马刺1998-99赛季实录（780+篇）

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-19, By Johnny Ludden

火热——马刺奔赴波特兰，迎接关键之战

11月的第一天，恰好也是马刺惨败犹他爵士之后的第二天，埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)和马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)制定了一条走出困境的路线。

他们逐场分析了赛程，仔细评估每个对手，最终确定了一个合适的目标日期。

“波特兰，”约翰逊说，“我们说过，到波特兰的时候，我们要取得九连胜。”

计划的力量真是惊人。马刺准时抵达这里，带着九连胜的战绩。

他们在连胜期间没有偏袒任何一方，依靠进攻和防守赢球。有领先被逆转，也有大比分取胜。有最后一秒的进球，也有最后一秒的失误。有埃利在场，也有埃利不在。有蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)得到17分，也有马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)得到17分。

约翰逊说，今晚对阵开拓者的比赛将帮助马刺了解自爵士给他们带来的教训以来，他们进步了多少。或者，他们还有多少路要走。

“这对我们来说是一个很好的衡量标准，”约翰逊说。“尤其是我们本赛季早些时候输给了犹他爵士和湖人。我们击败了奥兰多魔术。他们是一支好球队。但波特兰是西部最顶尖的球队之一。”

赛季揭幕战当晚，马刺主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说，开拓者是西部联盟最值得关注的球队。到目前为止，他们的表现证明了波波维奇的正确。在周四晚上对阵国王的比赛开始之前，波特兰在太平洋赛区领先，仅次于犹他爵士和迈阿密热火，拥有联盟第三好的战绩。

“我一直都说，我认为他们在纸面上是联盟中最好的球队，”国王前锋克里斯·韦伯(Chris Webber)说。“他们有两套首发阵容。而且我惊讶于他们的成熟程度。你可能会认为他们会崩溃，但他们一直在向你施压。

“我不知道还有谁能像波特兰那样持续地施加压力。”

这是有原因的。开拓者主教练迈克·邓利维(Mike Dunleavy)和老板保罗·艾伦(Paul Allen)囤积了联盟最深厚的人才储备。12名球员中有9名球员在整个职业生涯中都是常规首发。

当伊赛亚·莱德(Isaiah Rider)周六对阵快船表现挣扎时，吉米·杰克逊(Jimmy Jackson)替补出场贡献了21分。

“当事情不顺利时，深度会起作用，因为你会有体能充沛的球员替补出场，”杰克逊说。“这支球队阵容如此深厚，任何人都可以做出贡献。”

杰克逊和拉希德·华莱士(Rasheed Wallace)领衔开拓者替补阵容。7位不同的球员曾以全队最高得分领跑球队。

“我们最大的优势是团队的化学反应和多种不同的阵容组合，”开拓者前锋布莱恩·格兰特(Brian Grant)说。“也许一两种组合不起作用，但我们可以用很多其他组合。”

马刺在周三晚上对阵勇士的比赛中采取了类似的策略。当勇士在比赛开始后不到6分钟就取得了12分的领先优势时，波波维奇用安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels)、罗斯和威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)替换了约翰逊、邓肯和大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)。史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr)不久后也进入比赛，替补阵容在82-78的胜利中贡献了39分。

“替补球员是周三晚上取得成功的关键，”波波维奇说。“整个团队都全力以赴，赢得了比赛。我认为从这个角度来说，这是我们今年最好的胜利。”

替补阵容今晚可能再次发挥作用。两支球队都将在四晚打第三场比赛。罗宾逊周三在23分钟的比赛中只得到3分和5个篮板，本赛季一直受到右膝、背部或整体疲劳的困扰。

“偶尔会有这种情况，”罗宾逊说。“总是一两处小伤，比其他任何事情都更严重。

“我以为我们会没事。但我出场后，我的跳跃不如以前。我不能代表其他人说话，但我们比我想象的要累一些。”

点击查看原文：Red-hot - Spurs blaze a trail to yardstick game at Portland

Red-hot - Spurs blaze a trail to yardstick game at Portland

On the first day of the month, which just so happened to also be the first day after the Spurs’ numbing loss to Utah, Avery Johnson and Mario Elie mapped a route out of their troubles.

Game by game they went through the schedule, sizing up each opponent before finally settling on an appropriate target date.

“Portland,” Johnson said. “We said we wanted to have won nine straight when we reached Portland.”

It’s amazing what a little planning will do. The Spurs arrived here on time and intact, tagging along a nine-game winning streak.

They haven’t discriminated during the stretch, winning with offense and defense. With blown leads and blowouts. With a last-second shot and a last-second miss. With and without Elie. With Tim Duncan scoring 17 points. With Malik Rose scoring 17 points.

And tonight’s game against the Trail Blazers, Johnson said, should help tell the Spurs how far they have come since their Jazz-inflicted beating. Or, how far they have yet to go.

“This is a good barometer for us,” Johnson said. “Especially with us losing to Utah and the Lakers earlier in the season. We beat Orlando. They’re a good team. But Portland is one of the top teams in the West.”

On the night the season opened, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said the Trail Blazers were the team to watch in the Western Conference. So far, they’ve proved him right. Heading into Thursday night’s game at Sacramento, Portland led the Pacific Division and trailed only Utah and Miami for the best record in the league.

“I’ve said all along, I think they are by far the best team in the league on paper,” Sacramento forward Chris Webber said. "They have two starting lineups. And I’m surprised how mature they are. You would think they would break down, but they keep hammering at you.

“I don’t know if anybody brings it at you continuously like Portland.”

There’s a reason for that. Trail Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy and owner Paul Allen have stockpiled the NBA’s deepest roster. Nine of the 12 players have been regular starters throughout their careers.

When Isaiah Rider struggled Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers, Jimmy Jackson came off the bench for 21 points.

“When things don’t go right, the depth helps because you’ve got guys with fresh legs coming in,” Jackson said. “This team is so deep, anybody can do anything.”

Jackson and Rasheed Wallace head the Blazers’ second unit. Seven different players have led the team in scoring.

“The best thing we have going is the chemistry and the different combinations we can use,” Portland forward Brian Grant said. “Maybe one or two combinations aren’t working, but we can go with so many.”

The Spurs used a similar approach against Golden State Wednesday night. When the Warriors jumped out to a 12-point lead less than six minutes into the game, Popovich replaced Johnson, Duncan and David Robinson with Antonio Daniels, Rose and Will Perdue. Steve Kerr entered the game soon after and the bench finished with 39 points in the 82-78 win.

“The guys off the bench were the most important thing in (Wednesday) night’s success,” Popovich said. “The entire group really went and took the win. I thought it was our best win of the year in that regard.”

The bench could be a factor again tonight. Both teams will be playing their third game in four nights. Robinson, who totaled only three points and five rebounds in 23 minutes Wednesday, has been bothered periodically during the season by his right knee, his back or general fatigue.

“From time to time it just depends,” Robinson said. "There’s always one or two nagging injuries that play a bigger role than everything else.

“I thought we were going to be OK. But I came out and I wasn’t jumping as well. I can’t speak for everybody else, but we were a little more tired than I thought we would be.”

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-20, By Johnny Ludden

连胜终结，萨博尼斯帮助开拓者终结马刺连胜

不会有最后一秒的投篮。不会有替补席英雄。不会有蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)的生涯之夜。

只有一个阿维达斯·萨博尼斯(Arvydas Sabonis)。

对于那些不熟悉西北地区的人来说，他的名字念作“UHR-vid-us suh-BAW-nis”。如果马刺球员不知道怎么念这位立陶宛球星的名字，他们就应该知道他的一切。

大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)或许能解析萨博尼斯的勾手投篮，但他却无法阻止。

萨博尼斯砍下全场最高的28分，其中13分来自末节。周五晚上，波特兰开拓者队在20,041名观众爆满的玫瑰花园球馆以90-85击败马刺队，终结了马刺队的9连胜。

马刺队（15-9）错失了以百分比优势超越洛杉矶湖人队升至西部第三的机会。他们也未能缩小与中西部赛区领头羊犹他队的差距，犹他队在周五晚上加时赛中爆冷输给了夏洛特黄蜂队。

“你当然希望在客场对阵联盟中最强的球队之一时，能够战胜他们。这并不算什么大事，”邓肯说道，“我们想要继续赢球，但连胜并不算什么大事。”

无论如何，萨博尼斯和开拓者队（19-5）都没有心情帮忙。这支开拓者队的7尺3寸中锋，一位34岁的膝盖受伤且阿基里斯腱撕裂过两次的球员，在最后16分钟里拿下了18分。他大部分时间都在攻击罗宾逊，一位34岁的膝盖和背部都受过伤的中锋。

“他投了一些勾手，”罗宾逊说道，“他投了很多勾手。

“我们几乎从未输给过其他中锋。像沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)这种级别的球员，你知道你必须对他犯规才能阻止他，但这一次我把它看作是个人挑战，因为这是我目前的工作。”

罗宾逊在周三对阵勇士队的比赛中仅得到3分，本场比赛他11投3中得到10分。他抓下了10个篮板，但在开拓者队在末节初段抹平五分分差后，他并没有起到多大作用。

在对阵勇士队的比赛中，马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)在比赛结束前7分钟将罗宾逊换下，换上了马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)。罗斯比萨博尼斯矮了8英寸。威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)也仍在从赛季初的脚踝扭伤中恢复。

“当你被对手轻松上篮或灌篮的时候，你投篮就会更加困难，”罗宾逊说道，“显然，我遇到了麻烦。现在我身处新的角色，我必须更好地把握机会。我需要更多地寻找机会。”

邓肯抢下了全场最高的15个篮板，并有望创造生涯新高。他在前三节得到27分，但在接下来的时间里只得到2分。马刺队连续第二场比赛的投篮命中率低于40%。

“他们对我们防守很严密，”邓肯说道，“如果我们减少失误，并且传球更精准，结果可能就会不一样。”

马刺队最后一次冲击开拓者，他们在比赛还剩21.3秒时，依靠马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)的三分球和邓肯的封盖后快攻扣篮，将7分的差距缩小到86-85。

史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr)在比赛还剩19.3秒时被换上场，他在人群中投出三分球不中，邓肯抢下篮板。肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)在25英尺外得到空位投篮机会，但他却投出了空气球。达蒙·斯塔德迈尔(Damon Stoudamire)在比赛还剩3秒时罚球两罚全中，帮助开拓者队锁定胜局。

“我投得太快了，”埃利奥特说道，他11投3中，被斯泰西·奥格蒙(Stacey Augmon)严防死守，“那可能不是一个明智的决定。马里奥在三分线外无人防守。

“从那么远的距离投篮，我需要稳住脚步，但我却做不到。当我的脚步不稳的时候，我不应该投篮。”

开拓者队在没有首发后卫兼得分王伊赛亚·莱德(Isaiah Rider)的情况下出战，莱德因在周四晚上击打萨克拉门托国王队的乔恩·巴里(Jon Barry)而被NBA禁赛一场。没关系，吉米·杰克逊(Jimmy Jackson)顶替了他的位置，并得到12分和6个篮板。

“他怎么看待这件事？除了钱之外，他相当于获得了一天的休息，”斯塔德迈尔谈到莱德时说道，“这并没有让我们分心。我认为这与分心根本不沾边。”

点击查看原文：Streaking ends in a Blaze - Sabonis helps Portland put a halt to - Spurs winning string

Streaking ends in a Blaze - Sabonis helps Portland put a halt to - Spurs winning string

There would be no last-second shots. No end-of-the-bench heroes. No career night from Tim Duncan.

Just a whole bunch of Arvydas Sabonis.

That’s UHR-vid-us suh-BAW-nis for the non-Northwesterners. If the Spurs didn’t know how to pronounce the Lithuanian’s name, they know everything else about him.

David Robinson, for one, could probably dissect his hook shot. He just couldn’t stop it.

Sabonis scored 13 of his season- high 28 points in the final quarter as Portland beat the Spurs 90-85, snapping their nine-game winning streak in the process Friday night in front of a sellout Rose Garden crowd of 20,041.

The Spurs (15-9) missed a chance to move into third place in the Western Conference, percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers. They also failed to pick up a game on Midwest Division-leading Utah, which was upset by Charlotte in overtime Friday night.

“You’d love to come in here against one of the best teams in the league and beat them at home. It’s not really a big deal,” Duncan said. “We want to continue winning and everything, but the streak wasn’t a big deal.”

In any case, Sabonis and Portland (19-5) were in no mood to help out. The Trail Blazers’ 7-foot-3 standout - a 34-year-old center with bad knees and a pair of ruptured Achilles’ tendons - scored 18 points in the final 16 minutes. He spent most of the time lighting up Robinson - a 33-year-old center with bad knees and a bad back.

“He made some hook shots,” Robinson said. "He made a lot of hook shots.

“We almost never get beat by another center. With Shaquille (O’Neal) you know you’re going to have to foul him to stop him, but I take this personal because this is my job now.”

Robinson, who scored only three points against Golden State on Wednesday, made only 3 of 11 shots for 10 points. He grabbed 10 rebounds, but wasn’t much of a factor down the stretch when the Trail Blazers came back from a five- point deficit early in the final quarter.

Against the Warriors, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sat Robinson for the final seven minutes of the game in place of Malik Rose. Rose gives up eight inches to Sabonis. Will Perdue also is still recovering from his sprained ankle that sidelined earlier in the season.

“When you get any layups or dunks, it makes your jumpers harder,” Robinson said. “Obviously, I’m having trouble. Now that I’m in this new role, I have to pick my opportunities better. I need to look for them more.”

Duncan, who pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds, was on pace for a career-night. He scored 27 points through the first three quarters, but finished with only two the rest of the way. The Spurs shot under 40 percent for the second straight game.

“They played us tough,” Duncan said. “If we cut down on our mistakes and make a couple of better passes, it might have been different.”

The Spurs made one last-breath run at the Trail Blazers, cutting a seven-point lead to 86-85 after Mario Elie hit a three-pointer and turned a block by Duncan into a fast-break dunk with 21.3 seconds left.

Steve Kerr, who entered the game after a timeout with 19.3 seconds left, missed a three-pointer in traffic and Duncan grabbed the rebound. Sean Elliott had an open look from 25 feet, but threw up an air ball. Damon Stoudamire added two more from the line with three seconds left to close out Portland’s win.

“I rushed the shot,” said Elliott, who made only 3 of 11 shots with Stacey Augmon draped on him. "It probably wasn’t a good decision. Mario was open at the top of the key.

“From that far out I need to set my feet, and I couldn’t. When I can’t set my feet, I shouldn’t shoot.”

The Trail Blazers played without starting guard and leading scorer Isaiah Rider, who was suspended for one game by the NBA for hitting Sacramento’s Jon Barry on Thursday night. No matter. Jimmy Jackson took his place and scored 12 points and pulled down six boards.

“How did he take it? Other than the money, it’s a day off for him,” Stoudamire said of Rider. “It didn’t disrupt us. I don’t think it’s even close to being a disruption.”

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-21, By Staff and Wire Reports

马刺新闻

回归温哥华： 安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels)在灰熊队将他交易到马刺队换取卡尔·埃雷拉(Carl Herrera)和菲利普·洛佩兹(Felipe Lopez)的权利后，首次回到温哥华。

温哥华在 1997 年选秀中将丹尼尔斯选为第四顺位，但双方对这段关系都不太满意。丹尼尔斯与灰熊队教练布莱恩·希尔(Brian Hill)相处不融洽，后者曾将他冷藏一段时间。前灰熊队前锋奥蒂斯·索普(Otis Thorpe)也对丹尼尔斯过度批评。

丹尼尔斯表示，他现在在一支赢球的球队打球，要开心得多。

“我不想谈过去，”丹尼尔斯说道，“但我很高兴来到这里，见到大家。我还和球队里的一些球员保持联系。”

丹尼尔斯将现在的自己描述为与在温哥华期间的“完全不同的球员”。他不再肩负领导一支挣扎球队的重任，而是乐于在艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)的带领下学习。他还改进了自己的工作习惯。

灰熊队的变动： 伤病缠身的灰熊队激活了中锋托尼·马森伯格(Tony Massenburg)，并在面对马刺队之前将老将后卫李·梅伯里(Lee Mayberry)放入伤病名单。

马森伯格本赛季首发了 11 场比赛，因左腕扭伤缺席了 5 场比赛。梅伯里本赛季的前 12 场比赛缺席，现在又因双膝肌腱炎重新进入伤病名单。

灰熊队的另外两名球员——罗德里克·罗兹(Rodrick Rhodes)（左胸肌拉伤），上周在一笔交易中被送往休斯顿换取了萨姆·麦克(Sam Mack)，以及道格·韦斯特(Doug West)（脚踝扭伤）——正在养伤，但仍然保持活跃。

休息和放松： 马刺队将在今天下午飞回圣安东尼奥，并休息一天。

他们将在周一恢复训练，然后将与丹佛进行主客场两连战。 - 工作人员和电讯报道

点击查看原文：Spurs Notes

Spurs Notes

Welcome back: Antonio Daniels returned to Vancouver for the first time since the Grizzlies traded him to the Spurs for Carl Herrera and the rights to Felipe Lopez.

Vancouver made Daniels the fourth overall pick in the 1997 draft, but neither party was too happy with their relationship. Daniels did not get along well with Grizzlies coach Brian Hill, who benched him during one stretch. Former Grizzlies forward Otis Thorpe also was overly critical of Daniels.

Daniels said he was much happier now playing on a winning team.

“I don’t want want to get into the past,” Daniels said. “But I’m excited to be here and see everybody. I still talk to some of the guys on the team.”

Daniels described himself as a “totally different player” now than during his stay in Vancouver. Instead of being counted on to lead a struggling team, Daniels said he has welcomed the opportunity to learn behind Avery Johnson. He also improved his work habits.

