马刺1998-99赛季实录（780+篇）

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-15, By Johnny Ludden

马刺瞄准狼群 - 约翰逊敦促球队保持专注，力争终结比赛 - 明尼苏达

艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 在周五早上为马刺队制定了比赛规则：视频会议期间不准笑或窃笑。

为比赛保留击掌、肘击或其他庆祝性的运动行为。

不要去梦想总冠军戒指、NBA 冠军或市中心的游行。

小快乐先生也告诫了记者。

“别去写关于大卫打得好的故事，”约翰逊说。“我们还没看到真正的大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)。”

马刺队的成功秘诀显然包含大量的暴躁。所以不要期望看到太多笑容，除非他们在今天下午的明尼苏达靶场中心进行的西部联盟首轮五场三胜制系列赛第四场比赛中击败了明尼苏达队。

“有人说我是圣诞怪杰？”马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie) 问。“艾弗里和我很像。”

约翰逊是埃利的沃尔特·马修(Walter Matthau) 身边的杰克·莱蒙(Jack Lemmon)。两个脾气暴躁的老头，一边喝着李子汁，一边对年轻的队友喋喋不休。在马刺队周四晚上以 2-1 的比分击败森林狼队，取得西部联盟系列赛的领先优势后不到 30 分钟，约翰逊就督促每个人不要失去他们的优势。

“我没有时间照顾 12 或 14 个人，”约翰逊说。“但从我开始。如果队员们看到我专注，看到马里奥·埃利专注，看到大卫·罗宾逊专注，这种专注就会延续到比赛中。”

马刺队的目标是将周四的表现延续到今天的下午 2 点的比赛。在第三场比赛中，他们在最后三节成功地将明尼苏达队的每回合出手次数限制为一次。他们还更好地防守了凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett) 和特雷尔·布兰登(Terrell Brandon) 的挡拆配合。每当森林狼队试图快攻时，埃利或杰罗姆·柯西(Jerome Kersey) 通常都会步步紧逼。

明尼苏达队上半场 42 次出手命中 11 球（命中率 26.2%），仅得 28 分，是 NBA 季后赛历史上半场得分第五低的球队。迪恩·加勒特(Dean Garrett) （4 投 3 中）和拉多斯拉夫·内斯特罗维奇(Radoslav Nesterovic) （2 投 1 中）是唯一两名命中率超过 50% 的森林狼球员。

“我们的重点是尝试推进球，打出一些简单的得分，”明尼苏达队主教练弗利普·桑德斯(Flip Saunders) 说。“你可能会认为情况相反，认为我们试图将球运到半场，打半场阵地战。

“我们想打出一些简单的得分，让球迷们参与进来。你不能一直跟他们的巨人们打阵地战。”

马刺队只在进攻计划中做了一些调整。当蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 低位单打时，埃利试图让森林狼队措手不及。有时他会跑到底角。有时他会与邓肯打挡拆配合。邓肯和罗宾逊也接到了更深处的低位传球，这为马刺队提供了更好的空间。

在第二场比赛中对约翰逊设陷阱后，明尼苏达队不断地将他放空，让他练习跳投。在他 15 投 12 中后，他们今天很可能不会再这样做。

“…就像我每年都告诉你们的，”约翰逊说，“如果你和肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 和马里奥·埃利一起上场，你还有两位像蒂姆·邓肯和戴维德·罗宾逊这样的优秀内线球员，如果我是教练，我也会放空我（自己）。

“这很简单 - 遵循概率。这不是侮辱。这只是遵循概率。”

由于罗宾逊的重新崛起，马刺队获胜的几率也更高。然而，约翰逊似乎对罗宾逊的 17 分和 18 个篮板并不太满意。约翰逊说，周五训练的一部分重点是找到方法让马刺队的中锋更加参与。

“我记得当大卫拿到 18 个篮板时，（前主教练）约翰·卢卡斯(John Lucas) 会告诉他应该拿到 25 个，”约翰逊说。“当你在上半场得到 14 分时，你应该得到 18 分。所以，是的，我们还有很多可以改进的地方。”

然而，保持愤怒仍然是口号。所以取消那些“为总冠军而战”的宣传片，约翰逊说。忘记所有关于横扫的过度热情炒作。最重要的是，请不要说任何关于罗宾逊的好话。

点击查看原文：Spurs draw bead on Wolves - Johnson urges team to stay focused as it tries to finish off - Minnesota

Spurs draw bead on Wolves - Johnson urges team to stay focused as it tries to finish off - Minnesota

Avery Johnson laid out ground rules for the Spurs early Friday morning: No laughing or giggling during video session.

Save the high-fives, forearm bashes or other celebratory forms of athletic behavior for the game.

No daydreaming about championship rings, NBA titles or downtown parades.

Little Mr. Happy also admonished reporters.

“Don’t go writing stories about how David had a good game,” Johnson said. “We still haven’t seen the real David Robinson yet.”

The Spurs’ prescription for success apparently involves a heavy dose of surliness. So don’t expect too many smiling faces unless they close out Minnesota in Game 4 of their first-round, best-of-five playoff series this afternoon at the Target Center.

“And people say I’m the grinch?” Mario Elie asked. “Avery is just as bad.”

Johnson is the Jack Lemmon to Elie’s Walter Matthau. A pair of grumpy old men, swigging prune juice and yapping at their younger teammates. Less than 30 minutes after the Spurs beat the Timberwolves on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference series, Johnson was chiding everyone not to lose their edge.

“I don’t have time to baby-sit 12 or 14 people,” Johnson said. “But it starts with me. If guys see I’m focused and guys see Mario Elie focused and guys see David Robinson focused, it’s going to carry over to the game.”

The goal now for the Spurs is to carry over Thursday’s performance to today’s 2 p.m. tipoff. In Game 3, they did a good job of limiting Minnesota to only one shot per possession for the final three quarters. They also defended the pick-and-roll between Kevin Garnett and Terrell Brandon better. And whenever the Timberwolves looked to run, Elie or Jerome Kersey usually matched them step for step.

Minnesota made 11 of 42 shots (26.2 percent) in the first half and scored just 28 points, the fifth-lowest total for a half in NBA playoff history. Dean Garrett (3 of 4) and Radoslav Nesterovic (1 of 2) were the only Wolves to make at least half their shots.

“Our emphasis was to try to push the ball up the floor and get some easy baskets,” Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. "You’d think it was the reverse and that we were trying to walk it up the floor and get a half-court game.

“We wanted to get some easy hoops and get the crowd into the game. You can’t keep on playing against their big people and go against the half court.”

The Spurs only put a few wrinkles in their offensive plan. When Tim Duncan posted up, Elie tried to keep the Wolves off-balance. Sometimes he would drift into the corner. Other times he played a pick-and-roll with Duncan. Duncan and Robinson also got the ball deeper in the post, giving the Spurs better spacing.

And after trapping Johnson in Game 2, Minnesota continually left him alone to practice his jumper. After he made 12 of 15 shots, it’s a safe bet they won’t do it again today.

“… Like I keep telling y’all year after year,” Johnson said, "if you’re out there with Sean Elliott and Mario Elie, and you’ve got two great post people like Tim Duncan and David Robinson, if I was the coach, I’d leave me (open), too.

“That’s simple - play the percentages. That’s not an insult. That’s just playing the percentages.”

The odds were in the Spurs’ favor also thanks to the re-emergence of Robinson. Johnson, however, didn’t seem too impressed with Robinson’s 17 points and 18 rebounds. Part of the focus of Friday’s practice, Johnson said, was to find ways to get the Spurs center even more involved.

“I remember when David would have 18 rebounds, (and former coach) John Lucas would tell him he should have had 25,” Johnson said. “When you have 14 points in the first half, you should have had 18. So, yeah, there are a lot of ways for us to improve.”

Stay mad, however, continues to be the motto. So kill those “Run for the Ring” promos, Johnson said. Forget all that overzealous hype about a sweep. And, above all else, please don’t say anything nice about Robinson.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-15, By Johnny Ludden

笔记

别闹了：由于马戏团占用明尼阿波利斯的目标中心，马刺队周五早上在附近的健康俱乐部训练。没错，就是狮子、老虎，还有整个三环马戏。

大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)在前往美国全国广播公司(NBC)的采访室的路上，成功避开了大象。他回来后，马刺队观看了录像，然后进行了训练。

“我们将尝试预测明尼苏达可能会做什么，但我们不想过度补偿，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)说。

替补出场：杰罗姆·科西(Jerome Kersey)在周四的比赛中为马刺队贡献了一些稳固的分钟。

他在关键的第二节抢下了七个篮板中的四个，还投进几个远投。科西还不断地回防，阻碍了明尼苏达的快攻。

“他在场上就像一头野兽，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇说。“人们不太注意他，但当你观看录像时，你会发现他在那里拼搏，抢下篮板球。”

保持活跃：大卫·罗宾逊说，在第三场比赛之前，他和格雷格·波波维奇教练以及艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)谈过要更加积极参与。

“我跳得比以前好多了，”罗宾逊说。“我跑得更多，参与了更多挡拆配合。

“我可以整天和艾弗里一起跑挡拆配合。”

马刺队希望看到罗宾逊更多地冲击篮筐。

还有一场：马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)说，马刺队来明尼阿波利斯并不是想打成平手。

“我们势不可挡，”埃利说。“我们不想只赢一场。我们赢了第一场，我们也应该赢下第二场。现在是完成任务的时候了。”

点击查看原文：NOTES

NOTES

No clowning around: The Spurs practiced at a nearby health club Friday morning after a circus forced them out of the Target Center. That’s right: lions, tigers, the whole three rings.

David Robinson managed to sidestep the elephants on his way to NBC’s interview room. When he returned, the Spurs watched film before working out.

“We’re going to try to anticipate what Minnesota might do, but we don’t want to overcompensate,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Off the bench: Jerome Kersey gave the Spurs some solid minutes in Thursday’s game.

He pulled down four of his seven rebounds in the pivotal second quarter and hit a couple of long jumpers. Kersey also continually hustled back on defense to stall Minnesota’s running game.

“He was a real monster out there,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “People don’t notice him much, but when you look at the film, he’s out there banging, getting loose balls and getting rebounds.” Staying active: David Robinson said he spoke with Coach Gregg Popovich and Avery Johnson before Game 3 about being more involved.

“I was bouncing off the floor a lot better,” Robinson said. "I got out and ran more pick-and-rolls.

“I could go out there and run pick- and-rolls with Avery all day long.”

The Spurs would like to see Robinson going to the basket even more.

One more to go: Mario Elie said the Spurs didn’t come to Minneapolis seeking a split.

“We’re on a roll,” Elie said. “We didn’t want to win just one. We got the first one, we might as well get the second. It’s time to finish the job.” - Johnny Ludden

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-15, By Ddan Cook

无私的罗宾逊，真正的MVP

已经很多周了，我们没有在这个版块刊登读者来信和录音电话了。然而，我们现在积累了一大堆关于当前和有趣话题的信件，所以我们将玩问答游戏。

事实上，即使没有问题，我们也会提供答案。

自然地，我们会从一些关于马刺队的信件开始。

来自 E.E. 阿什(E.E. Ash) (温伯利)：“每个人都错了。NBA 的 MVP 应该是大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)。没有其他超级巨星会像罗宾逊那样平静地将自己的球队交到一个年轻有潜力的明星手中。他默默地接受了替补防守的角色，为了球队利益。但在与波特兰的决胜局中，在主场优势岌岌可危、年轻明星哑火的情况下，大卫站了出来，就像昔日的罗宾逊一样，拿下29分，超过了圣安东尼奥得分总数的三分之一。这就是你的 MVP。”

（你提出了一个许多人忽略的有效观点。今年的圣安东尼奥队中有很多无私的球员，大卫无疑在这份名单中排名第一。）

来自劳尔·瓦斯克斯(Raul Vasquez)：“我简直不敢相信。我们的马刺队在赛季末势不可挡，整个城市都支持他们。然后他们在主场打得像路边死尸一样，输给了明尼苏达。似乎历史上每支马刺队在季后赛开始后都会崩溃。我在第一场季后赛中就哑了嗓子，在第二场季后赛中就失去了信心。”

（哦，你们这些缺乏信仰的人。嘿，劳尔，你不会指望马刺队轻松地横扫所有季后赛系列赛，没有一两场失利吧？）

来自查理·摩尔(Charley Moore)：“几天前你写道，这是马刺队历史上最好的球队。丹尼小子，你老脑子糊涂了。你一定是疯了。”

（好吧，也许吧。但我相信，对于一个古怪的老家伙来说，我很享受这段旅程。）

来自玛丽·卡斯蒂略(Marie Castillo)：“你能帮我把这篇文章刊登在你的报纸上吗？为马刺队加油！”

（但只刊登一次，绝不再刊登，玛丽。）

点击查看原文：Unselfish Robinson the real MVP

Unselfish Robinson the real MVP

It’s been many weeks since we published letters and recorded phone calls from readers in this space. However, we now have a sizable stack on current and interesting matters so we’ll play the Q and A game.

As a matter of fact, we’ll offer replies even when no questions are asked.

Naturally, we’ll open with a few messages on the Spurs.

From E.E. Ash (Wimberley): “Everyone has it all wrong. The MVP in the NBA should be David Robinson. There is no other superstar who would have turned over his team to a young, budding star as calmly as did Robinson. He quietly accepted a secondary defensive role to benefit his team. But in the big game with Portland, with home court on the line and the young star gone cold, David stepped up and, like the Robinson of old, scored 29 points, over one-third of the total points scored by SanAntonio. There’s your MVP.”

(You make a valid point that’s been missed by many. There are a lot of unselfish players on this year’s San Antonio team and David certainly rates No. 1 on that list.)

From Raul Vasquez: “I can’t believe it. Our Spurs were going like gangbusters at the end of the season and this whole town was behind them. Then they played like road kill on their home court and lost to Minnesota. It seems like every Spurs team in history falls apart as soon as the playoffs start. I lost my voice in the first playoff game here. I lost my faith in the second.”

(Oh ye of little faith. Hey Raul, you didn’t expect the Spurs to coast through every playoff series without one or two losses, did you?)

From Charley Moore: “A few days ago you wrote that this is the best Spurs team in the history of the franchise. Danny Boy, your old brain has dimmed out. You gotta be nuts.”

(Well, maybe. But I’m sure having a lot of fun for a wacky old dude.)

From Marie Castillo: “Will you please get this in your newspaper for me? GO SPURS.”

(But only once and never again, Marie.)

From Thomas R. White: “My wife and I want to know why our local media is going so wild over the return to boxing of Mr. Tony Ayala Jr.? He was always ‘about’ to become a world champion but his ring career was always getting interrupted by a savage rape that he committed. Let’s wait until he wins something without again raping some woman before we get too excited. What do you think, Mr. Cook?”

(I think that a lot of folks have committed murder and served less time than the 16 years Ayala served. I think we should take a wait-and-see attitude on his future behavior in society and allow the man to return to work like any other released convict. His work just happens to be boxing, a sport that has many fans and much interest in this area.)

From Mrs. Charles Ford: “I do not understand how professional tennis players are rated. That Russian star, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, has been rated No. 1 in the world for months and he has lost his last five tournament matches. Yet, I read that he is still No. 1. Can you please explain?”

(No ma’am, I can’t explain. And I don’t know anyone who can. I think whenever some guy with a funny name gets to be No. 1 they let him stay on top until all top tennis officials learn how to spell his name. At any rate, Kafelnikov lost seven straight matches and was still No. 1 before he finally got a win last week. Tennis ratings, I believe, are done with obsolete, hand-cranked Russian computers.)

By Ddan Cook, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-15, By Glenn Rogers

狼队被列入濒危物种名单

明尼苏达森林狼队正在主场迎战圣安东尼奥马刺队。

因此，当一群小丑，脸上画着悲伤的表情，在周五媒体入侵之前，从森林狼队同样阴郁的更衣室经过时，并不令人感到意外。

森林狼队在五场三胜制的首轮系列赛中以 2-1 落后，今天下午对阵马刺队将面临淘汰。

这些用低沉的耳语说出的声明是可预见的。

背水一战。淘汰赛，就像 NCAA。是时候振作起来了。保持职业态度。

森林狼队在第二场比赛中意外战胜圣安东尼奥马刺队之后，那种洋溢着自信的氛围不见了。教练弗利普·桑德斯(Flip Saunders)需要进行严肃的心理游戏，才能让他的球队重拾精神状态。

“当我们落后超过几个篮板时，我们并不是一支善于反击的球队，”中锋迪恩·加勒特(Dean Garrett)说，他指的是周四晚上森林狼队在第二节遭遇的猛烈进攻。“当我们可以用一两个篮板追回比分时，我们还不错。”

然而，加勒特还没有准备好举白旗投降。

“当然，我仍然相信马刺队是我们在第一轮中最想遇到的球队，”他说。“你知道，我们基本上还是控制住了他们的两个大个子。我们用一些封盖给他们制造了威胁，迫使他们打第二球。但艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)才是决定因素。他，以及这个事实：我们错失了太多空位投篮。”

约翰逊的名字一次又一次地被提及。这位控球后卫凭借 15 投 12 中的命中率给森林狼队造成了致命打击。

桑德斯说，他的防守策略将基本保持不变——重点是包夹蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)和大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)。但他表示，放弃约翰逊或其他任何外线射手，这不在比赛计划之内。

“这取决于你的选择，”他说。“你必须集中精力对付邓肯和罗宾逊，然后是外线球员。但我们的防守轮转必须更加积极，更快。当球员们观看录像时，他们会看到这一点。

“我们确实有一些活力，但没有在我们主场时那么活力。我们没有所有的压制，所有的进攻目标倾向，所有的活动。有时你会被主场球迷所迷惑，认为他们会帮你打赢比赛。马刺队在圣安东尼奥阿拉莫体育馆就经历了这样的情况。”

大前锋乔·史密斯(Joe Smith)在这几场比赛中进攻乏力，他对此表示同意。

“罗宾逊确实抢下了很多篮板，但除此之外，我们控制了他们的球员，”史密斯说。“首先，我们必须把球投进篮筐，这样就不会有那么多的篮板球可抢。其次，要更快地轮转，挑战那些外线射手。”

然而，史密斯听起来并不自信。

特雷尔·布兰登(Terrell Brandon)在周四比赛几乎结束之前才开始发力，他注意到马刺队只得了 85 分。

“当你包夹对方，放弃防守你的球员时，这就是你要承担的风险，”布兰登说。“但我们仍然可以足够快地移动来覆盖一个空位射手。如果我们减少他们的外线投篮，继续打好我们的防守，并投进一些球，我们就能再次扭转局面。”

点击查看原文：Wolves on endangered-species list

Wolves on endangered-species list

The circus is in town at the Target Center.

