By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-11-07 10:37:48
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。
2024年11月6日，德克萨斯州休斯顿：圣安东尼奥马刺队助理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)在丰田中心对阵休斯顿火箭队的上半场在场边做出反应。
在休斯顿火箭队主教练伊梅·乌度卡(Ime Udoka)和马刺队米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)成为NBA教练席上的对手之前，他们曾是初露头角的网球搭档。
2016年，约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)刚刚进入马刺队的体系，当时他被聘为球队在奥斯汀的G联赛附属球队的助理教练。而乌度卡(Ime Udoka)则是格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)在马刺队教练席上的中流砥柱。
在早期，两人经常在另一种球场上建立联系。
就网球对抗而言，这并不完全是康纳斯与麦肯罗之间的较量。
“我每次都赢他，”乌度卡说。
在约翰逊的记忆中，乌度卡只是在他自己的想象中是个网球传奇。
“我认为，据乌度卡自己说，从来没有人能在任何事情上打败他，”约翰逊说。
虽然网球通常被视为一项单人运动，每个人都为自己而战，但约翰逊最新的体育尝试已经成为了一种集体项目。
周四在冰霜银行中心对阵波特兰开拓者队的比赛，将是约翰逊顶替抱恙的波波维奇担任马刺队代理主教练的第四场比赛。
约翰逊和马刺队都很高兴他不必独自承担这一切。
他有一个可以依靠的协作团队，包括前费城76人队主教练布雷特·布朗(Brett Brown)，长期担任马刺队助理教练的马特·尼尔森(Matt Neilsen)以及新任球员发展总监迈克·诺耶斯(Mike Noyes)，在波波维奇缺席的情况下，诺耶斯在教练组的讨论中扮演了更重要的角色。
“我们有一支优秀的教练团队，每个人都有发言权，波波维奇也授权他们执教、严格执教和领导，”约翰逊说。“显然，这是一个很难填补的空缺，我们将作为一个团队来完成这项工作。”
马刺队的球员们也注意到了教练组在波波维奇休假期间采取的这种全员一心方式。
“这一直是团队的努力，”马刺队前锋朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)说。“他们总是提出自己的意见，给我们一些建议之类的。现在只是换了一个人坐在主教练的位置上。”
这张脸孔很年轻。37岁的约翰逊是目前执教NBA球队最年轻的教练之一。
当波波维奇将在近期缺席的消息传出后，乌度卡得知他的老网球搭档被指定顶替这位奈史密斯篮球名人堂成员时并不感到惊讶。
“你可以预见到这一点，”乌度卡说。“很多人来了又走，所以他一步步地晋升了上来。但你必须建立信任才能处于这种位置。”
波波维奇长期以来一直将团队成员间的合作作为整个球队的优先事项。各级助理教练都有权批评波波维奇的想法并分享他们自己的想法。
这种团队合作精神是波波维奇的许多前助教最终成为NBA主教练的部分原因，这份名单包括乌度卡、布朗、迈克·布登霍尔泽(Mike Budenholzer)、威尔·哈迪(Will Hardy)和詹姆斯·博雷戈(James Borrego)。
“他把很多事情都交给你，而不是试图事无巨细地管理一切，”乌度卡说。“他希望你全面发展，所以你不仅要进行球探工作，还要做大量的球员发展工作。他允许你真正地成长，这在其他地方并不总是如此。”
即使约翰逊最近这次上位的原因并不理想，他也准备成为下一个从波波维奇的指导中受益的年轻教练。
约翰逊以前也曾顶替过波波维奇，一次是在2021年5月，另一次是在2023年3月。那些都是只执教一场比赛的情况。
这一次，约翰逊代理主教练的任期没有明确的截止日期。
在周四的比赛之前，马刺队在约翰逊最近一次顶替波波维奇的比赛中取得了1胜2负的战绩，他们战胜了明尼苏达森林狼队，然后在洛杉矶快船队和休斯顿火箭队身上连败两场。
“米奇在第一场比赛中就挺身而出，以他需要的方式领导我们，”老将控球后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)说，“我认为这也要归功于波波维奇以及球队一直以来的运作方式。”
周三在休斯顿，乌度卡即将与约翰逊进行第一次教练席上的对决，在此之前，他忍不住回想起他们很久以前在网球场上的时光。
他们俩已经有一段时间没有一起打球了。乌度卡仍然相信他仍然可以战胜约翰逊。
显然，这两位教练的网球对抗只是在“垃圾话”方面像康纳斯和麦肯罗。
“我的反手不太好，”乌度卡说，“但米奇比我更差。”
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson, left, talks with guard Blake Wesley (14) at the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 06: Assistant coach Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs reacts on the sideline in the first half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on November 06, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches Matthew Nielsen, left, and Mitch Johnson whisper to each other during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Frost Bank Center on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs fell to the Pelicans, 114-113.
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, center, checks the scoreboard as he talks with forward Tari Eason (17) and guard Jalen Green (4) at the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka watches the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka talks to players on the court during the second half of their NBA game with the San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. The Spurs beat the Rockets 109-106.
