1999-06-30, By Glenn Rogers
登顶，多数城市都鲜有的感受
这种感觉是否已经沉淀下来了呢？还差得远呢。
第五场比赛在纽约的胜利所带来的令人陶醉的感受，以及随之而来的喜悦、游行、乘船游览和在阿拉莫穹顶球馆受到的欢迎，这些都在逐渐消退。最后的墨西哥辣椒也已经下肚，高速公路和乡间小路上与“加油，马刺，加油！”同步的喇叭声也渐渐消失。
这一切都很美好，但还不足以让圣安东尼奥人领会到 NBA 总冠军的意义。
但这终将到来。
世界之巅，体育界的精英地位。对于大多数体育城市来说，这是一件罕见的事情，在大多数城市，这甚至从未发生过。
圣安东尼奥是 29 个 NBA 城市之一，只有另外 12 个城市能赢得这座巨大的奖杯。我们将明尼阿波利斯也算在幸运者之列，因为他们在 40 年代末和 50 年代初曾凭借湖人队横扫联盟。而森林狼队至今仍在努力效仿他们的壮举。
亚特兰大自 1968 年就加入了联盟，但至今还未曾打入 NBA 总决赛，这或许可以解释为什么这座城市难以吸引球迷。
这种登顶的感觉很奇妙，难以捉摸。这份荣耀通常属于洛杉矶、芝加哥和波士顿——这些篮球巨头。但球迷们终将理解这一概念，并将在下个赛季马刺队被人们习惯性地称为世界冠军、卫冕冠军、领头羊时，将这一概念深深扎根于心中，直到有人证明他们并非如此。
下个赛季，媒体将会宣布，通往总决赛的路要经过圣安东尼奥，而不是犹他、不是洛杉矶、不是印第安纳，当然也不是芝加哥或波士顿。
下个赛季，马刺队将努力卫冕。
不，格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)教练不会像帕特·莱利(Pat Riley)在 1987 年湖人队夺冠后那样做出保证。马刺队会把吹嘘季后赛连胜的重任交给马里奥·埃利(Mario Elie)。
其他人则会谈论对手的强大、自满的危险以及赢得任何一场比赛的难度。这一切都千真万确，但在私下里，他们会点头、眨眼，甚至可能会露出一两丝笑容，然后走出去，在五月和六月漫长的七场系列赛的征途中，再干掉一两个对手。
蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)和大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)可能会在下个赛季发现比赛更加艰难，当然也会有所不同。
旨在提高得分或至少提高比赛节奏的 NBA 委员会正在修改非法防守规则，可能会放宽对大个子内线球员的区域联防限制。
很明显，他们的想法是鼓励教练们想出比“把球传进去再传出来”的战术更有活力的进攻方案。
无论如何，邓肯和罗宾逊在攻防两端都将继续施加巨大的压力。联盟中的教练们会非常乐意拥有这两名球员中的一位，来吸引四到五名防守球员，从而给其他队友留下广阔的空间施展拳脚。
- 糟糕的梦：周二，休斯顿传来令人沮丧的消息。
据说，火箭队一直在考虑将带领他们赢得无数胜利和两座总冠军奖杯的哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)交易到北边的多伦多。
太老了，他们正在寻找年轻人。
火箭队想要猛龙队的两个首轮签，分别是第五顺位和第十二顺位。
当然，猛龙队已经拥有了年轻的球星，他们正在寻找经验丰富的球员，尤其是当这位球员是一位顶级中锋时。
如果交易达成，多伦多将成为赢家，他们将为文斯·卡特(Vince Carter)、特雷西·麦克格雷迪(Tracy McGrady)和其他年轻球员增加内线力量。而火箭队最终将拥有一堆缺乏领导力、经验和整体球队理念的球员。
对于休斯顿那些冷酷无情、毫无忠诚可言、也不关心球队文化的数据分析师来说，这笔交易或许是有意义的。在奥拉朱旺退役或因为身体过于老迈而无法承受 48 分钟比赛的强度之前，把他交易出去，还能换回一些筹码。
奥拉朱旺之于火箭，就像拉里·伯德(Larry Bird)之于凯尔特人、迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)之于公牛、魔术师约翰逊(Magic Johnson)之于湖人、罗宾逊，以及如果幸运的话，邓肯之于马刺一样。
点击查看原文：Being on top rare feeling for most cities
Being on top rare feeling for most cities
Has it sunk in yet? Not by a long shot.
