By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-11-12 13:10:39
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，圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama) (1号)与圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利(Sandro Mamukelashvili) (54号)互相撞胸庆祝马穆克拉什维利在第四节连续命中三分球。马刺队以116-96击败了国王队。
马刺队讨论过这个问题。
在周一与萨克拉门托国王队的比赛前的投篮训练中，以及赛前的录像分析会上，这个问题都被提了出来。
代理主教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)告诉他的球员们，当国王队后卫德玛尔·德罗赞(DeMar DeRozan)使出他那不可避免的、毁灭性的连续假动作，试图诱使防守球员犯规时，你们必须保持站立姿势，不要上当。
即使说了这些话，约翰逊也知道他的指示很可能徒劳无益。
“我相信会有人上当，”约翰逊在赛前告诉记者，“但我们已经讨论过了。”
在上半场5分09秒时，在一场马刺队本来表现稳健的胜利中，桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利成为了那个不幸的灵魂，证明了他的教练是正确的。
“看起来太逼真了，”马穆克拉什维利谈到德罗赞这堂骗术大师课时说道，这次假动作让德罗赞获得了罚球机会。“我当时想，‘他要投篮了！’然后就变成了，‘该死。’”
马穆克拉什维利为这个错误自责，即使他并不需要这样做。自从一些现役马刺球员还在上幼儿园的时候，德罗赞就一直在用这一招戏耍NBA全明星球员。
比赛后来的情况让马穆克拉什维利感觉好了一些。当德罗赞再次尝试这一招时，马穆克拉什维利没有上当，这位萨克拉门托的得分机器投丢了一个跳投。
“像我这样的球员，你必须始终保持稳定，在各个方面，”马穆克拉什维利说。“你不知道你在比赛中会有多少机会。你必须限制这些精神上的错误。”
在某种程度上，马穆克拉什维利与德罗赞的较量象征着这支5胜6负的马刺队在赛季初的成长轨迹。他们并不完美——甚至连胜率五成都没有——但他们开始展现出从错误中学习的迹象。
马刺队以116-96战胜萨克拉门托国王队的比赛中就体现了这一点。球队希望在周三于弗罗斯特银行中心对阵2胜7负的华盛顿奇才队的比赛中继续保持这一势头。
“那支球队，你知道他们对这个赛季的抱负和期望，”马刺队后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)谈到一支正在全力以赴希望在上赛季缺席季后赛后重返季后赛的国王队时说道。“我们必须带着必胜的信念去打每一场比赛，我们正在开始建立这种信念。”
马刺队最近还学到了一些其他可能有用的东西。其中包括：
维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama) 终究还是会投三分球
在赛季初三分球命中率只有22%之后，文班亚马在过去两场比赛中分别命中了6个三分球，21投12中。
他对阵萨克拉门托的12投6中是他当晚出色表现的一部分，他还拿下了赛季最高的34分、14个篮板和3次盖帽。
文班亚马将他在三分线外的进步归功于投篮选择的问题。
2024年11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，圣安东尼奥马刺队临时主教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)在对阵萨克拉门托国王队的下半场暂停期间与圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama) (1号)交谈。马刺队以116-96击败了国王队。
“我的三分出手次数并没有减少，”他说。“我投的是更好的三分球。”
约翰逊对此表示赞同。
“他在赛季初投丢了一些很好的投篮，我理解为什么这是一个讨论点，”约翰逊说。“但我认为我们从未对他能否投进球产生过动摇。”
德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell) 将会提供巨大的帮助
自从在休赛期接受足部手术后从伤病名单中复出以来，瓦塞尔已经得到了33分，三分球11投6中，并且是从替补席出场的。
约翰逊说，这位五年级后卫最终将逐步回到首发阵容，但即使是在第二阵容中，瓦塞尔也应该能为马刺队的阵容提供一些他们原本缺乏的投篮和空间。
“他给我们的球队带来了信心，带来了额外的武器，额外的威胁——难以置信的是，他没有任何生疏感，”保罗说。“他回来了，我们需要他。”
失误 = 坏事
失误的毛病在本赛季经常困扰着马刺队。周六的比赛就是如此，马刺队出现了20次失误，以一分之差输给了犹他爵士队。
周一的比赛似乎也要以同样的草率结局收场，马刺队在第一节出现了6次失误，上半场对阵萨克拉门托国王队时出现了11次失误。
马刺队在下半场稳定了下来，只出现了5次失误。这是马刺队能够在中场休息后拉开与国王队差距的一个重要原因。
“我们在上半场有很多自找的错误，”约翰逊说。“我们有一些非常好的进攻机会，但这些机会变成了失误。其中一些是自找的。要称赞萨克拉门托，但感觉其中一些只是我们自己愚蠢的失误。”
马刺队的下一个教训可能与如何处理顺境有关。
马刺队在周四的主场首战中以118-105大胜波特兰开拓者队，两天后却以111-110的比分输给了一胜难求的犹他爵士队。
这肯定会在接下来状态低迷的奇才队来到城里时被提起。
“你回过头去看犹他的比赛，我们有点让比赛溜走了，”前锋哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)说。“我认为我们成熟过程的一部分仍然是即使你领先也要以正确的方式对待比赛。”
随着马刺队的前进，他们可能会从马穆克拉什维利与德罗赞的交锋中汲取灵感。
马穆克拉什维利说，关键是什么？
“你不能期望自己完美，你会犯错，”他说。“你只是不想犯同样的错误。”
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) and Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) joke around during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) reacts after hitting back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul, front, embraces Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan before the start of the Spurs versus Kings game at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks over Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (17) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) guards San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) scores over San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins (23) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
点击查看原文：Thanks to mistakes, Spurs keep learning
Thanks to mistakes, Spurs keep learning
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) chest bumps San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) in celebration of Mamukelashvili’s back-to-back threes during the fourth quarter at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
The Spurs talked about it.