So it wasn’t surprising when a gang of clowns, with sad looks painted on their faces, trooped past the Timberwolves’ equally gloomy locker room just before to the media invasion on Friday.

The Wolves, down 2-1 in this best-of-five first-round playoff series, face elimination when they meet the Spurs this afternoon.

The statements, issued in low, whispery voices, were predictable.

Backs against the wall. Elimination game, like in the NCAAs. Time to suck it up. Be professional.

The ebullient, confident air that surrounded the Timberwolves after their unexpected victory at the Alamodome in Game 2 was gone. Coach Flip Saunders has serious mind games to play to get his troops back into mental shape.

“We’re not a very good team at coming back when we get down by more than a few baskets,” center Dean Garrett said, referring to the blitzing the Wolves suffered in the second quarter Thursday night. “We’re OK when we can get right back into a game with a basket or two.”

Still, Garrett wasn’t quite ready to send up the white flag.

“Sure, I still believe that the Spurs were the best team for us to meet in the first round,” he said. “You know, we still pretty much contained their two big guys. We still intimidated with some blocks, made them take second shots. But Avery (Johnson) was the difference. Him and the fact that we missed so many open shots.”

Johnson’s name came up time and again. The point guard mortally wounded the Wolves by hitting 12 of his 15 shots.

Saunders said his defensive schemes will remain pretty much the same - heavy emphasis on collapsing on Tim Duncan and David Robinson. But he said leaving Johnson, or any other perimeter shooter wide open, was not in the game plan.

“It’s pick your poison,” he said. "You have to concentrate on Duncan and Robinson, then the perimeter guys. But our defensive rotation has to be more aggressive, quicker. The guys will see that when they watch the film.

“We did have some energy but not the same energy we had at their place. We didn’t have all the intimidations, all the offensive goal tends, all that activity. Sometimes you can get lulled by your home crowd, think they will pull it out for you. Some of that happened to the Spurs at the Alamodome.”

Power forward Joe Smith, an offensive non-factor in these games, tended to agree.

“Robinson did get a lot of rebounds but, otherwise, we controlled their guys,” Smith said. “First, we have to put the ball in the hole so there won’t be that many boards to get. Second, rotate quicker and challenge those outside shooters.”

Yet Smith sounded far from confident.

Terrell Brandon, who didn’t start his serious shelling Thursday until the game was all but decided, looked at the fact that the Spurs still scored only 85 points.

“It’s the risk you take when you double down, leave your man,” Brandon said. “But we can still move fast enough to cover an open shooter. If we cut down on their outside shooting, continue to play our defense and hit some shots, we can turn this thing around again.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-15, By Buck Harvey

幽灵罗宾逊？新星球大战

大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)在明尼苏达目标中心办公室里走了五分钟，经过了为周五马戏团表演而来的小丑，来到了一部服务电梯，接受了美国全国广播公司(NBC)的简短采访。

他们问了他一些标准问题。蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)是联盟最有价值球员吗？凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)有多厉害？

罗宾逊像往常一样礼貌地回答了。在返回途中，有人问罗宾逊关于他新奇的身份。人们仍然想和他谈论其他球员，但他对比赛的影响难道不比任何人都大吗？

罗宾逊笑了。“我也是这么想的。也许我对篮球的了解不像我以前那样多了。”

认识一下幽灵杀手，1999 年的版本。罗宾逊依然在赢球，但他现在所做的事情大多不为人所知。在这场星球大战中，他是一个例子，说明了数据如何影响声誉。

罗宾逊有时比杀手更像幽灵，这就是为什么埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)周五一直盯着他。当罗宾逊在接受 NBC 采访时，AJ 正在告诉其他媒体，他仍然希望罗宾逊做得更多。

“他还没有为季后赛做好准备，”AJ 宣称。“我甚至不希望他带着我已经达到顶峰的想法来参加训练。你们不要开始写大卫打了一场精彩的比赛。”

算我答应。罗宾逊周四晚上取得的 18 个篮板、17 分、7 次助攻、3 次抢断和 3 次盖帽？从来没有发生过。

这大约是外界看待他的方式。这在周四比以往任何时候都更加清晰，当时 NBA 宣布了最佳防守阵容。除了 1997 年因伤缺阵外，罗宾逊在每个赛季都入选了第一或第二阵容。但本赛季，当格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)让他成为联盟最佳防守之一的防守核心时，罗宾逊没有获得任何第一名的选票，只比安德鲁·盖兹(Andrew Gaze)多出了两分。

罗宾逊摇了摇头。“没有入选任何一支最佳防守阵容队伍？”他问道，他知道答案。

也许是因为 NBA 教练是按位置投票的，而迪肯贝·穆托姆博(Dikembe Mutombo)和阿隆佐·莫宁(Alonzo Mourning)是当之无愧的中锋。或者也许这就是一个球员只专注于赢球所带来的结果。

数据下降，地位降低？即使教练是对的，解释一下为什么一些媒体将邓肯和肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)列为年度最佳防守球员候选人，而不是罗宾逊？

罗宾逊置之不理。他现在谈论的一切都是围绕着球队。当他在周二的比赛中表现得像马刺队其他球员一样平淡无奇时，他说这是周围发生的事情的结果。他会被包夹，但没有人空位。他卡位，但明尼苏达的篮板手会从另一个缝隙飞过，无人阻挡。因此，罗宾逊说，他在周四的爆发主要是马刺队团结一致的结果。

马刺队并不总是赞同这一点（参见 AJ）。但这仍然是罗宾逊放弃曾经定义他的得分和数据的那种态度。他不再记得自己是如何与穆托姆博和莫宁正面交锋的——那时原力一直与罗宾逊同在——而是紧紧抓住他读到的东西。

这是一篇关于比尔·拉塞尔(Bill Russell)的访谈。拉塞尔在谈论自己大学毕业后没有多少进攻手段的时候，他想知道如何应对 NBA。据拉塞尔说，雷德·奥尔巴赫(Red Auerbach)在他们第一次见面时打消了他所有的恐惧。奥尔巴赫告诉拉塞尔，不要担心得分或数据，只要改变比赛，我们会以这种方式协商你的合同。

“我现在就是这样看待自己的，”罗宾逊说。“数据对我来说已经不再重要了。”

只对其他人重要。

点击查看原文：The phantom Robinson? New star wars

The phantom Robinson? New star wars

David Robinson took a five-minute walk through the offices of the Target Center, past the clowns here for Friday’s circus, to a service elevator, for a quickie interview with NBC.

There they asked him the standard stuff. Is Tim Duncan the MVP? How great is Kevin Garnett?

Robinson answered nicely, as usual. And on the way back someone asked Robinson about his new, curious status. People still want to talk to him - about other players. But doesn’t he still impact games arguably more than anyone?

Robinson laughed. “That’s what I thought. Maybe I don’t know as much about basketball as I once thought.”

Meet the Phantom Menace, the 1999 episode. Robinson wins games, still, but now what he does goes mostly unseen and unrecognized. In these star wars, he’s an example of how stats affect reputation.

Robinson can at times be more phantom than menace, which is why Avery Johnson stayed on him Friday. As Robinson was talking to NBC, AJ was telling the rest of the media that he still wants more from Robinson.

“He hasn’t shown up yet for the playoffs,” AJ declared. “I don’t even want him to come to practice thinking he’s arrived. Don’t you guys start writing Dave had a big game.”

Consider it done. Robinson’s 18 boards, 17 points, seven assists, three steals and three blocks Thursday night? Never happened.

Which is about how the rest of the world sees it. That was never more clear than Thursday, when the NBA announced its all- defensive teams. Robinson had been either first or second team every season he’s played except one (1997) when injuries took him out. But this season, when Gregg Popovich asked him to anchor one of the league’s best defenses, Robinson got no first-place votes and only two more points than Andrew Gaze.

Robinson shook his head at that. “Not on either team?” he asked, knowing the answer.

Maybe it’s because NBA coaches voted by position, and Dikembe Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning are the deserving centers. Or maybe this is what happens when a player commits to nothing more than trying to win.

Lower stats, lower status? Even if the coaches are right, explain how some media outlets have listed Duncan and Sean Elliott - not Robinson - as a defensive player of the year candidate.

Robinson tunes it out. Everything he talks about now is in the context of the team. When he played as flat as any Spur on Tuesday, he says it was the result of what happened around him. He’d get doubled, but no one was open. He’d box out, and a Minnesota rebounder would fly through another crack untouched. So Robinson says his surge Thursday was mostly about how the Spurs blended together.

The Spurs don’t always agree with that (see AJ). But it’s still the attitude that allowed Robinson to give up the shots and stats that once defined him. Instead of remembering how he’s always played head-up against Mutombo and Mourning - the Force was always with Robinson then - he holds onto to something he read.

It was a Q-and-A with Bill Russell. Russell was talking about when he came out of college without much of an offensive game, and Russell wondered how to approach the NBA. According to Russell, Red Auerbach calmed all fears in their first meeting. Don’t worry about points or numbers, Auerbach told Russell. Just change the game, and we’ll negotiate your contracts that way.

“That’s how I see myself now,” Robinson said. “The stats just don’t matter anymore to me.”

Only to others.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-16, By Johnny Ludden

冲向洛杉矶 - 马刺力克饥饿的森林狼

马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie) 手上拿着时间，头上缝着一道 1.5 英寸长的伤口。

在第二节比赛结束时，马刺的医疗团队急忙为他缝合伤口，埃利坐在目标中心球馆的更衣室里，通过电视观看着周六对阵明尼苏达的季后赛比赛。

他简直不敢相信自己所看到的。

“是我们队的戴维·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 准备打架了吗？”埃利问道。

果然。在赛季初，埃利曾批评过罗宾逊缺乏情绪，而罗宾逊在两队之间的四次冲突中，第三次与森林狼前锋乔·史密斯(Joe Smith) 对峙。

最终，当怒火平息后，只有马刺依然屹立不倒。

凭借周六在第四节的顽强表现，马刺以 92-85 赢得了这场五场三胜制的首轮系列赛。森林狼将收拾行装回家度假，而马刺将继续前进，在西部半决赛中面对洛杉矶湖人。

七场四胜制的系列赛首场比赛将在周一晚上 8:30 在阿拉莫穹顶体育馆进行。马刺队史上只有一次突破第二轮，但埃利在周六这场情绪激昂的胜利后对马刺充满信心。

“这些家伙拥有强大的心脏和自豪感，”埃利说。“我们拥有强大的心理素质，而这正是获胜的关键。”

在罗宾逊的带领下，马刺曾被贴上“软弱”的标签，但在第二节，当森林狼开始施压时，他们毫不退缩。

明尼苏达后卫安东尼·皮勒(Anthony Peeler) 用手肘击打埃利的头部，导致其头部出现一道需要缝两层的伤口。埃利流血不止，两次都被阻止了对皮勒的报复行为。

不到两分钟后，皮勒将贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson) 撞倒在地。杰克逊冲到皮勒面前，随后被拉开。

在罗宾逊与史密斯缠斗之后，明尼苏达的全明星前锋凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett) 击打蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 的头部。随后，威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue) 从替补席上站起，对加内特犯规，引发了更多推搡和争吵。

“威尔所做的事情很重要，”埃利说。“这告诉他们，‘嘿，如果你想打得强硬，我们也可以。’大家互相保护，这很好。”

罗宾逊与史密斯的对峙吸引了最多的关注。史密斯击中罗宾逊的头部后，罗宾逊推了史密斯并对他大喊大叫。

罗宾逊还曾多少次对对手采取行动？

“我用一只手就能数过来，”马刺的肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott) 说。

艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 说：“我喜欢看到这一幕。上赛季，戴维可能不会这样做。蒂姆可能不会打得那么强硬。但这是一支新的球队，我们不再是那样了。”

埃利同意。

“戴维必须表现出一些情绪，”他说。“你知道，不能让那些家伙欺负他。这个家伙很有自豪感，而且很强大。”

罗宾逊是马刺队中得分（19 分）、篮板（11 个）和盖帽（4 个）最高的球员，他说，给史密斯和森林狼其他球员传递一个信息很重要。

“这是一个控制局面的好机会，”罗宾逊说。“考虑到比赛的激烈程度，我们不能让他们占据主动。”

马刺在下半场保持冷静，并在第四节从落后五分的局面中反超。

“也许过去这支球队可能无法保持专注，”罗宾逊说。“但我们做到了这一点。我们打造了一支非常棒的球队，我们不想失去它。”

点击查看原文：Bring on L.A. - Spurs fight off hungry Timberwolves

Bring on L.A. - Spurs fight off hungry Timberwolves

Mario Elie had time on his hands and a 11/2-inch-long cut on his head.

With the Spurs’ medical staff rushing to sew him up late in the second quarter, Elie sat in the Target Center locker room and watched Saturday’s playoff game against Minnesota on television.

He couldn’t believe what he saw.

“Is that the David Robinson on our team ready to fight?” Elie asked.

Sure enough. Chided by Elie early in the season for his lack of emotion, Robinson squared off with Timberwolves forward Joe Smith for the third of four skirmishes between the teams.

And when tempers finally cooled, only the Spurs were left standing.

With their gutty 92-85 win in Game 4 on Saturday, the Spurs captured the best-of-five, first-round series. While the Timberwolves pack for vacation, the Spurs move on to the Western Conference semifinals to face the Los Angeles Lakers.

The first game of the best-of-seven series will be played at 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Alamodome. The Spurs have only advanced past the second round once in franchise history, but Elie liked the Spurs’ chances after Saturday’s emotional victory.

“These guys have a lot of heart and pride,” Elie said. “We have the mental toughness, and that’s what it takes to win.”

Labeled as a soft team during Robinson’s tenure, the Spurs didn’t back down in the second quarter when the Timberwolves started pushing.

Minnesota guard Anthony Peeler raked his elbow across Elie’s head, opening up a gash that needed two layers of stitches. Bleeding profusely, Elie twice had to be restrained from going after Peeler.

Less than two minutes later, Peeler knocked Jaren Jackson to the floor. Jackson got in Peeler’s face before being separated.

After Robinson and Smith tangled, Kevin Garnett, Minnesota’s All-Star forward, whacked Tim Duncan on the head. Will Perdue then came off the bench and fouled Garnett in the face, prompting more pushing and shoving.

“What Will did was important,” Elie said. “That told them, ‘Hey, if you want to play physical, we can, too.’ Guys guarded each other’s backs. That was good to see.”

Robinson’s standoff with Smith drew the most attention. After Smith hit him in the head, Robinson pushed Smith and yelled at him.

How many other times has Robinson gone after an opponent?

“I can count them on one hand,” the Spurs’ Sean Elliott said.

Said Avery Johnson: “I loved it. Last season, David might not have done that. Tim might not have played as physical. But this is a new team. We’re not like that anymore.”

Elie agreed.

“David has got to show some emotion,” he said. “You know guys can’t just bully him around. This guy’s got pride, and he’s strong.”

Robinson, who led the Spurs with 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, said it was important to send Smith and the rest of the Timberwolves a message.

“It was a great opportunity to take control,” Robinson said. “With as physical it was, we couldn’t let them get the momentum.”

The Spurs kept their composure in the second half and rallied from a five-point deficit in the final quarter.

“Maybe in the past this team might not have kept its focus,” Robinson said. “But we did a nice job of that. We’ve built something real nice, and we don’t want to lose it.”

