By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-10-27 10:41:48
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。
在本场比赛之前，格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)宣布，马刺队的替补控球后卫特雷·琼斯(Tre Jones)将因脚踝受伤缺阵两周，人们因此更加期待新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)在周六晚上的比赛中能获得更多上场时间。
卡斯尔不仅满足了人们的期待，还做得更多。
这位第四顺位新秀在两天前负于达拉斯的赛季揭幕战中出场18分钟后，本场对阵休斯顿的比赛中出场27分钟，排在全队第五。
最重要的是，在比赛还剩 6分52秒的关键时刻，他每秒都在场上。
在大部分的关键时刻与克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)、凯尔登·约翰逊(Keldon Johnson)、杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)和维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)并肩作战时，这位19岁的康涅狄格大学毕业生证明了自己，他在最后 17.5 秒内四罚三中，帮助马刺队以 109-106 艰难战胜休斯顿火箭队。
当被问及在胜负未决的情况下让卡斯尔上场是否表明了他对这位佐治亚州球员的信心时，波波维奇说：“嗯，他在场上，对吧？我这样做不是因为我不信任他。”
卡斯尔说，是他的防守让他得以留在场上。马刺队需要有人来试图限制杰伦·格林(Jalen Green)，他在第四节独得全队最高的29分中的11分，而卡斯尔接受了这一挑战。
“我觉得在比赛后期还能上场要归功于我的防守，”他说。“我觉得那是最需要我的时候，所以我真的只是想专注于此。然后在进攻端，执行波波教练的任何指示。”
他的队友在目睹了他在对阵独行侠队时得到8分和5次助攻后，在本场比赛中得到8分、3次助攻和2次抢断，他们说他做得很好。
“我们对他很有信心，”朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)说。“他能打球。显然，他才19岁，但他打球不像19岁。所以，我们希望他无论在比赛的什么时候都能做他该做的事情。第四节、第一节，还剩两秒，这真的无关紧要。我们希望他做自己，因为他很有价值。”
除了收获他在 NBA 的首场胜利之外，卡斯尔还有一个离开弗罗斯特银行中心时感到高兴的理由：上周晚些时候，乔丹品牌宣布他是与该品牌签署球鞋代言合同的四名 NBA 新秀之一，他们将参与名为“轮到我们了”的活动。其他三位分别是洛杉矶湖人队的达尔顿·奈特(Dalton Knecht)、费城76人队的贾里德·麦凯恩(Jared McCain)和多伦多猛龙队的雅各布·沃尔特(Ja’Kobe Walter)。
“伟大的成就，”卡斯尔说。
索汉开局强劲
一年前，杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)以一个格格不入的控球后卫的身份开始了他的赛季，而现在，他又回到了自己最擅长的位置——大前锋。
“他还是那个杰里米，”波波维奇说。“他跑动积极，抢篮板，在防守端尽职尽责。他上场就是为了赢球，为了竞争。”
索汉出场时间全队最高的 37 分钟，14 投 8 中得到 17 分，全场最高的 12 个篮板，3 次助攻和 2 次抢断。两晚前在达拉斯，他得到 18 分和 6 个篮板。
索汉上赛季以控球后卫的身份开始了他的职业生涯，波波维奇称此举是球队本赛季的“官方实验”。这位 2002 年第九顺位新秀一直没有适应这个位置，这促使教练在去年 12 月将他调回前场。
随着他的角色最终确定，索汉正在对球场的各个方面产生影响。
“我认为‘J’在整个季前赛和前两场比赛中都表现得超级自信，”尚帕尼说。“他只是上场做他该做的事情，冲击篮筐，投出空位投篮。他一直在场上打球，做他的事，抢篮板，防守。是的，当然还有防守。”
索汉对布鲁克斯与文班亚马的“摔跤比赛”感到不解
索汉质疑火箭队前锋狄龙·布鲁克斯(Dillon Brooks)在第三节中途过度热情地试图从文班亚马手中抢球的行为。
当时马刺队领先 14 分，文班亚马接到保罗的传球后转身向篮筐移动，布鲁克斯抢走了他手中的球。他们摔倒在地板上，布鲁克斯继续试图从这位 7 英尺 3 英寸的法国人手中抢走球。
“为什么要那样做？” 索汉说。“放开球。”
保罗、索汉和哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)冲上去帮助文班亚马，文班亚马稳稳地控制住了球。这一回合最终以争球结束，文班亚马轻松获胜，并在随后的进攻中助攻巴恩斯反手上篮得分，马刺队以 64-48 领先。
“很高兴什么都没发生，”索汉说。“维克没事，这才是最重要的。”
索汉说，他和队友们都冲上去帮助文班亚马，这突显了球队的团结友爱。
“如果有人倒下了或者遇到麻烦，我们都会在那里支持他们，”他说。
马刺队没有安排文班亚马在赛后接受采访。
保罗认为布鲁克斯和文班亚马之间的“摔跤比赛”没什么大不了的。
“我只是想说，你们都见过比这更糟糕的，”这位征战联盟 20 年的老将说。“史蒂夫（纳什）撞到了记录台，对吧？他当时都流血了。拜托，伙计。我们是 NBA 球员。”
保罗指的是罗伯特·霍里(Robert Horry)在 2007 年西部半决赛第四场马刺对阵太阳的比赛的最后时刻对纳什做出的有争议的犯规动作。
2024年10月26日，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（5号）在弗罗斯特银行中心举行的NBA主场揭幕战上半场试图突破休斯顿火箭队后卫弗雷德·范弗利特（5号）的防守。马刺队以109-106战胜了火箭队。
2024年10月26日，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋杰里米·索汉（10号）在弗罗斯特银行中心举行的NBA主场揭幕战上半场试图从休斯顿火箭队后卫杰伦·格林手中抢断。马刺队以109-106战胜了火箭队。
德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市 - 10月26日：在2024年10月26日于弗罗斯特银行中心举行的比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克多·文班亚马（1号）被休斯顿火箭队的狄龙·布鲁克斯（9号）拉倒在地后，两队球员在下半场发生冲突。
点击查看原文：Castle passes crunch time test
Castle passes crunch time test
When Gregg Popovich announced before the game that Spurs backup point guard Tre Jones would be out for two weeks with an ankle injury, expectations rose that rookie Stephon Castle would get more minutes off the bench Saturday night.