The heady feelings, the outright joy following Game 5 in New York, the parade, the barge rides and the welcome at the Alamodome are waning. The last jalapenos have been washed down. The honk-honk-honking in tune with “Go, Spurs, Go!” is fading away on the highways and byways.
It was all wonderful but not quite enough for San Antonians to grasp the significance of an NBA title.
But it will come.
Top-of-the-world stuff. Elite status in the world of sports. A rare happening for the majority of sports cities, a non-happening in most.
San Antonio is one of 29 NBA cities. Only 12 others can boast the big trophy. We count Minneapolis among the lucky because it rode roughshod over the league with the Lakers in the late '40s and early '50s. The Timberwolves are still trying to follow suit.
Atlanta has been in the league since 1968 and has yet to make the NBA Finals, which may explain the city’s inability to attract crowds.
It’s a strange, hard-to-get-at sensation, this being on top. It’s the honor usually reserved for Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston. Titans of the game. But fans will grapple with the notion and it will take deep root next season when the Spurs are regularly referred to as the world champions, the incumbents, the top dogs, until somebody proves otherwise.
Next season, the media will be announcing that the road to the Finals goes through San Antonio, not Utah, not Los Angeles, not Indiana, certainly not Chicago or Boston.
Next season, the Spurs try to repeat.
No, Coach Gregg Popovich won’t issue a guarantee like Pat Riley after the Lakers won in 1987. The Spurs will leave it up to Mario Elie to boast about continuing postseason grandeur.
The rest will talk about the toughness of opponents, the dangers of complacency, the difficulties of winning any one ballgame. All that is true, but, in private, they’ll nod and wink and maybe even allow a smirk or two and go out and stuff another foe or two on the long road back to seven- game series in May and June.
Tim Duncan and David Robinson may find the going a little rougher, certainly different, next season.
The NBA committee designed to increase scoring, or at least increase the tempos, is fiddling with the illegal-defense rules and may relax them a little regarding zoning down low against big post guys.
The idea, apparently, is to encourage coaches to come up with attack plans with a little more zip than the pitch-it-in and pitch-it-back-out schemes.
Regardless, Duncan and Robinson will continue to exert enormous pressure at both ends. Coaches around the league would be more than happy to have one of those two players to attract four or five defenders and leave a merry batch open to ply their trade.
- A bad Dream: Sad news came out of Houston on Tuesday.
It seems the Rockets, having ridden the back of Hakeem Olajuwon to countless victories and two world championships, were considering shipping him north to Toronto.
Too old. The hunt is on for youth.
The Rockets wanted the Raptors’ two first-round picks, Nos. 5 and 12.
The Raptors, of course, already have young stars and are looking for experience, especially when it’s embodied in a premier center.
Had it happened, Toronto would be the victor, adding power inside to go along with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady and other young guns. The Rockets, would have wound up with a host of players looking for the glue of leadership, experience and an overall team concept.
The trade may have made sense to cold-hearted bookkeepers in Houston, those with no sense of loyalty or caring about the identity of a team. Trade the most famous Rocket before he retires or simply becomes a bit too creaky to withstand the rigors of the 48- minute game. Get something for him.
Olajuwon is a Rocket, like Larry Bird was a Celtic, Michael Jordan a Bull, Magic Johnson a Laker, Robinson, and, with a little luck, Duncan, Spurs.
To leave a message for Glenn Rogers, call ExpressLine at 554-0500 and punch 4404.
By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News
