Spurs are a combined 1-6 against the Sonics, Lakers, Suns and Jazz - the teams with the top records in the West.

Just how the Spurs measure up to the best in the league became a sore subject in the aftermath of the emotional loss to Seattle. Spurs forward Chuck Person said he was weary of questions about his team’s standing in the wild West.

“I’m pretty much sick and tired of people comparing us to these other teams,” Person said after the Seattle game. “We’re a good basketball team. When we win, you guys blow sunshine up our a----, and when we lose, you ask us how we measure up.”

By Thursday, Person brushed off a suggestion that he was in a bad mood after the team allowed an 11- point lead to slip away against the Sonics, or that the team was suffering from any sort of collective emotional hangover.

“No,” he said. “We’re going to go out and play Saturday, and we’re going to win. And we’re going to win again on (Tuesday against Detroit). Who do we play after that? Dallas? Then we’re going to beat Dallas. So it’s a long season. The best team this season will probably only lose 18 to 20 games.”

Phoenix features All-Star point guard Jason Kidd, in addition to sharpshooter Rex Chapman, Kevin Johnson and Steve Nash. The Suns have so much talent, they have even been mentioned as a team that could afford to trade with Orlando for All-Star guard Anfernee Hardaway.

It’s a team that can burn the Spurs in backcourt matchups. The Spurs are especially vulnerable in a game like the one last month, when rookie forward Tim Duncan was sent to the bench with early foul trouble.

With Duncan on the pine, the Suns trapped Robinson aggressively, and the rout was on.

“They played really well,” Robinson said. “Their style is unusual to face the first time. You don’t really expect them to shoot the type of shots they shoot and run the way they do. But, hopefully, we’ve learned from the last time and we’ll be able to play them a little better.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-15, By Glenn Rogers

小太阳让马刺头晕目眩

小球战术占优？

嗯，等等，也许吧，也许没有。

菲尼克斯太阳队凭借他们源源不断的后卫，在周六晚上阿拉莫穹顶以 94-81 的比分战胜了“大个子”马刺队。

“但他们下半场没有他们的最佳球员，”太阳队教练丹尼·安吉(Danny Ainge) 说，指的是中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 下半场因膝盖疼痛被换下。 “所以我们知道他们可以打得比今晚好得多。”

安吉可能是出于礼貌，因为这两支球队很可能在西部季后赛相遇。太阳队还在 1 月 9 日菲尼克斯以 100-79 的比分战胜了拥有罗宾逊的马刺队。

太阳队的矮个子球员整场比赛都在折磨马刺队。他们从外线投篮，从内线切入上篮、传球或投篮。他们扰乱了马刺队的防守。

杰森·基德(Jason Kidd) 上半场结束时得到 20 分，全场比赛得到 29 分。凯文·约翰逊(Kevin Johnson) 替补上场，打出了自膝盖手术恢复后的最佳比赛，贡献了 14 分。史蒂夫·纳什(Steve Nash) 只得了 6 分，但其中一半来自一个三分球，将太阳队的领先优势从 6 分扩大到 9 分。

如果马刺队的艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 说自己有点困惑，是可以理解的。基德和 KJ 轮流防守马刺队的控球后卫。

“当然，我认为我们有点把艾弗里累垮了，”基德说。 “我们有三个可以控球的人。这会让任何控球后卫都疲惫不堪。”

凯文·约翰逊说，太阳队的矮个子球员可能比艾弗里·约翰逊更快地让马刺队的得分后卫和小前锋疲惫不堪。

“那些家伙不习惯防守矮个子后卫，”他说。 “随着比赛的进行，我们可以让他们付出代价。”

但太阳队不得不放弃一些内线空间。

“他们的前场非常强大，”约翰逊谈到罗宾逊、蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 和威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue) 时说道。 “这就是我们必须有所牺牲的地方，也是我们开始调整的地方。”

马刺队在篮板球上以 54-44 击败太阳队。珀杜得到 14 个篮板和 12 分，依靠二次进攻得分。

“他们在篮板球上打败了我们，尤其是珀杜，”安吉说。 “但我们预计会在那里被击败。我们仍然很好地利用了自己的速度。”