Those expectations were met, and then some.
After logging 18 minutes in the season-opening loss at Dallas two days earlier, the fourth overall pick finished with 27 against Houston, the fifth highest workload on the team.
Most importantly, with the game on the line in the final 6:52, he was on the court for every second of it.
Playing alongside Chris Paul, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama for much of crunch time, the 19-year-old Connecticut-ex proved he belonged by sinking three of four free throws in the final 17.5 seconds to help the Spurs gain a hard-fought 109-106 win over Houston.
Asked if playing Castle with the outcome hanging in the balance was a sign of his confidence in the Georgia native, Popovich said, “Well, he was out there, right? I didn’t do that because I’m not confident in him.”
Castle said it was his defense that allowed him to stay on the court. The Spurs needed somebody to attempt to cool off Jalen Green, who scored 11 of his team-best 29 points in the fourth quarter, and Castle was up for the challenge.
“I feel like just being out there late game is credit to my defense," he said. "I feel like that’s when it’s needed most, so I was really just trying to lock in on that. And then on the other end, just execute whatever Pop calls.”
He did all of it well, his teammates said after watching him finish with eight points, three assists and two steals after recording eight points and five assists against the Mavericks.
“We have a lot of confidence in him,” Julian Champagnie said. “He can play. Obviously, he is 19, but he doesn’t play like he’s 19. So, we expect him to do what he does no matter what time of the game it is. Fourth quarter, first quarter, two seconds (left), it doesn’t really matter. We want him to be him because he’s valuable.”
In addition to bagging his first NBA win, Castle had another reason to leave the Frost Bank Center happy: Late last week, Jordan Brand announced he was one of four NBA rookies to sign a shoe deal with the brand for a campaign called “Our Turn.” Los Angeles Lakers’ Dalton Knecht, Philadelphia’s Jared McCain and Toronto’s Ja’Kobe Walter were the others.
“Great accomplishment,” Castle said.
Sochan off to fast start
A year after starting his season as a fish-out-of-water point guard, Jeremy Sochan is back in his comfort zone doing what he does best at power forward.
“He’s Jeremy,” Popovich said. “He runs the floor. He rebounds. He does his best job on defense. He’s just out there to win, compete.”
Recording a team-best 37 minutes, Sochan finished with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, a game-high 12 rebounds, three assists and two steals two nights after scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds in Dallas.
Sochan started last season at point guard, a move Popovich dubbed the team’s “official experiment” for the season. The ninth overall pick of the 2002 draft never settled into the job, prompting the coach to move him back to the frontcourt last December.
With his role finally settled, Sochan is having an impact all over the court.
“I think ‘J’ has been playing super confident throughout the preseason and the first two games,” Champagnie said. “He’s just going out there and doing what he does, attacking the basket, shooting the open ones. He’s been out there hoopin’, man, doing his thing, rebounding, playing defense. Yeah, for sure playing defense.”
Sochan puzzled by Brooks’ wrestling match with Wembanyama
Sochan questioned an overzealous attempt by Rockets forward Dillon Brooks to wrestle the ball away from Wembanyama midway through the third quarter.
With the Spurs leading by 14, Brooks grabbed the ball when Wembanyama turned to make a move toward the basket after collecting an entry pass from Paul. They fell to the floor, where Brooks continued to try to take the ball away from the 7-foot-3 Frenchman.
“Why do that?” Sochan said. “Let go of the ball.”
Paul, Sochan and Harrison Barnes rushed in to help Wembanyama, who maintained control. The play resulted in a jump ball, which Wembanyama, of course, easily won, leading to a possession that ended with a reverse layup by Barnes for a 64-48 Spurs’ lead.
“Happy nothing happened,” Sochan said. “Vic was safe, so that’s the most important part.”
Sochan said himself and other teammates rushing trying to aid Wembanyama underscored the sense of camaraderie the team enjoys.
“If someone is down or in trouble, we are always going to be there to back them up,” he said.
The Spurs did not make Wembanyama available for comment after the game.
Paul dismissed the wrestling match between Brooks and Wembanyama as much to do about nothing.
“I’m just saying you all done seen a lot worse,” the 20th-year pro said. “Steve (Nash) ran into the doggone scorer’s table, right? He was bleeding and all that stuff. Come on man. We are NBA players.”
Paul was referring to Robert Horry’s controversial body check of Nash in the closing seconds of Game 4 of the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals between the Spurs and Phoenix.
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) looks to drive past Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) during the first half of their NBA home opener at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. The Spurs beat the Rockets 109-106.
San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan (10) tries to steal the ball from Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green during the first half of their NBA home opener at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. The Spurs beat the Rockets 109-106.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - OCTOBER 26: After Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs was tied up by Dillon Brooks #9 of the Houston Rockets the teams had to be restrained in the second half at Frost Bank Center on October 26, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News