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-16, By Johnny Ludden

马刺队KO对手 - 圣安东尼奥队重拳击倒森林狼队，下一场将与洛杉矶队交锋

这场比赛的开始方式，如同往常一样，充满了火药味。

安东尼·皮勒(Anthony Peeler)肘击了马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)的头部，然后把贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)撞到了第三排座位上。乔·史密斯(Joe Smith)打了大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)一拳，罗宾逊回敬了史密斯。凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)打了一下蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)的头。威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue)干扰了加内特投篮，随后还打了他一拳。汤姆·哈蒙德(Tom Hammonds)也打了珀迪一拳。

针锋相对，你来我往。当这场“马戏团”表演在周五晚上从明尼苏达的目标中心球馆退场后，NHL的比赛便接踵而至。

因此，当圣安东尼奥队和明尼苏达队在周六下午进入中场休息时，马刺队已经摸清了森林狼队的底细。

“他们想要街头巷战，”肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)说。“没关系。我们可不是都生长在有空调的球馆里。我们每个人身上都有点街头气息。”

令人惊讶的是，那些穿着两层柔软球衣的马刺队，骨子里竟然也有坚韧的一面。如果上半场还不够证明的话，那么下半场的最后11分钟无疑会让人信服。

在落后5分的情况下，面对着15898名狂热的球迷，马刺队咬牙坚持，最终以92比85的比分战胜森林狼队，结束了他们与明尼苏达队的五场系列赛。除了淘汰森林狼队外，马刺队或许也消除了外界对他们韧性的质疑。

“当有人质疑你的男子气概时，”埃利说，“你就必须站出来。我们做到了。”

在与森林狼队激战四场之后，马刺队现在将进入季后赛的第二轮。等待他们的将是洛杉矶湖人队。七场四胜制的系列赛将于周一晚上在阿拉莫圆顶体育场开打。

“这是一支不同的马刺队，”埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)说。“老马刺队会输掉这场比赛，然后不得不回到主场打第五场比赛。

“多年来，犹他队一直是我们在这方面的老师。他们会在有机会的时候完成任务。”

马刺队看起来学得很好。无论是首节落后12分，还是第二节爆发了四次冲突，又或是第四节落后5分，他们都在周六下午保持了冷静。

罗宾逊在这方面功不可没。他在最后一节砍下了全队最高的19分中的9分。其中最后两分尤为关键。

邓肯错失了一个扣篮后，史密斯抢下篮板，然后绊倒了邓肯。当球弹出来后，埃利抓住了球，传给了罗宾逊，后者轻松上篮得分，将比分改写为86比81，领先5分。比赛还剩2分28秒。

“大卫·罗宾逊终结了比赛，”约翰逊说。“他是决定性的因素。这是我见过最具侵略性的‘季后赛大卫·罗宾逊’。

“他不会被任何人吓倒。”

这其中也包括史密斯，讽刺的是，史密斯从小就崇拜罗宾逊。当罗宾逊在第二节末段背身单打他时，史密斯打了他一拳。罗宾逊转过身，推了史密斯一把，然后朝他怒吼。加内特似乎也想要参与其中，便打了邓肯的头。

罗宾逊和史密斯都领到技术犯规和个人犯规。

“这么说吧：现在是季后赛，”罗宾逊说。他还贡献了全队最高的11个篮板和4次盖帽。“你知道会发生什么。我只是做出了必要的回应。”

珀迪也是如此。不到一分钟后，他替下罗宾逊，然后打了加内特的脸。哈蒙德很快就加入了混战。除了因打加内特而被判一级恶意犯规外，珀迪还和哈蒙德一起被判技术犯规。

“在过去，那本来就是一次正常的犯规，”珀迪说。“他们会吹哨，然后继续比赛。”

但实际情况却并非如此。在这两起事件发生之前，皮勒在上半场还剩3分37秒时，用肘部顶住了埃利的头部。这次凶狠的犯规导致埃利眼角开了个1.5英寸的伤口，需要缝两层。98秒后，皮勒把杰克逊撞倒在地，被判犯规。

“有很多东西在争夺，”明尼苏达队主教练弗利普·桑德斯(Flip Saunders)说。“当有很多东西在争夺，而两支球队都想要得到同样的东西时，你们要做的就是为之奋斗。”

马刺队的几位球员都贡献了力量，帮助球队取得了胜利。安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels)和杰克逊在第二节初段投进了三分球，帮助球队从落后12分的困境中摆脱出来。当马刺队在第四节再次落后时，埃利奥特又投进了一个三分球，以及两罚全中，帮助球队完成了逆转。他在比赛还剩41秒时，明尼苏达队将比分追至3分后，在空中完成了一个暴扣，为球队贡献了最后的两分，他全场得到14分。

在罗宾逊上篮得分后，邓肯封盖了萨姆·米切尔(Sam Mitchell)，完成了他的第三次盖帽，随后罚球两中，将马刺队的领先优势扩大到7分。尽管明尼苏达队不愿让他轻易得分，但约翰逊还是在第四节中段完成了一个上篮，并造成了犯规，得到3分，随后又命中了一记19英尺的中投，贡献了5分，他全场得到17分。

“明尼苏达队一直说他们想要对阵我们，”埃利奥特说。“为什么他们想要我们？难道是为了让他们自己的暑期计划能够继续进行吗？”

点击查看原文：Spurs throw a KO - S.A. punches out T'wolves, next spars with L.A.

Spurs throw a KO - S.A. punches out T’wolves, next spars with L.A.

It started the way these sorts of things always seem to start. With an elbow.

Anthony Peeler cracked open Mario Elie’s head, then body checked Jaren Jackson into the third row. Joe Smith smacked David Robinson. Robinson shoved Smith. Kevin Garnett swatted Tim Duncan in the noggin. Will Perdue altered Garnett’s shot, then his face. Tom Hammonds smacked Perdue.

Tit for tat. When the circus moved out of the Target Center late Friday, the NHL moved in.

So when San Antonio and Minnesota went to their corners for halftime Saturday afternoon, the Spurs knew they had the Timberwolves figured out.

“They wanted a street fight,” Sean Elliott said. “That’s fine. We didn’t all grow up playing in air- conditioned gyms. There’s a little bit of street in all of us.”

Surprise, surprise. Those two- ply, snuggle-soft Spurs may have a backbone after all. If the first half wasn’t enough proof, maybe the final 11 minutes were.

Trailing by five with 15,898 fans on top of them, the Spurs grinded out a 92-85 victory to close out their best-of-five series with Minnesota. And in addition to eliminating the Timberwolves, the Spurs may have extinguished some of the questions about their toughness.

“When someone tests your manhood,” Elie said, “you have to step up. We did.”

After going four rounds with the Timberwolves, the Spurs now step into the second round of the playoffs. Waiting are the Los Angeles Lakers. The best-of-seven series begins Monday night at the Alamodome.

“This is a different Spurs team,” Avery Johnson said. "The old Spurs would have lost this game and would have had to gone home and won Game 5.

“Utah’s been our teacher over the years in this situation. They get the job done when they have a chance.”

The Spurs looked like they learned well. Whether it was a 12- point deficit in the first quarter, four skirmishes in the second or a five-point hole in the fourth, they kept their composure Saturday afternoon.

Robinson had a little to do with that. He scored nine of his team- high 19 points in the final quarter. None were more important than the last two.

After Duncan blew a dunk, Smith grabbed the rebound and tripped over Duncan. When the ball popped loose Elie grabbed it and fed Robinson for a lay-in and an 86-81 lead with 2:28 left.

“David Robinson finished them off,” Johnson said. "He was the difference. This is the most aggressive ‘Playoff David Robinson’ I have seen.

“He wasn’t going to be intimidated by anybody out there.”

That included Smith, who, ironically, grew up idolizing Robinson. When Robinson posted him up late in the second quarter, Smith whacked him in the head. Robinson turned and shoved Smith, then yelled at him. Garnett, apparently wanting in on the action, slapped Duncan in the head.

Robinson and Smith were both given technicals and personal fouls.

“Let’s put it this way: It’s playoff time,” said Robinson, who also added a team-best 11 boards and four blocks. “You know it’s going to happen. I just responded the way I needed to.”

So did Perdue. Less than a minute later, after replacing Robinson, he smacked Garnett in the face. Hammonds quickly joined the fray. In addition to the Type 1 flagrant foul he received for hitting Garnett, Perdue was handed a technical along with Hammonds.

“In the old days that would have been a normal foul,” Perdue said. “They would have blown the whistle and moved on.”

It took a while to do that. Prior to both incidents, Peeler indented his elbow into Elie’s head with 3:37 left in the first half. The hard takedown foul opened up an inch- and-a-half cut over Elie’s eye that needed two layers of stitches. Ninety-eight seconds later, Peeler shoved Jackson into the ground for a flagrant foul.

“There was a lot at stake,” Minnesota coach Flip Saunders said. “And when there’s a lot at stake and both teams want the same thing, what you’re going to do is fight for it.”

Several of the Spurs helped deliver the knockout blow. Antonio Daniels and Jackson hit three-pointers early in the second quarter to dig the team out of a 12-point hole. When the Spurs trailed again in the fourth, Elliott knocked down another three and a pair of free throws to complete the comeback. He added the final two of his 14 points on a flying dunk after Minnesota had climbed within three with 41 seconds left.

After Robinson’s lay-in, Duncan stuffed Sam Mitchell for one of his three blocks then sank a pair of free throws to push the Spurs’ lead to seven. And despite Minnesota’s reluctance to leave him, Johnson hit a running layup for a three- point play, then knocked down a 19- footer in the middle of the fourth quarter for five of his 17 points.

“Minnesota kept saying they wanted us,” Elliott said. “Why did they want us? To keep their summer plans?”

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-16, By Buck Harvey

调教之战？马刺如何用头脑取胜

蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)凶狠地挥舞着胶带刀，教练把他拉了回来。邓肯想要找人算账。

这个更衣室里没有香槟，只有些许气泡。早些时候，凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)从背后拍打邓肯的头部，并不用力，更像是脾气暴躁的家长拍打孩子。所以邓肯想要展现他对这件事的愤怒。邓肯让他的朋友安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels)假装害怕地后退。

附近，马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)炫耀着他的红色勇气勋章，大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)谈论着乔·史密斯(Joe Smith)是多么好的年轻人，除了当罗宾逊需要在被撞击头部后冲向这个好的年轻人时。

所以，以下是统计数据：马刺在周六至少被击打头部三次，然后在森林狼压迫、碰撞，甚至在系列赛中击败他们一次的情况下，保持着他们的集体冷静。当马刺最终只是缝了几针就痊愈了，这难道不是对名为“沙克”的重量级拳击手的完美调教之战吗？

埃利对这个想法笑了笑。他已经看起来像个老拳击手了，周六他需要一个割伤处理者。明尼苏达的安东尼·皮勒(Anthony Peeler)在快攻中撞击埃利，埃利只有一个担忧。他们能止住流血，让他有足够的时间投罚球吗？

埃利两罚全中，然后下场缝针，但另一个人留下了。皮勒。如果裁判能重来一次，他们可能会将皮勒赶出去以控制比赛。

相反，各种冲突爆发，仿佛热火和尼克斯来到了这里。唯一令人震惊的消息？威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)的鼻子没有被进一步改变。

这通常是淘汰赛的走向。去年，史蒂夫·纳什(Steve Nash)，当时是菲尼克斯的替补，对艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)犯规，AJ随后说出了他那句令人难忘的话。“我不会被欺负，”他说。

不过，那只是涉及到小太阳和小纳什。这些狼更大更结实，尽管同样致力于投篮。所以他们坚持了下来，最终或许帮助了马刺。

马刺不需要像爵士在萨克拉门托那样祈祷。马刺也不需要在横扫对手后坐下来。相反，马刺需要反击，在路上两次，在关键时刻。

“中场休息时走向更衣室，”珀杜说，“我觉得自己回到了东部联盟的旧时代。这就是为什么这是一个很好的测试。每一轮都会更加激烈。”

珀杜会在被指定为“砍鲨战术”的目标时亲身经历。在这一场比赛中，珀杜只是在上半场结束时用强壮的胳膊去干扰加内特的投篮。珀杜因此被判罚犯规，当加内特扣篮得分后，这是一场2分的比赛。

到那时，格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)已经看到了他喜欢的东西，当狼队在半场开始时投中了几球，迅速取得领先。“我们保持冷静，表现得好像我们知道这是一场48分钟的比赛，”他说。

其他迹象并不那么令人鼓舞；狼队再次篮板数超过马刺了吗？然而，波波维奇说，他认可的另一个时刻是，当马刺在第三节浪费了他们自己的领先优势时，他们再次保持冷静。

从那里开始，这是一场来回的季后赛，最后以邓肯错失扣篮，倒在史密斯脚下，导致史密斯丢球而告终。埃利，头上绑着绷带，抓住了球，将球传给了内线的罗宾逊，从而取得5分的领先优势。

从邓肯到埃利再到罗宾逊。当人群大声要求判罚时，当马刺以自己的方式生存下来时，三个头脑融合成一体。

点击查看原文：Tune-up fight? How the Spurs used their heads

Tune-up fight? How the Spurs used their heads

Tim Duncan menacingly waved a tape cutter, and the trainer held him back. Duncan wanted a piece of somebody.

This locker room had no champagne, just some bubbly. Earlier Kevin Garnett had swatted Duncan in the head from behind, not hard, more like an ill- tempered parent popping his kid. So Duncan wanted to show just how angry he was about it. Duncan had his buddy, Antonio Daniels, backing up in mock fear.

Nearby, Mario Elie showed off his red badge of courage, and David Robinson talked about what a nice, young man that Joe Smith is, except when Robinson needs to charge nice, young Joe Smith after getting clanged in the skull.

So here are the stats: The Spurs took at least three shots to their heads Saturday, then kept their collective one even when the Timberwolves pressed them, bumped them and even beat them once in the series. When the Spurs came away with nothing that a few stitches couldn’t cure, wasn’t this the perfect tune-up fight for the heavyweight named Shaq?

Elie smiled at that idea. He already looks like an old boxer, and Saturday he needed a cut man. Minnesota’s Anthony Peeler clubbed Elie on a fast break, and Elie came up with one concern. Could they stop the bleeding long enough for him to shoot his free throws?

Elie made both and left the floor for stitches, but someone else stayed. Peeler. If the refs could do it over again, they might toss Peeler to take control of the game.

Instead, assorted skirmishes broke out as if the Heat and Knicks were in town. The only shocking news? Will Perdue’s nose came away without further rearrangement.

It’s the way elimination games often go. Last year Steve Nash, then a Phoenix backup, gave a hard foul to Avery Johnson, and AJ followed with his memorable line. “I will not be mishandled,” he said.

Still, that involved the little Suns and little Nash. These Wolves were bigger and sturdier, albeit just as devoted to the jumpshot. So they hung around - ultimately perhaps helping the Spurs.

The Spurs didn’t have to pray, as the Jazz did in Sacramento. And the Spurs didn’t have to sit after sweeping. Instead, the Spurs had to counter, twice on the road, in tight moments.

“Walking to the locker room at halftime,” said Perdue, “I thought I was back in the old Eastern Conference. That’s why this was such a good test. Every round gets more physical.”

Perdue will find that out personally, when he’s the designated hack-a-Shaq. In this one, Perdue merely stuck a strong arm into a Garnett jumper at the end of the first half. Perdue got a flagrant for it, and, when Garnett dunked a Bobby Jackson airball, this was a two-point game.

By then, Gregg Popovich had already seen something he liked, when the Wolves swished jumpers for a quick lead in the first half. “We kept our composure and acted like we knew it was a 48-minute game,” he said.

Other signs were not as encouraging; the Wolves out- rebounded the Spurs again? Still, Popovich says the other moment he embraced was when the Spurs blew their own lead in the third quarter - and again kept their composure.

From there it was a back-and- forth playoff quarter, culminating with Duncan missing a dunk, falling under Smith, causing Smith to lose the ball. Elie, with brow bandaged, grabbed the loose ball and found Robinson inside for a 5- point lead.