圣安东尼奥队在第三节抹平了 10 分的落后，几次打成平手，并在约翰逊上篮后以 76-74 领先，当时比赛还剩 7 分 27 秒。

但这是球队在下半场的唯一一次领先，而且时间很短，在丹尼·曼宁(Danny Manning) 上篮和凯文·约翰逊 16 英尺的投篮后消失了。

马刺队试图阻止太阳队的进攻，在最后两节中不停地把球传给邓肯。马刺队的这位新秀在下半场得到 19 分，但随着比赛的结束，他的得分也放缓了。

“他很强硬，”太阳队前锋安东尼奥·麦克戴斯(Antonio McDyess) 说，他在第四节结束时得到了防守帮助。 “当然，这让我很累。他们几乎每场比赛都针对他。但这也让他很累。”

邓肯在最后一节 8 投 3 中。

“我认为安东尼奥对蒂姆的防守做得很好，”安吉说。 “投篮命中率下降了。这还可以。马刺队没有其他人可以依靠。”

邓肯似乎在摆脱双人包夹和寻找射手方面遇到了麻烦。

“他会变得更好，毫无疑问，”安吉说。

点击查看原文：Small Suns leave Spurs feeling somewhat dizzy

Small Suns leave Spurs feeling somewhat dizzy

Advantage Small Ball?

Well, hold on. Maybe, maybe not.

The Phoenix Suns, sending their seemingly endless supply of guards skittering around the floor, punched out the “big” Spurs 94-81 Saturday night at the Alamodome.

“But they were without their best guy in the second half,” Suns coach Danny Ainge said, referring to the absence of center David Robinson in the second half, benched with a painful knee. “So we know they can play a lot better than they did tonight.”

Ainge could have been being just kind, realizing these two teams may well meet in the Western Conference playoffs. The Suns also cooked the Spurs - with Robinson - 100-79 Jan. 9 in Phoenix.

The Suns’ little folks tormented the Spurs throughout the game. They popped from the outside, slithered inside for layups, dishes or pitchouts. They scrambled the Spurs’ defense.

Jason Kidd had 20 points by the end of the first half, 29 by game’s end. Kevin Johnson, playing his strongest game since returning from knee surgery, added 14 points off the bench. Steve Nash had only six points, but half came on a three-pointer that pushed the Suns’ lead from six to nine down the stretch.

The Spurs’ Avery Johnson could have been excused if he confessed to some bewilderment. Kidd and KJ alternated on defense and offense against the Spurs’ point guard.

“Sure, I think we kind of wore Avery down,” Kidd said. “We have three guys who can run the point. That will wear any point guard down.”

Kevin Johnson said the Suns’ little folks probably wore down the Spurs’ shooting guard and small forward faster than Avery Johnson.

“Those guys aren’t used to defending small guards,” he said. “We can take a toll as the game wears on.”

But the Suns had to give up a bunch inside.

“Their front line is awesome,” Johnson said of Robinson, Tim Duncan and Will Perdue. “That’s where we have to give up something, that’s when the adjustments start to be made.”

The Spurs thumped the Suns on the boards 54-44. Perdue had 14 rebounds and 12 points, feeding off putbacks.

“They beat us bad on the boards, Perdue particularly,” Ainge said. “But we expected to get beat there. We still did a great job of using our quickness.”

San Antonio wiped out a 10-point deficit in the third quarter, fought to several ties and grabbed a 76-74 lead after a Johnson layup with 7:27 left in the game.

But that was the team’s lone lead in the second half and it was short- lived, disappearing after a Danny Manning layup and a Kevin Johnson 16-foot shot.

The Spurs, trying to stave off the running Suns, fed the ball relentlessly into Duncan through the final two quarters. The Spurs rookie responded with 19 second-half points but slowed down as the contest closed.

“He’s real tough,” said Suns forward Antonio McDyess, who got defensive help as the fourth quarter came to an end. “Sure, it was tiring me out. They went to him on almost every play. But it tired him out, too.”

Duncan hit just 3 of his 8 attempts in the final period.