Grizzlies moves: The injury- plagued Grizzlies activated center Tony Massenburg and placed veteran guard Lee Mayberry on the injured list prior to facing the Spurs.

Massenburg, who started 11 games this season, missed five games with a sprained left wrist. Mayberry, who missed the first 12 games of the season, is back on the list suffering from tendinitis in both knees.

Two other Grizzlies - Rodrick Rhodes (left pectoral), acquired last week in a deal that sent Sam Mack to Houston, and Doug West (sprained foot) - are nursing injuries but remain active.

Rest and relaxation: The Spurs will fly home this afternoon and take the rest of the day off.

They will resume practice Monday before facing a home-and-home series with Denver. - Staff and wire reports

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

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-21, By Johnny Ludden

马刺队以“灰熊风格”获胜

想要知道比赛的明星球员吗？真正的、绝对的、货真价实的英雄？

试试温哥华统计员中那个匿名成员，是他仁慈地按下了比赛结束的哨声。

马刺队在周六晚上在通用汽车球馆以 92-88 的比分战胜灰熊队，并将其拖入加时赛。比赛持续的时间比他们想要的要长得多。

“终于，”艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)说道，这恰如其分地概括了在场 19,193 名观众中的大多数人的感受。“我们就是无法把他们淘汰。”

“我们只想赢得这场比赛。我们不想打加时赛。”

纠正一下，马里奥·伊莱(Mario Elie)并不介意额外的比赛。

“第一节结束的时候，我对威尔(Will Perdue)说，‘第一个得分达到 60 分的球队就会赢得这场比赛，’”伊莱说道。“我很高兴进入了加时赛。这样一来，总有人有机会得分超过 90 分。”

除此之外，他们什么也没投进。在经过海关检查了他们的投篮后，马刺队（16-9）仅仅投进了 89 次投篮中的 34 次（38.2%）。与此同时，温哥华队投出了极高的 40.5% 的命中率（84 次投篮中的 34 次）。两支球队总共出现了 43 次失误，并错失了 20 次罚球。

伊莱最终得到 16 分，他在加时赛最后 27.5 秒内六罚五中。

“我觉得我必须这么做，”伊莱说道。“其他人都没有投进。我觉得我也可以试试。”

马刺队在加时赛最后 1 分钟内错失了 3 次罚球。如果他们在常规赛最后 19.2 秒内没有再错失 3 次罚球，比赛也不会持续那么久。

马刺队似乎在常规赛中赢得了比赛。直到他们在最后 5.5 秒内拱手让出了 4 分的领先优势。这一切都是拜皮特·奇尔卡特(Pete Chilcutt)的三分球和沙里夫·阿卜杜勒-拉希姆(Shareef Abdur-Rahim)的最后一秒投篮所赐。拉希姆在被蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)封盖后，投出了一记补篮，球弹框而出，并在哨声响起时落入了篮网。

然后，马刺队似乎在加时赛中赢得了比赛。两次。直到奇尔卡特投进了一个三分球。迈克·比比(Mike Bibby)也投进了一个三分球。

事实证明，这只是迫使约翰逊走向计分台，一边摇头表示沮丧，一边又表示惊叹。

在邓肯的篮筐让他们在加时赛的第一回合中取得了 80-78 的领先优势后，马刺队的防守又创造了几个进球。邓肯封盖了菲利普·洛佩兹(Felipe Lopez)，然后快速下场完成了一次快攻扣篮。约翰逊抢断了托尼·马森伯格(Tony Massenburg)，罗宾逊则投进了一记 17 英尺的跳投，在比赛还剩 2 分 21 秒时取得了 6 分的领先优势。

这是罗宾逊自第二节以来的第一个进球。在他前 12 次投篮中只命中了 2 次后，他在第四节最后 7 分 02 秒的时间里一直坐在板凳上。他还在周三对阵金州勇士队的比赛中坐在板凳上最后 7 分钟。

“坐在那里很痛苦，”罗宾逊说道。“我很少有机会坐在那里观看比赛。我只是想上场，做出一些改变。”

除了他的大跳投，罗宾逊还封盖了布莱恩特·里夫斯(Bryant Reeves)，并与邓肯联手封盖了马森伯格，这两次封盖都发生在加时赛最后 1 分 25 秒。他最终得到 8 分和 11 个篮板球。在最近的三场比赛中，罗宾逊总共得到 21 分。

“我认为我们正在做的事情很有效，我非常喜欢球员的配对，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说道。“但我认为我们需要大卫(David)在加时赛中的存在。”

“值得称赞的是，即使他坐在板凳上，他也做好了心理准备。”

邓肯在这段时间里脱颖而出，并以 24 分、14 个篮板球和 7 次盖帽领跑全队。但他错失了 24 次投篮中的 15 次。

史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr)是唯一一个投篮命中率超过 50% 的马刺球员，最终得到 12 分。肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)在第四节得到 14 分中的 11 分。

除了科尔，上半场谁在投篮并不重要。罗宾逊？弹框而出。邓肯？弹框而出。埃利奥特？弹框而出。伊莱？弹框而出。

无论是从 17 英尺外还是从篮筐 6 英寸处投篮，马刺队投出的所有球都弹框而出。他们在前 18 次投篮中错失了 15 次。

温哥华队在第一节结束时以 13-11 的比分领先，这成为灰熊队历史上最低的单节总得分。这是个无关紧要的数据？记住，这是灰熊队的历史。

马刺队在中场休息时以 33-38 落后。他们很幸运能够让比分差距缩小到这个程度。他们在第一节结束时（11 分）和中场休息时的得分都创下了赛季新低。

马刺队在第二节还剩 4 分钟时落后了 14 分，他们在前 38 次投篮中错失了 30 次。唯一稳定的得分点来自科尔，他在第二节得到了 8 分。首发球员在上半场合计 29 投 8 中。

“这场比赛很丑陋，”科尔说道。“我唯一一次经历过这种事情是在克利夫兰的时候，我们在一场比赛中以 2-35 的比分落后于芝加哥公牛队。”

马刺队观战

周六：马刺队 92，@灰熊队 88（加时赛）

亮点：马刺队的邓肯：24 分、14 个篮板球、7 次盖帽。

连胜：1 场

战绩：马刺队 16-9（中西部赛区并列第二）；灰熊队 5-20（中西部赛区垫底）

下一场比赛：周二对阵丹佛掘金队 @Alamodome，晚上 7:30

电视：FOXSW

广播：WOAI-AM 1200；西班牙语，KCOR-AM 1350

在线：expressnews.com/spurs

点击查看原文：Spurs win in Grizzly fashion

Spurs win in Grizzly fashion

Want a star of the game? The true, absolute bona fide hero?

Try the anonymous member of the Vancouver stat crew who mercifully hit the final buzzer.

The Spurs held on for a 92-88 victory over the Grizzlies in overtime Saturday night at General Motors Place. Held on for much longer than they would have liked.

“Finally,” Avery Johnson said, appropriately summing up the feelings of most of the 19,193 on hand. "We just couldn’t put them away.

“We just wanted to get out of this one with a win. We didn’t want to go overtime.”

Correct that. Mario Elie didn’t mind the extra work.

“After that first quarter, I told Will (Perdue), ‘The first team to 60 is going to win this thing,’” Elie said. “I was glad it went overtime. That way someone had a chance to hit 90.”

They didn’t hit much of anything else. After apparently checking their shot at customs, the Spurs (16-9) made only 34 of 89 baskets (38.2 percent). Vancouver, meanwhile, shot a sizzling 40.5 percent (34 of 84). The two teams also combined for 43 turnovers and 20 missed free throws.

Elie finished with 16 points after making five of six free throws in the final 27.5 seconds of overtime.

“I figured I had to,” Elie said. “Nobody else was making them. I figured I might as well take a crack at it.”

The Spurs missed three free throws in the final minute of overtime. And the game wouldn’t have even lasted that long had they not missed three more in the final 19.2 seconds of regulation.

The Spurs seemingly had the game won in regulation. Until they surrendered a four-point lead in the final 5.5 seconds. Courtesy of a three-pointer by Pete Chilcutt. And a last second-shot by Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who after being stuffed by Tim Duncan, heaved a follow shot that bounced off the rim and through the net at the buzzer.

Then the Spurs seemingly had the game won in overtime. Twice. Until Chilcutt hit a three-pointer. And Mike Bibby hit a three-pointer.

As it turned out, that only forced Johnson to walk to the scorers table and shake his head half in frustration, half in amazement.

After Duncan’s basket gave them an 80-78 lead on the first possession of overtime, the Spurs’ defense generated a couple of baskets. Duncan blocked Felipe Lopez and then got downcourt for a fastbreak dunk. Johnson stripped Tony Massenburg and Robinson knocked down a 17-footer for a six-point lead with 2:21 left.

It was Robinson’s first points since the second quarter. After making only 2 of his first 12 shots, he sat on the bench for the last 7:02 of the final quarter. He also sat the final seven minutes of Wednesday’s win against Golden State.

“It’s tough sitting there,” Robinson said. “Rarely do I get a chance to sit there and watch. I just tried to come in and make some things happened.”

In addition to his big jumper, Robinson blocked Bryant Reeves and teamed with Duncan to block Massenburg, both in the final 1:25 of overtime. He finished with eight points and 11 rebounds. In his last three games Robinson has totaled 21 points.

“I thought what we were doing was working and I liked the matchups,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "But I thought we needed David’s presence in overtime.

“To his credit, even though he sat there, he was mentally ready.”

Duncan came through in the stretch and led the way with 24 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks. But he missed 15 of 24 shots.

Steve Kerr was the only Spur to shoot better than 50 percent, finishing with 12 points. Sean Elliott scored 11 of his 14 in the fourth quarter.

With the exception of Kerr, it didn’t matter who was shooting in the first half. Robinson? Clang. Duncan? Clang. Elliott? Clang. Elie? Clang.

From 17 feet out or six inches from the rim, everything the Spurs put up drew iron. They missed 15 of their first 18 shots.

Vancouver’s 13-11 lead at the end of the first period qualified as the lowest combined scoring first quarter in Grizzlies’ history. An insignificant stat? Remember that’s Grizzlies history.

The Spurs trailed 38-33 at halftime. And they were fortunate to have it that close. They set season records for fewest points at the end of one quarter (11) and at intermission.

The Spurs dug themselves a 14- point hole with 4:00 left in the second quarter, missing 30 of their first 38 shots. The only consistent scoring came from Kerr, who hung up eight points in the second quarter. The starters were a combined 8 of 29 in the first half.

“It was ugly,” Kerr said. “The only time I’ve been through something like that was when I was in Cleveland and we down something like 35-2 at the end of one quarter against Chicago.”

Spurs watch

Saturday: Spurs 92, @Grizzlies 88 (OT)

Highlights: Spurs’ Duncan: 24 points, 14 rebounds, 7 blocks.

Streak: Won 1

Records: Spurs 16-9 (tied for second in Midwest Division); Grizzlies 5-20 (last in Midwest)

Next game: Tuesday vs. Denver Nuggets @Alamodome, 7:30 p.m.

TV: FOXSW

Radio: WOAI-AM 1200; in Spanish, KCOR-AM 1350

Online: expressnews.com/spurs

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-21, By Glenn Rogers

荣誉将很快受到质疑

关于 NBA 季后赛奖项的讨论已经开始。

在接下来的几周内，争论将会愈演愈烈。早期的热门人选有充足的时间来褪去光芒（或者被解雇或受伤），而排名中游的球员可以缩小差距。

本赛季出现了一个新的因素——投票者将无法像往常一样看到来自不同联盟的所有球员。

• 年度最佳教练: 现在，奥兰多魔术队的查克·戴利(Chuck Daly) 正在获得广泛的赞誉，尽管观看他的一些慢节奏比赛需要极度耐心的心态。

戴利带领底特律活塞队获得了两个世界冠军，现在他正率领一支在季前赛中被忽视的球队争夺东部的最高荣誉。戴利强硬的防守风格让对手紧咬比分，并在最后时刻发动致命一击。

犹他爵士队的杰里·斯隆(Jerry Sloan) 一直是竞争者。尽管每年都有传言说年龄最终会追上爵士队，但他仍然将球队团结在一起并保持着领先地位。

如果迈克·邓利维(Mike Dunleavy) 能够带领开拓者队继续前进，他将有机会获得该奖项，尤其是因为他的球员中没有一人被誉为球员奖项的热门人选。迈阿密热火队的帕特·莱利(Pat Riley) 也在竞争之中，主要是因为他团队的坚定决心。

格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)？除非他带领球队登上西部榜首，否则他不会得到多少选票。马刺队凭借大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 和蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 的实力，一直是常规赛中的常胜将军，而大多数观察者并不相信波波维奇的执教水平能够将球队提升到其自然能力之上。

• 最有价值球员: 随着迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan) 的离去，这个奖项现在真正变得悬而未决。卡尔·马龙(Karl Malone) 正在获得认可，但他不会赢得它。沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal) 有机会，但他需要在最后阶段打出一些精彩的比赛，才能将湖人队带到西部最佳战绩。

蒂姆·哈达威(Tim Hardaway)、阿朗佐·莫宁(Alonzo Mourning) 和艾伦·艾弗森(Allen Iverson) 正在获得一些炒作。如果热火队保持火热，哈达威和莫宁将获得大量选票。如果 76 人队继续保持进攻，艾弗森将获得一些选票，而且如果他们继续保持出色表现，他将获得更多选票。

当讨论最佳防守球员时，罗宾逊总是会受到关注，但本赛季在最有价值球员的竞争中，海军上将落后于邓肯。

目前，莫宁正在获得最多的掌声。

• 最佳新秀: 保罗·皮尔斯(Paul Pierce) 和文斯·卡特(Vince Carter) 似乎已经准备好争夺这个奖项。他们全面的技术和职业态度让球迷和老将都惊叹不已。卡特的凶猛可能是决定因素。

杰森·威廉姆斯(Jason Williams) 被认为是新秀中最有天赋的球员，但他比皮尔斯和卡特在比赛的理解上落后一两年。

点击查看原文：Honors will soon be in question

Honors will soon be in question

The buzz about NBA postseason awards has started.

The debate will heat up in the coming weeks. Early favorites have plenty of time to fade (or be fired or injured) and middle-of-the-packers can close the distance.

There’s a new element this season - voters won’t have the usual chance to see all the players from opposing conferences.

- Coach of the Year: Right now, Orlando’s Chuck Daly is getting major kudos, despite the grueling mindset it requires to watch some of his slowdown games.

Daly took Detroit to two world titles and now he’s vying for top honors in the East with a team overlooked in the preseason. Daly’s rugged brand of defense holds teams close for the stiletto stab in the final moments.

Utah’s Jerry Sloan always is in the running. He’s keeping his squad together and on top despite the yearly pronouncements that age will finally catch up with the Jazz.

Mike Dunleavy has a shot if he keeps the Blazers going, especially since none of his guys are touted for player awards. Miami’s Pat Riley is in the stew, primarily due to the single-minded determination of his group.

Gregg Popovich? He won’t merit many votes unless he moves his team to the top of the West. The Spurs are perennial regular-season powers because of David Robinson, and now Tim Duncan, and most watchers aren’t convinced Popovich’s coaching is lifting the team much above its natural abilities.

- MVP: This award is truly up for grabs now that Michael Jordan has departed. Karl Malone is getting nods, but he won’t win it. Shaquille O’Neal is in position, but he’ll need some huge games down the stretch that push the Lakers to the West’s best record.

Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning and Allen Iverson are getting some hype. Hardaway and Mourning will amass votes if the Heat stay hot. Iverson will get a handful, more if the Sixers keep cooking.

Robinson always gets a close look when top defensive player is discussed, but the Admiral is taking a back seat to Duncan this season on the MVP front.

Right now, Mourning is receiving the bulk of the applause.

- Rookie of the Year: Paul Pierce and Vince Carter appear ready to squar off for this one. Their all-around talents and pro attitudes amaze fans and veterans. Carter’s ferocity could be the difference.