From Duncan to Elie to Robinson. As the crowd yelled for a call - as the Spurs survived on their terms - three heads had played as one.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-16, By Glenn Rogers

狼队的激进策略适得其反 - 身体对抗引发多次冲突

明尼苏达州在周六对阵马刺队的比赛中，一定是在脑海里想着杰西·“身体”·文图拉(Jesse “The Body” Ventura)。

该州州长在第三场比赛前发表了讲话，他用一种戏谑的语气承诺国民警卫队会提供帮助，从而鼓舞了观众的情绪。

森林狼队似乎在第四场比赛中使用了文图拉的一些老摔跤战术，他们将目标对准了马刺队的球员。不幸的是，明尼苏达州的侵略性打法并没有吓倒对手，反而在最终以92-85失利的情况下引发了身体上的报复。

“你知道，我们已经听过太多关于我们球队太软弱的言论，所以我们不想让对手轻松地得分，”狼队的迪恩·加雷特(Dean Garrett)说道。

加雷特没有太多时间进行身体对抗。他在比赛开始阶段就领到了犯规——第一节两次，第三节两次——只打了14分钟。

尽管如此，裁判们却像是在一场三级火灾中被困住了一样，在第二节中不停地跑来跑去。马刺队的格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)和狼队的弗利普·桑德斯(Flip Saunders)两位教练几乎和他们的球员一样多地出现在球场上，试图将冲突分开。

乔·史密斯(Joe Smith)将大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)像一头被套住的牛犊一样摔倒在地。怒火中烧的罗宾逊跳了起来，向史密斯走去。两人都被判了技术犯规。在那场混战中，凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)设法逃脱了，他拍打蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)的后脑勺。

“他们整场比赛都很强硬，我们只是厌倦了这种打法，”史密斯说。“但这只是情绪失控。”

史密斯还在比赛的最后阶段参与了一次决定性的回合。比赛还剩3分20秒时，狼队以81比84落后，史密斯跳起来争抢篮板球，落地时被邓肯绊倒。史密斯把球弄掉了，马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)抓住了球，传给了罗宾逊，后者完成了一记灌篮。

“我认为那是（邓肯）犯规了，但裁判没有吹哨，所以我猜应该是没有犯规吧，”史密斯说。“他们很生气，因为没有人喜欢被挤出自己的位置，而我们一直在挤他们。”

加雷特补充道：“那（回合）把我们的风给打掉了。”

埃利在疯狂的第二节中被撞倒了。他在一次突破上篮时被安东尼·皮勒(Anthony Peeler)撞倒，导致右眼上方被划出一道深深的伤口。皮勒只被判了普通犯规。但片刻之后，他将贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)撞出了界外，被判了恶意犯规。

“是啊，那一次确实是恶意犯规，”皮勒承认道。

在第二节最后时刻，威尔·珀迪(Will Perdue)在将凯文·加内特撞倒后也被判了恶意犯规。然后珀迪和汤姆·汉蒙德(Tom Hammonds)发生了冲突，汉蒙德扇了这位马刺中锋的脸。两人都被判了技术犯规。

“我一直都对那些恶意犯规我队友的人感到愤怒，”汉蒙德说。

对于狼队来说，这一切都是徒劳的，他们在首轮系列赛中以1比3的比分惨败。他们认为马刺队能赢得NBA总冠军吗？

“目前，在犹他队被打败之前，他们不会成为最好的球队，”加雷特说。

汉蒙德说：“当然可以，但他们必须避免他们在主场对阵我们的第二场比赛中出现的低迷状态。”

老将萨姆·米切尔(Sam Mitchell)认为狼队——以及其他所有球队——都有机会夺冠。

“这就是我们想要从首轮中脱颖而出的原因，”米切尔说。“今年的比赛非常开放。”

现在对明尼苏达州来说，比赛已经结束了。

点击查看原文：Aggressive strategy backfires on Wolves - Physical play brings about many scuffles

Aggressive strategy backfires on Wolves - Physical play brings about many scuffles

Minnesota must have had Jesse “The Body” Ventura on their minds when they took on the Spurs on Saturday.

The state’s governor delivered a speech before Game 3 here, stirring the crowd with a tongue-in- cheek promise of help from the National Guard.

The Timberwolves appeared to be using some of Ventura’s old wrestling tactics as they targeted the Spurs’ bodies at the Target Center in Game 4. Unfortunately for Minnesota, the aggressive play failed to intimidate and created physical responses in an eventual 92-85 loss.

“You know, we’ve heard too much about our team being too soft, so we didn’t want to give up any layups or dunks,” the Wolves’ Dean Garrett said.

Garrett didn’t have much time to be physical. He picked up his fouls early - two in the first quarter, two in the third - and played only 14 minutes.

Still, the referees were running around like they were caught in a three-alarm fire in the second quarter. And coaches Gregg Popovich of the Spurs and Flip Saunders of the Wolves spent almost as much time on the floor as some of their players as they tried to separate scuffles.

Joe Smith threw David Robinson to the floor like a roped calf. An enraged Robinson jumped up and advanced on Smith. Both were hit with technical fouls. During that melee, Kevin Garnett managed to get away with slapping Tim Duncan on the back of the head.

“They had been physical all series, and we were just tired of it,” Smith said. “But it was just emotion taking over.”

Smith also was involved in a decisive play in the final period. The Wolves were down just 84-81 with 3:20 left to play when Smith went up for a rebound, came down and tripped over Duncan. Smith bobbled the ball, Mario Elie grabbed it and passed to Robinson for a dunk.

“I thought that was a foul (on Duncan), but there was no whistle, so I guess it wasn’t,” Smith said. “They were getting upset because nobody likes to be pushed off their spots, and we were pushing them.”

Said Garrett: “That (sequence) kind of took the wind out of us.”

Elie was knocked around in the frenetic second quarter. He received a deep gash over his right eye when he was taken down on a drive to the basket by Anthony Peeler. Peeler was hit only with a foul. But moments later, he body- checked Jaren Jackson out of bounds and was assessed a flagrant foul.

“Yeah, that one was flagrant,” Peeler admitted.

Will Perdue was nailed with a flagrant foul when he brought down Kevin Garnett in the final moments of the second period. Then Perdue and Tom Hammonds tangled after Hammonds slapped the Spurs center on the side of the face. Both were given technicals.

“I always take offense to someone who fouls one of my teammates that hard,” Hammonds said.

It was all for naught for the Wolves, who were humbled in their 3-1 first-round series defeat. Do they think the Spurs can attain the NBA title?

“Right now, they won’t be the best team out there until Utah gets beat,” Garrett said.

Said Hammonds: “Sure they can, but they have to avoid the lull that they had against us in Game 2 at their place.”

Veteran Sam Mitchell figured the Wolves - and every other team - had an equal shot at the ring.

“That’s why we wanted to get out of this first round,” Mitchell said. “It’s wide open this year.”

It’s now closed to Minnesota.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-16, By Glenn Rogers

大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 对战 乔·史密斯(Joe Smith)

明尼苏达前锋乔·史密斯在防守身高7尺1寸的大卫·罗宾逊时遇到了极大的挑战，最终败下阵来。史密斯的防守主要起到激发马刺中锋斗志的效果。

两人在第二节比赛还剩1分14秒时都领到了技术犯规。罗宾逊背对着史密斯，准备转身，史密斯突然将他重重地扑倒在地，还用手臂勒住了罗宾逊的脖子。罗宾逊愤怒地冲向史密斯，队友们赶忙冲上来将两人分开。

当时罗宾逊已经得到7分和7个篮板。最终他全场贡献19分和11个篮板。在下半场，他还贡献了3次封盖，以及强硬的防守和持续不断的篮下突破。

“是的，比赛很激烈，”史密斯说，“我们想要把侵略性带到他们身上。”

史密斯全场得到12分和7个篮板。由于早早犯规，他只打了26分钟。这位前锋试图通过投篮来打开局面，比赛一开始就投进了一记19尺的中投。几分钟后，他强势突破篮下，造成了犯规，并罚进两罚。在首节还剩6分13秒时，他用一记暴扣点燃了全场。但仅仅一分钟后，他在防守罗宾逊时连续犯规，并在剩下的时间里坐在板凳席上。

他继续对马刺发起挑战，在第二节又得到4分，并在与罗宾逊的对决中留下了最难忘的时刻。

下半场他只得到2分。

“他打了我后脑勺，比赛变得有点激烈，”罗宾逊说。“但我心想，‘我不想错过下一场比赛，所以不能做任何蠢事。’”

点击查看原文：David Robinson vs. Joe Smith

David Robinson vs. Joe Smith

Minnesota forward Joe Smith more than had his hands full trying to guard the 7-1 David Robinson and lost the battle. Smith’s physical defense served mostly to spark the Spur center.

Each was hit with a technical with 1:14 left in the second period. Robinson was backing Smith down, ready to spin, when Smith brought him down hard, wrapping his arm around Robinson’s neck. Robinson angrily advanced on Smith and teammates converged to separate the pair.

Robinson had seven points and seven rebounds at the time. He finished the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He added three blocks in the second half along with tenacious defense and consistent driving on the hoop.

“Yeah, it was kind of rock 'em, sock 'em out there,” Smith said. “We wanted to bring the aggression to them.”

Smith finished with 12 points and seven boards. Saddled with early foul trouble, he played only 26 minutes. The forward tried to get his game going early by shooting jumpers and he opened the game with a 19-footer. He went to the hoop hard a few minutes later and earned and put down two free throws. He brought the crowd up with a rim-rattling dunk with 6:13 left in the opening period. But a minute later, trying to defend Robinson, he picked up consecutive fouls and spent the remainder of the period on the bench.

He continued to bring the fight to the Spurs, had four more points in the second period and then had his most memorable moments, engaging Robinson.

He had only two points in the second half.

“After he slapped me in the back of the head it got a little physical,” Robinson said. “But I thought, 'I don’t want to be out of the next game, so I don’t want to do anything stupid.” - Glenn Rogers

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-16

笔记

缝合：马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie) 在右眼上方被安东尼·皮勒(Anthony Peeler) 的肘部击中，缝了 11/2 英寸长的伤口，需要缝两层。

皮勒在第二节还剩 3 分 37 秒时，在突破上篮时撞倒了埃利。埃利两次被拉住才没有追打皮勒，但两人之后握手言和。

“我不介意有人用手臂拉扯，但他用肘部，这很不幸，”埃利说。“但我相信安东尼·皮勒不是那种类型的球员，所以我保持冷静。

“我有点生气，但我感谢他道歉。这就是季后赛篮球，你必须继续前进。你不能心存怨恨。”

埃利差点因为一开始离开球场没有罚球而被罚下。在马刺队叫了暂停将他叫回来后，埃利回到球场，两罚全中。

“有人走过来告诉我他们要把我罚下，”埃利说。“所以我直接掉头回来了。”

工作量增加：在经历了上半场的推推搡搡后，罗宾逊知道马刺队在罚球线上不会有太多麻烦。

裁判迪克·巴维塔(Dick Bavetta)、特里·达勒姆(Terry Durham) 和唐·维登(Don Vaden) 在第三节第一分钟吹了三个犯规。马刺队 42 次罚球中的 25 次出现在下半场。他们在比赛中罚球命中率为 76.2%。

“在那些技术犯规之后，你知道裁判不会让任何事情过去，”罗宾逊说。“第一次抢球，哨子就会响，所以我们认为我们最好做进攻者。”

票务信息：西部半决赛第二场比赛的票务将于今天上午 10 点开始发售，比赛对阵双方为马刺队和洛杉矶湖人队。

第二场比赛的日期和时间尚未公布。七场四胜制的首场比赛将于周一晚上 8:30 在阿拉莫多姆体育馆举行，门票已经开始发售。

门票可以在位于圆顶西南角的马刺队票务办公室、所有 Ticketmaster 售票点或通过电话 (210) 223-DUNK 购买。票务办公室今天上午 10 点至下午 5 点开放，周一上午 8 点重新开放。

点击查看原文：Notes

Notes

Sewn up: Mario Elie needed two layers of stitches to close the 11/2-inch-long cut he received above his right eye from Anthony Peeler’s elbow.

Peeler took down Elie with 3:37 left in the second quarter when he was driving to the basket. Elie twice had to be restrained from going after Peeler, but the two later shook hands.

“I don’t mind a guy leading with his arms, but he led with his elbow, which is unfortunate,” Elie said. "But I know Anthony Peeler is not that type of player, so I just kept my cool.

“I was a little upset, but I appreciate his apologizing. That’s playoff basketball. You’ve just got to move on. You can’t hold grudges.”

Elie almost was disqualified from the game because he originally left the court without shooting his free throws. After the Spurs called a timeout to get him, Elie returned and made both shots.

“Someone came up and said they were going to throw me out,” Elie said. “So I just made a U-turn.”

Increased workload: After all the pushing and shoving in the first half, Robinson knew the Spurs wouldn’t have much trouble getting to the free- throw line.

Officials Dick Bavetta, Terry Durham and Don Vaden called three fouls in the first minute of the third quarter. Twenty- five of the Spurs’ 42 free- throw attempts came in the second half. They shot 76.2 percent from the line for the game.

“After all those technicals, you knew the refs weren’t going to let anything by,” Robinson said. “The first grab, and the whistle is going to go off, so we figured we better be the aggressors.”

Ticket information: Tickets for Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals, pitting the Spurs against the Los Angeles Lakers, go on sale at 10 a.m. today.

Both the date and time of Game 2 have yet to be announced. Tickets for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series - set for 8:30 p.m. Monday at the Alamodome - are already on sale.

Tickets may be purchased at the Spurs Ticket Office, located in the southwest corner of the dome, all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at (210) 223- DUNK. The ticket office will be open today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will reopen at 8 a.m. Monday. - Johnny Ludden

via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-17, By Glenn Rogers

决胜关键球员 ‘A-J’ - 约翰逊致力于改变公众看法

向马刺队的季后赛MVP致敬！

蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)？不。大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)？不。

你必须低头超过一英尺才能找到圣安东尼奥在本赛季季后赛中取得胜利的关键。

他身高只有5英尺11英寸（有些人开玩笑说），是马刺队的控球后卫。他被称为“小将军”，马刺队的“拿破仑”——艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)。

是的，他承受着与马刺队过去季后赛失利相关的压力，甚至可能比其他人更多。你经常听到广播节目中人们的质疑：“嘿，你知道吗？马刺队在艾弗里打控球后卫的情况下无法获胜。”

甚至波特兰后卫达蒙·斯塔德迈尔(Damon Stoudamire)几年前也大胆地表达了这种侮辱。斯塔德迈尔很快将有机会验证他的话。

你不会在这次季后赛中看到熟悉的约翰逊。你将不得不习惯没有那个热情洋溢、面带微笑、带着路易斯安那口音的球员。你将不得不习惯一个沉稳冷静、心无旁骛的约翰逊，一个肩负着使命的人，一个致力于胜利并激励队友达到他决心的人。

罗宾逊在明尼阿波利斯第三场比赛胜利后受到了言语攻击。记者们渴望赞扬马刺队的中锋，他拿下了17个篮板和18分。

约翰逊毫不理会。

“我不想听到你们说这些，”约翰逊说道，“真正的‘大卫’还没有到来。我们还需要他。”

正是约翰逊在第一和第三场比赛中打消了森林狼的嚣张气焰。

战败的森林狼更衣室里传来了这样的低语，“他杀死了我们”，指的是约翰逊。

在第一场比赛中，约翰逊得到21分，送出10次助攻。他不断命中森林狼防守罗宾逊和邓肯时留下的空位投篮。

“我宁愿球在艾弗里手里，而不是在大个子手里，”森林狼教练弗利普·桑德斯(Flip Saunders)说。这是一个错误。

第三场比赛中，球在约翰逊手里，他得到24分，凭借一次又一次的命中，让目标中心球馆的球迷鸦雀无声。他命中了15投12中。很多时候，森林狼太过关注其他马刺球员。

“如果比赛计划是让艾弗里击败我们，那么我们必须改变比赛计划，”森林狼中锋迪恩·加勒特(Dean Garrett)喃喃自语。

“比赛计划不是简单地给艾弗里空位投篮的机会，”桑德斯说道，他指的是防守轮转，但也试图淡化之前的话。

明尼苏达在最后一场比赛中更加关注约翰逊，但约翰逊还是提醒所有人，他会在自己最喜欢的区域，侧翼、斜角、正面，命中他们给予的机会。他又得到17分。

约翰逊赛前的言论显然也引起了罗宾逊的注意。这位大个子球员帮助马刺队以19分获胜，其中9分来自决定性的最后一节。

这个小个子球员知道自己还没有得到证实。如果马刺队无法在接下来的几轮比赛中晋级，他将再次被质疑。

他也知道他会准备好了，准备好出手、准备好激励队友，并且在最后一场比赛结束之前不会放松警惕。他决心让马刺队在季后赛中取得第15场胜利。

AJ vs. 森林狼

第一场：21分（15投8中，6罚5中），2个篮板，10次助攻

第二场：16分（11投6中，8罚4中），0个篮板，3次助攻

第三场：24分（15投12中，0罚0中），5个篮板，6次助攻

第四场：17分（13投6中，5罚5中），4个篮板，6次助攻

系列赛场均数据：19.5分（投篮命中率59.3%，罚球命中率73.7%），2.8个篮板，6.3次助攻

点击查看原文：Spell MVP 'A-J' - Johnson focused on changing public perceptions

Spell MVP ‘A-J’ - Johnson focused on changing public perceptions

All hail the Spurs’ playoff MVP.

Tim Duncan? No. David Robinson? No.

You have to look down more than a foot to find the guide to victory so far in San Antonio’s postseason run.

He’s the 5-foot-11 - so some say with tongue in cheek - point man. The fellow called the Little General. The Napoleon of the Spurs’ roster. Avery Johnson.

Yes, the man who has taken as much, if not more, heat for the Spurs’ past playoff failure. You’ve heard the cries on talk radio: “Hey, you know what? The Spurs can’t win with Avery at the point.”

Even Portland guard Damon Stoudamire was so bold to utter such an insult years ago. Stoudamire may soon have the chance to back that talk.

You won’t see the familiar Johnson during this postseason. You’ll have to go without the bubbly, smiling player with the Louisiana drawl. You’ll have to become accustomed to a sober- faced, single-minded Johnson, a man on his own mission, a man dedicated to winning and prodding his teammates to match his own determination.

Robinson took a verbal hit after the Game 3 victory in Minneapolis. Reporters were spilling over with intent to laud the Spurs’ center for his 17-board, 18-point performance.

Johnson would have none of it.