It came up at shootaround before Monday’s game against Sacramento, and again in the pregame film session.
When Kings guard DeMar DeRozan unleashes his inevitable and devastating string of pump fakes meant to bait a defender into a foul, acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told his players, you must stay on your feet and not bite.
Even as he said the words, Johnson knew his instructions would likely be for naught.
“I’m sure someone will fall for it,” Johnson told reporters before the game, “but it’s been discussed.”
With 5:09 remaining in the first half of an otherwise solid Spurs victory, it was Sandro Mamukelashvili who became the unlucky soul to prove his coach correct.
“It looked so good,” Mamukelashvili said of the master class in deceit that sent DeRozan to the foul line. “I was like, ‘He’s shooting!’ Then it was like, ‘Damn.’"
Mamukelashvili beat himself up for the mistake, even though he didn’t need to. DeRozan has been using that move to deke NBA All-Stars since some of the current Spurs were in kindergarten.
What happened later in the game made Mamukelashvili feel a little better. When DeRozan tried the move again, Mamukelashvili stayed down and the Sacramento scoring machine missed a jumper.
“A player like me, you’ve got to try to stay solid all the time, all around,” Mamukelashvili said. “You don’t know how many chances you’re going to get in the game. You’ve got to limit those mental errors.”
In a way, Mamukelashvili’s saga against DeRozan is symbolic of the 5-6 Spurs’ growth chart early in the season. They aren’t perfect – or even a .500 team – but they are beginning to show signs of learning from their mistakes.
The hallmarks were there in the Spurs’ 116-96 win over Sacramento. It is a process the team hopes to continue as its homestand resumes Wednesday against a 2-7 Washington squad at the Frost Bank Center.
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“That team, you know their aspirations and expectations for the season,” Spurs guard Chris Paul said of a Kings club loading up to return to the playoffs after missing them last season. “We’ve got to go into every game expecting to win, and we’re starting to build that.”
There are a handful of other things the Spurs have learned lately that could come in useful. Among them:
Victor Wembanyama can shoot 3-pointers after all
After converting only 22% of his long balls to start the season, Wembanyama has connected on six apiece in the past two games, going 12 of 21 in that span.
His 6-of-12 performance against Sacramento was part of a monster night that included a season-best 34 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.
Wembanyama credits his uptick from the 3-point stripe to a matter of shot selection.
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson talks with San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) as they go into a timeout during the second half against the Sacramento Kings at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
“I didn’t take any less threes,” he said. “I’m taking better threes.”
Johnson agrees.
“He missed really good shots to start the year, and I understand why it’s a talking point,” Johnson said. “But I don’t think we ever wavered on him not making shots.”
Devin Vassell will help in a big way
Since returning from the injured list following offseason foot surgery, Vassell has totaled 33 points and made 6 of 11 3-pointers while playing from the bench.
Johnson said the fifth-year guard will eventually be eased back into the starting lineup, but even with the second unit Vassell should provide Spurs’ lineups with some shooting and spacing they would otherwise lack.
“Just the confidence that he brings to our team, that added weapon, that added threat – it’s crazy to think that he has no rust,” Paul said. “He’s coming back and we need him.”
Turnovers = bad
The turnover bug has bitten the Spurs often this season. It was the case Saturday, when the Spurs’ coughed up 20 of them in a one-point loss to Utah.
Monday’s game seemed headed to that same sloppy finish, when the Spurs committed six turnovers in the first quarter and 11 in the first half against Sacramento.
The Spurs settled down in the second half, logging only five more miscues. It was a big reason the Spurs were able to pull away from the Kings after intermission.
“We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes in the first half,” Johnson said. “We had some really good offensive opportunities, and those opportunities turned into turnovers. Some of them were self-inflicted. Give Sacramento credit, but it felt like some of those were just bonehead plays on our part.”
The next lesson for the Spurs could involve dealing with prosperity.
The Spurs celebrated a resounding 118-105 victory over Portland to open the homestand Thursday by gagging up a 111-110 hairball against a one-win Utah team two nights later.
It is a turnabout that is sure to come up with the moribund Wizards next headed to town.
“You go back and look at the Utah game, we kind of just let the game slip away,” forward Harrison Barnes said. “I think part of our maturation process is still approaching the game the right way even if you have a lead.”
As the Spurs move forward, they might look to Mamukelashvili’s mixed bag against DeRozan for inspiration.
The key, Mamukelashvili said?
“You can’t expect to be perfect, and you’re going to make mistakes,” he said. “You just don’t want to make the same mistakes.”
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) and Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) joke around during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) reacts after hitting back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul, front, embraces Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan before the start of the Spurs versus Kings game at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan (10) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) dunks over Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones (17) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
Sacramento Kings guard Keon Ellis (23) guards San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) scores over San Antonio Spurs forward Zach Collins (23) during the second half at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs defeated the Kings, 116-96.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News