By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-11-04 21:06:51
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。
2024年10月31日星期四，在盐湖城举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)与马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)交谈。(美联社照片/里克·伊根)
洛杉矶——马刺队助理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)用一句话表达了他希望球员们在主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)缺席的情况下如何对待比赛。
“常规节目继续播出，”约翰逊说。
然而，常规节目继续播出并不一定等同于一切照旧。
由于未公开的医疗问题，波波维奇未能执教马刺队周六以113-103战胜明尼苏达森林狼队的比赛。
球队在周一与洛杉矶快船队的比赛前宣布，这位75岁的主教练将至少缺席到周三在休斯顿结束的客场之旅。
约翰逊被指定为波波维奇不在时的代理教练，他说他周一通过电话与他的老板进行了交谈。
“他精神状态良好，”约翰逊说。“他会没事的。他已经没事了，我们迫不及待地想让他回来。”
球队还没有确定波波维奇可能的回归时间表。
控球后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)说，他的缺席确实让人感觉到了。
“有些事情，当你来到球馆时，你知道你会见到这个人，你会进行这些不同的例行程序，”保罗说。“所以，任何时候例行程序被打乱，都会感觉不一样，尤其是像波波这样的人。”
波波维奇将于明年1月年满76岁，自2020年超过休比·布朗(Hubie Brown)以来，他一直是NBA历史上年龄最大的教练。
尽管保罗说他在波波维奇康复期间没有与他交谈，但他知道教练想要传达给球队的信息。
“他会是第一个告诉你不要担心他的人，”保罗说，“出去打球吧。”
这就是“常规节目继续播出”的意义所在。
“显然情况很特殊，但我认为我们正在寻求的是尽可能多的连续性和熟悉度，”约翰逊说。“我们知道波波希望我们这样做。”
保罗表示，他预计即使波波维奇在家观看比赛，他的精神也会继续在球队中传递。
“我们想为波波努力打球，因为他树立了一个标准，”保罗说。“这就是我们现在想要努力关注的事情，那就是上场打球。”
“因为如果我们不防守，”保罗补充道，“我们知道我们会听到他的批评。”
点击查看原文：Spurs aim to play for ailing Popovich
Spurs aim to play for ailing Popovich
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul has a word with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Egan)
LOS ANGELES – Spurs assistant Mitch Johnson has a phrase for how he hopes his players will approach games with head coach Gregg Popovich out.
“Regularly scheduled programming,” Johnson said.
Regularly scheduled programming, however, does not necessarily equal business as usual.
An undisclosed medical issue kept Popovich from coaching the Spurs’ 113-103 win over Minnesota on Saturday.
The team announced before Monday’s game against the Clippers in Los Angeles that the 75-year-old coach would remain sidelined through at the least the end of the road trip that ends Wednesday in Houston.
Johnson, who has been designated the team’s acting coach in Popovich’s stead, said he talked to his boss by phone Monday.
“He’s in good spirits,” Johnson said. “He’ll be OK. He is OK, and we can’t wait to have him back.”
The team has placed no timetable on Popovich’s possible return.
His absence has definitely been felt, point guard Chris Paul said.
“There’s certain things when you come into the arena, you know you’re going to see this person, you’re going to have these different routines,” Paul said. “So anytime something breaks up the routine, it’s different, especially someone (like) Pop.”
Popovich, who turns 76 in January, has been the oldest coach in NBA history since 2020, when he passed Hubie Brown.
Though Paul said he has not spoken with Popovich during his convalescence, he knows the message the coach would want to impart to the team.
“He’d be the first person to tell you not to worry about him,” Paul said, “and to go out and hoop.”
This is where “regularly scheduled programming” comes in.
“Obviously circumstances are unique, but the much as much continuity and familiarity we can have I think is what we’re looking for that,” Johnson said. “That’s what we know Pop would want us to do.”
Paul said he expects Popovich’s spirit to continue to flow through the team even as he watches the games at home in San Antonio.
“We want to play hard and compete for Pop because he set a standard,” Paul said. “That’s the thing we want to try to focus on right now is going out there and playing.
“Because if we don’t defend,” Paul added, “we know we’re going to hear about it.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News