Jason Williams is considered potentially the most gifted of the new crop, but a year or two behind the hoop savvy of Pierce and Carter.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-22, By Johnny Ludden

罗宾逊先生的新角色——全明星球员适应成为补充的角色

在任何其他赛季，或者更确切地说，在任何其他正常赛季，大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)都会收拾行囊，登上飞往费城的航班，参加他第九个充满乐趣、庆典和名声的全明星周末。

当然，NBA 在几个月前就将正常状态和全明星赛抛诸脑后。即使比赛按计划进行，罗宾逊也不确定自己是否会收到邀请。

在这个垃圾压缩的赛季过半时，马刺队在过去 11 场比赛中赢了 10 场，将 6 胜 8 负的开局变成了 16 胜 9 负。但每个人都想谈论的数字是：三、十和八。罗宾逊在最近三场比赛中得到 21 分。

虽然现在就断言这位 NBA 50 位最伟大球员之一已经走到尽头还为时过早，但不可否认的是，罗宾逊正处于低迷状态。

在周三对阵金州勇士队的比赛中，他打出了可能是他职业生涯中最糟糕的一场比赛，在 23 分钟内得到 3 分和 5 个篮板。卡尔·马龙(Karl Malone)的手肘是唯一阻止罗宾逊创下职业生涯新低的障碍。在周五输给波特兰队的比赛中，他只投进了 11 投 3 中。他抢下了 11 个篮板，但他的对手，开拓者队的中锋阿维达斯·萨博尼斯(Arvydas Sabonis)，却得到了赛季最高的 28 分。

在周六 92-88 加时赛战胜温哥华队的比赛中，他 13 投 3 中，就像在勇士队的比赛中一样，在第四节最后 7 分钟被马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)换下。罗宾逊在加时赛中帮助马刺队脱险，投进了一个重要的跳投，抢下 4 个篮板，封盖了 1 次，并帮助蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)封盖了另一次。

“这非常困难，”罗宾逊说。“对我来说，那些数字是可笑的。无论我在防守端做了什么，我仍然希望看到一些好的数字。

“这非常令人沮丧，因为我习惯于得到蒂姆正在得到的那些数字。我正在调整。球队也在调整。有一些我可以做得更好的事情来融入其中，但我永远无法得到过去那种投篮机会。”

罗宾逊拒绝透露他的膝盖或背部是否在困扰着他。在周六的比赛结束后，当被问及他是否因身体原因而表现不佳时，罗宾逊说：“这只是篮球。没什么好抱怨的。”

马刺队的教练组在询问时听到了同样的答案。

罗宾逊承认的是，他对自己在进攻中的角色被削弱以及他在进攻中的表现感到沮丧。

马刺队在上赛季末将邓肯定位为他们进攻的核心。而邓肯拥有更全面的低位进攻，这一点也不难争辩。在整个职业生涯中，罗宾逊一直依靠他的运动能力，而这种能力在他背部和膝盖受伤后已经下降到了某种程度。

“这对我们来说是一个奇怪的赛季，”罗宾逊说。“我们的整个体系都在发生改变。这是我第一次没有成为球队得分王，也没有真正掌控比赛。这对我很奇怪。我正在努力适应。”

罗宾逊本赛季场均出手 9.4 次，而他的职业生涯场均出手 16.9 次。在他与邓肯搭档的第一个赛季，他场均出手 14.6 次，并在赛季末下降。他每 3.3 分钟出手一次，在球队中排名第三，在总出手次数中排名第四。

但说罗宾逊只需要多投篮就太天真了。他以 195 次罚球命中次数领跑马刺队。在周六对阵温哥华队和脚步缓慢的中锋布莱恩特·里夫斯(Bryant Reeves)的比赛中，罗宾逊在第一节比邓肯多出手一次，在半场结束时少出手一次。在客场之旅的最后三场比赛中，不同之处在于他的得分效率。在周二战胜萨克拉门托队的比赛后，罗宾逊在联盟中以 53.0% 的投篮命中率排名第四。在最近的三场比赛中，他 32 投 7 中（21.9%）。

“对我来说，我需要专注于一些事情来提高自己，”罗宾逊说。“我不会得到 25-30 次的球权。

“我需要弄清楚如何充分利用我的机会。”

当罗宾逊在场时，他仍然可以像联盟中最好的防守球员之一那样打球。他本赛季的场均盖帽和抢断次数都高于他的职业生涯平均水平。他的篮板球与往常一样。

而且随着邓肯和肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)的回归，马刺队不需要罗宾逊成为一个场均 25 分的得分手。即使那是他所错过的。

“进攻是最有趣的部分，”罗宾逊说。“那是最光鲜的部分。每个人都喜欢得到 29 分和 15 个篮板。每个人都喜欢这样。”

目前，罗宾逊说，他已经接受了他在球队中的新位置。

马刺队观战

下一场比赛：周二对阵丹佛掘金队，下午 7:30 在阿拉莫穹顶球馆。

连胜：1 场

战绩：马刺队 16 胜 9 负（与中西部赛区第二名并列）；掘金队 7 胜 18 负（中西部赛区第六名）

电视：FoxSW

广播：WOAI-AM 1200；西班牙语：KCOR-AM 1350

网络：expressnews.com/spurs

点击查看原文：Mr. Robinson's new role - Perennial All-Star adjusting to life as a complement

Mr. Robinson’s new role - Perennial All-Star adjusting to life as a complement

In any other season, or rather, in any other normal season, David Robinson would have packed his bags and hopped on a plane to Philadelphia for his ninth All-Star weekend of fun, festivity and fame.

The NBA, of course, chucked normalcy and the All-Star Game out the window months ago. Even if the game had gone on as planned, Robinson isn’t sure he would have received an invitation.

At the halfway point of this trash-compacted season, the Spurs have won 10 of their last 11 games to turn a 6-8 start into 16-9. But the numbers everyone wants to talk about are these: three, 10 and eight. Twenty-one points Robinson has scored in his last three games.

While it’s too early to write off one the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, there’s no denying Robinson is in an ugly funk.

Against Golden State on Wednesday, he played arguably the worst game of his career, finishing with three points and five rebounds in 23 minutes. Karl Malone’s elbow was the only thing standing in Robinson’s way of setting a new career low. In Friday’s loss to Portland, he made only 3 of 11 shots. He pulled down 11 rebounds, but his counterpart, Trail Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis, went off for a season-high 28 points.

In Saturday’s 92-88 overtime win over Vancouver, he missed 10 of 13 shots and, like in the Warriors’ victory, was benched in favor of Malik Rose for the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter. Robinson helped bail out the Spurs in overtime, knocking down an important jumper, grabbing four rebounds, blocking one shot and helping Tim Duncan stuff another.

“It’s been very difficult,” Robinson said. "For me, those numbers are a joke. No matter what I do defensively, I still like to see some good numbers up there.

“It’s very frustrating because I’m used to putting up the numbers that Tim’s putting up. I’m adjusting. The team’s adjusting. And there’s some things I can do better to get in the flow, but there’s no way I’m going to get the kind of shots I’ve gotten in the past.”

Robinson won’t say whether his knee or back is bothering him. Asked after Saturday’s victory if he was struggling because of physical limitations, Robinson said: “It’s just basketball. There’s nothing to complain about.”

The Spurs’ staff hears the same when they ask.

What Robinson does admit to is being frustrated at times over his reduced role in the offense and how he’s performed in it.

The Spurs made Duncan the focal point of their offense toward the end of last season. And it’s not hard to argue Duncan possesses a much more well-rounded low-post game. Throughout his career, Robinson has instead relied on his athletic ability, which has eroded to whatever degree after his back and knee injuries.

“This has been a strange year for us,” Robinson said. “Our whole system is kind of changing. It’s my first year not leading the team in scoring and not really running things. It’s kind of a really weird shift for me. I’m trying to make that adjustment.”

Robinson is averaging 9.4 shots a game this season compared with 16.9 for his career. In his first season with Duncan last year, he averaged 14.6 shots, which tailed off toward the end. He has taken one shot every 3.3 minutes, third best on the team, and ranks fourth in total attempts.

But to say Robinson simply needs to shoot more would be naive. He leads the Spurs with 195 free-throw attempts. Against Vancouver and slow-footed center Bryant Reeves on Saturday, Robinson took one more shot than Duncan in the first quarter and one less by halftime. The difference during the last three games of the road trip has been his production. After Tuesday’s win in Sacramento, Robinson ranked fourth in the league in field-goal percentage at .530. In his last three games he made only 7 of32 attempts (21.9 percent).

“For me, there’s things I need to focus on to get better,” Robinson said. "I’m not going to get the ball 25-30 times a game.

“I need to figure out how to make the most of the opportunities I have.”

When Robinson is active, he can still play like one of the league’s best defenders. His blocks and steals per minute this season are better than his career average. His rebounding is on par.

And with Duncan and Sean Elliott’s return, the Spurs don’t need Robinson to be a 25-point scorer. Even if that’s what he misses.

“The offensive part is the fun part,” Robinson said. “That’s the glamour part. Everybody gets off on 29 points and 15 rebounds. Everybody likes that.”

For now, Robinson said, he has accepted his new place on the team.

Spurs watch

Next game: Tuesday vs. Denver Nuggets @Alamodome, 7:30 p.m.

Streak: Won 1

Records: Spurs 16-9 (tied for second in Midwest Division); Nuggets 7-18 (sixth in Midwest)

TV: FoxSW

Radio: WOAI-AM 1200; in Spanish, KCOR-AM 1350

Online: expressnews.com/spurs

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-23, By Johnny Ludden

马刺仍然在等待喘息的机会——缩水的“99赛季”上半程对于圣安东尼奥马刺队来说既快又激烈

当美国国家篮球协会决定在 13 周内挤进 50 场比赛时，显然有人忘记告诉马刺队不要轻视这些比赛了。

查克·佩森和文尼·德尔·内格罗被放弃了。马里奥·埃利、史蒂夫·科尔和杰罗姆·科西被雇佣了。在马刺队主席彼得·霍尔特公开谈论争夺冠军后，该队以两连胜拉开了赛季序幕，随后在接下来的 12 场比赛中输掉了 8 场，然后连续赢得了 9 场。

三周前，教练格雷格·波波维奇的头悬在了刀口上。三天前，大卫·罗宾逊的后背贴在了替补席上。

马刺队今晚将在阿拉莫穹顶体育场主场迎战丹佛，开启下半赛季的征程。如果前 25 场比赛有任何征兆的话，他们就应该做好准备迎接任何事情。他们下次喘息的时候，季后赛就要开始了。

科尔说：“这令人震惊。感觉我们才刚开始集训。” “这一切都发生得太快了。但这有点好。我们都习惯了有七个月漫长的赛季，然后是公牛队，两个月的季后赛。所以这样挺好的。

“尤其在我们踢得不错并且势头强劲的时候。我们只需要保持下去。”

在以 6 胜 8 负开场之后，马刺队已经赢得了最近 11 场比赛中的 10 场。他们在中西部赛区的落后犹他三个胜场落后，在西部联盟中落后波特兰最佳季后赛种子四个胜场。

这种转变既可以归因于进攻的进步，也可以归因于赛程的轻松。马刺队对胜率为 0.500 或以下的球队取得了 10-1 的战绩，对胜率较高的球队取得了 6-8 的战绩。在对阵波特兰、犹他和洛杉矶湖人队的四场比赛中，他们的战绩为 0 胜，这三支球队是他们落后的西部联盟球队。

艾弗里·约翰逊说：“我们还有很多工作要做。” “我们对阵波特兰、犹他和湖人队表现不佳。所以我们期待再次与他们交手。

“在我们开始季后赛之前，我们需要在与这些球队的比赛中取得一些胜利。”

他们有机会尽早弥补一些差距。自赛季揭幕周末以来，马刺队在主场连续两场比赛，之后他们将在阿拉莫穹顶体育场进行接下来的八场比赛中的七场。虽然多伦多最近表现不错，但是在星期一晚上比赛之前的那个阶段，只有西雅图是唯一一支拥有胜绩的对手。

马刺队以在上周为期四天的西海岸之旅中取得三场胜利结束了上半场。然而，在最近的三场比赛中，他们的投篮命中率不到 40％。在对阵金州勇士队和温哥华灰熊队的比赛中，罗宾逊在第四节比赛的最后七分钟被马利克·罗斯换下。

罗宾逊谈到上场意愿时说：“这么说简直是轻描淡写。” “坐在场边，你根本无能为力。这就像一个场边的球迷。

“你所能做的就是又蹦又跳。”

马刺队最近的轮换阵容包括了除了安德鲁·盖兹以外的所有人。一天晚上，科尔没有上场。第二天晚上，他上了 30 分钟。

这支球队独特的构成——一对投篮能力强的球员但运动能力一般——导致了更多基于对位模式的换人模式。拥挤的赛程对一支需要替补球员上场的球队来说也没有帮助。

波波维奇说：“我想大多数教练都会说这个缩短的赛季让人头疼。”

以下是对处在休赛期中的马刺队的观察：

• 蒂姆·邓肯：如果球队继续获胜，他很有可能成为最有价值球员的候选人。

在赛季初段挣扎之后，邓肯已经找到了自己的节奏。邓肯在 6-8 的滑动期间场均得到 18.9 分，3.9 次失误和 2.0 个盖帽。从那以后，他场均得到 25.2 分，2.7 次失误和 3.3 个盖帽。

• 大卫·罗宾逊：在下半场成为马刺队最大的问号。

• 贾伦·杰克逊：一个有爆发力的射手，但以 26 个三分球领跑球队。

• 安德鲁·盖兹：仍然唯一被限制在垃圾时间的球员。但他没有抱怨。

• 格雷格·波波维奇：如果马刺队没有进入西部联盟决赛，他可能不会在民意调查中获得任何重大分数。

• 肖恩·艾利奥特：他的上场时间受到严格监控，但仍然展示了帮助他成为全明星的第一步。

艾利奥特出色的防守和篮板球（4.6）被忽视了。

• 艾弗里·约翰逊：与邓肯一样，在马刺队最近的攀升中获得了提升。

在输给犹他之后，约翰逊与波波维奇谈到了如何回到更多基于挡拆的进攻。从那以后，他场均得到 10.3 分、9.9 次助攻和 2.4 次失误。

• 马里奥·埃利：除了他的左腿筋之外，马刺队在与他签下两年 370 万美元的合同时想要的一切他都有。

他让这支球队的形象变得有些强硬，并且一直是表现最稳定的球员之一。

• 安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯：在赛季初上场时间减少后，正逐渐成为约翰逊的可靠替补。

• 马利克·罗斯：几乎肯定是最有进步、最努力的球员。

尽管他体型不够大（6-7），但罗斯在篮下作战时没有问题。他惊人的 50.4％ 的篮板来自进攻篮板。

• 史蒂夫·科尔：很难在对阵体型更大的后卫时获得上场时间，但是近来，当他上场时给马刺队带来了即时进攻。

• 威尔·珀杜：你还能说什么？马刺队在他的阵容中有 12-1。

自赛季第二场比赛中严重扭伤脚踝以来，珀杜还没有恢复全部的活动能力。他在每 2.9 分钟抢到一个篮板，在球队中排名领先，但他的进攻表现并不好。

• 杰罗姆·科西：随着珀杜的回归，他在小前锋的位置上获得了大部分上场时间。

马刺观察

今晚：马刺对阵丹佛

时间地点：晚上7：30 @阿拉莫穹顶体育场

记录：马刺16-9（中西部赛区第三）；掘金7-18（中西部第六）

连胜：1

赔率：马刺领先 12 分

电视：FoxSW

电台：WOAI-AM 1200；西班牙语，KCOR-AM 1350

在线：expressnews.com/spurs

点击查看原文：Spurs still just waiting to exhale - First half of shortened '99 season has been fast and furious for S.A.

Spurs still just waiting to exhale - First half of shortened '99 season has been fast and furious for S.A.

When the NBA opted to squeeze 50 games into 13 weeks, someone evidently forgot to tell the Spurs to go light on the drama.

Chuck Person and Vinny Del Negro were discarded. Mario Elie, Steve Kerr and Jerome Kersey were hired. After Spurs chairman Peter Holt openly spoke of championship contention, the team kicked off the season with back-to- back impressive wins, lost eight of its next 12 then won nine straight.

Three weeks ago, Coach Gregg Popovich’s head was on the block. Three days ago, David Robinson’s rear was on the bench.

The Spurs open the second half of the season tonight against Denver at the Alamodome. And if the first 25 games are any indicator, they should be prepared for anything. The next time they exhale, the playoffs will be starting.

“It’s shocking. It seems like we just started camp,” Kerr said. "All of this is happening so fast. But it’s kind of nice. We’re all used to long seven-month seasons and then with the Bulls, two months of the playoffs. So this is nice.

“Especially since we’re playing well and we’re on kind of a roll. We just have to keep it going.”

After trudging out to a 6-8 start, the Spurs have won 10 of their last 11 games. They trail Utah by three games for the Midwest Division lead and Portland by four for the Western Conference’s top playoff seed.

The turnaround can be attributed both to an improvement in the offense and a lighter schedule. The Spurs own a 10-1 record against teams at .500 or below, 6-8 against teams with a winning record. They are winless in four games against Portland, Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers, the three teams they trail in the Western Conference.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Avery Johnson said. "We haven’t played well against Portland, Utah and the Lakers. So we’re looking forward to playing them again.

“We need to get some wins against those teams before the playoffs start.”

They have a chance to make up some ground early. After not playing two straight games at home since the opening weekend of the season, the Spurs will play seven of their next eight at the Alamodome. Though Toronto has been playing well of late, Seattle is the only opponent during that stretch to own a winning record prior to Monday night’s games.

The Spurs ended the first half by picking up three wins in last week’s four-game West Coast trip. In the last three games, however, they shot less than 40 percent. And in the victories against Golden State and Vancouver, Robinson was replaced by Malik Rose for the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter.

“That would be an understatement,” Robinson said of wanting to play. "Sitting on the side you have no power to help at all. It’s like being a fan out there.

“All you can do is jump up and down.”

The Spurs’ rotation of late has included everyone but Andrew Gaze. One night Kerr doesn’t play. The next night, he goes for 30 minutes.

The team’s unique makeup - a pair of outside-shooting big men combined with precious little athleticism - has led to a substitution pattern based more on matchups. The crammed schedule also hasn’t helped a team that needs to watch minutes for four of its starters.

“I think most every coach would say the short season has been a pain in the neck,” Popovich said.

Here then is a look at the Spurs at the break:

- Tim Duncan: Well on his way to becoming an MVP candidate if the team continues to win.

After struggling the first part of the season, Duncan has since found his groove. During the 6-8 slide, Duncan averaged 18.9 points, 3.9 turnovers and 2.0 blocks. Since then, he’s averaging 25.2 points, 2.7 turnovers and 3.3 blocks.

- David Robinson: Looms as the Spurs’ biggest question mark heading into the second half.

- Jaren Jackson: A streaky shooter, but leads the teams with 26 three-pointers.

- Andrew Gaze: The only player still limited to garbage-time minutes. But he doesn’t complain.

- Gregg Popovich: Probably won’t be picking up any serious points in the polls unless the Spurs reach the Western Conference finals.

- Sean Elliott: His minutes have been carefully monitored, but continues to show the quick first step that helped make him an All-Star.