“I though Antonio did a great defensive job on Tim,” Ainge said. “The shooting percentage went down. It was OK. The Spurs just didn’t have anyone else to go to.”

Duncan seemed to have trouble passing out of the double teams and finding the shooters.

“He’s going to get better, there’s no doubt about that,” Ainge said.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-15, By Jerry Briggs

太阳队第四节发力击退马刺 - 菲尼克斯震惊了满场观众

又一次，菲尼克斯太阳队的替补阵容战胜了来自中西部的“怪兽”。

太阳队在周六晚上第三节丢掉了10分的领先优势，然后奋起直追，以94-81战胜了马刺队，在阿拉莫穹顶球馆的20557名观众面前取得胜利。

赛后，马刺队对着一场对阵他们可能在季后赛中遇到的球队而取得的0-2战绩感到担忧，就像他们对限制了球队的明星中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)出场时间至17分钟的一个令人讨厌的膝盖伤势感到担忧一样。

罗宾逊的移动能力受到了影响，在被马刺队教练告知在下半场坐在板凳上观看比赛之前，他只得到10分和6个篮板。

罗宾逊看到的一些事情可能是他喜欢的。马刺队在新秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)的带领下，在比赛还剩7分钟时取得了2分的领先优势。

但是当太阳队用三位控球后卫的组合在最后的6分钟22秒内以20-5的比分压制马刺队时，罗宾逊和球馆里的其他人一样感到畏缩。

马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)将罗宾逊的伤势描述为右膝肌腱炎的复发，这个伤势已经困扰着这支球队的头号得分手两周了。

“大卫的膝盖感觉和周三晚上对阵西雅图时一样，”波波维奇说。“他想要试一试，我们试图让他这样做。在中场休息时，我们意识到他显然无法继续比赛。”

自从上周日从纽约全明星赛回来之后，罗宾逊一直断断续续地进行膝盖训练。他在周三晚上以106-105输给西雅图的比赛中打了43分钟，周四没有参加训练，然后在周五进行了艰苦的训练。

波波维奇说，罗宾逊可能不会在周二球队在主场对阵底特律的比赛前进行训练。他说，球队医生大卫·施密特(David Schmidt)会检查他，以确定是否有任何额外的刺激。

“我不认为这是严重的，”波波维奇说。“他只是经历了一段非常严重的肌腱炎的爆发，或者说是跳投膝。我们只是不知道。他还有几天时间可以休息一下，然后参加下一场比赛。”

马刺队(34-16)也有几天时间来思考他们自12月初以来的首次连续失利。

他们可能还会考虑他们在西部联盟中最好的球队（西雅图、洛杉矶湖人、犹他爵士和控球后卫云集的太阳队(33-16)）中取得的1胜7负的战绩。

邓肯以30分和11个篮板领衔马刺队，他说现在就开始问问题并不算太早，比如为什么马刺队无法击败他们可能在季后赛中遇到的球队。

“我认为我们现在对此感到担忧，”他说。“但我们还有很长的路要走。我们还有很多需要成长的地方。希望我们能够重回正轨，再次取得胜利。”

马刺队的防守比他们在对阵超音速队的比赛中表现更好，当时超音速队以52%的命中率击败了他们。太阳队的投篮命中率只有42.5%，他们在篮板球上吃了亏。

但是当太阳队在第四节让控球后卫杰森·基德(Jason Kidd)(29分、11个篮板、5次助攻)、凯文·约翰逊(Kevin Johnson)和史蒂夫·纳什(Steve Nash)对马刺队发动进攻时，比赛就毫无悬念了。

“他们派出了两位大前锋和三位控球后卫，迫使我们把我们通常在场上的球员换下，”马刺队前锋查克·珀森(Chuck Person)说。“这是（菲尼克斯主教练丹尼·安吉(Danny Ainge)）的一个好策略。史蒂夫·纳什投进了几个球，杰森·基德也连续得分。

“他们能够命中投篮，而我们则没有。”

这场失利使马刺队在中西部赛区的积分榜上跌至第二位，落后于犹他爵士。犹他爵士(34-15)在周六大胜西雅图。

后卫贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)表示，如果两支球队在季后赛中相遇，马刺队不应过于担心太阳队。