“I don’t want to hear you guys talking about that,” Johnson said. “The real David hasn’t arrived yet. We’re going to need him.”

It was Johnson who took the howl out of the Wolves in Games 1 and 3.

The consensus response in the defeated Wolves’ locker room was a murmurred, “He killed us,” referring to Johnson.

In Game 1, Johnson scored 21 points and handed out 10 assists. He repeatedly put down the jumpers granted him by the Wolves guarding Robinson and Duncan.

“I’d rather the ball be in his hands than in the big guys’,” said Wolves coach Flip Saunders. A mistake.

The ball was in Johnson’s hands in Game 3, and he scored 24 points, silencing the Target Center crowd with hit after hit. He put down 12 of 15. Plenty of times, the Wolves were too busy minding other Spurs.

“If the game plan is to let Avery beat us, we’re going to have to change the game plan,” muttered Wolves center Dean Garrett.

“The game plan wasn’t to just give Avery wide-open shots,” said Saunders, referring to defensive rotations but also trying to ease out of his earlier statements.

Minnesota paid a mite more attention to Johnson in the final game, but Johnson still reminded all that he would take what they gave him in his favorite spots, on the sides, angled, dead on. He had another 17 points.

Johnson’s pregame words also must have registered with Robinson. The big man carried the Spurs home with 19 points, nine in the decisive final quarter.

The little guy knows nothing yet has been proven. He’ll be baked again if the Spurs can’t advance through the various rounds awaiting them.

He also knows that he will be ready to fire and ready to prod and not quite ready to be bubbly until the final game is over, which he is determined to make postseason victory No. 15.

AJ vs. T’wolves

Game 1: 21 points (8-15 FG, 5-6 FT), 2 rebounds, 10 assists

Game 2: 16 points (6-11 FG, 4- 8 FT), 0 rebounds, 3 assists

Game 3: 24 points (12-15 FG, 0-0 FT), 5 rebounds, 6 assists

Game 4: 17 points (6-13 FG, 5- 5 FT), 4 rebounds, 6 assists

Series averages: 19.5 points (.593 FG, .737 FT), 2.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-17, By Glenn Rogers

历史会重演吗？马刺希望不会 - 除了 95 年的系列赛，湖人一直压制着圣安东尼奥

马刺今晚将在阿拉莫穹顶与洛杉矶湖人展开较量，这场比赛将是他们重温过去和未来的机会。

自从球队来到圣安东尼奥以来，一直关注球队的球迷们在 1995 年欢欣鼓舞，当时由教练鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)执教，以大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)为首的马刺，在西部半决赛中以六场比赛的成绩战胜了洛杉矶，从而报了多年来的一箭之仇。

尽管受到各种干扰，但马刺还是取得了胜利，这在很大程度上要归功于丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)的篮板球。

罗德曼在洛杉矶的第四场比赛中因其一贯的反叛行为而被罚坐冷板凳，但马刺仍然取得了胜利，这要归功于罗宾逊的 26 分和 22 个篮板。

这使圣安东尼奥队在系列赛中以 3-1 的优势领先，但这场胜利却被意外地中断了，在第五场比赛中，尼克·范·埃克塞尔(Nick Van Exel)在加时赛的终场哨声响起前投进了一个三分球，震惊了马刺的球迷，将系列赛带回了论坛球馆。

圣安东尼奥在第六场比赛中结束了系列赛，罗宾逊得到 31 分，罗德曼得到 16 个篮板。

当然，那是在沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)到来之前。弗拉德·迪瓦茨(Vlade Divac)担任中锋的位置，随后开始了他的旅程，将他带到了夏洛特，最后来到了萨克拉门托。

尽管如此，这场季后赛的胜利对球队来说是一次精神上的净化。早在 80 年代初期和中期，湖人一直是西部联盟球队通往辉煌道路上的最大障碍。

马刺在“Show Time”的辉煌中四次败北。

卡里姆·阿卜杜勒-贾巴尔(Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)、魔术师约翰逊(Magic Johnson)、贾马尔·威尔克斯(Jamaal Wilkes)和詹姆斯·沃西(James Worthy)统治了球场。库特·兰比斯(Kurt Rambis)，现在的湖人教练，当时是一个充满活力、充满激情、抢篮板的强力前锋。

洛杉矶在 1982 年的西部决赛中横扫了马刺。湖人又在第二年在总决赛中淘汰了圣安东尼奥——这一次他们用了六场比赛。

马刺球迷宁愿忘记接下来的两场季后赛。乔治·格文(George Gervin)在两队于 1986 年相遇之前就被交易了，而阿蒂斯·吉尔摩(Artis Gilmore)也在 1988 年的比赛之前离开了。马刺在两年的第一轮比赛中都被横扫，比分都是 3-0。

阿卜杜勒-贾巴尔说：“马刺已经不是几年前我们和他们打那些精彩比赛时的球队了。”

1982 年的系列赛在论坛球馆开战，马刺教练斯坦·阿尔贝克(Stan Albeck)总结了球队面临的困境，他指出湖人有四位全明星球员和“超人”首发。这些球星分别是阿卜杜勒-贾巴尔、约翰逊、威尔克斯和诺姆·尼克森(Norm Nixon)。“超人”则是戴着眼镜的兰比斯，他被这样称呼是因为他长得像克拉克·肯特，而且在篮板球方面非常出色。

但马刺也拥有迈克·米切尔(Mike Mitchell)和格文这样的火力，以及冉冉升起的后卫约翰尼·摩尔(Johnny Moore)。

马刺一直紧追不舍，但那些球星确保了比赛始终掌握在湖人手中。洛杉矶在第一场和第二场分别以 128-117 和 110-101 获胜。

比赛的相对接近——马刺在第二场比赛还剩四分钟的时候距离湖人只有四分的差距——让马刺对他们在古老的赫密斯菲尔体育馆中狂热的球迷面前取得胜利抱有希望。

湖人教练帕特·莱利(Pat Riley)对这个球馆及其底线球迷非常熟悉。

“这里就像一个黄蜂窝，”他说。

这个球馆，有着逼仄的墙壁和天花板，对马刺的对手来说是震耳欲聋、令人畏惧的，肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)、大卫·罗宾逊和艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)都记得那个喧闹的球馆。

但在第三场比赛中，杰克·尼科尔森(Jack Nicholson)来到了圣安东尼奥，观看约翰逊取得三双，湖人以 118-108 获胜。

第四场比赛也是如此，湖人以 128-123 获胜。

“我们并没有缺乏努力，”阿尔贝克说。“那些家伙有能力赢得总冠军。”

那些家伙确实赢得了总冠军，他们以 4-2 的比分击败了费城，夺得了 NBA 冠军。

马刺在 1983 年的系列赛中有了更多钢铁般的实力。在那个夏天，他们将戴夫·科尔津(Dave Corzine)和马克·奥尔伯丁(Mark Olberding)交易到芝加哥，换来了“A 列车”——中锋吉尔摩。

吉尔摩将在与洛杉矶的重赛中对阿卜杜勒-贾巴尔施加压力。

不出所料，当两队再次在论坛球馆开始西部半决赛的时候，吉尔摩提高了阿拉莫城的期望。吉尔摩，联盟中最强壮的人，花了些时间热身。他在第一场比赛中陷入犯规麻烦，只得到 7 分和 6 个篮板。

但他在第二场比赛中以 20 个篮板和 27 分的表现阻挡了洛杉矶的进攻，马刺以 122-113 获胜。

“今年有两支球队肩负着使命，”莱利说。“费城是其中一支，圣安东尼奥是另一支。”

莱利将有机会测试这两支球队。

格文和米切尔在马刺的胜利中分别得到 27 分，增加了湖人的困境。

但阿卜杜勒-贾巴尔在洛杉矶遭到羞辱后，在第三场比赛中得到 25 分。威尔克斯得到 26 分，并盯防格文，限制了“冰人”的发挥，让他在 12 次出手中只得到 15 分，湖人以 113-100 获胜。

更糟糕的是，湖人利用吉尔摩在另一场比赛中的平庸表现，以及米切尔得到 35 分的情况下，以 129-113 赢得了在体育馆进行的第二场比赛，并以 3-1 的优势领先。

阿尔贝克对裁判并不满意。格文尽管投了 22 次，但只获得了 2 次罚球。

“冰人度过了艰难的夜晚，但他们一直在围着他，”他说。“但，你能怎么办呢？”

扭转乾坤，就是这样。

圣安东尼奥在第五场比赛中做到了。尽管防守专家迈克尔·库珀(Michael Cooper)预测马刺将在论坛球馆输球，但球队还是以 117-112 的比分逆转了湖人，令人震惊。

马刺有四名球员得分超过 20 分——格文、米切尔、吉尔摩和摩尔。

但湖人最大的敌人似乎潜藏在他们的脑海中——费城。76 人已经锁定了东部冠军，湖人在圣安东尼奥的比赛之前就一直在谈论他们。

洛杉矶将如愿以偿。湖人只需要再次收拾行李，登上飞机，飞往阿拉莫城参加第六场比赛。

马刺并没有轻易倒下。吉尔摩在内线搏杀，得到 24 分，抢下 18 个篮板。格文得到 25 分。

马刺有机会获胜，当比赛时间所剩无几的时候，他们以 100-101 落后，球权在他们手中。马刺球迷仍然记得摩尔突破到内线，然后传球给米切尔。

约翰逊用盖帽让观众安静下来，但米切尔奋力抢下球，并投出一记相当空旷的 10 英尺跳投。

球没有进。

马刺超越湖人的机会随着终场哨声的响起而结束。

从今晚开始，他们迎来了罗宾逊时代第二次机会。

点击查看原文：Will history repeat? Spurs sure hope not - Except for '95 series, Lakers have owned S.A.

Will history repeat? Spurs sure hope not - Except for '95 series, Lakers have owned S.A.

The Spurs will revisit the old and new when they tangle with the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at the Alamodome.

Fans who have followed the team since it arrived in San Antonio rejoiced in 1995 when the Spurs, under the guidance of Coach Bob Hill and spearheaded by David Robinson, paid a long-overdue bill by defeating Los Angeles in six games in the Western Conference semifinals.

The Spurs won despite the distractions and in large measure because of the rebounding of Dennis Rodman.

Rodman was benched for his usual rebellious behavior for Game 4 in Los Angeles, but the Spurs still came out with a victory, thanks to 26 points and 22 boards by Robinson.

That gave the Alamo City gang a nice 3-1 lead in the series, but the march was unexpectedly interrupted in Game 5 at the dome when Nick Van Exel stunned the Spurs’ crowd with a three-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to send the series back to the Forum.

San Antonio ended the series there in Game 6 when Robinson scored 31 points and Rodman collected 16 boards.

That, of course, was before the arrival of one Shaquille O’Neal. Vlade Divac manned the center slot before beginning the journey that took him through Charlotte to Sacramento.

Nevertheless, that playoff victory was a spirit-cleansing for the franchise. Back in the early and the mid-'80s the Lakers had been the paramount obstacle to glory for any Western Conference team.

The Spurs lost in the glitz of Showtime four times.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes and James Worthy dominated the floor. Kurt Rambis, now the Lakers coach, was a youthfully rambunctious, rebounding and frustrating power forward.

Los Angeles swept the Spurs in the 1982 Western Conference finals. The Lakers ousted San Antonio again the next year in the finals - this time requiring six games.

Spurs fans would rather forget the next two playoff series. George Gervin was traded before the two teams met in 1986, and Artis Gilmore also had departed before the 1988 session. The Spurs were swept 3-0 in the first round both years.

Said Abdul-Jabbar: “The Spurs are not the same team we had those great games against a few years ago.”

The 1982 series opened at the Forum and Spurs coach Stan Albeck summed up his team’s dilemma by noting that the Lakers had four All-Stars and Superman starting. The stars were Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Wilkes and Norm Nixon. Superman was the bespectacled Rambis, so named because he resembled Clark Kent and was super on the boards.

But the Spurs had firepower in Mike Mitchell and Gervin and a blossoming guard in Johnny Moore.

The Spurs kept close, but those stars made sure the games stayed in Lakers hands. Los Angeles won the first two games 128-117 and 110- 101.

The relative closeness of the games - the Spurs were within four points with four minutes to go in Game 2 - gave the Spurs hope that they would prevail amid their frantic fans in the old HemisFair Arena.

Lakers coach Pat Riley was more than familiar with the arena and its Baseline Bums.

“It’s a hornets’ nest,” he said.

The arena, with its claustrophobic walls and ceiling, was deafening and intimidating to Spurs foes, a raucous house that Sean Elliott, David Robinson and Avery Johnson recall.

But in Game 3, Jack Nicholson was in San Antonio to watch Johnson notch a triple-double and the Lakers win 118-108.

There was more of the same in Game 4, a 128-123 Los Angeles victory.

“There was no lack of effort on our part,” Albeck said. “Those guys over there are capable of winning it all.”

Those guys did win it all, knocking off Philadelphia 4-2 for the NBA championship.

The Spurs entered the 1983 series with a little more iron. Over the summer, they traded Dave Corzine and Mark Olberding to Chicago for the A-Train, center Gilmore.

Gilmore would apply muscle to Abdul-Jabbar during the anticipated rematch with Los Angeles.

Sure enough, Gilmore raised Alamo City expectations when the two teams met again to start the Western Conference semis at the Forum. Gilmore, the strongest man in the league, took a while to warm up. He banged into foul trouble in Game 1 and finished with seven points and six boards.

But he stalled the Los Angeles drive with 20 rebounds and 27 points in Game 2 for a 122-113 Spurs victory.

“There are two teams on a mission this year,” Riley said. “Philadelphia is one, San Antonio is the other.”

Riley would get to test both teams.

Gervin and Mitchell added to the Lakers’ woes with 27 points each in the San Antonio triumph.

But Abdul-Jabbar, embarrassed in Los Angeles, rebounded with 25 points in Game 3. Wilkes had 26 and shadowed Gervin, cooling Ice and holding him to 15 points on 12 shots in a 113-100 victory.

Worse, the Lakers took advantage of another so-so Gilmore night and overcame Mitchell’s 35 points for a 129-113 victory in the second game at the Arena and a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Albeck wasn’t particularly happy with the refs. Gervin had only two free throws despite shooting 22 times.

“Ice had a tough night, but they were all over him” he said. “But, what can you do?”

Turn the tables, that’s what.

San Antonio did just that in Game 5. Despite defensive ace Michael Cooper’s prediction that the Spurs would go down at the Forum, the team stunned the Lakers with a 117-112 comeback victory.

Four Spurs had 20 or more points - Gervin, Mitchell, Gilmore and Moore.

But the Lakers’ main enemy seemed to lurk in their minds - Philadelphia. The Sixers already had clinched the East title, and the Lakers were talking about them before the San Antonio game.

Los Angeles would get its wish. The Lakers just had to pack their bags one more time, hop a plane and fly to the Alamo City for Game 6.

The Spurs didn’t go down easily. Gilmore worked in the paint, scored 24 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Gervin had 25 points.

The Spurs were in position to win, trailing 101-100 with the ball in their hands as the game clock ran down. Spurs fans still remember Moore penetrating deep and passing back out to Mitchell.

Johnson hushed the crowd when he blocked the shot, but Mitchell scrambled, retrieved the ball and fired up a reasonably open 10-footer.

It missed.

The Spurs’ chance of getting past the Lakers ended with the buzzer.

Beginning tonight, they have their second chance of the Robinson era.