Elliott’s strong defense and rebounding (4.6) have been overlooked.

- Avery Johnson: Like Duncan, has picked it up during the Spurs’ recent climb.

After the loss to Utah, Johnson talked with Popovich about going back to more of a pick-and-roll based offense. Since then he’s averaged 10.3 points, 9.9 assists and 2.4 turnovers.

- Mario Elie: With the exception of his left hamstring, has been everything the Spurs could have wanted when they signed him to a two-year, $3.7 million contract.

He toughened up the team’s image a bit and has generally been one of the strongest clutch players.

- Antonio Daniels: After having his minutes chopped early in the season, is developing into a reliable backup to Johnson.

- Malik Rose: Almost certainly the most improved and hardest- working player on the team.

Despite his lack of size (6-7) Rose has no problems battling under the basket. An amazing 50.4 percent of his rebounds have come off the offensive glass.

- Steve Kerr: Has trouble finding minutes against bigger guards, but, of late, has given the Spurs instant offense when he’s on the floor.

- Will Perdue: What more can you say? The Spurs are 12-1 with him in the lineup.

Perdue has yet to regain all of his mobility since severely spraining his ankle in the second game of the season. He leads the team with one rebound every 2.9 minutes, but hasn’t cleaned up offensively as well as in the past.

- Jerome Kersey: With Perdue back, has been seeing most of his minutes at small forward.

Spurs watch

Tonight: Spurs vs. Denver

When, where: 7:30 @Alamodome

Records: Spurs 16-9 (third place in Midwest Division); Nuggets 7-18 (sixth in Midwest)

Streak: Won 1

Line: Spurs by 12

TV: FoxSW

Radio: WOAI-AM 1200; in Spanish, KCOR-AM 1350

Online: expressnews.com/spurs

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-23, By From Wire Reports

NBA 消息

是的，他回来了：马夫·阿尔伯特(Marv Albert)无需再向全国观众介绍，但特纳体育仍然会对他进行一番介绍。

阿尔伯特将在今晚 7 点在 TNT 上播出的热火对爵士的比赛中，首次亮相特纳体育演播室。

“我们只会把他介绍为我们团队的一员，”特纳体育发言人格雷格·休斯(Greg Hughes)说。

阿尔伯特在 1997 年因承认在一次性行为中咬伤一名女性而被 NBC 解雇，他计划在 4 月 2 日 TNT 转播洛杉矶湖人队在菲尼克斯的比赛时首次亮相解说。

“这只是一次客串，”阿尔伯特说。“对我来说，最艰难的时刻已经过去了。回到（麦迪逊广场）花园球馆意义重大。现在我只是在努力完成我的工作。”

本赛季，阿尔伯特一直在麦迪逊广场花园网络为尼克斯队做广播解说。

本赛季，他将为特纳体育做六场常规赛的解说，然后将在季后赛期间进入常规解说阵容。

从下个赛季开始，阿尔伯特将成为特纳体育广播团队的正式成员，解说大约 25 场常规赛。

贝克受伤：西雅图超音速队前锋文·贝克(Vin Baker)的右手拇指部分韧带撕裂，可能缺席四到六周。

贝克在周日以 98 比 102 输给丹佛掘金队的比赛上半场受伤。他只打了 11 分钟就离开了比赛。

超音速队发言人表示，球队尚不清楚贝克因伤将缺席多久，尽管主教练保罗·韦斯特法尔(Paul Westphal)在本周他在西雅图的每周广播节目中表示，贝克可能要缺席四到六周。

卡塞尔进入伤病名单：新加盟的控球后卫萨姆·卡塞尔(Sam Cassell)在周一被密尔沃基雄鹿队列入伤病名单，此前他是在为球队首次出场时加重了脚踝伤势。

雄鹿队从伤病名单中激活了前锋斯科特·威廉姆斯(Scott Williams)来填补卡塞尔的名单空缺。

雄鹿队在 3 月 11 日的一桩三方交易中从新泽西篮网队获得了卡塞尔，在这笔交易中，控球后卫特雷尔·布兰登(Terrell Brandon)也被交易到明尼苏达森林狼队。

吉尔里加入花式篮球表演队：前马刺队后卫雷吉·吉尔里(Reggie Geary)与哈林花式篮球表演队签署了合同。- 来自电讯报道

点击查看原文：NBA Notes

NBA Notes

Yes, and he’s back: Marv Albert needs no introduction to a national audience, but Turner Sports will give him one anyway.

Albert will make his Turner debut in the studio tonight throughout the Heat-Jazz telecast at 7 p.m. on TNT.

“We’re just going to introduce him as a member of our team,” said Turner spokesman Greg Hughes.

Albert, fired by NBC in 1997 after pleading guilty to biting a woman during a sexual encounter, is scheduled to make his play-by-play debut on TNT’s broadcast of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game at Phoenix on April 2.

“This is just a cameo,” Albert said. “The toughest moments for me are out of the way. Coming back to the (Madison Square) Garden was huge. Now I’m just trying to do my job.”

Albert has called Knicks games on radio this season for Madison Square Garden Network.

He will work six regular- season games this season for Turner, then will be placed in the regular announcing rotation during the playoffs.

Beginning next season, Albert will become a full-time member of the Turner on-air staff, announcing a full slate of about 25 regular-season games.

Baker out: Seattle SuperSonics forward Vin Baker has a partially torn ligament in his right thumb and could miss four to six weeks.

Baker was injured during the first half of Sunday’s 102- 98 loss to the Denver Nuggets. He played just 11 minutes before leaving the game.

A Sonics spokesman said the team doesn’t know how long Baker will be sidelined by the injury, although Coach Paul Westphal said during his weekly radio show in Seattle that Baker probably will be out four to six weeks.

Cassell on IL: Newly acquired point guard Sam Cassell was placed on the injured list by the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, one day after aggravating an ankle injury during his first appearance for the team.

The Bucks activated forward Scott Williams from the injured list to take Cassell’s roster spot.

The Bucks had acquired Cassell from the New Jersey Nets as part of a three-team trade March 11 that also sent point guard Terrell Brandon from the Bucks to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Geary a Globetrotter: Former Spurs guard Reggie Geary has signed a contract with the Harlem Globetrotters. - From Wire Reports

By From Wire Reports, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-24, By Johnny Ludden

马刺粉碎实力不济的掘金 - 罗宾逊走出低迷

将近一周的时间里，马刺一直在等待一个信号，任何信号。周二早上，它终于出现了。

当然，是从上面来的。

当被问及在球队训练时的感受时，大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 俯视着训练师威尔·塞文宁(Will Sevening) 说：“好多了，好多了”。

这正是马刺需要听到的。丹佛也是如此。

罗宾逊摆脱了因右脚踝疼痛而造成的连续三场低迷状态，他不想透露伤势，结果他在身材矮小的掘金身上砍下 17 分、9 个篮板和 4 次盖帽。

因此，马刺以 112-82 的比分在阿拉莫穹顶战胜丹佛，取得了对他们的八连胜，现场有 16,051 名球迷观战。

而罗宾逊的出色表现得到了什么回报？他在第四节再次被替补下场。

然而，这一次是出于他自己的决定。

罗宾逊 10 投 7 中，并在开场就确立了防守基调，在掘金的第一次进攻中两次封盖丹尼·福特森(Danny Fortson)，迫使他们违例。从那以后，丹佛很少进入禁区。掘金队（7-19）在 3 月 13 日来到阿拉莫穹顶时只得到 61 分，创下球队历史最低分，他们这场比赛 88 投 33 中（37.5%），在禁区得分被马刺压制了 54-30。

蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 全场最高得分 19 分，外加职业生涯最高的 5 次抢断和 3 次盖帽，马刺全场送出了本赛季最高的12次盖帽。安东尼奥·麦克戴斯(Antonio McDyess) 在内线几乎毫无作为，14 投 5 中，仅得到 10 分，创下赛季新低。

“球队对他防守得很好，”马刺主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 说。“安东尼奥天赋异禀。要想战胜麦克戴斯，你必须依靠团队的力量。单打独斗是防不住他的。”

与此同时，丹佛对邓肯和罗宾逊几乎无能为力，罗宾逊在第三节得到 10 分中的 7 分。他在被替补下场之前打了 28 分钟，和马刺的其他首发一起坐在板凳上。

“我得到了 10 次出手，但投进 7 个让你感觉好多了，”罗宾逊说。“而且我不像以前那样经常扣篮。我投的都是最近一直投不进的球。”

罗宾逊最近确实投丢了不少球。在马刺之前的三场比赛中，他只有 32 投 7 中。罗宾逊周二唯一失误的就是没能隐藏自己受伤的右脚踝。

尽管被反复问及是否有什么困扰着他，但罗宾逊直到客场之旅结束才告诉塞文宁，由于右脚踝，他跳跃能力下降了。他最初是在 3 月 12 日马刺在菲尼克斯的比赛中扭伤了脚踝。

波波维奇表示，他对这个消息感到惊讶。

“我担心的是，我想知道他的身体状况，”波波维奇说。“我真的很不舒服，因为我不知道他的真实情况，因为他对疼痛的忍耐力太强了，几乎到了过头的地步。我很感谢他不愿找借口，但知道真相总是好的。”

赛后被问及伤势时，罗宾逊说：“你怎么知道的？”

“好多了，”罗宾逊说。“我开始恢复了一些弹跳力。投进一两个球也有帮助。我知道我必须提高效率，把握住机会。我不能急躁，不能强求。我必须顺其自然。”

艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 说，罗宾逊总是习惯隐藏自己的疼痛。

“他是一位好老师，”约翰逊说。“他教我如何带伤比赛。关于大卫，是的，有些是身体上的原因。有些则是因为他试图重拾信心，找回状态。”

尽管身患流感，安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels) 也找到了自己的节奏。他 5 投 5 中，在 19 分钟内得到 12 分和 4 次助攻。

“我整天都躺在床上，吃了很多维生素和橙汁，”丹尼尔斯说。“我感觉没有太多能量。”

马刺的其他替补球员也打得很好。杰罗姆·克西(Jerome Kersey) 最近 13 投 4 中，但在周二 4 投 4 中。威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue) 得到 5 分和 8 个篮板，贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson) 在仅有的 16 分钟内得到 13 分。

马刺观察

周二：马刺 112，掘金 82

最高得分：马刺 - 邓肯 19 分；掘金 - 范·埃克塞尔(Van Exel) 18 分

精彩瞬间：大卫·罗宾逊状态回归，得到 17 分（10 投 7 中，罚球 3 投 3 中）、9 个篮板、4 次盖帽、3 次助攻和 2 次抢断。

战绩：马刺 17-9（并列中西部赛区第二）；丹佛 7-19（中西部赛区第六）

连胜：2 连胜

下一场比赛：周四客场对阵丹佛，晚上 8 点（电视转播：KSAT）

在线：expressnews.com/spurs

点击查看原文：Spurs pulverize lowly Nuggets - Robinson breaks out of three-game funk

Spurs pulverize lowly Nuggets - Robinson breaks out of three-game funk

For almost a week, the Spurs had waited for a sign, any sign. Tuesday morning, it finally arrived.

From above, of course.

Asked how he felt at the team’s shootaround, David Robinson looked down at trainer Will Sevening. “Much, much better,” Robinson said.

That was all the Spurs needed to hear. Ditto for Denver.

Coming off a terrible three- game slump caused in part by a sore right ankle he didn’t want to reveal, Robinson hung up 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocks on the undersized Nuggets.

As a result, the Spurs beat Denver for the eighth straight time with a 112-82 victory in front of 16,051 fans at the Alamodome.

And what did Robinson get for his performance? Benched again in the fourth quarter.

This time, however, it was his own doing.

Robinson made 7 of 10 shots and set the defensive tone early, blocking Danny Fortson twice on the Nuggets’ first possession to force a shot-clock violation. From then on, Denver rarely strayed into the lane. The Nuggets (7-19), who were held to a franchise-low 61 points in their March 13 trip to the Alamodome, made only 33 of 88 shots (37.5 percent) and were outscored 54-30 in the paint.

Tim Duncan scored a game-high 19 points and added a career-high five steals and three of a season- high 12 blocks for the Spurs (17-9). Antonio McDyess tried to do little inside and missed 9 of 14 shots, finishing with a season-low 10 points.

“The team did a good job on him,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Antonio is a great talent. If you are going to have any luck against McDyess, you have to do it as a team. One-on-one is not going to stop him.”

Denver, meanwhile could do little to stop Duncan and Robinson, who scored seven of his 10 points in the third quarter. He played 28 minutes before sitting out the fourth with the rest of the Spurs’ starters.

“I got my 10 shots, but making seven makes you feel a whole lot better,” Robinson said. “And it wasn’t like I had a lot of dunks. I had the same shots I’ve been missing lately.”

And Robinson had missed a lot lately. He made only 7 of 32 shots in the Spurs’ previous three games. Robinson’s only failure Tuesday came when he couldn’t keep his sore right ankle secret.

Despite being asked repeatedly if there was anything bothering him, Robinson never gave a clear answer until the end of the road trip when he told Sevening he had not been jumping well because of his right ankle. He originally tweaked the ankle in the Spurs’ win at Phoenix on March 12.

Popovich said he was as surprised as anyone by the news.

“What I am concerned about is I want to know what his physical status is,” Popovich said. “I feel really uncomfortable that I don’t always know because he has such a high pain tolerance, almost to a fault. I appreciate him not wanting to make excuses, but it’s nice to know.”

Asked about the injury after the game, Robinson said: “How did you find out about that?”

“It’s getting a little bit better,” Robinson said. “I’m starting to get a little bit of my spring back. It helps making a shot or two to start. I know I have to be more efficient with the opportunities I get. I can’t press. I can’t make things happen. I have to let it come to me.”

Robinson, Avery Johnson said, has always been prone to hide his pain.

“He’s a good teacher,” Johnson said. “He’s taught me how to play with injuries. The thing with Dave is, yes, some of it is his body. And some of it is just trying to get his confidence back and find his groove.”

Antonio Daniels, despite playing with the flu, also found his rhythmn. He made all five of his shots and finished with 12 points and four assists in 19 minutes.

“I laid down all day and just took a lot of vitamins and orange juice,” Daniels said. “I didn’t feel too energetic out there.”

The rest of the Spurs’ bench also played well. Jerome Kersey, who had made only 4 of his last 13 shots, made all four of his attempts Tuesday. Will Perdue added five points and eight rebounds and Jaren Jackson scored 13 points in only 16 minutes.

Spurs watch

Tuesday: @Spurs 112, Nuggets 82

Top scorers: Spurs - Duncan 19; Nuggets - Van Exel 18

Highlight: David Robinson returns to form with 17 points (7 of 10 from field, 3 of 3 from line), nine rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals.

Records: Spurs 17-9 (tied for second in Midwest Division); Denver 7-19 (sixth in Midwest)

Streak: Won 2

Next game: Thursday @Denver, 8 p.m. (TV: KSAT)

Online: expressnews.com/spurs

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-24, By Glenn Rogers

马刺利用身高优势战胜矮个掘金

掘金队遭受了30分的惨败，因此他们做了最自然的事。

他们谈论着复仇。

马刺队在周二晚上在阿拉莫圆顶球场以112-82战胜了掘金队，现在他们将在周四晚上在丹佛争取对掘金队的四连胜。

"我们需要跳出来，像他们打我们一样打败他们，"约翰尼·泰勒(Johnny Taylor)说。“我们有主场优势，还有海拔优势。”

好吧，掘金队可能习惯了高海拔，但在球场上，马刺队有三个七尺高的球员，他们拥有身高优势。

"他们至少有两名七尺高的球员在场，"昌西·比卢普斯(Chauncey Billups)说。“安东尼(安东尼·麦迪森)(Antonio McDyess)可以突破蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)的防守，但大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)就在等着他。”

麦迪森，全场5投14中只得到全场最低的10分，赛后拒绝接受采访。

罗宾逊、邓肯和威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)合计贡献了9次盖帽——罗宾逊在比赛一开始就连续盖掉了丹尼·福特森(Danny Fortson)的两次投篮。

"但我们可以利用他们的身高来取得优势，"比卢普斯说。“我们只需要保持良好的体力，让他们整晚都跑起来。”

丹尼·福特森到处寻找，找到了一丝希望。

"我们在篮板球上胜过他们(42-39，这得益于掘金队抢下了他们55次投篮中的许多失误球)，"他说。“我们只需要继续这样做，比赛就会朝我们走来。”

掘金队的教练组认为，仅仅依靠篮板球是无法缩小与马刺队之间的差距的。

主教练迈克·德安东尼(Mike D’Antoni)是意大利联赛中著名的控球后卫。助理教练约翰·卢卡斯(John Lucas)在NBA带领球队快攻时也曾引起关注。

"我们必须学会区分快攻和只是为了投篮而跑动，"德安东尼说。“我们必须传球，寻找更好的投篮机会，不要在头两三秒就投篮。”

除非掘金队的命中率超过37%，否则他们几乎没有机会在最好的情况下战胜马刺队。

掘金队的庞大教练组还包括前神射手路易·丹皮尔(Louie Dampier)和迈克·埃文斯(Mike Evans)。他们需要更加深入地训练球员的投篮技巧。

掘金队不仅在这些比赛中处于明显的劣势，而且他们恰巧在错误的时间来到了圣安东尼奥。

罗宾逊宣布，自3月12日对阵菲尼克斯的比赛以来，他的脚踝一直疼痛，但周二感觉良好。这位大个子球员10投7中，抢下9个篮板球，并在28分钟的出场时间里有效地阻止了内线进攻。

这位中锋在之前的53次投篮中只命中了17次。

两队都出现了失误，球最终都弹到了马刺球员的手中，通常是站在篮下无人防守的马刺球员。

就连德安东尼也注意到一切都在朝着圣安东尼奥的方向发展。"嘿，杰罗姆·柯西(Jerome Kersey)四投全中，"他说。“当然，我们给每个人都提供了空位投篮的机会，但尽管如此。”

点击查看原文：Spurs use altitude to advantage vs. shorter Denver

Spurs use altitude to advantage vs. shorter Denver

The Nuggets absorbed a 30-point thrashing and so they did what comes naturally.