“完全不用担心，”他说。“如果我们连续与他们打两三场比赛，我们将能够适应他们的打法。如果我们犯了错误，我认为我们能够纠正它们。在一个系列赛中，他们也将不得不与我们对抗。

“我们没有恐慌。现在只是赛季中期。我们必须提高自己，解决一些困扰我们的伤病问题。如果我们在赛季末保持健康，并保持稳定的状态，我认为我们会没事的。”

点击查看原文：Suns' run in fourth puts Spurs away - Phoenix stuns sellout crowd

Suns’ run in fourth puts Spurs away - Phoenix stuns sellout crowd

Once again, the small-fry lineup of the Phoenix Suns cut down the Monsters of the Midwest.

The Suns gave up a 10-point lead in the second half Saturday night, then rallied to record a 94-81 victory over the Spurs in front of a sellout crowd of 20,557 at the Alamodome.

Afterward, the Spurs worried as much about an 0-2 record against a team they may face in the playoffs as they did about a nagging sore knee that limited star center David Robinson to 17 minutes.

Robinson struggled with his mobility and finished with 10 points and six rebounds, before the Spurs told him to sit down at intermission and watch the second half from the bench.

Some of what Robinson saw was probably to his liking. The Spurs rallied behind rookie Tim Duncan to take a two-point lead with seven minutes remaining.

But Robinson cringed along with everyone else in the building when the Suns retaliated with a three- pronged point-guard attack to sting the Spurs 20-5 in the final 6 minutes, 22 seconds.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich described Robinson’s injury as a flare-up of right knee tendinitis that has bothered the team’s leading scorer for the past two weeks.

“David’s knee felt about the same as it did against Seattle (Wednesday night),” Popovich said. “He wanted to give it a shot and we tried to let him do that. At halftime, we decided it was pretty obvious he couldn’t continue.”

Robinson has practiced intermittently on the knee since returning from the All-Star Game in New York last Sunday. He played 43 minutes in a 106-105 loss to Seattle Wednesday night, sat out of practice Thursday and then practiced hard Friday.

Popovich said Robinson likely wouldn’t practice before the team’s next game Tuesday at home against Detroit. He said team Dr. David Schmidt would examine him to determine if there has been any additional irritation.

“I don’t believe it’s anything serious,” Popovich said. “He’s just having an outbreak of a really bad period of tendinitis, or jumper’s knee. We just don’t know. He has a few days to rest it before the next game.”

The Spurs (34-16) also have a couple of days to ponder their first back-to-back losses since early December.

They may also consider a 1-7 combined record against the best teams in the Western Conference - Seattle, the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah and the guard-heavy Suns (33- 16).

Duncan, who led the Spurs with 30 points and 11 rebounds, said it’s not too early to start asking questions, such as why the Spurs can’t beat the teams they likely will see in the playoffs.

“I think we’re worried about it now,” he said. “But we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got a lot of growing to do. Hopefully we can get back on the track and start rolling again.”

The Spurs played better defense than they did against the Sonics, who burned them with 52 percent shooting. The Suns managed only 42.5 percent field-goal accuracy and took a pounding on the boards.

But with the Suns running point guards Jason Kidd (29 points, 11 rebounds, five assists), Kevin Johnson and Steve Nash at the Spurs in the fourth quarter, it was no contest.

“They put two power forwards out there with three point guards and it forced us to take our normal people we have in there, out of the game,” Spurs forward Chuck Person said. "It was a good move (by Phoenix coach Danny Ainge). Steve Nash hit a couple shots and Jason Kidd got loose for a few.

“They were able to hit their shots and we didn’t.”

The loss dropped the Spurs into second place behind the Utah Jazz in the Midwest Division standings. Utah (34-15) routed Seattle on Saturday.

Guard Jaren Jackson said the Spurs shouldn’t worry about the Suns too much if the two teams match up in the playoffs.

“Not at all,” he said. "If we play them two or three times in a row, we’ll be able to adjust to what they’re doing. If we make mistakes, I think we’ll be able to correct them. In a series, they’ll have to match up with us, too.