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-17, By Johnny Ludden

超级巨星系列赛 - 谈话、炒作，甚至更大号的鞋，为圣安东尼奥-洛杉矶而战

马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie) 在季后赛开始后的第二天就开始造势。他说，让洛杉矶来吧，让洛杉矶来吧。

带来罗迪欧大道(Rodeo Drive) 和它那排满是布鲁诺·马吉(Bruno Magli)、卡尔文·克莱恩(Calvin Klein) 和拉尔夫·劳伦(Ralph Lauren) 的高档设计师商店吧。

“购物很好，这就是为什么我想打湖人，”埃利说。“圣安东尼奥是一个很棒的城市，但他们没有适合大脚的好的鞋店。”

沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal) 应该已经提前打包好了。在他把自己的22号锐步(Reebok)——或者他在当今这个难以获得运动鞋代言协议的时代所穿的任何东西——印在了哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon) 和休斯顿火箭队(Houston Rockets) 其他球员的胸膛上之后，奥尼尔直奔10号州际公路，开始了一场可以被称为“超级巨星系列赛”的比赛。

高收视率。大竞争。强大的进攻对阵强大的防守。三位最优秀的内线球员。而站在这场比赛的中心，是大嘴巴先生。

“你知道，”马刺队的矮个控球后卫艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson) 说，“沙克的强壮程度和整个明尼苏达队加起来一样。”

这位330磅重的奥尼尔很可能会成为今晚在阿拉莫穹顶(Alamodome) 开始的七场系列赛中最重要的一部分。但并非全部。这位家乡英雄，如今变成了敌人，带着他的魅力男孩——有时令人沮丧的——搭档科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant) 前来。雇佣兵格伦·莱斯(Glen Rice) 也随行，他因为右肘疼痛缺席了周六的比赛和周日的训练。

马刺队则用他们的反沙克，大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 和蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 来应对。邓肯也许最终会成为这三位巨塔中最优秀的。再加上经验丰富的埃利和表现超群的约翰逊，这场比赛的阵容足以吸引电视转播，NBC 要求第 3 和 4 场比赛在周六和周日背靠背地在大西部论坛(Great Western Forum) 进行。当然，如果NBC 能选择湖人对灰熊，他们也不会拒绝。

“湖人一直都在得到和任何球队一样多的关注，”罗宾逊说。“这就是洛杉矶的全部意义。我想这就是‘秀场’。”

“所以，从某种意义上说，这很有趣。你走进球场，这将会是一场备受瞩目的系列赛，毫无疑问。”

然而，是马刺队所受到的赞誉让奥尼尔在赛季开始时就说出了自己的想法。当《今日美国》(USA Today) 将马刺队评为西部联盟夺冠热门时，奥尼尔——假装愤怒？——说他不喜欢罗宾逊，并称邓肯“太轻了”。

埃利随后称奥尼尔为“大嘴巴先生”，而埃利奥特则嘲笑“大嘴巴先生”的夸夸其谈。奥尼尔则反驳说这两个人是“废物”。

这听起来像是奥尼尔又一次表演秀，这位曾经的科尔高中(Cole High School) 明星接着说他对罗宾逊没有任何个人恩怨。当然，那是三个多月前的事情。而它从档案中被重新拿出来，只是为了再次徒劳地试图卖出更多报纸。

无论如何，马刺队更应该担心奥尼尔的球技而不是他的嘴。他在对阵火箭队的比赛中场均29.5分，这是他让湖人成为马刺队最难缠对手的又一个理由。

“沙克总是很火热，”马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 说。“他每场比赛都表现出色。他会得分。他会抢篮板。他会盖帽。”

“他现在打得非常出色。你改变不了这一点。你不可能让沙克只得10分，抢5个篮板。”

如果湖人的其他球员没有也得分26分，马刺队是可以承受住奥尼尔得分26分的。当马刺队在4月24日以108-81战胜洛杉矶，终结了对他们的六连败时，埃利奥特帮助限制了布莱恩特在14投5中的命中率。马刺队还在快攻中以19-4领先湖人，并在上半场以69.2%的命中率投篮。

从那以后，湖人队打得要好得多。这和马刺队在他们6胜8负开局后，从洛杉矶手中获得了两场胜利后打得更好，完全一样。

“这将会是一场艰难、漫长、需要拼尽全力的系列赛，”约翰逊说。“你知道，这是西部联盟的两支顶级球队。湖人队的排名虽然是第四，但绝对不反映他们的实力。我们都知道这一点。”

马刺队还认为他们与明尼苏达队的四场比赛的肉搏战是一场有价值的第一轮考验。他们最近在犹他州和波特兰取得了客场胜利，并在塔吉特中心(Target Center) 赢得了两场胜利。

“如果我们在这里打成平手，”埃利说，“我相信我们可以去论坛(Forum)球馆，拿几场比赛。”

几场比赛？为什么要在乎主场优势？毕竟，洛杉矶已经拥有了鞋。

票务信息

截至周日下午，阿拉莫穹顶(Alamodome) 的上层看台尚未为今晚的马刺队与湖人队的系列赛揭幕战开放，但马刺队在一份新闻稿中表示，北端的门票可能会在今天开放，“如果需求量很大”。

第一场比赛将在晚上8:30开始，大约有17000张门票售出，剩下大约3000张低层和俱乐部级别的门票，价格从16.50美元到51.50美元不等。

马刺队售票处将于今天早上8点开放。

点击查看原文：The Super-sized Series - Talk, hype, even shoes bigger for S.A.-L.A.

The Super-sized Series - Talk, hype, even shoes bigger for S.A.-L.A.

Mario Elie started campaigning two days into the playoffs. Bring on L.A., he said. Bring on L.A.

Bring on Rodeo Drive and its row of high-end designer stores filled with Bruno Magli, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.

“Good shopping. That’s why I want to play the Lakers,” Elie said. “San Antonio is a great town, but they don’t have any good shoe stores for guys with big feet.”

Shaquille O’Neal better have packed ahead. After imprinting his size-22 Reeboks - or whatever he’s wearing in today’s age of hard-to-come-by footwear endorsement deals - on the chest of Hakeem Olajuwon and the rest of the Houston Rockets, O’Neal marched straight down Interstate 10 to start what could be called the Super- sized Series.

Big ratings. Big rivalry. Big offense vs. big defense. Three of the best big men. And, standing in the center of it all, Mr. Big Mouth.

“You know,” said the Spurs’ diminutive point guard Avery Johnson, “Shaq is just as physical as Minnesota’s whole team put together.”

The 330-pound O’Neal figures to be, well, a large part of the equation when the best-of-seven series kicks off tonight at the Alamodome. But not all of it. The hometown hero-turned-enemy rides in with his glamour-boy, and sometimes frustrating, sidekick Kobe Bryant. Hired gun Glen Rice, who missed Saturday’s game and Sunday’s walkthrough with a sore right elbow, tags along.

The Spurs counter with their anti-Shaq, David Robinson, and Tim Duncan, who yet may turn out to be the best of the three towers. Throw in the playoff-scarred Elie and the overachieving Johnson and it’s enough of a made-for-TV event that NBC requested Games 3 and 4 be played back-to-back Saturday and Sunday at the Great Western Forum. Not that NBC would have turned down Lakers-Grizzlies, either.

“The Lakers have been getting as much publicity as anybody,” Robinson said. "That’s what L.A. is all about. That’s showtime, I guess.

“So, in a sense, that’s fun. You go in there and it’s going to be a high-profile series. No two ways about it.”

It was the pub the Spurs received, however, that got O’Neal talking at the start of the season. When USA Today named the Spurs the Western Conference favorites, O’Neal - feigning anger? - said he didn’t like Robinson and called Duncan “too light.”

Elie then tagged O’Neal “Mr. Big Mouth” and Elliott made fun of Mr. Big Mouth’s grandstanding. O’Neal responded by calling the two “bums.”

It read as another of O’Neal’s great showmanship stunts and the former Cole High School star went on to say he has nothing personal against Robinson. That, of course, was more than three months ago. And the only reason it was retrieved from the archives was to make yet another vain attempt at selling more newspapers.

In any case, the Spurs have more to worry about O’Neal than his mouth. The NBA-best 29.5 points per game he hung up against the Rockets qualifies as yet another reason why he makes the Lakers the Spurs’ toughest matchup.

“Shaq’s always hot,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He’s great every game he plays. He’s going to score. He’s going to rebound. He’s blocking shots.

“He’s playing great right now. You’re not going to change that. You’re not going to hold Shaq to 10 points and five rebounds.”

The Spurs can survive with O’Neal scoring 26 points if a couple of other Lakers aren’t also scoring 26. When the Spurs snapped their six-game losing streak to Los Angeles with a 108-81 victory on April 24, Elliott helped hold Bryant to 5 of 14 from the field. The Spurs also outscored the Lakers 19-4 on the break and shot 69.2 percent in the first half.

The Lakers are playing much better since then. Not completely unlike how the Spurs have played better since Los Angeles handed them a pair of losses in their 6-8 start.

“It’s going to be a tough, long, grind-it-out series,” Johnson said. “You know, you got two of the top teams in the West. The Lakers are definitely not indicative of (their) fourth seed. We all know that.”

The Spurs also consider their physical four-game series with Minnesota a worthy first-round test. They added a pair of victories at the Target Center to recent road wins in Utah and Portland.

“If we get a split here,” Elie said, “I feel confident we can go up to the Forum and get a few games.”

A few games? Why even bother with home-court advantage? L.A., after all, already has the shoes.

Ticket information

As of Sunday afternoon, the upper deck of the Alamodome had not been opened for tonight’s Spurs-Lakers series opener, but the Spurs said in a news release that tickets in the north end probably would be made available today “if demand dictates.”

About 17,000 tickets had been sold for Game 1, set for 8:30 p.m., leaving about 3,000 lower-and club-level seats available at prices ranging from $16.50 to $51.50.

The Spurs ticket office will open at 8 this morning.

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-17, By Jerry Briggs

奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)准备进攻 - 行李丢失和潜在的轻视都无法影响他

洛杉矶湖人队中锋沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)周日对行李丢失和即将宣布他入选NBA第三阵容的消息不以为然。

周日凌晨，当球队抵达酒店时，奥尼尔的行李却没有送到他的房间，这一事件可能会让阴谋论者在整个NBA季后赛期间都议论纷纷。

在准备今晚于阿拉莫球馆迎战圣安东尼奥马刺队的西部半决赛时，奥尼尔猜测着这一切意味着什么。

“这种事只发生在圣安东尼奥和奥兰多，”他说，“我的行李好像从来没有顺利到达过。（他们）偷走了所有东西。我的内裤。我的除臭剂。（他们）把一切都拿走了。全拿走了。”

他打算去买新衣服吗？

“我没有钱，”奥尼尔说道，以此来打趣那些经常指出他在1996年与湖人队签署了一份1.22亿美元合同的记者。

那么，奥尼尔在接下来的几天里要如何出行呢？

“我想我只能像丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)那样，”奥尼尔说，“光着身子到处走，或者别的什么。”

在与休斯顿火箭队的五局三胜制首轮系列赛中，湖人队展现出了他们的侵略性，以四场比赛的相对轻松的胜利晋级。

在周六下午于休斯顿康柏中心的第四场比赛中，奥尼尔以37分和11个篮板的成绩带领球队取得胜利。在进入与马刺队的系列赛之前，这位身高7英尺1英寸、体重315磅的中锋在季后赛中场均得到29.5分，领跑全联盟。

除此之外，奥尼尔在常规赛中场均得到26.3分，排名联盟第二，仅次于费城76人队的后卫阿伦·艾弗森(Allen Iverson)。

尽管如此，奥尼尔有一种感觉，他可能会因为入选NBA第三阵容而被轻视。

“我真的不知道是谁投票选出了这些东西，”奥尼尔说，“但我已经接受了。我只专注于一件事。如果你们（媒体）说我是最棒的，那就这样吧。如果你们不这么认为，那么在我的职业生涯余下的时间里，我都会接受自己是第三中锋的事实。”

湖人队主教练科特·兰比斯(Kurt Rambis)表示，在过去的八场比赛中——常规赛的最后四场和季后赛对阵火箭队的四场比赛——奥尼尔已经成为了一名更加全面的球员，在这段时间里，球队的战绩为7胜1负。

“他只是在精神上和身体上都更加投入，去做我们在球场两端要求他做的所有事情，”兰比斯说，“他在进攻端完全无私。如果他们不包夹他，他就开始进攻。如果他们下来包夹他，他就会找到空位的队友。”

奥尼尔说，他喜欢德里克·费舍尔(Derek Fisher)、罗伯特·霍里(Robert Horry)和德里克·哈珀(Derek Harper)等湖人队的角色球员开始做出重要贡献。

“我们才刚刚开始融合在一起，”他说，“自从常规赛还剩四五场比赛的时候，我们就在打很好的防守。我们一直在转移球。每个人都有触球的机会。我们在一起打球。玩得很开心。我们打得很稳定。如果我们能继续这样打下去，我认为我们很有机会。”

在他的职业生涯中，奥尼尔在与马刺队中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)的比赛中取得了6胜6负的战绩。在这12场比赛中，奥尼尔（26.2分、12.4个篮板和2.1次盖帽）略微优于罗宾逊（24.5分、10.5个篮板和2.3次盖帽），这可以追溯到奥尼尔还是奥兰多魔术队球员的时候。

自从蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)与罗宾逊联手组成马刺队的前场搭档以来，湖人队在两年内与马刺队的比赛中取得了6胜1负的战绩。

“他们有伟大的球员，”奥尼尔说，“当你与伟大的球员比赛时，你必须打得好。你必须在他们对你下手之前先发制人。”

点击查看原文：Shaq prepares to attack - Missing luggage, perceived slight don't faze O'Neal

Shaq prepares to attack - Missing luggage, perceived slight don’t faze O’Neal

Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal on Sunday shrugged off the loss of his luggage and what he believes is an impending announcement that he will be named All-NBA third team.

In a mystery that could keep conspiracy theorists busy throughout the NBA’s postseason, O’Neal’s luggage did not make it to his hotel room when the team arrived early Sunday morning.

O’Neal speculated on what it all meant as the Lakers prepared to meet the Spurs in the Western Conference semifinals tonight at the Alamodome.

“It only happens in San Antonio and Orlando,” he said. “My luggage never seems to make it. (They) stole everything. My underwear. My deodorant. (They) took it all. Took it all.”

Did he plan on going out to buy new clothes?

“I don’t have any money,” said O’Neal, toying with reporters who frequently point out that he signed a $122 million contract with the Lakers in 1996.

How, then, will Shaq get around town for the next several days?

“I guess I’ll have to be like Dennis (Rodman),” O’Neal said. “Just walk around naked, or something.”

The Lakers bared their aggression in a best-of-five, first-round series against the Houston Rockets, claiming a relatively easy victory in four games.

O’Neal led the way with 37 points and 11 rebounds in the Game 4 clincher Saturday afternoon at the Compaq Center in Houston. Going into the Spurs’ series, the 7-foot-1, 315-pound O’Neal is averaging an NBA-best 29.5 points per game in the playoffs.

On top of that, O’Neal averaged 26.3 points in the regular season, good for second best in the league behind guard Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers.

In spite of all that, O’Neal has a feeling he may be disrespected as a third-team, All-NBA selection.

“I really don’t know who votes for these things they give out,” O’Neal said. “But I’ve come to terms with it. I’m just focusing on one thing. If you guys (in the media) say I’m the best, so be it. If you don’t, then I accept for the rest of my career being the third best center.”

Lakers coach Kurt Rambis said O’Neal has become more of a complete player over the last eight games - the last four of the regular season and four against the Rockets in the playoffs - a stretch in which the team has posted a 7-1 record.

“He’s just been more committed, emotionally and physically, to do all the things we’re asking him to do at both ends of the court,” Rambis said. “He’s being completely unselfish at the offensive end. If they’re not trapping him, he goes to work. If they come down and trap him, he’s finding open people.”

O’Neal said he likes the aspect of Lakers role players such as Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and Derek Harper starting to make significant contributions.

“We’re just starting to jell together,” he said. “From the time we had four or five games left (in the regular season), we’ve been playing good defense. We’ve been moving the ball. Everybody’s been getting touches. We’re playing together. Having fun. We’re playing consistent. If we can continue to play that way, then I like our chances.”

In his career, O’Neal is 6-6 in games against Spurs center David Robinson. O’Neal (26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks) has outplayed Robinson (24.5, 10.5 and 2.3) slightly in those dozen games, dating back to Shaq’s days as a member of the Orlando Magic.

The Lakers are 6-1 against the Spurs in two years since Tim Duncan joined forces with Robinson on the frontline.

“They have great players,” O’Neal said. “You play against great players, you have to play well. You have to take it to them before they take it to you.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-17, By Staff and Wire Reports

马刺-湖人备战笔记

格伦·莱斯(Glen Rice) 的状态仍为日复一日 洛杉矶湖人队将对前锋格伦·莱斯进行赛前评估，他正遭受着右肘（投篮肘）疼痛的困扰。

一位球队发言人表示，莱斯在周日阿拉莫穹顶的赛前热身中没有进行任何投篮训练，当时湖人正在为今晚的西部半决赛第一场比赛做准备。

莱斯在赛前热身前表示，他可能会选择带伤出战。

“我们拭目以待，”他说。“以我的好胜心，我可能会选择出战。”

莱斯是湖人队的主要外线射手。他在休赛期对肘部进行了手术。在对阵休斯顿的系列赛第三场中，他的肘部被撞击了几次，导致肿胀，以至于他在周六下午第四场比赛开始前的几分钟内无法投出跳投。

“我非常沮丧，”他说。“我真的想上场比赛。”

• 雷德被NBA罚款10000美元：湖人队前锋J.R. 雷德(J.R. Reid)因在季后赛系列赛最后一战中对休斯顿队的斯科蒂·皮蓬(Scottie Pippen)犯规而被NBA罚款10000美元。

雷德在湖人队以98-88战胜休斯顿队，将休斯顿队淘汰的比赛中，第三节还剩8分39秒时犯规了皮蓬。

NBA篮球运营高级副总裁罗德·索恩(Rod Thorn)宣布了这一罚款，他将犯规从恶意犯规一升级为更严重的恶意犯规二。

• 埃利奥特的目标：马刺队前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)在底特律效力了一年，但除此之外，自从马刺队在1989年选中他以来，他一直在与圣安东尼奥一起征战季后赛。

“这对我来说并不陌生，”他说到突破第一轮。“我们必须继续前进。我们对自身期望更高，我相信我们可以做得更好。”

• 明显的进步：湖人队后卫德里克·哈珀(Derek Harper)注意到马刺队在4月24日战胜湖人队的比赛中，与之前两次对阵（均为湖人队获胜）相比，有两点不同。

“他们的传球配合（以及）他们的团队凝聚力（都更好），”哈珀说。“他们的替补球员的表现比之前好很多。马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)，安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels)，所有那些家伙，他们的角色球员，真的，真的打得很好。”

哈珀说，系列赛的胜负可能取决于两支球队的角色球员。

“看看超级巨星，”他说。“通常，他们会势均力敌。重要的是，要尽可能地将角色球员从系列赛中剔除。通常，无论哪位角色球员站出来打得出色，他们所在的球队就会赢得比赛。”

点击查看原文：Spurs-Lakers Notes

Spurs-Lakers Notes

Rice’s status still day-to-day The Los Angeles Lakers will make a game-time decision on forward Glen Rice, suffering from a sore right (shooting) elbow.