They talked revenge.

The Spurs trounced Denver 112-82 Tuesday night at the Alamodome and now will go after their fourth straight over the Nuggets on Thursday night in Denver.

“We need to jump on them and beat them down like they beat us down,” said Johnny Taylor. “We have the home court, and we’ll have the altitude on our side.”

Well, the Nuggets may have the advantage of being used to the mile-high altitude but the Spurs have the altitude advantage on the floor with three 7-footers.

“They have at least two 7-footers on the floor at all times,” said Chauncey Billups. “Antonio (McDyess) can beat Tim Duncan off the dribble, but then David Robinson is waiting for him.”

McDyess, who had a season-low 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting, declined to talk after the game.

Robinson, Duncan and Will Perdue combined for nine blocks - Robinson opened the game by swatting away consecutive tries by Danny Fortson.

“But we can use their height to our advantage,” Billups said. “We just have to use great stamina and keep them running all night.”

Danny Fortson searched about and found a kernel of hope.

“We outrebounded them (42-39 thanks to the Nuggets grabbing many of their 55 missed shots),” he said. “We just need to keep doing that and the games will start coming our way.”

The Denver coaching staff figures it will take a little more than rebounding to shave away the Spurs’ advantage.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni was a point guard of renown in the Italian league. Assistant coach John Lucas turned heads when he led the breaks in the NBA.

“We have to learn the difference between running a fastbreak and running just to hoist up shots,” D’Antoni said. “We have to move the ball around, get better looks, not shoot in the first two or three seconds.”

The Nuggets have little hope of defeating the Spurs in the best of circumstances unless they hit more than 37 percent of their shots.

The Nuggets’ extensive coaching staff also includes former dead-eye firers Louie Dampier and Mike Evans. They need to work a little more extensively on their charges’ shooting skills.

Denver not only enters these frays at serious disadvantage, it simply chose a bad day to arrive in San Antonio.

Robinson announced that he had been suffering from a sore ankle since the Phoenix game March 12 but was feeling fine Tuesday. The big fellow hit seven of his 10 shots, grabbed nine rebounds and generally throttled inside penetrations during his 28-minute performance.

The center had missed 36 of his last 53 shots.

Bobbled balls by both teams eventually wound up popping directly into a Spur’s hands, usually a Spur standing alone under the hoop.

Even D’Antoni noticed that everything was going San Antonio’s way. “Hey, Jerome Kersey hit all four of his shots,” he said. “Of course, we were giving everybody open looks, but still.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-25, By Johnny Ludden

连续三场比赛：马刺面临考验

别跟约翰·卢卡斯(John Lucas)谈论连续三天打三场比赛的事。也别跟他抱怨。因为当他打球的时候…

“我得面对乔治·格文(George Gervin)、‘手枪’皮特(Maravich)和厄尔·门罗(Earl Monroe)。那可是连续三天极其艰难的比赛，”卢卡斯说道，他现在是掘金队的助理教练。“而且我穿着同一件球衣，从没洗过。我们没时间洗球衣。

“天呐，我们真是臭烘烘的。”

NBA已经引进了电，全面的训练师和包机服务。所以卢卡斯对当前一代球员，他们正经历着自己第一次连续三场比赛，有一些建议。

“没有任何借口，”卢卡斯说道。“你绝对没有任何借口。”

考虑到这一点，马刺队今晚将在麦克尼科尔斯球馆开始他们的第一个连续三场比赛，对手是掘金队。尽管卢卡斯说得很直白，但停摆后的NBA中一个最大的问题是，球队将如何应对连续三天打三场比赛。到目前为止，答案有些出乎意料。

五支球队——迈阿密热火、波特兰开拓者、密尔沃基雄鹿、纽约尼克斯和多伦多猛龙——都赢得了全部三场比赛。总体而言，球队在第一场比赛中取得了18胜19负的战绩，在第二场比赛中取得了22胜15负的战绩，在第三场比赛中取得了16胜21负的战绩。

“永远不要畏惧不可避免的事情，”底特律活塞队的中锋比森·德莱(Bison Dele)说道，他的球队在赛季前一个月内，在11天内经历了两次连续三场比赛。“如果你害怕，它只会让你陷入消极的心态。

“我们所有人从晚上7点半到9点半之间，都没有其他事情可做，所以为什么不呢？”

马刺队自1987-88赛季以来，就再也没有打过连续三场比赛。在1976-77和1977-78赛季，他们经历了连续四天打四场比赛的考验。马刺队的球员马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)当时还在考虑上哪所幼儿园。

“对我来说，这可是史无前例，”罗斯说道。“我对此很期待。这应该会很有趣。”

教练们采用的策略至少很有意思。达拉斯小牛队的教练唐·尼尔森(Don Nelson)在2月26日对阵犹他爵士的比赛中，让他的四名首发球员出场时间不超过12分钟，最终以80-65输掉了比赛，这并没有让联盟官员满意。然而，在接下来的晚上，小牛队战胜了萨克拉门托国王队。

“我认为你有两种选择，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说道。“在旅行开始的时候，你就要开始考虑球员的出场时间，以备将来需要他们的能量。这样做的缺点是，你可能会输掉那场比赛，因为你过于保守。或者，也许这对你来说是有效的。

“或者，你可以说，我们就这样打吧。我们会看看我们的状态，根据防守需要的人员进行适当的调整。

“你祈祷能遇到一场轻松的比赛，这样你就可以让球员们休息很长时间。如果这种情况没有发生，你必须用更难的方式来解决。”

显然，对于年老的球队来说，更难的比赛变得更加困难。除了蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)之外，马刺队的每位首发球员都必须控制好他们的出场时间。

在今晚的海拔较高的丹佛比赛结束后，马刺队将返回主场迎战一支年轻的多伦多猛龙队，他们最近七场比赛赢了六场——有趣的是，除了其中一场比赛之外，所有胜利都来自连续三场比赛——然后将面对快节奏的小牛队。

波波维奇没有让埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)、肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)和马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)周一参加训练。在所有首发球员都缺席了周二对阵掘金队的比赛第四节后，他让周三的训练成为可选的。

“像（迈阿密热火队主教练帕特）莱利(Pat Riley)这样的家伙，如果消息属实的话，他往往比大多数教练训练时间更长，”波波维奇说道。“然后你看看查克·戴利(Chuck Daly)，他也深受尊重。戴利更倾向于让球员们休息一天。

“我倾向于更认同戴利的理念。你必须拥有能量，比任何事情都重要。你必须要有双腿。”

拥有一支替补阵容也是很有帮助的。马刺队的轮换阵容有时很不稳定，但他们有11名球员。替补球员在3月17日对阵金州勇士队的比赛中，贡献了球队82分中的39分。他们在周二贡献了53分，让首发球员轻松休息。

由于训练时间有限，波波维奇和他的教练组在投篮训练后，让一些替补球员进行了3对3的比赛。

“这就是我们的深度真正发挥作用的地方，”替补中锋威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue)说道。“对于替补席上的许多球员来说，出场时间很不稳定。每个人都希望展示自己的实力，但我们也知道，我们工作的重要部分是让首发球员休息。”

当然，所有关于连续三场比赛的准备和谈话，都让前球员们要么想笑，要么想吐。

“当我们小时候打篮球的时候，我们每天都打，”活塞队的助理教练加尔·赫德(Gar Heard)说道，他在NBA打了11个赛季。“我们不像现在这样休息。这只是一场比赛。不像你打24个小时。你有充足的时间休息。

“我不想听你抱怨有多难。”

在ABA巡回赛的日子里，球队经常连续三天打三场比赛。商用飞机，通常是单螺旋桨的“水坑跳跃者”，被用来飞往联盟的偏远地区。现在，NBA球队一般在比赛结束后立即包机。

“我们总是要安排早上最早的航班，因为如果我们没有备用航班，我们会遭到罚款，”掘金队的助理教练路易·丹皮尔(Louie Dampier)说道，他在加入马刺队打了三个赛季之前，在ABA打了创纪录的728场比赛。“这意味着我们通常在早上5点就出发。然后我们在机场等待转机。你只能坐着。你无法放松。

“但你总是喜欢比赛。有一位教练告诉我，他打算把我出场时间从38分钟减少到25分钟，以拯救我的职业生涯。

“我告诉他，‘你想拯救我的职业生涯？那就把我训练时的出场时间从90分钟减少到25分钟吧。’”

点击查看原文：What a stretch: Spurs play 3-in-3

What a stretch: Spurs play 3-in-3

Don’t talk to John Lucas about playing three games in three nights. Definitely don’t complain about it. Because back when he played …

“I had to go against George Gervin, ‘Pistol’ Pete (Maravich) and Earl Monroe. That’s three helluva hard nights,” said Lucas, now an assistant coach with Denver. "And I played in the same jersey without washing it. We didn’t have time to wash our jerseys.

“Man, did we stink.”

The NBA has since introduced electricity, full-service trainers and charter flights. So Lucas has a couple of words of advice for the current generation of players enduring their first back-to-back-to- back series.

“No excuses,” Lucas said. “You have absolutely no excuses.”

Given that, the Spurs begin the first of their two such stretches tonight against the Nuggets at McNichols Arena. And despite what Lucas said, one of the biggest questions facing the post-lockout NBA was how teams would respond to playing three games in three nights. The answer, so far, has been somewhat surprising.

Five teams - Miami, Portland, Milwaukee, New York and Toronto - have won all three games. Overall, teams are 18-19 in the first game, 22-15 in the second game and 16-21 in the final game.

“Never dread the inevitable,” said Detroit center Bison Dele, whose team played a pair of back- to-back-to-backs within 11 days in the first month of the season. "If you do, it will just put you in a bad frame of mind.

“None of us have anything better to do between the hours of 7:30 and 9:30 at night, so why not?”

The Spurs have not played three consecutive games since the 1987- 88 season. In both the 1976-77 and '77-78 seasons, they weathered runs of four games in four nights. Roughly the same time frame in which Spur Malik Rose was debating which kindergarten to attend.

“This is unprecedented for me,” Rose said. “I’m looking forward to it. It should be fun.”

The strategy employed by coaches has at least been interesting. Dallas’ Don Nelson didn’t please league officials when he essentially bagged the second game of a series, playing four of his starters 12 minutes or less into an 80-65 loss to Utah on Feb. 26. The next night, however, the Mavs ran past Sacramento.

“I think you have two choices,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "At the very beginning of the trip you begin to look at minutes in anticipation of needed energy later. The down side to that is you could end up losing that game because you’re being conservative. Or, maybe it works for you.

"Or, you can say, we’re just going to play. We’re going to see where we are and substitute appropriately based on who we need to address defensively.

“You hope and pray for an easy game where you can sit people for a long time. If that doesn’t happen, you have to do it the hard way.”

The hard way, obviously, becomes even harder on older teams. With the exception of Tim Duncan, every Spurs starter has to have his minutes guarded.

After tonight’s game in high-altitude Denver, the Spurs return home to play a young Toronto club that has won six of its last seven games - all but one of the victories, ironically, came in a pair of back-to-back-to-backs - before concluding against the run-and- gun Mavs.

Popovich did not allow Avery Johnson, Sean Elliott or Mario Elie to practice Monday. After all the starters sat out the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s blowout win over the Nuggets, he made Wednesday’s workout optional.

“A guy like (Miami coach Pat) Riley tends to try to practice longer than most, if reports are correct,” Popovich said. "And then you take a guy like Chuck Daly, who is also well-respected. Daly is more apt to give guys the day off.

“I tend to go more toward Daly’s philosophy. You have to have that energy more than anything. You have to have your legs.”

It also helps to have a bench. The Spurs’ rotation has been inconsistent at times, but it’s 11 players deep. The reserves scored 39 of the team’s 82 points in its March 17 win over Golden State. They chalked up 53 points Tuesday, allowing the starters to rest easy.

With practice time limited, Popovich and his staff have worked out some of the reserve players in 3-on-3 games after shootarounds.

“This is where our depth really comes into play,” backup center Will Perdue said. “Minutes have been sporadic for a lot of guys on the bench. Everybody wants to show what they can do, but we also know a big part of our job is to give the starters a rest.”

Of course, all the preparation and talk about back-to-back-to- backs has made former players either want to laugh or gag.

“When we were playing basketball growing up we played every day,” said Pistons assistant coach Gar Heard, who wore an NBA uniform for 11 seasons. "It’s not like we took days off. It’s still a game. It’s not like you are playing it for 24 hours. You have plenty of time to rest.

“I don’t want to hear how tough it is.”

Back in the barnstorming days of the ABA, teams routinely played at least three nights in a row. Commercial planes, often one-prop puddle jumpers, were used to fly into the league’s backwater outposts. NBA teams now generally charter out immediately after a game.

“We always had to schedule the first flight in the morning because if we didn’t have a backup flight we would be fined,” said Nuggets assistant coach Louie Dampier, who played in an ABA-record 728 games before joining the Spurs for three seasons. "That meant we usually flew out at 5 in the morning. And then we would wait around in the airport for a connection. You just sat there. You couldn’t relax.

"But you always liked the games. I had one coach tell me he was going to cut my minutes from 38 to 25 to save my career.

“I told him, ‘You want to save my career? Cut my minutes in practice from 90 to 25.’”

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-25, By Buck Harvey

什么在伤害他：巴斯光年前来救援！

你喜爱的大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)身上的特质，也是那些比脚踝伤势更令他痛苦的特质。

他的尊严、他的注重形象、他面对伤病的坚韧——这一切都在更衣室里反噬着他。当他应该融入其中成为其中一员时，他却成了其中一个问题。

在紧闭的门后，他也是封闭的。所以当罗宾逊在球场上表现平平，每个人都在猜测是他的头脑还是身体出了问题时，马刺队也和你一样疑惑。因为他们对他的了解也并不多。

即使那些最亲近罗宾逊的马刺球员，也把他看作是讨人喜欢但却疏远的人。他就像电影《玩具总动员》中的巴斯光年，像个动作玩偶一样演绎着生活。即使公众无法看到他内心，罗宾逊仍然坚持他的原则，维护着自己的形象。

他的队友互相推搡着。你是说，他真的以为自己是个超级英雄？

“他不是人，”他的一个队友说道。但这并不是说像迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)那样不是人。罗宾逊是不真实的。他能和队友开玩笑，也能进行交谈。但涉及到他们共同的理念和重要的时刻，他就像面对国歌时那样僵硬地站在马刺球员面前。

他也和他们不一样。比如，球员们说你无法相信沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)在关键时刻是如何跟罗宾逊说话的。那些话是不能重复的。队友们希望罗宾逊能说些什么，任何事都可以。但罗宾逊选择沉默，即使不是在另一个方向上。

这可能也是一种值得称赞的特质，但在一群男人玩着男孩的游戏时，它并不总是令人钦佩。马刺球员们希望感觉到他们是一起经历这一切的，而罗宾逊却像鱼子酱一样高不可攀。罗宾逊对奥尼尔的无动于衷令人震惊，以至于其他马刺球员不仅想知道他从哪里来，还想知道他们是否应该在乎。

上个月，当马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)质疑罗宾逊的心态时，罗宾逊摇了摇头。“他们不知道我有多想赢，”罗宾逊说。

他们对他一无所知。乔·迪马乔(Joe DiMaggio)渴望隐私，但那是针对公众的。而罗宾逊在镜头前和在团队面前一样封闭，这在上周就显而易见。当时，罗宾逊拒绝告诉任何人他受伤了。

扭伤的脚踝是西海岸之旅表现不佳的正当理由，但这并不能解释之前的一个月。罗宾逊的身体已不像五年前那样强壮了，本周末，当马刺队在三天内打三场比赛时，甚至可能是在今晚在丹佛的比赛中，我们将再次看到证据。罗宾逊在周二再次感觉到腿部有力量，可能最基本的原因是他休息了两天。

但马刺球员明白他正在老去，任何撞击都可能让罗宾逊，好吧，变得像正常人一样。但他们无法理解他们所不知道的事情。

再次强调，这是一种具有可取方面的特质，因为没有人希望看到罗宾逊用伤病作为借口。但坦诚和爱抱怨之间是有区别的。

罗宾逊宁愿自己的形象保持完好无损，即使他的沉默触动了所有人。格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)不知道是否应该让他上场，其他马刺球员也不知道该怎么看他。在没有更多信息的情况下，他们认为罗宾逊根本不在乎。

谁知道他脑子里在想些什么？今天唯一可以确定的是，罗宾逊的动作玩偶般的身体将继续崩溃。上周是脚踝，下周可能是他的背部，下个月可能是他的膝盖。

然后巴斯光年将保持尊严、坚韧和沉默。而罗宾逊将会痛苦。

点击查看原文：What hurts: Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

What hurts: Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

The traits you love in David Robinson are the traits that hurt him worse than an ankle ever did.

His dignity, his attention to image, his stoic approach to injuries - all of it turns against him in the locker room. When he should be one of the guys, he’s one of the problems.

Behind closed doors, he’s closed, too. So when Robinson goes flat on the court and everyone wonders if it’s his head or his body, the Spurs wonder just as you do. Because they know him about as well.

Even those Spurs closest to Robinson see him as likable but distant. He’s Buzz Lightyear in the movie “Toy Story,” acting out life as an action figure. Even when the public can’t see in, Robinson still presses his laser and maintains his image.

