By Charlie Thaddeus | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2024-11-13 02:15:00
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。
文班亚马在大胜中展现实力
有时候我不想过多关注维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)。试图捕捉他在比赛中的影响，就像告诉别人海洋浩瀚无垠——显而易见，却又不知何故显得不足。我不认为我对生活或篮球的机制了解得足够多，能够真正表达我们正在见证的是什么，所以，我经常选择绕着他谈。比赛在他引力的控制下进行，也许如果我们能捕捉到足够多的外围细节，我们或许就能弄清楚事情的形态。他周一晚上的比赛并不适合这种方法。这是一场根本无法忽视的比赛。
我以前见过他在比赛中游刃有余，投入程度恰到好处，足以让他从容应对每个时刻。但昨晚？他无处不在。他在场上的每一秒，整个比赛都围绕着他的动作展开。并不是说他完美无缺——他不是。但他所做的每件事都带有意图和目的，似乎让比赛掌控在他的手中。
在防守端，他几乎总是一股强大的力量——仅凭他的身高和臂展就足以做到这一点。但昨晚，多曼塔斯·萨博尼斯(Domantas Sabonis)显然决定要尽可能地对他进行身体对抗，而他迎接了挑战。他拼抢，坚守阵地，反击，而且，至关重要的是，他没有像以前那样让身体对抗干扰到他比赛的其他方面。如果说有什么不同的话，那就是它似乎激励了他。他无处不在——堵塞传球路线，逼近射手，抢下每一个视野内的篮板。马刺利用这种防守能量来推动他们的进攻，如果这是他唯一会成为的球员类型，我们仍然会感到兴奋。
在赛季初期，进攻端一直是他最不稳定的方面。他的失误太多了。他似乎认为，只要再试一次，运球穿过防守者的膝盖就会奏效。他的投篮选择更像是达米安·利拉德(Damian Lillard)而不是哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)，这让每个人都有点抓狂。
周一晚上，它似乎奏效了。显然，外线投篮命中了，但正因为如此，其他一切似乎都更流畅了一些。他在无球状态下比整个赛季都更加流畅。也许他终于在挡拆中找到了与克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)的节奏，或者也许德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)的回归激发了一些东西，但昨晚的感觉不一样。他抬起头，四处传球，进攻终于看起来更像它应该有的样子。
一切都必须从文班亚马开始。这是本世纪最轻描淡写的 understatement，但这并不意味着它不真实。他必须做对一切才能让这一切奏效，所以，可以理解的是，焦点必须放在他和他的发展上。教练组的每个人和场上的每个人都必须不断努力，让他弄清楚如何才能始终如一地融入比赛。如果这意味着投出一百万个不明智的三分球，以便他知道这是什么样子，那就这样吧。如果这意味着将他的控球野心发挥到极致，失误率 be damned，那就这样吧。他知道什么对他来说很容易，他决心找到一种方法来征服那些看起来很困难的事情。
我完全相信他会破解这个密码，我知道这值得等待。他有时仍然让人沮丧，但这仅仅是因为你可以看到他正处于更好状态的边缘。我们从未见过的事情。无法描述的事情，因为你甚至不确定它是什么？
我不喜欢过多关注文班亚马。我总觉得我没有把他描述到位。
要点：
- 我花在对克里斯·保罗加盟马刺感到兴奋上的时间，可能比我花在思考哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)身上的时间还要多。这只是……你知道……我的意思是，无意冒犯哈里森·巴恩斯，但他是克里斯·保罗。从叙事的角度来说，每次看到他身披银黑战袍，我的大脑都会嗡嗡作响。哈里森·巴恩斯当然是一名篮球运动员。他已经征战多年，拥有辉煌的职业生涯，而且他……你知道……他是哈里森·巴恩斯。话虽如此！昨晚是我第一次真正感受到他的存在。尤其是在第一节，他命中了一个底角三分，并冲向篮下完成扣篮，总的来说，他看起来正是马刺想要并需要的哈里森·巴恩斯类型的球员。这很酷！我很高兴他在这里！我为没有花更多时间思考哈里森·巴恩斯而道歉。
- 斯蒂芬·卡斯尔。斯蒂芬·卡斯尔！斯蒂芬·卡斯尔！！我知道现在还为时尚早，但是，伙计，斯蒂芬·该死的·卡斯尔！撇开文班亚马不谈，看着他适应并成长为比赛的一部分，是我目前在马刺最喜欢的持续剧情。他非常聪明，非常善于吸收情况，并在另一端出来时看起来像他已经在联盟中打了很多年。我很高兴他在早期就得到了这样的机会，看到他能够抓住机会真是太棒了。
- 看到德文·瓦塞尔在下半场状态火热非常令人兴奋。从他那样的伤病中恢复过来，生锈是意料之中的，所以我没有抱太高的期望，但他能更快地恢复状态的想法相当诱人。
- 德玛尔·德罗赞(DeMar DeRozan)是一个奇怪的例子，我对他的喜爱在他是马刺球员时就很高，而自从他离开后，这种喜爱似乎只增不减。我就是喜欢他。我认为，当他来到我们这里时，他正经历着多么艰难的时期，这是怎么强调都不为过的，我认为，当他来到我们这里时，我们正经历着多么艰难的时期，这也是怎么强调都不为过的，我认为，在那段时间里，我们之间建立的联系最终变得非常特别。很明显，它不是在大量的场上成功中 forged 的，但所产生的相互尊重的程度让人感觉非常特别。总之，爱他。永远祝福德玛尔一切顺利。
WWL赛后新闻发布会
- 说你不喜欢做某事然后又去做，这真是一个很酷的举动。每个人都喜欢这样。
- 是的，我也这么认为。这就像，“哦，我绝对吃不下另一块蛋糕了”，然后就在吸入所说的那块蛋糕之前。
