By Mike Finger, Columnist | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-07-02 16:44:32
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)长期以来一直是马刺队的眼中钉。现在，这位经验丰富的控球后卫将在圣安东尼奥的一支重建球队中担任导师。
格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)已经受够了克里斯·保罗，他对此感激不尽。
那个难缠、固执的小家伙几乎要把他逼疯了。如果再这样下去，这位经验丰富的教练可能会被迫退休，甚至早早进坟墓。但最终，是时候向前看了。
“我很高兴这一切都结束了，”波波维奇说。
那是16年前在新奥尔良，保罗在一场激烈的抢七大战中几乎击败了马刺，但事实证明，这只是暂时的喘息。
在接下来的十年半时间里，那个难缠、固执的小家伙将继续让波波维奇的球队头疼，并给予了马刺王朝时代致命一击。
在圣安东尼奥队在季后赛中遭受的那些令人心碎的投篮中，很难与雷·阿伦(Ray Allen)在底角的投篮，德克·诺维茨基(Dirk Nowitzki)在马努·吉诺比利(Manu Ginobili)头顶的投篮，以及德里克·费舍尔(Derek Fisher)在比赛还剩0.4秒时的投篮相提并论。但在2015年，保罗的那记投篮成为了压垮骆驼的最后一根稻草。
在洛杉矶另一场史诗般的抢七大战的最后时刻，保罗拖着一条健康的腿，在篮板上映射出一记不可思议的投篮，将卫冕冠军送回了家。
从那以后，他们再也没有卫冕过总冠军。
但在那个难缠、固执的小家伙的帮助下呢？
新一代的马刺队可能会明白，要争夺总冠军需要付出什么。
保罗与圣安东尼奥签约并不是为了赢得总冠军。39岁的他已不再是最有价值球员的候选人。他签下的是一份为期一年的合同，他并不指望在维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)达到巅峰时还能留在这里。
但据报道，保罗的签约价格合理（而且可以交易），为1100万美元，这对马刺来说可能是一场长期的胜利，因为马刺目前唯一的目标就是在未来十年最大限度地抓住机会建立一个王朝。
这怎么可能呢？
与一个在2024年即将年满40岁的老将签下一份为期一年的合同，与在2027年及以后赢得总冠军的目标有什么关系？
要回答这个问题，我们可以追溯到2008年季后赛第二轮保罗与圣安东尼奥的那场令人难忘的对决。在那轮系列赛中，这位新奥尔良后卫年满23岁，他向马刺证明了自己有能力和胆量在未来几年成为他们的眼中钉。
不仅仅是因为他们防不住他。面对伟大的球员，这种情况时有发生。真正让波波维奇印象深刻的是，这个孩子打球的方式就像是要证明自己，同时还能让周围的每个人都变得更好。
这一点从未改变过。
看看保罗的履历。是的，他从未赢得过总冠军。但每次他更换球衣，他的新球队都会比以前赢得更多比赛。当他从新奥尔良去快船队时，情况就是这样。当他从快船队去火箭队时，情况也是如此。当他被要求在俄克拉荷马城指导一支年轻球队时，情况也是如此。当他带领菲尼克斯打进NBA总决赛时，情况也是如此。去年在金州勇士队也是如此，当保罗在场上的时候，这支垂死的王朝球队的表现要比他不在场上的时候好。
是的，我们有时会高估“老将的存在”和“更衣室领袖”这样的陈词滥调。但以下是一些事实：
上赛季，这支NBA最年轻的球队迫切需要一些成年人在更衣室里。一支眼睁睁地看着一场又一场本来可以赢下的比赛在关键时刻溜走的球队，迫切需要一个知道在最后两分钟如何处理球的人。而一群后卫有时很难意识到空中接力传球的有效性，他们需要从一个在这方面比历史上任何人都出色的人那里吸取一些教训。
保罗已经不能像以前那样做了。他可能每晚跑不了30分钟，他可能也不能再打70场比赛了。但这正是马刺队休赛期需要做的那种签约。
他可以帮助一支围绕文班亚马建队的球队迈出重要的一步，从垫底球队至少进入附加赛的争夺。他可以提醒年轻人，有时候输球让他们烦恼是可以的。他可以用波波维奇在iPhone时代之前的故事来与年轻人交流。
最好的一点是，他可以在不占用马刺明年春天以后的薪金空间的情况下做到这一切。通过在今年用一年期的合同签下老将，他们将有足够的灵活性在明年夏天更好的选秀和更令人印象深刻的自由球员市场上做出更大的动作。
但即使保罗在圣安东尼奥的停留是暂时的？这并不意味着他的影响力也会如此。
几年后，文班亚马或斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)从他身上学到的东西可能会得到回报。几年后，如果没有保罗帮助他们迈出的第一步，他们可能永远也无法达到现在的成就。马刺队和保罗在本赛季结束后分道扬镳？
这并不意味着他们就和他结束了。
波波维奇对此深有体会。
本赛季，当老将控球后卫克里斯·保罗在场上时，金州勇士队是一支比他不在场上时更好的球队。
2023年1月28日，在AT&T中心球馆举行的比赛结束后，圣安东尼奥马刺队的杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)（10号）认真听取了菲尼克斯太阳队克里斯·保罗（3号）的建议。菲尼克斯太阳队在加时赛中以128-118战胜了圣安东尼奥马刺队。
2023年10月20日，星期五，在旧金山大通中心举行的NBA季前赛中，金州勇士队后卫克里斯·保罗（3号）在第二节对阵圣安东尼奥马刺队的比赛中投进一记三分球。
在2023年11月24日于旧金山举行的一场比赛中，马刺队的塞迪·奥斯曼(Cedi Osman)在金州勇士队的克里斯·保罗头顶投篮。
2024年3月11日，星期一，在德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市的弗罗斯特银行中心，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)（24号）突破金州勇士队后卫克里斯·保罗（3号）的防守。马刺队以102-112负于勇士队。
2023年11月24日，星期五，在旧金山大通中心举行的NBA比赛中，金州勇士队后卫克里斯·保罗（3号）在第四节防守圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克多·文班亚马（1号）。勇士队以118-112获胜。
点击查看原文：Long a thorn in Spurs' side, Chris Paul here to help them make leap
Long a thorn in Spurs’ side, Chris Paul here to help them make leap
Chris Paul has long been a thorn in the Spurs’ side. Now the veteran point guard can serve as a mentor on a rebuilding team in San Antonio.
