By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-11-22 14:19:47
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21日，星期四，在圣安东尼奥进行的一场NBA篮球比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)在下半场对阵犹他爵士队的比赛中对裁判的判罚做出反应。(美联社照片/Eric Gay)
比赛悬念迭起，第四节时间一分一秒地流逝，而克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)做了他在这类胶着情况下似乎总是会做的事情。
他把比赛的胜负掌握在了自己手中。
凭借一系列急停跳投、教科书式的挡拆配合以及偶尔的压哨三分球，保罗像操纵木偶一样牵制着沮丧的对手。
在场边观战的马刺后卫特雷·琼斯(Tre Jones)感觉自己就像是在浏览保罗的每一个精彩集锦。
“这是我15年来，或者说我开始看篮球以来就一直从他身上看到的东西，”琼斯说。“看到他仍然能够找到自己的位置，瓦解对方的防守，然后做出制胜球，真是太神奇了。”
那就是周四晚上的保罗，39岁，征战NBA的第20个赛季，凭借经典的第四节表现带领马刺以126-118逆转战胜犹他。
那也是去年三月的保罗，在一个令人回想起过去岁月的夜晚，用类似的方式为金州勇士队对阵马刺时做着同样的事情。
马刺队知道他们更喜欢哪个版本的保罗。
“让他站在你这边要好得多，”琼斯说，“而不是与他为敌。”
如果保罗和马刺队能够如愿以偿，勇士队将在周六回到弗罗斯特银行中心时再次想起这条真理。
八个月前，保罗在他效力勇士队的一个赛季（或许并不合适）中，打出了对阵马刺队时最好的比赛之一。
3月11日，这位12届全明星球员凭借一连串标志性的急停跳投砍下19分，帮助金州勇士队在没有斯蒂芬·库里(Stephen Curry)的情况下在圣安东尼奥取得胜利。
这是一场让马刺队至今记忆犹新的比赛。而保罗却完全不记得了。
“去年就像是一片模糊，”保罗说。
保罗对他在湾区的唯一一个赛季的回忆足以让他不会称其为一个错误。
诚然，他对替补出场并不十分满意，他在58场比赛中有40场都是替补。一月份的左手骨折让他缺席了一个月。
即使保罗上场，以他的标准来看，上场时间也很少。他场均上场26.4分钟，这是他职业生涯中第一次低于30分钟。
骄傲的勇士队步履蹒跚地进入了附加赛，在那里他们被萨克拉门托国王队迅速淘汰。保罗在那场他身披金州勇士队球衣的最后一场比赛中得到3分和2次助攻。
尽管合作并没有完全成功，但保罗并不后悔在勇士队及其冠军计划中度过的那段时间。
“对我来说，有机会一窥幕后，真是太棒了，”保罗说。“我得以与那些我可能永远不会有机会认识的人建立关系。我对此心存感激。”
尽管如此，当勇士队和保罗需要决定下一步时，双方都毫不犹豫地选择了继续前进。
金州勇士队在6月份放弃了保罗，这是为了节省巨额奢侈税的一部分举措。几天后，保罗与马刺队签约，因为他被新球队允许他成为一名日常首发控球后卫，而不仅仅是事实上的教练的承诺所吸引。
保罗来到这里是为了“打球”，正如他在宣布加盟圣安东尼奥的新闻发布会上所说的那样。马刺队也乐意让他这样做。
保罗已经为马刺队首发了全部16场比赛，场均得到10.8分，以及全队最高的8.6次助攻和1.4次抢断。
更重要的是，保罗向马刺队灌输了一种心态，那就是应该期待胜利，而不应该容忍失败。
“我认为从第一天开始，我们在夏天处理事情的方式，我们在训练中竞争的方式，无论是玩四子棋，还是乒乓球，无论你做什么，你都要为了赢而做，”保罗说。
慢慢地，其他马刺球员也开始将保罗的教诲铭记于心。
周四的胜利使马刺队的战绩提升到8胜8负，而上赛季直到1月20日他们才达到这个胜场数。
“他来到这里告诉我们，‘要期待胜利’，”三年级前锋朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)说。“我觉得我们开始相信我们能够做到。”
为保罗言行一致的做法点赞。
他不仅仅是命令年轻的马刺队去赢球。他还向他们展示了如何赢球。
周四对阵犹他的第四节比赛提供了一个很好的例子。保罗状态神勇，如鱼得水。
“我喜欢势均力敌的比赛，喜欢比赛的最后时刻，”保罗说。“当我们输掉比分接近的比赛时，我会很沮丧。”
保罗在最后一节得到13分中的11分和10次助攻中的3次，帮助马刺队完成了20分的落后逆转，并取得了本赛季最大的逆转胜利——而且是在维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)、德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)和杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)都缺阵的情况下完成的。
在第四节大师班的71秒时间里，保罗在爵士队7英尺中锋劳里·马尔卡宁(Lauri Markkanen)的防守下投进一记高难度三分，指挥斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)进行挡拆配合，帮助这位新秀获得一次“2+1”的上篮机会，并假传给查尔斯·巴塞(Charles Bassey)，为自己创造了一次急停跳投的机会。
“比赛胜负未定，我认为他找到了一个掌控比赛的时刻，”马刺队代理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)说。
如果其他马刺球员觉得他们以前见过保罗这样的表现，尽管是在不同的球衣下，那是因为他们确实见过。
“这是经典的保罗，”前锋哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)说，他的25分和10个篮板对战胜犹他队也至关重要。“不幸的是，我站在那些时刻的另一边的次数比我想记住的还要多。”
在新任控球后卫来到圣安东尼奥的四周后，马刺队发现了一个事实：当比赛进入关键时刻时，加入保罗比试图击败他要好得多。
周六在弗罗斯特银行中心，马刺队将希望有机会提醒勇士队这一点。
Utah Jazz forward John Collins, top, reaches in against San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul, left, drives against Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
点击查看原文：The Spurs have been thrilled by Chris Paul's fourth-quarter heroics
The Spurs have been thrilled by Chris Paul’s fourth-quarter heroics
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) reacts after a call during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The game was in the balance, the fourth quarter was ticking down, and Chris Paul did what he always seems to do in these sort of sticky situations.