“There’s no panic. It’s just midseason. We have to improve and work out some of these nagging injuries. We go into the end of the season healthy and playing consistently, I think we’ll be all right.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1998-02-15, By Jerry Briggs

马刺需要德尔·内格罗发挥强劲季后赛势头

文尼·德尔·内格罗有点像拉里·麦克姆特里小说中的一个老枪手。

据说在他年轻时，他可以在草原对面开枪，将坏人的帽子打掉。那就是说，如果他只是想吓唬他们的话。

或许牛仔的比喻不适合从各个方面来说。现年 31 岁的德尔·内格罗很难与一个在荒地骑行中迷路的、饱经风霜的草原人相比。

他只是一个因伤失去首发位置的篮球运动员。

德尔·内格罗因腹股沟拉伤和右肘过伸错过了马刺队 50 场比赛中的 26 场。

12 月到 1 月，他因肘部问题缺席了 15 场比赛，而马刺队在新人贾伦·杰克逊作为得分后卫首发的情况下取得了 13-2 的战绩。

德尔·内格罗恢复健康后才发现首发位置已经有人了。他在替补角色中表现得很吃力，最近公开了他对困境的沮丧情绪。

他说，由于各种原因，替补出场对他來說更难。

德尔·内格罗说，“那是因为我习惯了，我不太喜欢。它就是不一样。我已经担任首发很长时间了。改变事情真令人沮丧。但这是由于受伤，所以事情改变了。

“这是一次疯狂的受伤。这是一场离奇的伤病。这两次受伤。他们不是磨损伤。它们只是发生了。”

替补出场对德尔·内格罗来说很奇怪。他并不总是参加很长时间的比赛，而且他并不总是与球队中最好的控球者——他长期搭档后场的艾弗里·约翰逊一起比赛。

他说：“很明显，当你的上场时间减少时，你的投篮就会减少。你的触球减少，你的节奏就会改变。你不再与同一个人一起上场了，”他说。“有很多变量。”

德尔·内格罗是否能重新获得首发位置还有待观察。但有一件事很清楚。马刺队需要他们的老枪手重新找回他的百发百中的射术，才能取得强劲的季后赛势头。

• 灾难、灾难：在南加州，你有地震、泥石流和唐纳德·斯特林作为洛杉矶快船队老板的记录。

上周，当马刺队中锋威尔·帕杜得知自己的名字与快船队的交易讨论有关联时，所有这些想法都在他脑海中浮现。

帕杜笑着说：“除了为快船队效力，你还要考虑自然灾害。”尽管通过三塔阵容进行了大力宣传，但马刺队在周四截止日期前很可能无法交易帕杜。

• 根特里来访：前马刺队助教阿尔文·根特里将于星期二晚上作为底特律活塞队的临时主教练在阿拉莫体育馆停留。

2 月 2 日，球队解雇道格·柯林斯后，根特里从助教的位置上接任。

在柯林斯手下，自尊心受到的伤害比香蕉从旧农产品卡车的后部弹出的次数更多。

根特里已经因处理受伤感情而赢得称赞。他面临的最艰难的挑战之一可能是让杰里·斯塔克豪斯从替补中走出来。

根特里最近告诉底特律媒体：“我告诉杰里我理解他的愤怒。但我们喜欢他给我们替补带来的难以置信的火力。你把他和马利克·西利带进来，这给了你两个相当不错的替补得分后卫。”

• 斯托克顿的出现：马刺队的球迷们将在星期六晚上看到他们的老朋友，犹他爵士队的约翰·斯托克顿。马刺队在主场迎战斯托克顿和爵士队，这场比赛应该会是另一个充满激情的季后赛氛围。

星期六晚上在西雅图进行一场比赛之后，自斯托克顿从膝盖手术中恢复以来，爵士队的战绩已升至22胜8负。在斯托克顿缺席的情况下，马刺队与爵士队的对阵各胜一场。

• 猛烈抨击：“马刺队有一条特别难对付的内线，”星期四的版本中，《塔科马新闻论坛报》的一名记者提出。“但是看看这个替补阵容：雷吉·盖里、查克·珀森、卡尔·埃雷拉和文尼·德尔·内格罗。有更好的前廊长椅。”

嘿，西雅图。看看你自己的吉姆·麦克伊尔维恩。德克萨斯州南部的球迷们在甜甜圈小屋见过更好的中锋。散会。

点击查看原文：Spurs Beat: Spurs need Del Negro for strong playoff push

Spurs Beat: Spurs need Del Negro for strong playoff push

Vinny Del Negro sort of feels like an old gunfighter out of a Larry McMurtry novel.