Having seen enough of Chris Paul to last him a lifetime, Gregg Popovich gave thanks.
That tough, ornery little so-and-so dang near drove him crazy. Had it lasted much longer, it might have pushed the veteran coach into retirement, if not an early grave. But finally, it was time to move on.
“I’m sure glad that’s over,” Popovich said.
That was 16 years ago, in New Orleans, on a night when Paul nearly got the best of the Spurs in a hard-fought Game 7, but the reprieve proved to be temporary.
Over the next decade and a half, that tough, ornery little so-and-so would continue to give Popovich’s team fits, and struck the blow that essentially ended the Spurs’ championship era.
On the list of soul-crushing shots endured by San Antonio in the postseason, it’s hard to compete with Ray Allen in the corner, or Dirk Nowitzki over Manu Ginobili, or Derek Fisher with 0.4 on the clock. But in 2015, Paul landed what turned out to be the last gut-punch.
On one healthy leg, in the closing seconds of another epic Game 7 in Los Angeles, Paul tossed in a circus shot off the backboard and sent the defending champions home.
They haven’t had a title to defend since.
But with the help of that tough, ornery little so-and-so?
A new generation of Spurs might learn what it takes to contend for one.
Paul isn’t signing in San Antonio to win a championship. At age 39, he’s not a Most Valuable Player candidate anymore. And on a one-year contract, he’s not expecting to be here when Victor Wembanyama hits even the beginning of his peak.
But Paul’s reported signing, for the eminently reasonable (and tradeable) price of $11 million, has the potential to be a long-term win for a franchise whose singular focus these days is maximizing its opportunity to build a dynasty into the next decade.
How can that be?
What does a one-year deal with an old guy pushing 40 in 2024 have to do with the goal of winning trophies in 2027 and beyond?
To answer that, we can start by going all the way back to that first unforgettable showdown between Paul and San Antonio in the second round of the 2008 playoffs. During that series, the New Orleans guard turned 23, and proved to the Spurs he had the skills and the gumption to be a thorn in their side for years to come.
It wasn’t just that they couldn’t guard him. Against great players, that happens sometimes. What really impressed Popovich was the way the kid played like he had a point to prove, while making everyone around him better.
That never went away.
Look at Paul’s résumé. No, he has never won a ring. But every time he has switched uniforms, his new team won more than it did before. That was true when he went from New Orleans to the Clippers. It was true when he went from the Clippers to the Rockets. It was true when he was asked to mentor a young team in Oklahoma City. It was true when he took Phoenix to the NBA Finals. And it was even true last year in Golden State, where the remnants of a dying dynasty performed better with Paul on the floor than when he was off it.
Yes, we’re sometimes guilty of overrating clichés like “veteran presence” and “locker room leadership.” But here are some truths:
The youngest roster in the NBA sorely needed some adults in the room last year. A team that saw winnable game after winnable game slip through its fingers in crunch time sorely needed someone who knows what to do with the ball in the last two minutes. And a group of guards that occasionally had difficulty recognizing the effectiveness of a lob pass needed a few lessons from someone who’s employed it better than anyone in the game’s history.
Paul can’t do it like he used to. He probably doesn’t have 30 minutes per night in those legs, and he probably doesn’t have 70 games in him anymore. But this is precisely the kind of signing the Spurs needed to make this offseason.
He can help a team built around Wembanyama take the important step from cellar-dweller to at least play-in contention. He can remind the youngsters that it’s OK to let losing bother them sometimes. He can translate some of Popovich’s references to pre-iPhone America.
And the best part is he can do all of this without tying up the Spurs’ books beyond next spring. By filling out their roster with veterans on one-year deals this year, they’ll have the flexibility to make a bigger move in a better draft and more impressive free-agent class next summer.
But even if Paul’s stay in San Antonio is temporary? That doesn’t mean his impact will be.
Years from now, a lesson imparted to Wembanyama or to Stephon Castle might pay off. Years from now, they might take a step they never might have reached without the one Paul helped them take before it. And the Spurs and Paul part ways at the end of this season?
That doesn’t mean they’ll be finished with him.
Popovich knows that from experience.
The Golden State Warriors were a better team with veteran point guard Chris Paul on the court this season than when he wasn’t.
San Antonio Spurs Jeremy Sochan (10) listens to advice given to him by Phoenix Suns Chris Paul (3) at the end of the game on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 at the AT&T Center. Phoenix Suns defeated the San Antonio Spurs 128-118 in OT.
Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul (3) scores a three-pointer against the San Antonio Spurs in the second quarter during an NBA preseason game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
The Spurs’ Cedi Osman shoots over Chris Paul of the Golden State Warriors during a Nov. 24, 2023 game in San Francisco.
San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) pushes past Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, March 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs fell to the Warriors, 112-102.
Golden State Warriors guard Chris Paul (3) defends San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) in the fourth quarter during an NBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. The Warriors won 118-112.
By Mike Finger, Columnist, via San Antonio Express-News