A team spokesman said Rice didn’t shoot at all on Sunday in a walk- though at the Alamodome as the Lakers prepared for tonight’s Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

Rice said before the walkthrough that he might be inclined to play through some pain tonight.

“We’ll have to see,” he said. “With my competitive nature, I probably would.”

Rice is the Lakers’ primary outside shooting threat. He had the elbow surgically repaired in the offseason. During Game 3 of the Houston series, the elbow was hit a few times, causing it to puff up to the point that he could not shoot a jump shot in the minutes before the start of Game 4 on Saturday afternoon.

“I was pretty bitter,” he said. “I really wanted to play.”

- Reid fined $10,000 by NBA: Lakers forward J.R. Reid was fined $10,000 by the NBA on Sunday for a flagrant foul committed against Houston’s Scottie Pippen in the final game of their playoff series.

Reid fouled Pippen with 8:39 left in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 98-88 victory that eliminated Houston Saturday.

The fine was announced by Rod Thorn, the NBA’s senior vice president of basketball operations, who changed the foul from a flagrant penalty one to a more severe flagrant penalty two.

- Elliott’s goals: Spurs forward Sean Elliott has spent one year with Detroit but otherwise has been battling through the playoff wars with San Antonio since the Spurs drafted him in 1989.

“This is not new,” he said of going past the first round. “We’ve got to continue to play. We have far better things expected of us and I believe we can do a lot better.”

- Noticeable improvements: Lakers guard Derek Harper noticed two things different about the Spurs’ victory over L.A. on April 24, compared to a pair of earlier matchups - both Lakers victories.

“Their ball movement (and) their togetherness (were better),” Harper said. “Their bench did a much better job than the previous times. The (Malik) Rose kid. (Antonio) Daniels. All those guys, their role players, really, really played well.”

Harper said the series could be determined by the complementary players on both teams.

“Look at the superstars,” he said. “Normally, that’s a wash. The important thing is to try and take the role players out of the series. Normally, whatever role players step up and plays well, that’s who wins.” - Staff and Wire Reports

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

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-17, By Jerry Briggs

湖人将面对怎样的马刺？ - 现阵容希望对阵圣安东尼奥保持稳定

洛杉矶湖人队的后卫科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)透露了一个关于中锋沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)的秘密。

布莱恩特说，他认为奥尼尔并不期待与马刺队的季后赛系列赛，因为他对大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)心存芥蒂，或者因为他想在曾经打过高中篮球的城市中赢得一场地盘之争。

“说实话，我认为沙克并没有考虑这些，”布莱恩特说。“我认为沙克唯一考虑的是赢得那枚（总冠军）戒指。圣安东尼奥只是他通往胜利道路上的一小块障碍。”

有一天，奥尼尔大肆宣扬他对罗宾逊的厌恶。

第二天，他说NBA代表着“除了演员什么都没有”，暗示他之前说自己不喜欢罗宾逊只是为了炒作联盟的热度。

但是，围绕奥尼尔言论的争议不可避免地会再次出现。

“我认为他已经过去了，”布莱恩特说。“显然，这对他是个人挑战。但我认为重要的是，我们不能太在意对手是谁。我们只关心赢得那枚戒指。这是我们唯一关心的。”

马刺和湖人将在今晚8点30分于阿拉莫穹顶开启七场四胜制的西部半决赛。

在五场三胜制的首轮比赛中，湖人以四场横扫休斯顿火箭队。他们在周六的第四场比赛中以10分的优势获胜，当时外线神射手格伦·莱斯(Glen Rice)因伤缺阵。莱斯右肘（投篮臂）疼痛，目前被列为日复一日评估，对于对阵马刺队的首场比赛的出场状态尚不明朗。

在湖人锁定对阵休斯顿系列赛的胜利后，奥尼尔说，排名第一的马刺队将对他的队友们构成“考验”，湖人队以西部第四种子的身份进入季后赛。

“你知道，他们拥有两名出色的中锋（罗宾逊和蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)，）”奥尼尔说。“我们必须前往那里完成任务。我们知道他们拥有主场优势。我们必须努力争取在一场或者两场（在圣安东尼奥）中获胜。”

湖人队与马刺队在4月24日于阿拉莫穹顶的最后一次交手中已经发生了很大的变化。在那一天，马刺队以108-81的比分大胜。

那是湖人队遭遇的两场惨败中的第一场，他们两天后在休斯顿被对手以22分的优势击败。当湖人队返回西海岸时，球员们聚在一起讨论这个似乎正在从他们手中溜走的赛季。

湖人队进行了几次训练，重新组织，并在常规赛的最后四场比赛中取得了全胜，其中包括两场战胜强大的波特兰开拓者队的比赛。

在对阵休斯顿的系列赛开始之前，他们几乎忘记了那些破坏球队化学反应的交易，包括季前将控球后卫尼克·范埃克塞尔(Nick Van Exel)交易到丹佛，2月24日解雇主教练德尔·哈里斯(Del Harris)，赛季中期将埃迪·琼斯(Eddie Jones)和埃尔登·坎贝尔(Elden Campbell)交易到夏洛特换来莱斯，以及失败的丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)实验。

罗德曼，这位极具个性的前NBA篮板王，于2月23日签约，并在4月15日被裁掉。

“所有这些事情的累积让我们无法发挥出我们应有的水平，”库尔特·兰比斯(Kurt Rambis)说，这位前湖人助理教练接替哈里斯担任主教练。“这不利于我们发挥出自己的潜力。”

布莱恩特说，湖人队在经历了这么多争议后，重新找回了比赛中的乐趣。

“我认为我们又开始享受比赛了，”布莱恩特说，他在首轮比赛中表现超过休斯顿的斯科蒂·皮蓬(Scottie Pippen)，而奥尼尔则压制了哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)。

周六，湖人在第四节领先了17分。精彩集锦中展示了奥尼尔的雷霆灌篮和布莱恩特的突破扣篮。

“为我们自己感到骄傲吗？”布莱恩特问道。“我们在防守方面做得很好。这与常规赛最后几周相比有了很大的改变。”

布莱恩特承认，马刺队比湖人近年来遇到的任何球队都要强。

“但我们期待着挑战，”他说。“我们真的很期待。阿拉莫穹顶是一个很难打球的地方。球迷们太棒了。圣安东尼奥队做得很好，他们利用失误和失误，糟糕的投篮选择。”

无论莱斯的伤势如何，布莱恩特都说他对于即将到来的系列赛感觉良好。

“我认为我们与他们很匹配，他们也与我们很匹配，”布莱恩特说。“防守挡拆很重要。你知道他们会跑35到40次（一場比賽）…我们必须看看我们能做些什么。”

点击查看原文：Which Lakers will Spurs see? - Current cast hopes for stability vs. S.A.

Which Lakers will Spurs see? - Current cast hopes for stability vs. S.A.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant told a secret about center Shaquille O’Neal.

Bryant said he thinks O’Neal isn’t pumped up for a playoff series against the Spurs because of his so-called hard feelings against David Robinson, or because he wants to win a turf war in a city where he once played high school basketball.

“Tell you the truth, I don’t think Shaq’s thinking about any of that,” Bryant said. “All I think Shaq’s thinking about is getting that (championship) ring. San Antonio is just a little obstacle in his path.”

One day, O’Neal is hyping his dislike for Robinson.

The next day, he is saying that the NBA stands for “nothing but actors,” implying that when he said he never liked Robinson, he made the comments merely to hype interest in the league.

But the controversy surrounding O’Neal’s words, inevitably, will come around again.

“I think he’s past that,” Bryant said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a personal challenge for him. (But) I think it’s going to be important for us not to really care who we’re playing. It’s getting that ring. That’s all we care about.”

The Spurs and the Lakers will open the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals at 8:30 tonight in the Alamodome.

In the best-of-five first round, the Lakers dismantled the Houston Rockets in four games. They won by 10 in Game 4 on Saturday without outside shooting whiz Glen Rice. Rice, with a sore right (shooting) elbow, is listed as day- to-day for Game 1 against the Spurs.

After the Lakers clinched the series against Houston, O’Neal said the top-seeded Spurs would present a “test” for his teammates, who entered the postseason with the West’s No. 4 seed.

“You know, they’ve got two great big men (Robinson and Tim Duncan),” O’Neal said. “We’re just going to have to go in there and get it done. We know they have homecourt advantage. We just have to try and go in and get one, or two (in San Antonio).”

The Lakers are a changed group from the one the Spurs saw on April 24, when the teams last met in the dome. On that day, the Spurs romped 108-81.

It was the first of two blowout losses for the Lakers, who were hammered two nights later in Houston by 22 points. When the Lakers retreated to the West Coast, players huddled to discuss a season that seemed to be slipping away from them.

The Lakers practiced a few times, reorganized, and proceeded to win their last four games of the regular season, a streak that included two wins over the powerful Portland Trail Blazers.

Entering the Houston series, they had all but forgotten chemistry-rattling transactions that included a preseason trade of point guard Nick Van Exel to Denver, a Feb. 24 firing of head coach Del Harris, a midseason deal that sent Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell to Charlotte for Rice, and the failed Dennis Rodman experiment.

Rodman, the flamboyant former NBA rebounding champion, was signed Feb. 23 and waived April 15.

“An accumulation of all those things doesn’t let us play the type of ball we’re capable of playing,” said Kurt Rambis, a former Lakers assistant who moved up to take over for Harris as coach. “It doesn’t lend itself to us playing to our potential.”

Bryant said the Lakers have rediscovered some joy in the game in the wake of so much controversy.

“I think we’re back to just having fun again,” said Bryant, who outplayed Houston’s Scottie Pippen, while O’Neal plundered Hakeem Olajuwon in the opening round.

The Lakers led by 17 in the fourth quarter Saturday. Highlight reels were showing thunder dunks by O’Neal and slashing, tomahawk slams by Bryant.

“Proud of ourselves?” Bryant asked. “We did a nice job defensively. That’s a big change from the last few weeks of the regular season.”

Bryant acknowledged that the Spurs are a better team than the Lakers have seen in recent years.

“But we’re looking forward to the challenge,” he said. “We really are. The Alamodome is a tough place to play. The fans are incredible. San Antonio does a good job of capitalizing on mistakes and turnovers, bad shot selection.”

Regardless of Rice’s injury, Bryant said he feels good going into the series.

“I think we match up well against them, as they match up well against us,” Bryant said. “Defending the pick-and-roll will be important. You know they’re going to run 35 or 40 (a game) … We’re going to have to see what we can do with it.”

By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-17, By Buck Harvey

喜欢也好，不喜欢也罢：谁将主宰这一次？

我喜欢彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)胜过杰里·巴斯(Jerry Buss)。我喜欢杰里·韦斯特(Jerry West)胜过格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)。我喜欢格雷格·波波维奇胜过科特·兰比斯(Kurt Rambis)。

我喜欢去洛杉矶旅行胜过在哈里斯县待上几天。我喜欢黑银色胜过紫金色。我喜欢杰克·尼克尔森(Jack Nicholson)胜过“土狼”(Jack在“尽善尽美”中的角色让他略胜一筹)。

我喜欢贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)投出12投3中。

我喜欢马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)胜过J.R.雷德(J.R. Reid)。我喜欢杰罗姆·柯西(Jerome Kersey)胜过J.R.雷德。我喜欢机场安检胜过J.R.雷德。

我喜欢丹尼斯·罗德曼(Dennis Rodman)在家里，思考到底该为谁加油。

我喜欢沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)的力量对抗大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)。我喜欢沙奎尔·奥尼尔的力量对抗蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)。我喜欢沙奎尔·奥尼尔的力量对抗北约(NATO)。

我喜欢哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)如何概括了1999年的沙克(Shaq)所变成的样子。在与沙克的对决系列赛中被对手领先65分后，奥拉朱旺说道：“任何懂得篮球的人…篮球是一场优势的比赛。当你面对沙克和我的对决时，你就能看到体型和力量的明显优势，这非常麻烦。我只能限制他，让他难以出手，但这就是我能做的全部。”

我喜欢威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)对沙奎尔·奥尼尔的限制——每晚吹六次犯规。

我喜欢将填满阿拉莫穹顶(Alamodome)的30,000名球迷。我喜欢迟到的湖人球迷。我喜欢没有到达的火箭球迷。

我喜欢鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)和德尔·哈里斯(Del Harris)，他们戴着麦克风，一起观看这场系列赛。

我喜欢蒂姆·邓肯打败罗伯特·霍里(Robert Horry)。我喜欢蒂姆·邓肯打败肖恩·鲁克斯(Sean Rooks)。我喜欢蒂姆·邓肯打败媒体。

我喜欢论坛(Forum)球馆胜过阿拉莫穹顶，这很有说服力，因为湖人将在下个赛季搬出论坛，去往更好的地方。

我喜欢艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)胜过德雷克(Derek)(费舍尔)。我喜欢德雷克(Derek)(哈珀)在比赛结束时，用一记三分球战胜艾弗里·约翰逊，恰好是在湖人需要的时候。

我喜欢艾弗里·约翰逊的心智，胜过他的身体。

我喜欢查尔斯·巴克利(Charles Barkley)考虑退役，因为没有它，春天就不完整。

我喜欢科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)胜过他的炒作。我喜欢科比·布莱恩特胜过他的广告。我喜欢五年后的科比·布莱恩特。

如果我是马刺，我不喜欢格伦·莱斯(Glen Rice)的肘部恢复健康并且打开之后会发生什么。

我喜欢科特·兰比斯的老眼镜胜过他的新眼镜，我喜欢马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)的新眉毛胜过他的旧眉毛。

我喜欢肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)，因为凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)不再和他在一起了，我喜欢史蒂夫·科尔(Steve Kerr)，因为命运站在他这边。

我曾经喜欢埃迪·琼斯(Eddie Jones)，在对阵马刺的比赛中，他在开阔的球场上奔跑。

我喜欢科尔高中(Cole High School)胜过路易斯安那州立大学(LSU)。我喜欢路易斯安那州立大学胜过奥兰多魔术(Orlando Magic)。我喜欢奥兰多魔术仅仅胜过…

至于佛罗里达的NBA：我喜欢帕特·莱利(Pat Riley)向圣安东尼奥展示成为头号种子的另一面。

我喜欢这一切。我喜欢那个离开德克萨斯州南部的7英尺巨星，我喜欢两个来到这里的7英尺巨星。我喜欢职业联赛对阵双A级市场的较量。我喜欢沙克(Shaq)在休息日嘟囔着一些可以打印的嘲讽。

我喜欢马刺面对另一支球队，他们在已经缩短的赛季中选择通过一笔重大交易来粉碎自己，但他们拥有足以抵消混乱的纯粹天赋。我喜欢湖人的速度和混乱与马刺的防守和默契。我喜欢这场系列赛，它可能比总决赛还要精彩。

那么？我喜欢马刺六场获胜。

点击查看原文：Like it or not: Who takes over this time?

Like it or not: Who takes over this time?

I like Peter Holt over Jerry Buss. Jerry West over Gregg Popovich. Gregg Popovich over Kurt Rambis.

I like a trip to L.A. instead of a few days in Harris County. Black and silver over purple and gold. Jack Nicholson over the Coyote (Jack’s role in “As Good as It Gets” gives him a slight edge).

I like Jaren Jackson to go 3 of 12.

I like Malik Rose over J.R. Reid. Jerome Kersey over J.R. Reid. Airport security over J.R. Reid.

I like Dennis Rodman, at home, wondering just who the heck to root for.

I like Shaquille O’Neal’s power against David Robinson. Shaquille O’Neal’s power against Tim Duncan. Shaquille O’Neal’s power against NATO.

I like how Hakeem Olajuwon outlined what the 1999 Shaq has become. After getting outscored by 65 points in his series against Shaq, Olajuwon said: “Anyone who understands basketball … basketball is a game of advantage. Definitely when you’ve got the matchup of Shaq and myself, you can see the definite advantage of the size and the power, which is great trouble. I can only contain him, make it difficult for him, but that’s all I can do.”

I like Will Perdue’s containment of Shaquille O’Neal - six whistles a night.

I like the 30,000 fans that will fill the Alamodome. The late-arriving Lakers fans. The non-arriving Rockets fans.

I like Bob Hill and Del Harris, miked for sound, watching this series together.

I like Tim Duncan to beat down Robert Horry. Tim Duncan to beat down Sean Rooks. Tim Duncan to beat down the media.

I like the Forum over the Alamodome, which says something, since the Lakers are moving out of the Forum next season for even better digs.

I like Avery Johnson over a Derek (Fisher). A Derek (Harper) over Avery Johnson, at the end of one game, with a trey, just when the Lakers need it.

I like Avery Johnson’s mind, still, over matter.