In his younger days, it was rumored that he could fire away at the bad guys from clear across the prairie and knock their hats off. That is, if he was just in a mind to scare them.

Perhaps the cowboy simile doesn’t work in all respects. Del Negro, at age 31, can hardly be compared to a gristled, plainsman who has lost his way on a ride over the badlands.

He’s merely a basketball player who has lost his starting job because of injuries.

Del Negro has missed 26 of the Spurs’ 50 games with a strained groin and a hyperextended right elbow.

When he went out for 15 games in December and January with the elbow problem, the Spurs surged to a 13-2 record with newcomer Jaren Jackson starting at shooting guard.

Del Negro returned to health only to find the starting job filled. He has struggled in the reserve role and recently spoke out about the frustration of his dilemma.

He said it is more difficult for him to play off the bench because of a variety of reasons.

“It is,” Del Negro said, "just because I’m not used to it. I don’t particularly like it. It’s just different. I’ve been starting for a long time now. To change things, it’s frustrating. But it was because of the injuries that things were changed.

“It was a crazy injury. It was a freak injury. Both injuries. They weren’t wear-and-tear injuries. They just happened.”

Coming off the bench for Del Negro is strange. He’s not always in the game for very long, and he doesn’t always play alongside the team’s top ballhandler - his longtime backcourt mate Avery Johnson.

“Obviously when you’re minutes are reduced, your shots are reduced. Your touches are reduced, your rhythm is changed. You’re not playing with the same guys,” he said. “There’s a lot of variables.”

Whether Del Negro regains his starting job remains to be seen. But one thing is clear. The Spurs need their old gunfighter to regain his deadeye shooting touch to make a strong playoff run.

- Disasters, disasters: In Southern California, you have earthquakes, mudslides and Donald Sterling’s record as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

All of those thoughts went through Spurs center Will Perdue’s mind when he was told last week that his name had been linked in trade discussions with the Clippers.

“Besides playing for the Clippers, you have to think about natural disasters,” Perdue said, smiling. Despite a big advertising push through the Triple Towers lineup, the Spurs probably won’t be able to trade Perdue by the Thursday deadline.

- Gentry calling: Former Spurs assistant coach Alvin Gentry will stop off at the Alamodome on Tuesday night as interim head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

Gentry stepped up from his assistant’s position when the team fired Doug Collins on Feb. 2.

Under Collins, egos were bruised more often than bananas bouncing out the back of an old produce truck.

Already, Gentry has won praise for handling the hurt feelings. One of his toughest challenges may be keeping Jerry Stackhouse happy coming off the bench.

“I told Jerry I understand his anger,” Gentry told the Detroit media recently. “But we like the fact that he gives us unbelievable firepower off the bench. You bring him and Malik Sealy in, and that gives you two pretty good bench scorers.”

- Stockton’s presence: Spurs fans will get to see their old friend, John Stockton of the Utah Jazz, Saturday night. The Spurs play Stockton and the Jazz at the dome in what should be another electric, playoff atmosphere.

Going into a late game Saturday night at Seattle, the Jazz had rallied to a 22-8 record since Stockton returned from knee surgery. The Spurs split two games with the Jazz in Stockton’s absence.

- Running smack: “The Spurs have a particularly tough front line,” a Tacoma Tribune reporter offered in Thursday’s editions. “But check out this bench: Reggie Geary, Chuck Person, Carl Herrera and Vinny Del Negro. There are better front-porch benches.”

Hey, Seattle. Check out your own Jim McIlvaine. Fans in South Texas have seen better centers at Donut Hut. Out.

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News