He took matters into his own hands.
Toggling between a collection of pull-up jumpers, textbook pick-and-roll executions and the occasional end-of-clock 3-pointer, Paul pulled at his frustrated opponents’ strings like a puppeteer.
Watching from the sidelines, Spurs guard Tre Jones felt like he was scrolling through every CP3 highlight reel ever made.
“It’s something I’ve seen from him for 15 years or however long I’ve been watching basketball,” Jones said. “It’s amazing to see him still getting to his spots, picking the defense apart and then just making the winning plays.”
That was Paul on Thursday night, at age 39 and in his 20th season, willing the Spurs to a 126-118 comeback victory over Utah with a classic fourth quarter.
That was also Paul last March, doing something similar for Golden State in one throwback night against the Spurs.
The Spurs know which version of Paul they prefer.
“It’s much better having him on your side,” Jones said, “than playing against him.”
If Paul and the Spurs have their way, the Warriors will be reminded of that truism when they return to the Frost Bank Center on Saturday.
Eight months ago, Paul enjoyed one of the best games of his one – and perhaps ill-suited – season with the Warriors against the Spurs.
On March 11, the 12-time All-Star pumped in 19 points on a barrage of trademark pull-up jumpers to help Golden State pull off a win in San Antonio without Stephen Curry.
It is a game the scarred Spurs still remember well. It is one Paul doesn’t remember at all.
“Last year was a blur,” Paul said.
Paul recalls enough about his lone season by the Bay that he will not call it a mistake necessarily.
True, he wasn’t super thrilled to come off the bench, which he did for 40 of his 58 appearances. A fractured left hand suffered in January cost him a month.
When Paul did play, it was sparingly by his standards. He averaged 26.4 minutes, the first time in his career below 30.
The proud Warriors limped only as far as the play-in tournament, where they were summarily dispatched by Sacramento. Paul had three points and two assists what would be his final game in a Golden State jersey.
Even though the partnership did not quite work out, Paul does not regret the time he spent around the Warriors and their championship-winning program.
“It was dope for me to get a chance to peek behind the curtain,” Paul said. “I got to make relationships with guys that I would’ve never probably had. I’m grateful for that.”
Still, when the time came for the Warriors and Paul to decide on next steps, neither side hesitated to move on.
Golden State waived Paul in June, part of a push to save on a significant luxury tax bill. Paul signed with the Spurs a few days later, enticed by his new team’s vow to allow him be an everyday point guard and not only a de facto coach.
Paul came to “hoop,” as he announced at the news conference heralding his arrival to San Antonio. The Spurs have been game to let him.
Paul has started all 16 contests for the Spurs, averaging 10.8 points and a team-leading 8.6 assists and 1.4 steals.
More than that, Paul has infected the Spurs with a mind set that winning should be expected and losing should not be tolerated.
“I think from Day 1, the way we approached things during the summer, the way we compete and practice, if it’s Connect 4, if it’s ping pong, whatever you do, you do it to win,” Paul said.
Slowly but surely, other Spurs are taking Paul’s preaching to heart.
Thursday’s victory improved the Spurs to 8-8, a win total the club did not reach until Jan. 20 last season.
“He’s coming in here telling us, ‘Expect to win,’ ” third-year forward Julian Champagnie said. “I feel like we’re starting to believe that we can.”
Give Paul kudos for putting his money where his ever-running mouth is.
He hasn’t only ordered the young Spurs to win. He has shown them how.
Thursday’s fourth quarter against Utah provided a prime example. Paul was in his bag and in his element.
“I love close games, end of games,” Paul said. “I get frustrated when we lose close games.”
Paul had 11 of his 13 points and three of his 10 assists in the final frame, helping the Spurs complete a rally from 20 points down and polish off their biggest comeback victory of the season – with Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and Jeremy Sochan all sidelined, no less.
In one 71-second span of his fourth-quarter master class, Paul threw in a contested 3-pointer over Jazz 7-footer Lauri Markkanen, air-traffic controlled Stephon Castle into a pick-and-roll that netted the rookie an and-one layup, and faked a pass to Charles Bassey to set himself up for a pull-up jumper.
“The game was in the balance, and I thought he sought a moment to kind of take hold of it,” Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said.
If the other Spurs felt like they had seen this from Paul before, albeit in different uniforms, it is because they had.
“It was vintage,” said forward Harrison Barnes, whose 25 points and 10 rebounds also proved key against Utah. “Unfortunately, I’ve been on the other side of those moments more times than I care to remember.”
Four weeks into their new point guard’s time in San Antonio, the Spurs have found this much to be true: When games get to crunch time, it is better to join Paul than to try and beat him.
Saturday at the Frost Bank Center, the Spurs will hope for the chance to remind the Warriors of that.
Utah Jazz forward John Collins, top, reaches in against San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul, left, drives against Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News