I like Charles Barkley mulling over retirement, because it just wouldn’t be spring without it.

I like Kobe Bryant more than his hype. Kobe Bryant more than his ads. Kobe Bryant more in five years.

If I’m the Spurs, I don’t like what happens if Glen Rice’s elbow gets both healthy and open.

I like Kurt Rambis’ old glasses more than his new ones, and Mario Elie’s new eyebrow better than his old one.

I like Sean Elliott because Kevin Garnett isn’t with him anymore, and Steve Kerr because the odds are.

I once liked Eddie Jones, in the open court, against the Spurs.

I like Cole High School over LSU. LSU over the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic just over.

As for the NBA in Florida: I like Pat Riley showing San Antonio the other side of being a No. 1 seed.

I like it all. The one 7-foot star who left South Texas, the two 7-foot stars who arrived. The major- league vs. Double-A market showdown. The prospect of an off day when Shaq mumbles some printable taunts.

I like the Spurs facing yet another franchise that opted to shatter itself with a major trade in an already shortened season - but one with the sheer talent to negate the confusion. I like Lakers’ quickness and chaos versus the Spurs’ defense and chemistry. I like a series that will be arguably more entertaining than even the Finals.

And? I like the Spurs in six.

By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-18, By Johnny Ludden

马刺高歌猛进 - 奥尼尔和洛杉矶湖人队在圣安东尼奥的窒息防守下败下阵来

阻止一位身高7英尺1英寸的电影巨星，方法并不多。为了作比较，马刺主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)曾经选择了一段来自电影《细红线》的场景，而不是《蓝筹股》。

跑上山坡。干掉机枪手。

于是大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)站了出来。

于是威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)站了出来。

于是马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)站了出来。

于是蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)站了出来。

于是沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)倒下了。

“队友们给了我一些关于如何对付他的建议，”罗斯说。“买一份人寿保险，带上你的面罩。”

珀杜带来了面罩。没有人需要打电话给全州保险公司。

在第一轮季后赛中见证了奥尼尔如何击败哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)和休斯敦火箭队后，马刺队周一晚上在人数上找到了力量。50号。41号。31号。21号。

凭借他们的集体防守，将奥尼尔限制在21分——当奥尼尔得分低于25分时，他就被限制住了，他可能会争辩说这是字面意义上的——马刺队周一晚上在阿拉莫穹顶，在25297名球迷面前，以87比81战胜湖人队，取得了西部半决赛第一场的胜利。

当马刺队练习“犯规战术”的时候，湖人队则转向“骚扰邓肯”。湖人队在上半场让J.R.雷德(J.R. Reid)和罗伯特·霍里(Robert Horry)独自防守邓肯，而在下半场则姗姗来迟地派人支援。

邓肯在第一轮被明尼苏达森林狼队束缚住后，本场比赛拿下了全队最高的25分。在第一轮平均不到16次出手后，他本场出手了24次。在第三节马刺队拉开比分的时候，他还出色地防守了奥尼尔。

“这是一项艰巨的任务，”邓肯说。“他是一个大块头。对我来说是一段美好的时光。我们的协防到位了。”

帮助意味着罗宾逊、珀杜、罗斯和邓肯轮流上场。马刺队还派上了马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)和艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)去协防奥尼尔。杰罗姆·克西(Jerome Kersey)会是下一个吗？

“不，”克西说。“我很久以前就告诉教练，我不打大前锋。我也不会打中锋。”

马刺队需要克西在第一节结束时的31英尺远投。而不是他防守奥尼尔。奥尼尔在第一轮场均得分联盟最高的29.5分，本场19投6中，前11次出手仅命中2球。

“很多事情都围绕着沙克展开，”波波维奇说。“我们想让他难以招架。”

马刺队在最后几分钟给自己制造了麻烦。他们在比赛还剩7分36秒时领先15分，却出现了6次失误，并错失了12次罚球中的6次。

奥尼尔在比赛还剩24.4秒时上篮得分，将比分缩小到83比79。随后肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)两罚一中，罗伯特·霍里跳投不中。埃利两罚一中，在比赛还剩17.8秒时将领先优势扩大到6分。

“我们两队在最后3分30秒都没有发挥出色，”波波维奇说。“我只是感谢我们在早些时候的领先优势。”

那是在第三节。奥尼尔犯规后，湖人队主教练库尔特·兰比斯(Kurt Rambis)——对奥尼尔在整场比赛中受到的待遇感到愤怒——被吹了技术犯规。埃利罚球命中，随后罗宾逊在奥尼尔头上命中了一记15英尺的跳投，在第三节还剩4分41秒时将比分拉开到61比50。

不到两分钟后，奥尼尔领到了他的第三次和第四次个人犯规。第四次犯规是一个恶意犯规，他在防守邓肯时将后者摔倒在地。

当湖人队在第四节初期将比分差距缩小到5分时，罗宾逊削弱了湖人的资源。在一回合中，他先是迫使肖恩·鲁克斯(Sean Rooks)犯规两次，随后又迫使霍里犯规一次，然后两罚全中。接下来，罗宾逊突破鲁克斯得分。接下来，他迫使鲁克斯犯下第四次犯规，并获得一次罚球，将比分扩大到10分。

“当你面对罗宾逊和邓肯时，你必须在行动之前就决定好要做什么，”科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)说。“而且要防止他们展开双翼。”

珀杜也难得有机会伸展他长长的臂膀。珀杜在上半场11分钟的时间里获得了6分，包括一次底线反手扣篮，以及全队最高的9个篮板中的6个。他在上半场结束时补进了自己投丢的上篮，帮助马刺队以47比41领先，他们在第一节一度落后12分。

“他打出了我们去年习惯看到的水平，”波波维奇说。“如果他在这轮系列赛中能够继续保持这样的状态，对我们来说将是一个很大的帮助。”

帮助是关键，马刺队从一开始就频繁地使用“犯规战术”来对付奥尼尔。罗宾逊？三次犯规。马利克·罗斯？三次犯规。威尔·珀杜？两次犯规中的其中一次。埃利？三次犯规中的其中一次。这些仅仅是上半场的数据。

当然，马刺队不想让罗宾逊也加入到这个行列。但当他在第二节还剩6分54秒时领到第三次个人犯规后，他们转向了其他的选择。比如身高6英尺7英寸的罗斯。以及，为了更好地应对奥尼尔的体型，身高7英尺的珀杜。

“我们有四名内线球员，”罗斯说。“准确地说，是3.5个。我们知道我们需要用上所有的球员。

“我非常尊重（奥尼尔）。我只是不想被他扣篮。”

点击查看原文：Spurs standing tall - O'Neal, Los Angeles wither thanks to San Antonio's stifling defense

Spurs standing tall - O’Neal, Los Angeles wither thanks to San Antonio’s stifling defense

There aren’t many ways to stop a 7-foot-1 cinematic giant. For comparisons sake, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich once opted for a scene from “The Thin Red Line” instead of “Blue Chips.”

Run up the hill. Take out the machine gunner.

So up went David Robinson.

Up went Will Perdue.

Up went Malik Rose.

Up went Tim Duncan.

Down went Shaquille O’Neal.

“The guys gave me some advice about playing him,” Rose said. “Buy life insurance and bring your face mask.”

Perdue brought the face mask. No one needed to call All-State.

After watching O’Neal bury Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs, the Spurs found power in numbers Monday night. No. 50. No. 41. No. 31. No. 21.

With their defense-by-committee holding O’Neal to 21 points - when O’Neal scores less than 25 he’s been held, literally he might argue - the Spurs beat the Lakers 87-81 Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals in front of 25,297 fans at the Alamodome.

While the Spurs practiced Hack-A-Shaq, the Lakers went to Tink-A-Tim. Los Angeles left J.R. Reid and Robert Horry alone on Duncan in the first half and sent help too late in the second.

Shackled by Minnesota in the first round, Duncan scored a game-high 25 points. After averaging just under 16 shots in the first round, he took 24 Monday. He also did a solid job against O’Neal in the third quarter when the Spurs pulled away.

“It was a tough job,” Duncan said. “He’s a big boy. It was a good time for me. Our help defense was there.”

Help meant Robinson, Perdue, Rose and Duncan all taking turns. The Spurs also ran Mario Elie and Avery Johnson at O’Neal. Was Jerome Kersey next?

“Nope,” Kersey said. “I told Coach a long time ago I don’t play power forwards. And I don’t play centers.”

The Spurs needed Kersey’s 31-footer at the first-quarter buzzer. Not his defense on O’Neal. O’Neal, who averaged an NBA-best 29.5 points in the first round, went 6 of 19 from the field and missed all but two of his first 11 shots.

“A lot goes through Shaq,” Popovich said. “We wanted to make it tough on him.”

The Spurs made it tough on themselves in the final minutes. Up by 15 with 7:36 left, they committed six turnovers and missed half of their dozen free throws.

O’Neal hit a layup to trim the lead to 83-79 with 24.4 seconds left. Sean Elliott then hit one of two and Robert Horry missed a runner. Elie made one of two for a six-point lead with 17.8 seconds left.

“It wasn’t like either one of us did a hell of a job in the final 31/2 minutes,” Popovich said. “I’m just thankful for the run we had earlier.”

That would have been in the third quarter. After O’Neal fouled Robinson, Los Angeles coach Kurt Rambis - upset over O’Neal’s treatment for most of the game - was slapped with a technical. Elie hit the free throw and Robinson followed with a 15-footer over O’Neal for a 61-50 lead with about 4:41 left in the third quarter.

Less then two minutes later O’Neal picked up his third and fourth personals. No. 4 came on a flagrant foul when he dropped Duncan to the ground.

When the Lakers cut the deficit to five early in the final quarter, Robinson cut into the Lakers’ resources. On one possession he drew two fouls on Sean Rooks and another on Horry before sinking a pair of free throws. The next time down, Robinson spun by Rooks for a basket. The next time down, he picked up Rooks’ fourth foul and a free throw for a 10-point lead.

“When you go in against Robinson and Duncan you just have to make up your mind what you are going to do before you make your move,” Kobe Bryant said. “And before they spread their wings.”

For a change, Perdue also had the opportunity to spread his lengthy arms. Perdue had six points, including a baseline reverse dunk, and six of his team-best nine boards in 11 first-half minutes. He followed his own miss with a layup at the first-half buzzer to give the Spurs, who trailed by 12 in the first quarter, a 47-41 lead.

“He played the way we were used to seeing him last year,” Popovich said. “If he continues to do that in this series it will be a big help.”

Help was the key as the Spurs went to Hack-A-Shaq early and often. Robinson? Three fouls. Malik Rose? Three fouls. Will Perdue? One of his two fouls. Elie? One of his three fouls. And that was just in the first half.

The Spurs, of course, didn’t want Robinson included in the group. But after he picked up his third personal with 6:54 left in the second quarter, they turned to other options. Like the 6-7 Rose. And, for a more sizable matchup, the 7-0 Perdue.

“We have four post players,” Rose said. "Well, 31/2. We knew we were going to have to use all of them.

“I respect (O’Neal) highly. I just don’t want to get dunked on.”

By Johnny Ludden, via San Antonio Express-News

[这也将成为过去]

1999-05-18, By Glenn Rogers

马刺板凳阵容火力全开

在阿拉莫穹顶球馆的周一晚上，洛杉矶湖人队(Los Angeles Lakers)一定感受到了巨大的压力。

要制定战术来对付蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)和大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)已经够难了，更何况还有埃弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)和肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)。

更要命的是，他们还得想办法对付马利克·罗斯(Malik Rose)和板凳席上的其他球员。

但湖人队正面迎战了他们，并发现如果他们想从半决赛和马刺队手中逃脱，就必须应对另一股力量。

“每个人都在谈论其他球队的替补，却从来不提我们，”马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)抱怨道。“我们有能打的球员，他们经验丰富，知道自己的角色。他们今晚做的事情能帮助你赢得系列赛。”

“他们”做的事情包括以17比2的比分战胜湖人队的替补席。“他们”抢下了15个篮板。“他们”帮助折磨了沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)。

这是他们惯用的阵容——罗斯、威尔·珀杜(Will Perdue)、贾伦·杰克逊(Jaren Jackson)、安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯(Antonio Daniels)和杰罗姆·科西(Jerome Kersey)。

罗斯与奥尼尔展开了较量，让邓肯和罗宾逊得到了喘息的机会。

“是的，他是我防守过的最大的家伙，”罗斯说。“有人给我建议了吗？有，买保险，戴面具。基本上，波波教练(Gregg Popovich)告诉我上场去犯规他。”

奥尼尔被犯规的次数足以让他14次站上罚球线。他一直在这个环节挣扎，最终罚进了9个。

“我们的替补席一直是我们整个赛季的关键，”埃弗里·约翰逊说。“我很高兴看到老威尔在那里。他知道他每晚要打15到20分钟。”

珀杜在他的17分钟内得到9个篮板和6分。

“在与明尼苏达森林狼队(Minnesota Timberwolves)的系列赛中，我知道我必须保持精神上的警觉，因为我知道我将要面对哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)或奥尼尔，”珀杜说。

杰克逊脸上写满了紧迫感，媒体还没来得及抓住他，他就冲出了更衣室。

这位替补得分后卫两次用三分球破坏了湖人队的反击，第二次是在比赛还剩8分51秒时，让马刺队领先13分。

“贾伦投进了那些关键球。安东尼奥·丹尼尔斯在挡拆后投进了一个关键球。马利克做了所有那些拼抢。威尔做得很好，”埃利说。

科西在马刺队最需要的时候给了他们力量。第一节比赛快结束时，落后7分的马刺队正被奥尼尔和湖人队猛烈攻击。

科西在蜂鸣器响起前投出一记30英尺远的投篮，球应声入网。

他想要更多，示意自己在投篮时手臂被犯规了。

“是的，”他笑着说。“那是个犯规。”

当被问及防守奥尼尔的问题时，科西笑得更开心了。

“我倾向于不让自己陷入危险，”他说。“我有时会在那里进行双人包夹，但我已经被(格伦)莱斯(Glen Rice)缠住了。”

罗宾逊赞扬了替补席在他试图防守奥尼尔而陷入犯规麻烦时，保护了领先优势。

“我们依靠我们的替补球员不仅仅是为了得分，也是为了防守，”他说。“在那里的防守强度真的很大，马利克在防守奥尼尔方面做得很好。”

“嘿，我们是替补，”罗斯说。“你知道我们会做好我们的工作的。”

点击查看原文：Spurs' bench brings wood

Spurs’ bench brings wood

The Lakers must have felt more than a little bench- pressed Monday night at the Alamodome.

It’s enough to have to set schemes to handle Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Avery Johnson and Sean Elliott.

It’s too much to have to program in Malik Rose and the boys in the reserve band.

But the Lakers met them head on and discovered another force that will have to be dealt with if they hope to escape from these semifinals and the Spurs.

“Everybody talks about other teams’ reserves, they never mention ours,” complained Mario Elie. “We have guys who can play, who are experienced, who know their roles. They did the things tonight that help you win a series.”

“They” did things like outscore the Lakers’ bench 17-2. “They” grabbed 15 rebounds. “They” helped torture Shaquille O’Neal.

It was the usual group - Rose, Will Perdue, Jaren Jackson, Antonio Daniels and Jerome Kersey.

Rose did battle with O’Neal, spelling Duncan and Robinson.

“Yeah, he’s the biggest guy I’ve ever defended against,” Rose said. “Was I given advice? Yeah, get insurance, get a face mask. Basically, Pop (Coach Gregg Popovich) told me to go out there and foul him.”

O’Neal was hammered often enough to get to the line for 14 shots. Always struggling at the stripe, he hit nine.

“Our bench has been key to us all year long,” said Avery Johnson. “I was happy to see the old Will out there. He knows he’s going to have to play 15 to 20 minutes a night.”

Perdue had nine rebounds and six points in his 17 minutes.

“I knew during the Minnesota series that I had to stay mentally alert, because I knew I’d be getting time against either Hakeem (Olajuwon) or O’Neal,” Perdue said.

Jackson had urgency written all over his face, and he dashed out of the locker room before the media could collar him.

The backup shooting guard twice disrupted Lakers comebacks with three-pointers, the second giving the Spurs a 13-point lead with 8:51 left in the game.

“Jaren hit those big shots. Antonio Daniels hit a big shot off the pick-and-roll. Malik does all that hustling. Will did a great job,” Elie said.

Kersey gave the Spurs a lift precisely when they needed it. As the first quarter was winding down, the Spurs, who were trailing by seven, were getting battered by O’Neal and the Lakers.

Kersey launched a 30-foot shot just before the buzzer sounded and it swished through.

He wanted more, signaling that his arm had been chopped while shooting.

“It was,” he said with a smile. “It was a foul.”

Kersey smiled a bit more when asked about defending O’Neal.

“I tend to stay out of harm’s way,” he said. “I double down in there once in a while, but I had my hands full with (Glen) Rice.”

Robinson lauded the bench for protecting the lead when he ran into foul trouble trying to handle O’Neal.

“We depend on our reserves not just for points, but for defense,” he said. “The defensive intensity was really high out there, and Malik was really doing a great job on O’Neal.”

“Hey, we’re the bench,” said Rose. “You know we’re going to do our job.”

By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News