His teammates nudge each other. You mean, he really thinks he’s a super hero?

“He’s not human,” says one of his teammates. It’s not meant the same way that Michael Jordan isn’t human. Robinson isn’t real. He can joke with his teammates or carry a conversation. But concerning the ideas they share and the moments that matter, he stands in front of the Spurs as stiffly he stands for the national anthem.

He also doesn’t act like them. For example, players say you wouldn’t believe how Shaquille O’Neal talks to Robinson in the clinches. It’s not repeatable. Teammates wish Robinson would say something, anything. But Robinson turns the other cheek, if not in the other direction.

That can be an admirable trait, too, but it’s not always admirable among a group of men playing a boy’s game. The Spurs want to feel they are in this together, and there’s Robinson, as down to earth as caviar. Robinson’s non-response to Shaq is so shocking that the other Spurs are left wondering not only where he’s coming from, but also whether they should care.

Last month, when Mario Elie questioned Robinson’s heart, Robinson shook his head. “They don’t know how much I want to win,” Robinson said.

They don’t know anything about him. Joe DiMaggio had a desire for privacy, but that was with the public. Robinson, instead, is about as open in front of a camera as he is in front of his team, and that was clear last week. Then Robinson refused to tell anyone he was hurting.

A tweaked ankle is justification for an ineffective West Coast swing, but that doesn’t explain the previous month. Robinson’s body isn’t what it was five years ago, and proof might come again this weekend, when the Spurs play three games in three nights, or maybe even tonight in Denver. Robinson felt the spring in his legs again Tuesday for perhaps the most basic reason. He’d had two days off.

But the Spurs understand he’s aging, and how any bump can make Robinson, well, human. But they can’t understand what they don’t know.

Again, it’s a trait with a commendable side, since no one wants to see Robinson use injuries as an excuse. But there’s a difference between being whiny and being honest.

Robinson would rather his image stay untouched, when his silence touches everyone. Gregg Popovich doesn’t know whether to play him, and the other Spurs don’t know what to think about him. Without anything to go on, they think Robinson just doesn’t care.

Who knows what goes on inside his head? The only certainty today is that Robinson’s action-figure body will continue to break down. Last week it was an ankle, next week it might be his back again, next month his knee.

Then Buzz will be dignified and stoic and silent. And Robinson will hurt.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-26, By Johnny Ludden

马刺再次战胜了“恶霸” - 状态火热的圣安东尼奥队再次战胜掘金队

艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 在离开家之前吹灭了生日蜡烛。然后，他在热身投篮时扭伤了右腹股沟。

这算得上是庆祝自己34岁生日的方式吗？

“今天是他的生日？我不知道，”大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 说。“这表明我是什么样的朋友。

“我需要开始查看我的社交日历。”

不幸的是，对于马刺来说，他们的日程表里不再有掘金队，直到下赛季。在过去的18天内，马刺队已经战胜了掘金队四次，他们在周二以86-65战胜了掘金队，这也是他们最近的胜利。比赛在麦尼科尔斯球馆举行，有10,695名球迷到场观赛。

罗宾逊、蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)和安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels) 确保约翰逊可以大部分时间休息，并在之后露出笑容。这是马刺队在过去13场比赛中取得的第12场胜利，这使他们在西部联盟的排名升至第三，仅落后于休斯顿半场。

“圣安东尼奥队已经结束了，”掘金队主教练迈克·德安东尼(Mike D’Antoni) 说。“谢天谢地。”

在3月13日阿拉莫多姆球馆的比赛中，马刺队将掘金队限制在61分，这是掘金队历史最低得分。周二，马刺队再次将掘金队的得分限制在了65分，这是他们在主场的最低得分。马刺队在最近的三场比赛中，已经总共领先了掘金队82分。

比赛结束后，掘金队的球迷向球场扔了免费的电脑鼠标垫。他们的准确度远高于掘金队的球员。

首节比赛还剩下不到四分钟时，掘金队一度以17-6领先。但随后，他们被马刺队以80-48的比分压制。掘金队全场比赛只有23投75中，命中率仅为30.7%。

尼克·范·埃克塞尔(Nick Van Exel) 和昌西·比卢普斯(Chauncey Billups) 在第三节还剩下5分20秒时连续命中三分球，将马刺队的领先优势缩小到11分。但随后，掘金队一直没有投进，直到比赛还剩下9分12秒时，埃里克·威廉姆斯(Eric Williams) 才命中了一个球，这段时间持续了将近八分钟。

“我认为我们的防守撑住了，而他们今晚的投篮手感很差，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 说。“当你投出30%的命中率时，很难赢球。

“我喜欢那种可以派上替补球员，并且为首发球员节省体力的比赛。”

马刺队在三场连赛中开始了他们的旅程，开局不错。邓肯是唯一一个上场时间超过30分钟的首发球员。约翰逊因为腹股沟受伤被迫休息。

“我们今天会检查一下（他的伤势），但我感觉不太好，”约翰逊说。“这是我以前从未经历过的事情。我很难用力推开。”

丹尼尔斯还在与咳嗽作斗争，但他没有遇到任何问题。他在18分钟的出场时间里得到了12分和4次助攻，他的祖父母也在现场观看了比赛。

丹尼尔斯在第一节和第二节的八分钟时间里得到了10分。在那段时间里，他6投5中，包括在比赛结束前，他突破了范·埃克塞尔的防守，投进了一个跳投。

“这对增强信心很有帮助，”丹尼尔斯说，他在周二对阵掘金队的比赛中5投全中。“这是一个很难打球的地方。即使你感觉很好，你都喘不过气来。”

罗宾逊和邓肯看起来状态很好。邓肯在33分钟的出场时间里得到28分，并有3次盖帽。他还帮助限制了安东尼奥·麦克戴斯(Antonio McDyess) 的得分，只让他得到17分。

由于《体育画报》来到这里为他做专访，罗宾逊得到了12分，其中只有2分是在第二节得到的，他还有全场最高的13个篮板和5次助攻。

“他比邓肯更快，”掘金队中锋丹尼·弗特森(Danny Fortson) 说。“他就像在防守一只瞪羚。邓肯是一个非常技术娴熟的球员。你必须在他面前打出完美的比赛。

“在我看来，他们是两个最难对付的球员。”

罗宾逊前三投全失，但在上半场剩余的六次投篮中全部命中。当他在第二节还剩下9分53秒时重新回到球场时，马刺队以一分领先。当罗宾逊在下半场还剩下24.3秒时下场时，领先优势已经扩大到55-40。

罗宾逊在面对弗特森或基恩·克拉克(Keon Clark) 时没有遇到任何困难，他轻松地将球投进。在埃利奥特(Elliott) 错失了一个三分球后，罗宾逊抢下了篮板球，并在克拉克的防守下完成了一次上篮。

“他展现了一些我们很久没见过的速度和技巧，”邓肯说。“他今天表现出色。”

点击查看原文：Spurs the bullies again - Streaking S.A. takes another big win over Nuggets

Spurs the bullies again - Streaking S.A. takes another big win over Nuggets

Avery Johnson blew out his candles before he left home. Then he tweaked his right groin on his first warmup layup.

Is this any way to celebrate your 34th birthday?

“It’s his birthday? I didn’t know that,” David Robinson said. "That shows you what kind of friend I am.

“I need to start checking my social calendar.”

Unfortunately for the Spurs, their datebook no longer includes Denver until next season. In what was their fourth win over the Nuggets in the last 18 days, the Spurs blitzed Denver 86-65 Tuesday in front of 10,695 fans at McNichols Arena.

Robinson, Tim Duncan and Antonio Daniels made sure Johnson could take most of his birthday off. And smile afterward. The Spurs’ 12th win in 13 games moved them half a game behind Houston for the third seed in the Western Conference.

“That’s it for San Antonio,” Denver coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Thank goodness.”

After holding the Nuggets to a franchise-low 61 points in their March 13 victory at the Alamodome, the Spurs limited Denver to its fewest points at home Tuesday. The Spurs, having already handed the Nuggets a 112-82 thumping on Tuesday, beat them by a total of 82 points in the final three games.

Denver’s fans showered the court with complimentary computer mouse pads after the game. They were far more accurate than the Nuggets.

After leading 17-6 with less than four minutes left in the first quarter, Denver was outscored 80-48 the rest of the way. The Nuggets made only 23 of 75 shots (30.7 percent).

Nick Van Exel and Chauncey Billups hit back-to-back three- pointers to trim the Spurs lead to 11 with 5:20 left in the third quarter, but the Nuggets did not make another field goal until Eric Williams scored with 9:12 left in the game, a span of almost eight minutes.

“I thought our defense sustained us and they had a bad night shooting,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "It’s tough to win when you shoot 30 percent.

“I love a game where you can play some subs and save some minutes.”

The Spurs began their three- games-in-three-nights trek on a good note. Duncan was the only starter to play more than 30 minutes. Johnson was forced to rest after injuring his groin.

“We’ll check it (today), but I’m not feeling too good,” Johnson said. “It’s something I’ve never had to deal with before. I had trouble pushing off.”

Daniels, who was still battling a cough, had no problems filling in. He finished with 12 points and four assists in 18 minutes while playing in front of his grandparents.

Daniels scored 10 points during an eight-minute stint from the first to second quarters. He made all but one of his six shots during that time, including a pull-up at the shot-clock buzzer after he beat Van Exel off the dribble.

“This really helps in developing confidence,” said Daniels, who made all five of his shots Tuesday against Denver. “This is a hard place to play. You can’t even breathe when you’re feeling all right.”

Robinson and Duncan appeared to be in tip-top shape. Duncan scored 28 points and blocked three shots in 33 minutes. He also helped hold Antonio McDyess to 17 points.

With Sports Illustrated in town to do a story on him, Robinson added 12 points - all but two coming in the second quarter - and a game-high 13 rebounds and five assists.

“He’s faster than Duncan,” Denver center Danny Fortson said. "He’s like guarding a gazelle out there. And Duncan is a very skilled player. You have to play a perfect game against him.

“They are the two toughest players to play against, in my opinion.”

After missing his first three shots, Robinson made his final six of the first half. The Spurs led by one when he re-entered the game with 9:53 left in the second quarter. When Robinson exited with 24.3 seconds left in the half, the lead had ballooned to 55-40.

Robinson had little trouble spinning around Fortson or Keon Clark on the block and knocked down a 17-footer. After Elliott missed a three-pointer, Robinson grabbed the rebound and went back through Clark for a layup.

“He showed some quickness and moves that we haven’t seen for a while,” Duncan said. “He had a great game out there.”

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-27, By Johnny Ludden

猛龙狂飙，压制马刺

新秀文斯·卡特(Vince Carter) 摆脱了糟糕的开局，在比赛最后阶段命中两球，多伦多队将蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 的得分限制到职业生涯最低的 5 分，最终以 93-91 击败马刺，比赛于周五晚在阿拉莫穹顶举行。

这仅仅是马刺过去 14 场比赛中的第二场失利。

卡特前 17 次出手仅命中 4 球，但在比赛还剩 1 分多钟时，他命中了一个后仰投篮，将比分改写为 87-85，多伦多队领先。随后，他在比赛还剩 17.2 秒时，又命中了一记 19 英尺的投篮，帮助猛龙队最终锁定胜局。

卡特全场比赛 19 投 6 中，得到 14 分。迪·布朗(Dee Brown) 为猛龙队贡献了全队最高的 23 分。

大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 贡献了全场最高的 24 分和 16 个篮板。

邓肯贡献了 12 个篮板，但 7 投 2 中，在面对猛龙队的包夹防守时表现糟糕，并在比赛还剩 58.3 秒时错失了一个本可能将比分扳平的罚球。

多伦多队在第三节开局阶段后首次重新获得领先优势，道格·克里斯蒂(Doug Christie) 在比赛还剩 2 分 47 秒时两罚全中，将比分改写为 83-82。肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 随后命中了一个“3+1”，将比分反超为 85-83。

马刺赛程

周五晚： 多伦多猛龙 93，@马刺 91

比赛亮点： 马刺队的邓肯得分仅为职业生涯最低的 5 分；猛龙队的布朗命中 9 投 5 的三分球。

战绩： 马刺 18-10（西部中区第三）；多伦多 13-14

连胜/连败： 输 1 场

今晚： 小牛 @ 马刺，晚上 7:30

电视直播： KSAT

广播： WOAI-AM 1200（西班牙语广播：KCOR-AM 1350）

网络直播： expressnews.com/spurs

点击查看原文：Raptors' rampage smothers Spurs

Raptors’ rampage smothers Spurs

Rookie Vince Carter shook off a poor start to hit two late baskets and Toronto held Tim Duncan to a career-low five points to beat the Spurs 93-91 Friday night at the Alamodome.

It was only the Spurs’ second loss in their last 14 games.

Carter, who had hit only 4 of his first 17 shots, knocked down a fallaway for an 87-85 Toronto lead with just more than a minute left. He then put the Raptors in front for good with a 19-footer with 17.2 seconds left.

Carter finished with 14 points on 6-of-19 shooting. Dee Brown led the Raptors with 23 points.

David Robinson led all players with 24 points and 16 rebounds.

Duncan had 12 rebounds, but made only 2 of 7 shots against the Raptors’ trapping defense and missed a free throw that would have tied the game with 58.3 seconds left.

Toronto regained its first lead since the opening minutes of the third quarter when Doug Christie hit a pair of free throws for a 83-82 advantage with 2:47 left. Sean Elliott answered with a three-point play for an 85-83 lead.

Spurs watch

Friday night: Toronto Raptors 93, @Spurs 91

Highlights: Spurs’ Duncan held to career-low five points; Raptors’ Brown hits 5 of 9 three-pointers.

Records: Spurs 18-10 (third in Midwest Division); Toronto 13-14

Streak: Lost 1

Tonight: Mavs @Spurs, 7:30 p.m.

TV: KSAT

Radio: WOAI-AM 1200 (in Spanish on KCOR-AM 1350)

Online: expressnews.com/spurs

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-27, By Johnny Ludden

猛龙利爪擒邓肯，马刺遭败

过去一个月，蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)每晚都稳定地砍下20分，这已经不再是什么新闻了。

邓肯对阵休斯顿得了23分，对阵达拉斯得了26分，对阵快船得了27分，对阵掘金得了34分。在过去的14场比赛中，只有1场比赛邓肯没有成为马刺队的得分王。

还不错吧，但能成为头条新闻吗？

太普通了。

要想真正让人大跌眼镜，请看这个：多伦多将邓肯的得分限制在5分。

5分。创生涯新低。

多伦多每当邓肯触球就对其进行包夹，很少让他出手，更别说是投进球了。结果如何？不言而喻。

猛龙队在周五晚上以93-91战胜了马刺队，让马刺队在过去的14场比赛中只输了第二场。

“我今晚打得非常糟糕，”邓肯说，他全场7投2中，创赛季新低，还出现了6次失误。“我做了一些错误的决定。他们防守出色，我们无法突破。我打得非常糟糕。”

与此同时，多伦多新秀文斯·卡特(Vince Carter)也克服了开局的低迷，在最后两投中全部命中，最后一投帮助猛龙队在比赛还剩17.2秒时反超比分。这场胜利是多伦多队在最近9场比赛中的第7场胜利。如果周日能够战胜芝加哥，多伦多队(13胜14负)将在这赛季的后期首次达到五成胜率。

“这是一场教科书般的胜利，”猛龙队前锋凯文·威利斯(Kevin Willis)说。“联盟必须开始关注我们。多伦多是真材实料的。

“我们需要得到应有的尊重。”

马刺队(18胜10负)不会嫉妒他们。在迪·布朗(Dee Brown)得到23分的带领下，多伦多队在第三节中段从落后9分追平比分。

卡特前17投仅命中4球，他在比赛还剩一分钟多一点的时候，命中了一记后仰跳投，帮助多伦多队以87-85领先。邓肯在一分钟前错失了一记近距离勾手，在比赛还剩58.3秒的时候，他罚丢了一球，错失了将比分扳平的机会。

在道格·克里斯蒂(Doug Christie)命中一记跳投后，肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)在比赛还剩35.2秒的时候命中了一记三分球，将比分扳平。卡特在大部分时间里都被埃利奥特限制住了，他在比赛还剩17.2秒的时候，在埃利奥特伸出的手臂上方投进了一记16英尺跳投，帮助猛龙队领先。

多伦多队主教练布奇·卡特(Butch Carter)在关键时刻为文斯·卡特设计了一个单打战术。

“在暂停的时候，教练画了战术，告诉每个人应该去哪里，”文斯·卡特说。“然后他说，‘把球传给文斯，他会为我们赢得比赛的。’”

克里斯蒂随后在比赛还剩8.8秒的时候，封盖了马里奥·伊利(Mario Elie)的底线突破。马刺队在比赛还剩4.4秒的时候抢下了克里斯蒂的罚球不中，他们还有最后一次机会扳平比分或取胜，但埃利奥特在比赛结束的哨声响起之前没有出手。

“我不是迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)或格兰特·希尔(Grant Hill),”伊利说。“我投丢了，是有原因的。我被撞了。但他们不会吹那个犯规。

“我对自己的表现感到失望。我应该在关键时刻站出来，但我没有。我觉得我让球队失望了。”

大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)全场得到24分和16个篮板，成为全场得分最高的球员，但他也有6次失误。艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)得到19分和11次助攻，埃利奥特得到18分。

这些都不够。

“蒂姆没有低迷，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说。“他一直在拼尽全力。他每次触球都被包夹了。”

马刺队观看

周五晚上：多伦多猛龙队93，@马刺队91

精彩片段：马刺队邓肯的得分创生涯新低5分；猛龙队布朗9投5中命中三分球。

战绩：马刺队18胜10负（中西部联盟第三）；多伦多队13胜14负

连胜：输1场

今晚：小牛队@马刺队，晚上7:30

电视：KSAT

广播：WOAI-AM 1200（西班牙语广播：KCOR-AM 1350）

备注

接下来：马刺队将在接下来的三天里进行第三场比赛，主教练格雷格·波波维奇已经预料到今晚达拉斯和唐·尼尔森(Don Nelson)访问阿拉莫体育馆将会发生什么。

“为这场马拉松比赛准备好你的门票吧，”波波维奇说。“尼尔森也知道这一点。

“这将是另一场他试图让我们打乱进攻，而我们试图不让球飞出球场的一晚。”

小牛队在周五晚上战胜了掘金队。

马刺队在3月4日在联合中心举行的比赛中，以95-79战胜了小牛队，他们控制了比赛的节奏，在内线得分方面以42-20领先小牛队。贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)以赛季最高的16分领衔马刺队。

点击查看原文：Raptors bury claws into Duncan, Spurs

Raptors bury claws into Duncan, Spurs

For the last month, Tim Duncan hung up 20 points a night with such regularity that it ceased to be news.