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, left, talks with forward Jeff Green, right, as he comes into the game during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Suns head coach Monty Williams and Mikal Bridges talk with Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown during Sunday’s game at AT&T Center.
Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown, left, talks with forward Keldon Johnson during the second half Sunday against Phoenix.
San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown talks with forward Doug McDermott (17) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
点击查看原文：For Spurs assistant, filling in for Gregg Popovich is no solo project
For Spurs assistant, filling in for Gregg Popovich is no solo project
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 06: Assistant coach Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs reacts on the sideline in the first half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on November 06, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
Before Houston coach Ime Udoka and the Spurs’ Mitch Johnson became NBA coaching adversaries, they were budding tennis partners.
Johnson was new to the Spurs’ orbit in 2016, having been hired an assistant with the team’s G League affiliate in Austin. Udoka was a mainstay on Gregg Popovich’s bench with the big club.
The two spent much of their downtime in those early days bonding on a different kind of court.
As far as tennis rivalries go, it wasn’t exactly Connors-McEnroe.
“I beat him every time,” Udoka said.
The way Johnson recalls it, Udoka was a tennis legend only in his own mind.
“I don’t think anybody’s ever beat Ime at anything,” Johnson said, “according to Ime.”
While tennis can often be seen as a solo sport, with every man for himself, Johnson’s latest athletic endeavor has become something of a group project.
Thursday’s game against Portland at the Frost Bank Center was slated to be his fourth as the Spurs’ acting coach, filling in for the ailing Popovich.
Johnson, and the Spurs, are glad he hasn’t had to go it alone.
He has a collaborative staff to lean on, including former Philadelphia coach Brett Brown, longtime fellow Spurs assistant Matt Neilsen and new director of player development Mike Noyes, who has taken a more vocal role in coaching huddles with Popovich out.
“We have a great staff and people that all have voices and that Pop empowers to coach and to coach hard and to lead,” Johnson said. “Obviously there are big shoes to fill and we’re going to do it as a group.”
Spurs players have taken note of the all-for-one approach the staff has taken during Popovich’s hiatus.
“It’s always been a team effort,” Spurs forward Julian Champagnie said. “They’re always putting their input in and kind of giving us advice and stuff like that. It’s just a different face right now.”
That face is a fresh one. At age 37, Johnson is one of the youngest coaches currently leading an NBA team.
When news broke that Popovich would be unavailable for the near future, Udoka was not surprised to learn his old tennis partner had been tabbed to fill in for the Naismith Hall of Famer.
“You could see it coming,” Udoka said. “A lot of guys have come and gone, so he has worked his way up. But you have to build trust to be in that situation to begin with.”
Popovich has long made cooperation among his staff an organization-wide priority. Assistants at all levels are empowered to critique Popovich’s ideas and share their own.
That spirit of teamwork is part of the reason many of Popovich’s former assistants eventually find homes as NBA head coaches, a list that includes Udoka, Brown, Mike Budenholzer, Will Hardy and James Borrego.
“He puts a lot on your plate and doesn’t try to micromanage and do it all himself,” Udoka said. “He wants you to be well-rounded, so you’re doing scouts but you also have a ton to do with player development. He allows you to really grow, which is not always the case at other places.”
Johnson is poised to become the next young coach to reap the benefits of Popovich’s tutelage, even if the circumstances behind his most recent break are less than ideal.
Johnson has stepped in for Popovich before, once in May 2021 and again in March of 2023. Those were one-game one-offs.
This time, Johnson’s stint as acting head coach does not come with a firm expiration date.
Heading into Thursday’s game, the Spurs were 1-2 in Johnson’s latest run in Popovich’s shoes, winning against Minnesota before piling up consecutive losses at the Los Angeles Clippers and Rockets.
“Mitch stepped right in that first game, led us the way that he needed to,” veteran point guard Chris Paul said, “which I think is another credit to Pop and how everything’s always operated.”
Before Udoka was set to take on Johnson for the first time as coaching adversaries Wednesday in Houston, he could not help but reflect on their long-ago time together on the tennis court.
It has been a while since the pair hit some balls around together. And Udoka remains confident he could still take Johnson.
Apparently the two coaches’ tennis rivalry is only Connors-McEnroe in terms of trash talking.
“My backhand is not great,” Udoka said, “but Mitch was just worse than me.”
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson, left, talks with guard Blake Wesley (14) at the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 06: Assistant coach Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs reacts on the sideline in the first half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on November 06, 2024 in Houston, Texas.
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Antonio Spurs assistant coaches Matthew Nielsen, left, and Mitch Johnson whisper to each other during the first half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Frost Bank Center on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs fell to the Pelicans, 114-113.
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, center, checks the scoreboard as he talks with forward Tari Eason (17) and guard Jalen Green (4) at the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka watches the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka talks to players on the court during the second half of their NBA game with the San Antonio Spurs at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. The Spurs beat the Rockets 109-106.
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, left, talks with forward Jeff Green, right, as he comes into the game during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Suns head coach Monty Williams and Mikal Bridges talk with Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown during Sunday’s game at AT&T Center.
Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown, left, talks with forward Keldon Johnson during the second half Sunday against Phoenix.
San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown talks with forward Doug McDermott (17) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News