- 所以当你说你不喜欢关注维克托……
- 我喜欢关注维克托。我做的所有事情都是关注他。他是一个巨人。他是我这辈子见过的最独特的人类之一，他的比例不合理，他用篮球做的事情是不可能的，而且……我的意思是，如果不关注维克托·文班亚马，还有什么人会做什么呢？我很困惑，人们怎么能继续他们的日常生活并完成任何事情。
- 这确实让其他一切看起来很平淡。
- 是的，比如，哦，那个比例正常的人投中了一个三分球？酷，这个不可思议的巨人刚刚也做到了。
- 维克托是在毁掉篮球吗？
- 为了比赛的利益，我们应该禁止维克托参加篮球比赛吗？
- 很多人都在这么说。
点击查看原文：What We Learned from the Spurs win over the Kings
What We Learned from the Spurs win over the Kings
Wembanyama looks the part in big win
Sometimes I don’t want to focus too much on Victor Wembanyama. Trying to capture his impact on the game feels like telling someone the ocean is vast—obvious, yet somehow inadequate. I don’t think I know enough about the mechanics of life or basketball to really express what it is we’re looking at so, instead, I often choose to talk around him. The game is happening in the thrall of his gravitational pull and maybe if we can conjure enough little details of what’s going on in the periphery then we might be able to figure it out the shape of things. His game on Monday night didn’t really lend itself to that approach. It was something that simply couldn’t be ignored.
I’ve seen him drift through games before, floating along with just enough involvement to carry him from moment to moment. But last night? He was everywhere. Every second he spent on the court, the entire game bent around his movements. Not that he was perfect—he wasn’t. But there was an intentionality and purpose to everything he did that seemed to bring the game under his control.
Defensively, he’s almost always a force—his size and length alone make that inevitable. But last night, Domantas Sabonis clearly decided to come in and be as physical as possible with him and he rose to that challenge. He scrapped, held his ground, pushed back, and, crucially, didn’t let the physicality disrupt the rest of his game as it sometimes has before. If anything, it seemed to fuel him. He was everywhere—clogging passing lanes, closing out shooters, and grabbing every rebound in sight. The Spurs used that defensive energy to push their offense, and if this is the only kind of player he ever becomes, we’d still be thrilled.
The offensive side is what’s been shakiest in this early going. He turns it over way too much. He seems to think dribbling the ball through the knee of defenders will work if he just tries it one more time. His shot selection is more hewing more towards Dame Lillard than Hakeem Olajuwon and it’s driving everyone a little nuts.