Duncan scored 23 against Houston, 26 against Dallas, 27 against the Clippers, 34 against Denver. Only once in the last 14 games did Duncan not lead the Spurs in scoring.

Nice work, but headline material?

Too redundant.

For true man-bites-dog stuff, try this: Toronto holds Duncan to five points.

Five points. A career-low.

Double-teaming him every time he touched the ball, Toronto rarely let Duncan get off a shot, let alone make one. The result? No need to ask.

The Raptors won 93-91 Friday night, handing the Spurs just their second loss in 14 games.

“I played horribly tonight,” said Duncan, who made two of his season-low seven attempts and had six turnovers. “I made some bad decisions. They played some great defense and we just couldn’t pull it off. I played horribly.”

Toronto rookie Vince Carter, meanwhile, shook off a sluggish start of his own to make his final two shots, the last one giving the Raptors the lead for good with 17.2 seconds left. The victory was Toronto’s seventh in its last nine games. With a win against Chicago on Sunday, Toronto (13-14) will hit the .500 mark this late in the season for the first time in its young history.

“This is a textbook win,” Raptors forward Kevin Willis said. "The league has to start taking notice. Toronto is for real.

“We need to get the respect we deserve.”

The Spurs (18-10) won’t begrudge them any. Behind Dee Brown’s 23 points, Toronto climbed back from a nine-point deficit midway through the third quarter.

Carter, who had hit only 4 of his first 17 shots, knocked down a fallaway for an 87-85 Toronto lead with just more than a minute left. Duncan, who had missed a short hook a minute earlier, shanked a free throw that would have tied the game with 58.3 seconds left.

After a jumper by Doug Christie, Sean Elliott tied the game with a three-pointer with 35.2 seconds left. Held in check by Elliott for most of the game, Carter answered with a 16-footer over Elliott’s outstretched hand with 17.2 seconds left.

Toronto coach Butch Carter called an isolation play for Vince Carter on the winning shot.

“In the huddle, Coach drew up the play and told everybody where to go,” Vince Carter said. “Then he said, ‘Get it to Vince. He’ll win the game for us.’”

Christie then blocked Mario Elie’s baseline runner with 8.8 seconds left. The Spurs had one last chance to tie or win after rebounding a missed free throw by Christie with 4.4 seconds left, but Elliott couldn’t get off a shot before the buzzer.

“I’m not (Michael) Jordan or Grant Hill,” Elie said. "There’s a reason I missed that shot. I got hit. But they’re not going to make that call then.

“I’m disappointed in my own performance. I should make plays down the stretch, but I didn’t. I felt like I let the team down.”

David Robinson led all players with 24 points and 16 rebounds, but also had six turnovers. Avery Johnson added 19 points and 11 assists while Elliott finished with 18 points.

None of it was enough.

“Tim wasn’t flat,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He competed and tried his hardest. He just got double-teamed every time he touched the ball.”

Spurs watch

Friday night: Toronto Raptors 93, @Spurs 91

Highlights: Spurs’ Duncan held to career-low five points; Raptors’ Brown hits 5 of 9 three-pointers.

Records: Spurs 18-10 (third in Midwest Division); Toronto 13-14

Streak: Lost 1

Tonight: Mavs @Spurs, 7:30 p.m.

TV: KSAT

Radio: WOAI-AM 1200 (in Spanish on KCOR-AM 1350)

Online: expressnews.com/spurs

Notes

Up next: With the Spurs playing their third game in as many nights, Coach Gregg Popovich has an idea of what’s in store when Dallas and Don Nelson visit the Alamodome tonight.

“Get your tickets for the track meet,” Popovich said. "And Nellie knows it.

“It will be another night of him trying to get us out of our offense and us trying not to throw the ball all over the gym.”

The Mavericks, who lost to the Spurs 95-79 on March 4 at Reunion Arena, played Denver on Friday night.

The Spurs helped control the tempo in the March game, outscoring the Mavericks 42-20 in the paint. Jaren Jackson led the Spurs with a season-high 16 points. - Johnny Ludden

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-27, By Glenn Rogers

多伦多靠不放弃卡特赢得了比赛

多伦多主教练巴奇·卡特(Butch Carter)将最后的关键战术简化到最基本的要求。

“你到这，你到那，把球传给文斯，文斯，你就能赢下比赛，”卡特在比赛还剩17.2秒，比分战成89平的情况下，在暂停时下令道。

“我真的很惊讶。我整晚都在挣扎，”当年的最佳新秀热门人选，超级新秀文斯·卡特(Vince Carter)说道。

卡特没有让人失望。他摆脱了整晚防守他的肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)，投进了一记16英尺的跳投。“我看到大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)过来包夹，所以我直接投了，”他说。

他出手了，也让马刺队的士气和阿拉莫穹顶16290名观众的欢呼声都消失了。猛龙队最终以93-91的比分赢下了比赛，他们在罚球线上完成了最后得分。

对于卡特来说，这并非什么新鲜事。令人惊讶的是，他已经是猛龙队的关键先生，在3月17日对阵底特律活塞的比赛中，他在第四节得到17分，帮助球队取得了胜利。

“在对阵纽约的比赛中，我也有机会投最后一球，但我三投不中，”他笑着说。“今晚我算是弥补了那场比赛以及我在这里的挣扎。”

卡特在来到阿拉莫穹顶之前场均得到17.5分，投篮命中率为46.6%。面对埃利奥特的防守，他19投6中，得到17分。

“埃利奥特是一位优秀的防守球员，但我所有的投篮要么太长，要么太短。我投不进中间，”他说。

这位前北卡罗来纳州立大学的明星球员在圣安东尼奥打完了他的最后一场大学比赛，当时他的北卡罗来纳州立大学队在1998年四强赛半决赛中在这座穹顶输给了犹他大学队。

“我知道我可能让你们很多人对我的成功（在NBA）感到惊讶，但我对自己很有信心，”他说。“我认为北卡罗来纳州立大学会让你准备好如何在NBA取得成功。”

“文斯可能是联盟里最自信的人之一，”迪·布朗(Dee Brown)说道，他在本场比赛中砍下23分，投进了5个三分球，给马刺队造成了很大伤害。

对于13胜14负的猛龙队来说，这是一场艰苦的、充满身体对抗的胜利。

“我们在东部联盟打球，所以这不算什么，”约翰·华莱士(John Wallace)说道，他不得不抵挡住杰罗姆·柯西(Jerome Kersey)的侵略性防守。“看看他们犯了多少次恶意犯规，再看看我们犯了多少次恶意犯规。”

前纽约尼克斯队的铁汉查尔斯·奥克利(Charles Oakley)在马刺队球员突破时，用他的前臂猛烈地击打艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)，导致他倒地。奥克利被吹罚了恶意犯规。

“我是去抢球的，”奥克利说。“当你打球的时候，难免会被打到。我没生他气。”

“我们今晚必须拼尽全力。他们有两个大个子。大卫打了一场好球，但我们限制了蒂姆（邓肯）。”

罗宾逊得到24分，邓肯只得到5分，这是他职业生涯的新低，7投2中。

“你必须对这些大个子进行强硬的防守，”卡特教练说道。“你必须把他们从低位拉出来，并希望裁判能吹罚一些有利于我们的哨子。”

点击查看原文：Toronto pays dividends by not giving up on Carter

Toronto pays dividends by not giving up on Carter

Toronto coach Butch Carter reduced the final key play to the bare essentials.

“You go here, you go there, get the ball to Vince and Vince, you win the game,” Carter ordered during the timeout with 17.2 seconds left and the score knotted at 89.

“I sure was surprised. I had been struggling all night,” said super rookie Vince Carter, the front-runner of the moment for rookie-of- the-year honors.

Carter didn’t disappoint. He sprung free of his night-long defender Sean Elliott and fired in a 16-footer. “I saw David Robinson coming over to double so I just let it go,” he said.

He let it go and let the wind out of the Spurs’ sails and the Alamodome’s cheering 16,290 fans. The Raptors finished the 93-91 win at the free-throw line.

The shot was nothing new for Carter. Amazingly enough, he is the Raptors’ go-to man, after scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter in a victory over the Detroit Pistons on March 17.

“I got the call for the last shot against New York, too, but I missed all three tries,” he said with a smile. “Tonight I kind of made up for that and my struggles here.”

Carter was averaging 17.5 points and hitting 46.6 percent of his shots coming into the dome. Bothered by Elliott, he put down 6 of 19 against the Spurs, finishing with 17 points.

“Elliott is a good defender, but my shots were all either too long or too short. I couldn’t get it in the middle,” he said.

The former North Carolina star played his last collegiate game in San Antonio, his Tar Heels falling to Utah during the 1998 Final Four semifinals in the dome.

“I know I probably surprised a lot of you guys with my success (in the NBA), but I was pretty confident coming in,” he said. “I think North Carolina tends to prepare you how to be successful in the NBA.”

“Vince is probably as confident as anybody in this league,” said Dee Brown, who wounded the Spurs with 23 points, striking with five three-pointers.

It was a grinding, physical win for the 13-14 Raptors.

“We play in the Eastern Conference so this was nothing,” said John Wallace, who had to fend off the aggressive play of Jerome Kersey. “You see how many hard fouls they gave out there and then see how many hard fouls we gave.”

Charles Oakley, former enforcer for the New York Knicks, laid Avery Johnson low with a sweeping smack of his forearm when the Spur drove the lane. He was hit with a flagrant foul.

“I was going for the ball,” Oakley said. "When you play ball, you’re going to get hit. I wasn’t mad at him or anything.

“We had to play hard tonight. They have two big guys. David had a pretty good game but we held Tim (Duncan) down.”

Robinson had 24 points, and Duncan had a career-low five points on 2-of-7 shooting.

“You have to be very physical with those big guys,” Coach Carter said. “You have to get them off the block and hope the refs give you some good whistles.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-28, By Johnny Ludden

邓肯毁灭低迷的独行侠

在创造职业生涯新低的一天后，蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 重新找回状态，得到 21 分，带领马刺队在周六晚上阿拉莫穹顶球馆以 99-77 战胜独行侠队。

马刺队 (19-10) 在三天三场比赛中取得了他们的第 15 场比赛中的第 13 场胜利。独行侠队连续第二天比赛，战绩跌至 10-20。

邓肯在对阵猛龙队的比赛中只得到 5 分，但他迅速摆脱了周五比赛的阴霾，开场前五次出手全部命中。他全场比赛 11 投 9 中，并以 15 个篮板领跑全场。

独行侠队在上半场成功地夹击了邓肯，但在第三节的双人包夹却慢了一步。邓肯在这一节为马刺队得到最后的 6 分，帮助球队以 69-59 的领先优势进入末节，这也是本场比赛他们最大的领先优势。

邓肯的全部 6 分都是建立在热火轮·威廉姆斯(Hot Rod Williams) 的防守之上。他先是用一个转身跳投得分，接着又用一个擦板球得分。随后，他在底线虚晃威廉姆斯，然后转身突破上篮得分。

安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels) 帮助马刺队彻底击垮了独行侠队。他得到 6 分，并送出 2 次助攻，帮助马刺队将领先优势扩大到 18 分，最终迫使独行侠队在比赛还剩 7 分 8 秒时叫了暂停。丹尼尔斯全场得到 11 分和 4 次助攻，出场 24 分钟。

邓肯在上半场开场的第一节里 5 投 5 中，得到 11 分中的 10 分。肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 在上半场也得到 11 分。

马刺队观察

周六：马刺队 99，独行侠队 77

亮点：蒂姆·邓肯以 21 分和 15 个篮板领跑马刺队。

战绩：马刺队 19-10（西部联盟中区第三）；独行侠队 10-20（西部联盟中区第五）

下一场比赛：马刺队对阵西雅图超音速队，周二晚上 7:30，阿拉莫穹顶球馆

点击查看原文：Duncan dooms lowly Mavericks

Duncan dooms lowly Mavericks

One night after setting a career low, Tim Duncan got back on track with 21 points to lead the Spurs to a 99-77 victory over Dallas Saturday night at the Alamodome.

The Spurs (19-10) wrapped up their third game in as many nights with their 13th victory in 15 games. The Mavericks, who were playing for the second straight night, fell to 10-20.

Duncan, who scored only five points against Toronto, quickly shook off any hangover from Friday, making his first five shots of the game. He finished 9 of 11 from the field and added a game-high 15 rebounds.

After doing a good job of trapping Duncan in the first half, Dallas’ double teams arrived a step late in the third quarter. Duncan scored the Spurs’ final six points of the quarter to give them a 69-59 lead, their biggest of the game.

All six of Duncan’s points came at the expense of Hot Rod Williams. He followed a turnaround with a runner off the glass. Then he faked Williams insid before spinning around him on the baseline for a lay-in.

Antonio Daniels helped bury the Mavericks for good. He scored six points and assisted on two other baskets, pushing the Spurs’ lead to 18 when Dallas called timeout with 7:08 left. Daniels finished with 11 points and four assists in 24 minutes.

Duncan made all five of his shots for 10 of his 11 first-half points in the opening quarter. Sean Elliott also had 11 points at the half.

Spurs watch

Saturday: @Spurs 99, Mavericks 77

Highlights: Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Records: Spurs 19-10 (third in Midwest Division); Mavericks 10-20 (fifth in Midwest)

Next game: Spurs vs. Seattle SuperSonics, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday @Alamodome

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-28, By Johnny Ludden

马刺队在圣安东尼奥完美反弹

美国退休人员协会 (AARP) 的会员们，马刺队已经听过关于连续三天三场比赛的所有恐怖故事：疲惫的双腿、拉伤的腿筋、训练师办公室里排的长队。

然而，没有人提到其中的优势。

另一顿免费的赛前大餐。

以及救赎。

输给多伦多？原谅穿着蓝色和绿色的衣服，就在拐角处等着你。

在对阵猛龙队的比赛中失误后，马刺队避免了再次失误，在周六晚上阿拉莫穹顶球场举行的比赛中以 99-77 击败达拉斯，取得了对他们的九连胜，现场 25,921 名球迷见证了这场胜利。

“昨晚很多球员都感到沮丧，”马里奥·伊莱 (Mario Elie) 说。“但最好的反弹方式就是再打一场比赛。”

周五输球后，蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 看起来最沮丧。在得到职业生涯最低的 5 分后，他只有一个请求：达拉斯。

“我迫不及待地想和他们比赛，”邓肯说。“我想忘记这一切。”

他很快就做到了。邓肯首发出场命中了前五球，最终得到全场最高的 21 分和 15 个篮板。他 11 次出手只投失了 2 球，并且只出现了 1 次失误，比周五减少了 5 次。

“有些人说，经过这么多夜晚之后，会打很多比赛，”邓肯说。“但是，像（周五）那样的一晚之后，你不会想坐着沉思那样的事情。

“能够回到这里，再打一场比赛，能够稍微赎罪一下，这很棒。”

马刺队 (19-10) 以 2-1 的战绩结束了他们在 11 个赛季以来的第一次连续三天三场比赛。周六的胜利也是马刺队在过去 15 场比赛中的第 13 场胜利。

“我能感觉到他们很累，”小牛队中锋肖恩·布拉德利 (Shawn Bradley) 说，他在两天内打了两场比赛。“他们比我们多打了一场比赛。但当他们看到自己有机会在下半场赢得这场比赛时，我认为他们的肾上腺素开始涌现，并接管了比赛。

“我们需要学会这样做。”

安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯 (Antonio Daniels) 为马刺队注入了活力。他在第四节的前五分钟里得到 6 分，并助攻了另外两记进球，帮助马刺队彻底击败了达拉斯队 (10-20)。当达拉斯队在比赛还剩 7 分 8 秒时叫出暂停时，他们开局的 10 分劣势已经扩大到了 18 分。

“我的目标是尽我所能改变比赛，”丹尼尔斯说，他在 24 分钟内得到 11 分和 4 次助攻。“无论是运球推进，投篮，还是任何事情。

“我只是想扣篮，或者做点什么让阿拉莫穹顶球场为之疯狂。”

艾弗里·约翰逊 (Avery Johnson) 说：“我们今天更加专注。我认为区别在于安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯。”

他得到了帮助。伊莱在下半场一开始就连续投进了两记三分球。替补出场的威尔·珀杜 (Will Perdue) 得到 6 分和 11 个篮板，史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr) 在 18 分钟内得到 12 分，包括两记三分球。

“在过去的一个半星期里，我们的替补球员非常出色，”大卫·罗宾逊 (David Robinson) 说。“他们真的改变了比赛的势头。今晚他们上场后，将我们的领先优势进一步扩大。

“我们的替补球员现在是我们最大的优势。”

马刺队在周五出现 19 次失误之后，只出现了 6 次失误，这也有助于他们获胜。而邓肯能够打出状态，也对比赛有所帮助。

在前半场成功地对邓肯进行包夹之后，达拉斯的包夹在第三节迟了一步。邓肯在那一节中为马刺队得到了最后 6 分。马刺队一直无法摆脱小牛队的纠缠，但他们带着 10 分的领先优势进入第四节。

邓肯的全部 6 分都是从霍特·罗德·威廉姆斯 (Hot Rod Williams) 身上得到的。威廉姆斯是少数几个邓肯在上赛季季后赛第一场对阵菲尼克斯的比赛中第四节得到 18 分的球员之一。

邓肯转身跳投得分，然后在篮下虚晃威廉姆斯，然后在底线绕过他上篮得分。

“蒂姆今晚在攻防两端都表现出色，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 说。“他非常强硬。”

对小牛队来说，这只是一场熟悉的重播。他们坚持了几乎三节时间，然后才崩溃。

在第三节还剩 6 分钟时，小牛队以 55-53 落后，他们在那一节的最后 10 次出手中只命中了 3 球。小牛队全场投篮命中率为 39.5%（81 投 32 中）。

马刺队观察

周六：马刺队 99，小牛队 77

亮点：蒂姆·邓肯得到全场最高的 21 分和 15 个篮板。

战绩：马刺队 19-10（中西部赛区第三名）；小牛队 10-20（中西部赛区第五名）

下一场比赛：马刺队对阵西雅图超音速队，周二晚上 7:30，阿拉莫穹顶球场。

点击查看原文：Mavs perfect way to rebound in S.A.