On Monday night it seemed to be working. Obviously the outside shots were falling, but everything else seemed to be flowing a little easier because of it. He was more fluid without the ball than he’s looked all season. Maybe he’s finally finding a rhythm with Chris Paul and Stephon Castle in the pick and roll, or maybe the familiarity of Devin Vassell being back in the mix has sparked something, but last night felt different. His head was up and he was moving the ball around and the offense just felt like it finally looked more like it’s supposed to look.
It all has to flow downhill from Victor. That’s the understatement of the century, but it doesn’t make it less true. He has to be right for any of this to work so, understandably, the focus has to be on him and his development. Everyone on staff and everyone on the court has to be working constantly to let him figure out how he can work himself into games consistently. If that means taking a million ill-advised threes so that he knows what it looks like, then so be it. If that means taking his ball-handling ambitions to the absolute limit, turnover margins be damned, then so be it. He knows what comes easy to him and he’s determined to map out a way to conquer the stuff that seems hard.
I have every confidence that he’s going to crack that code and I know it’s going to be worth the wait. He’s still frustrating to watch at times, but only in the sense that you can see him on the precipice of something even better. Something we’ve never seen before. Something that’s impossible to describe because you’re unsure what it even is?
I don’t like to focus too much on Victor Wembanyama. I never quite feel like I’m doing him justice.
Takeaways:
- I’ve probably spent way more time being excited about Chris Paul being on the Spurs than I have thinking about Harrison Barnes. It’s just…you know…I mean, no offense to Harrison Barnes, but it’s Chris Paul. Narratively speaking, that’s just something that still makes my brain whirl every time I see him in Silver & Black. Harrison Barnes is certainly a basketball player. He’s been around a long time and he’s had a good career and he’s…you know…he’s Harrison Barnes. That being said! Last night felt was the first time where I really felt his presence. That 1st quarter especially, he hit a corner three and he charged down the lane for dunk and, on the whole, looked like exactly what the Spurs wanted and needed from a Harrison Barnes type player. It was cool! I’m glad he’s here! I apologize for, uh, not spending more time thinking about Harrison Barnes.
- Stephon Castle. Stephon Castle! STEPHON CASTLE!! I know it’s still early days and all that but, man, Stephon FREAKIN’ Castle! Wembayama aside, watching him adapt and grow into the game is my current favorite running plot on the Spurs. He’s so smart and he’s so good at absorbing situations and coming out the other end looking like he’s been doing this in the league for years. I’m so glad he’s getting this kind of run early on and it’s so cool to see him rising to the occasion.
- Extremely fun to see Devin Vassell heat up in the 2nd half. Rust is obviously expected coming off an injury like he had, so I was keep expectations low, but the idea of him getting up to speed a little quicker is pretty tantalizing.
- DeMar DeRozan is a strange case where my affection for him was high as a Spur and it only seems to have grown since he’s left. I just love him. I think it’s impossible to overstate how difficult of time he was having when he came to us and I think it’s impossible to overstate how difficult a time we we’re having when he came to us and I think the bond that we shared during that time ended up being pretty special. It obviously wasn’t forged in a ton of on court success, but the degree of mutual respect that has bloomed feels pretty special. Anyway, love him. Wish nothing but the best for DeMar forever and always.
WWL Post Game Press Conference
- It’s such a cool move to say that you don’t like to do something and then do it. Everyone loves that.
- Yea, I thought so. It’s like, “Oh, I couldn’t possibly have another slice of cake” right before inhaling said slice.
- So when you say you don’t like to focus on Victor…
- I love to focus on Victor. All I do is focus on him. He’s a giant. He is one of the most unique looking human beings i’ve ever seen in my entire life and his proportions don’t make sense and the things he’s doing with a basketball shouldn’t be possible and like…I mean what is anyone doing if they aren’t focusing on Victor Wembanyama? I’m baffled that people can even go about their day to day lives and get anything done.
- It is does make everything else seem pretty blah.
- Yea, like, oh, did that normally proportioned man hit a three? Cool, this impossibly giant human just did it.
- Is Victor ruining basketball?
- Should we ban Victor from Basketball? For the good of the game?
- Many people are saying this.
By Charlie Thaddeus, via Pounding The Rock