Mavs perfect way to rebound in S.A.

Card-carrying members of the AARP, the Spurs had heard all the horror stories about three games in three nights: tired legs, tweaked hamstrings, long lines in the trainer’s office.

No one, however, mentioned the advantages.

Another free pre-game meal.

And redemption.

Lose to Toronto? Forgiveness is dressed in blue and green, waiting just around the corner.

Twenty-four hours after tripping over themselves against the Raptors, the Spurs avoided another slip-up, whipping Dallas for the ninth straight time with a 99-77 victory in front of 25,921 fans at the Alamodome Saturday night.

“There were a lot of guys frustrated after last night,” Mario Elie said. “But the best way to bounce back is to have another game.”

No one looked more miserable after Friday’s loss than Tim Duncan. After scoring a career-low five points, he had one request: Dallas.

“I’m anxious to play them,” Duncan said. “I want to forget this.”

It didn’t take long to do just that. Duncan made his first five shots and finished with a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds. He missed only two of his 11 attempts and had a single turnover, five less than Friday.

“Some people say it’s a lot of games after a lot of nights,” Duncan said. "But after a night like (Friday), you don’t want to sit and dwell on something like that.

“It’s great to get back out here, have another game and be able to redeem yourself a bit.”

The Spurs (19-10) wrapped up their first back-to-back-to-back stretch in 11 seasons with a 2-1 record. Saturday’s victory also was the Spurs’ 13th in their last 15 games.

“I could tell they were tired,” said Mavericks center Shawn Bradley, who was playing his second game in as many nights. "They had played one more game than we had. But when they saw they had a chance to win this game in the second half I think their adrenaline kicked in and took over.

“We need to learn to do that.”

Credit Antonio Daniels for injecting some life into the Spurs. He helped bury Dallas (10-20) for good, scoring six points and assisting on two other baskets in the first five minutes of the final quarter. When Dallas called timeout with 7:08 left, its 10-point deficit at the start of the quarter had grown to 18.

“My goal is to change the game anyway I can,” said Daniels, who finished 11 points and four assists in 24 minutes. "Whether it’s pushing the ball up the court, making a shot, whatever.

“I just want to dunk or do something to make the Alamodome crazy.”

Said Avery Johnson: “We were a little more focused today. I think the difference was Antonio Daniels.”

He had help. Elie knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to start the second half. Off the bench, Will Perdue added six points and 11 rebounds and Steve Kerr dropped in 12 points - including two three-pointers - in 18 minutes.

“The last week and a half our bench has been huge,” David Robinson said. "They really changed the momentum for us. Tonight they came in and pushed our lead even farther.

“Our bench is our strength for us right now.”

It didn’t hurt that the Spurs only had six turnovers after committing 19 Friday. And it didn’t hurt that Duncan was able to get rolling.

After doing a good job of trapping him in the first half, Dallas’ double teams arrived a step late in the third quarter. Duncan scored the Spurs’ final six points of the period. Unable to shake the Mavericks until then, the Spurs rolled into the final quarter with a 10-point lead.

All six of Duncan’s points came at the expense of Hot Rod Williams. Williams was one of a select handful of players Duncan abused when he scored 18 points in the fourth quarter in the first game of the playoffs last season against Phoenix.

Duncan followed a turnaround with a runner off the glass. Then faked Williams inside before spinning around him on the baseline for a lay-in.

“Tim competed well tonight at both ends of the floor,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He was real physical.”

For the Mavericks, it was the same tired re-run. They hung tight for almost three quarters before falling.

Trailing 55-53 with six minutes left in the third quarter, Dallas made only three of its final 10 shots of the quarter. The Mavericks shot 39.5-percent (32 of 81) for the game.

Spurs watch

Saturday: @Spurs 99, Mavericks 77

Highlights: Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 21 points and 15 rebounds.

Records: Spurs 19-10 (third in Midwest Division); Mavericks 10-20 (fifth in Midwest)

Next game: Spurs vs. Seattle SuperSonics, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday @Alamodome

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-28, By Glenn Rogers

糟糕的投篮让小牛队遭遇败局

达拉斯小牛队的不幸消息是在周五晚上，他们刚刚在复兴球馆战胜丹佛掘金队之后传来的。

圣安东尼奥与多伦多的比赛比分传来 - 猛龙队 93 比 91 战胜马刺队。

“我们认为如果有人能偷袭他们，那肯定是我们，”达拉斯教练唐·尼尔森 (Don Nelson) 周六晚上说，指的是小牛队在马刺队打了三场比赛之后遇到的第三场比赛。“但多伦多队抢先一步，我们知道他们会像黄蜂一样愤怒。”

马刺队花了些时间才展现出他们的杀伤力，但在阿拉莫穹顶 99 比 77 的胜利中，这种杀伤力是致命的。

尽管如此，如果小牛队能够投进更多空位球，他们本可以使这场比赛更加有趣。达拉斯队实际上看起来比这两支球队都更加疲惫，他们在篮筐前沿投篮打铁，球穿过空中却没有进网。他们的投篮命中率只有 40%。

然而，达拉斯队在第三节初期还落后三分，本可以利用圣安东尼奥队通常在第三节的低迷。相反，小牛队看起来像是仅仅凭借指尖支撑着。

“我们需要取得领先或至少将比分追平，但我们就是无法克服这个障碍，”休伯特·戴维斯 (Hubert Davis) 说，他是小牛队无法对圣安东尼奥队施加更多压力的一大原因。他投了 12 球，命中了 5 球。

达拉斯队一直坚持，在第三节中段时落后两分。

然后，马刺队在蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 的带领下开始了反攻。邓肯利用霍特·罗德·威廉姆斯 (Hot Rod Williams) 的防守漏洞，没有受到双人夹击，在最后 2 分 16 秒内得了 7 分中的 6 分，将马刺队拉开了 10 分的领先优势。

“我们偏离了我们的节奏，”尼尔森说，拒绝详细说明。“他们的力量、技术和技巧占据了上风，他们真正地打开了局面。他们是一支更好的球队。”

圣安东尼奥队在第四节初期就将比赛带走了。

“我们落后 10 分，我们没有做出回应，”萨马基·沃克 (Samaki Walker) 说，他在内线奋力拼搏，拿下了 16 分。“你知道，在比赛结束前，你不会停止比赛。”

实际上，达拉斯队的 7 英尺 6 英寸中锋肖恩·布拉德利 (Shawn Bradley) 直到马刺队领先 17 分，比赛还剩不到 5 分钟时才开始发力。他两次突入内线，强势上篮得分。这将他的得分提高到了 15 投 7 中。

“我们需要做圣安东尼奥队已经学会做的事，”布拉德利说。“我们一直坚持，落后两分、四分或六分，然后他们将领先优势扩大到 10 分，”他说。“在那时，他们才真正发力，并继续扩大领先优势。”

小牛队总体策略没有奏效。他们想让马刺队疲惫不堪，并在比赛最后时刻抢走胜利。

“他们看起来不像是一场打了三场比赛的球队，”沃克说。“我们认为如果我们能让他们一直跑，就能得到一些投篮和轻松得分，但他们的疲劳没有显现出来。

“我们想对他们的内线球员犯规，至少让其中一个陷入犯规麻烦，”他说。“但他们太强大了，太厉害了。”

也许史蒂夫·纳什 (Steve Nash) 的总结最到位。

“我几乎想说‘无可奉告’，”他说。“我不知道哪里出了问题。不，我知道。我们投丢了很多球。”

点击查看原文：Dismal shooting dooms Mavericks

Dismal shooting dooms Mavericks

The bad news for the Dallas Mavericks came late Friday night, just after they finished defeating the Denver Nuggets at Reunion Arena.

The score of the San Antonio-Toronto game came across - Raptors 93, Spurs 91.

“We figured if anybody would sneak up on them it would be us,” Dallas coach Don Nelson said Saturday night, referring to the Mavs catching the Spurs on the third game in as many nights. “But Toronto beat us to it, and we knew they would be as mad as hornets.”

The Spurs took a while to apply the sting but it was fatal enough in the 99-77 victory at the Alamodome.

Still, the Mavs could have made this one a bit more interesting if they had been able to hit a few more open shots. Dallas actually looked the more tired of the two teams, banging shots off the front rim, swishing them through air instead of net. It hit 40 percent of its shots.

Yet, Dallas was within three early in the third quarter and could have taken advantage of the normal San Antonio third quarter sag. Instead, the Mavs appeared to be just hanging on by their fingertips.

“We needed to get the lead or at least tie the game, but we just couldn’t get over the hump,” said Hubert Davis, one of the reasons why the Mavs couldn’t put additional pressure on San Antonio. He hit five of his 12 shots.

Dallas hung around and was within two exactly midway through the third period.

Then the Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, began the takeover. Duncan, taking advantage of Hot Rod Williams and no double team, scored six of his seven points in the last 2:16 of the quarter to push the Spurs to a 10-point advantage.

“We got away from what we were doing,” Nelson said, declining to elaborate. “Their strength, power and skill took over and they really opened it up. They are a better team.”

San Antonio took the game away early in the fourth quarter.

“We were down by 10 and we didn’t respond,” said Samaki Walker, who bustled around inside enough to score 16 points. “You know, you don’t stop playing until there are 00s on the board.”

Actually, Dallas’ 7-6 center Shawn Bradley didn’t get going strong until the Spurs were up by 17 with less than five minutes to go. He twice drove the lane for strong layups. That pushed his line to 7 for 15.

“We need to do what San Antonio has learned to do,” Bradley said. “We stayed around, behind by two, four or six points, and then they pushed it to 10,” he said. “That’s when they really got going and kept building on the lead.”

The Mavericks’ overall strategy didn’t work. They wanted to run the Spurs ragged and snatch the game in the closing minutes.

“They didn’t look like they had played three games in a row,” Walker said. "We thought we could get some jump shots and easy baskets if we kept them running, but their fatigue didn’t show.

“We wanted to get some fouls on their big men, get at least one of them in foul trouble,” he said. “But they are too good, too strong.”

Perhaps Steve Nash summed it up best.

“I almost feel like saying no comment,” he said. “I don’t know what went wrong. Yeah, I do. We missed a lot of shots.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-03-29, By Johnny Ludden

科尔疯狂？闲暇时间不会困扰射手

史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr)赛前侦察的内容和所有其他马刺球员一样。彭尼·哈达威(Penny Hardaway)喜欢背身单打吗？尼克·范埃克塞尔(Nick Van Exel)会突破掩护吗？这些信息都在里面。

但对科尔来说，另一个特别重要的信息可以在任何基本的球队名单中找到。通常，“身高(HT)”栏目的内容决定了科尔接下来两个小时的安排。

如果道格·克里斯蒂(Doug Christie)身高6英尺6英寸，而阿尔文·威廉姆斯(Alvin Williams)身高6英尺5英寸，科尔就会坐在板凳上。

如果史蒂夫·纳什(Steve Nash)和埃里克·斯特里克兰(Erick Strickland)只有6英尺3英寸，科尔就会上场18分钟，并拿下12分。

“我已经期待这场比赛好几天了，因为我知道他们有一些矮个后卫，我估计我会得到上场时间，”科尔在周六战胜达拉斯后的比赛中说。“我必须抓住机会上场。努力享受我在场上的时光。

“我可能需要连续几场比赛坐在板凳上，但我能接受。”

科尔是马刺队本赛季通过自由球员市场引进的重要球员，他签下了一份令人惊讶的五年1100万美元的合同。他的上场时间取决于对方球队后场球员的身高和速度。

在对阵奥兰多和萨克拉门托的比赛中，科尔没有上场。这是他自六年前在魔术队效力以来，第一次没有因伤缺席的两场比赛。在坐板凳观看球队战胜国王队后，科尔在对阵金州勇士队的比赛中，26分钟内得到全场最高的14分。

“我觉得我理解篮球，也理解NBA的运作方式，”科尔说。“一个月前，我告诉（马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)）‘别担心，如果不能让我对阵某些球员，我会做好准备的。’

“我不会把它放在心上。我们只是在努力赢球。”

科尔身高6英尺3英寸，体重180磅，他在芝加哥效力的五年时间里，扮演着更为明确的角色，当时他和迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)或罗恩·哈珀(Ron Harper)搭档，他们两人都身高6英尺6英寸。让科尔和5英尺11英寸的控球后卫艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)搭档，让马刺队拥有了联盟中最矮的后场之一。

赛季开始时，科尔是约翰逊的替补，但他觉得更适合打得分后卫。从那时起，安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels)在约翰逊身后继续闪耀，而科尔则与马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)和贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)轮流上场。

“我认为我可以对阵更高大的后卫，”科尔说。“但显然，贾伦和马里奥比我强壮得多，所以当他们在防守那些球员时，我们不需要包夹。而且他们俩都打得很好。”

科尔一直高效地利用着他的时间，他在战胜芝加哥、菲尼克斯、金州勇士队和温哥华的比赛中，帮助马刺队取得了胜利。在过去七场比赛中，科尔13次出手三分球命中9球（命中率69.2%）。当科尔至少得到10分时，马刺队的战绩是6胜1负。

“他是那种当你需要的时候，就会做好准备的人，”波波维奇说。“而这个赛季到目前为止，他已经证明了这一点。”

由于上场时间有限，科尔在训练结束后会进行额外的体能训练。

“我发现这是让很多球员离开联盟的原因之一，”科尔说。

点击查看原文：Kerr crazy? Idle time not bothering shooter

Kerr crazy? Idle time not bothering shooter

Steve Kerr’s pregame scouting contains the same information as every other Spur. Does Penny Hardaway like to post up? Is Nick Van Exel fighting through picks? It’s all in there.

But of particular importance to Kerr is another piece of information that can be found in any basic program roster. What’s listed under the heading “HT” usually determines how Kerr spends the next two hours.

If Doug Christie stands 6-foot-6 and Alvin Williams 6-5, Kerr sits.

If Steve Nash and Erick Strickland only measure 6-3, Kerr plays 18 minutes and drops in 12 points.

“I had been looking forward to this game for the last couple days because I knew they had some smaller guards and I figured I would get time,” Kerr said after Saturday’s win over Dallas. "I’ve got to just play when I get a chance. Try to have some fun when I get out there.

“I may have to sit for a couple of games, but I’ll deal with it.”

Brought in as the Spurs’ major free-agent acquisition when he was signed to a surprising five- year, $11 million contract, Kerr’s minutes have come and gone and come and gone depending on the size and speed of the opposing team’s backcourt.

When Kerr didn’t play against Orlando and Sacramento, it marked the first two games he missed without an injury since he played for the Magic six seasons ago. The night after sitting out the win over the Kings, Kerr scored a season-high 14 points in 26 minutes against Golden State.

“I feel like I understand basketball and I understand the way the NBA works,” Kerr said. "I told (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) a month ago, ‘Don’t worry if you can’t play me against certain guys, I’ll be ready.’

“I’m not taking it personally. We’re just trying to win.”

Listed at 6-3, 180 pounds, Kerr played a more defined role during his five seasons in Chicago, when he was paired with Michael Jordan or Ron Harper, both 6-6. Putting Kerr on the floor with 5-11 point guard Avery Johnson gives the Spurs one of the smallest backcourts in the NBA.

Kerr backed up Johnson at the start of the season, but felt better- suited to play shooting guard. Since then, Antonio Daniels has continued to shine behind Johnson, while Kerr shares time with Mario Elie and Jaren Jackson.

“I think I can play against bigger guards,” Kerr said. “But obviously Jaren and Mario are much stronger than I am, so we don’t have to double-team when they’re guarding those guys. And they’ve both played well.”

Kerr has been nothing but efficient with his time, jump-starting the Spurs in wins over Chicago, Phoenix, Golden State and Vancouver. Over the last seven games, Kerr has made 9 of 13 three-pointers (69.2 percent). The Spurs are 6- 1 when he scores at least 10 points.

“He’s one of those guys who is going to be ready when you call upon him,” Popovich said. “And that’s proven to be true so far this season.”

Because of his limited minutes, Kerr has put in extra conditioning work after practice.

“I found that was one of the things that drove a lot of guys out of the league,” Kerr said.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News