By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-12-18 15:22:58
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12月3日星期二，在菲尼克斯举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)（5号）带球突破菲尼克斯太阳队后卫泰厄斯·琼斯。菲尼克斯以104-93获胜。(美联社照片/里克·斯库特里)
马刺队新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)从小就是亚特兰大老鹰队的球迷，尽管可能算不上狂热球迷。
“我猜，这是默认的，”卡斯尔说。
卡斯尔在亚特兰大东南35英里的佐治亚州科温顿长大，近距离见证了老鹰队在艾尔·霍福德和约什·史密斯带领下的黄金时代，那是一段优秀但并不总是伟大的时期。
由于亚特兰大在2010年代中期缺乏名人堂级别的球星，卡斯尔只能将老鹰队控球后卫杰夫·蒂格视为偶像。
“我记得看过他很多比赛，”卡斯尔说，“并在（NBA）2K（电子游戏）中使用他。”
现在卡斯尔已经是马刺队的一员，他有双倍的理由将自己曾经的主队视为死敌。由于2022年6月将德章泰·穆雷交易到亚特兰大的交易，马刺队控制了老鹰队未来三年每次选秀的首轮签。
简而言之，老鹰队输得越多，对马刺队就越有利。
这也使得周四在弗罗斯特银行中心这两支前交易伙伴之间的比赛更具意义。
“如果亚特兰大表现糟糕，我们就能得到一个非常好的选秀权，”马刺队前锋杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)说道，这番话可谓言简意赅。
对于马刺队的球员来说，周四的目标是赢球并将他们的战绩重新回到50%以上。而马刺队管理层则着眼于夏季的选秀，他们将从老鹰队的长期连败中受益。
马刺队拥有本赛季和2027年老鹰队的首轮选秀权，并有权在2026年与老鹰队交换选秀权。
现在他们需要老鹰队配合，输掉比赛。
在本赛季开始之前，亚特兰大看起来似乎会对2025年这个拥有众多优秀新秀的选秀大会的状元签构成严重威胁，这将为马刺队在维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)身边增添顶级人才提供一个宝贵的工具。
在2023-24赛季取得36胜46负的战绩并无缘季后赛之后，老鹰队似乎正处于重建的边缘。
如果他们在不久的将来拥有自己的任何首轮选秀权，他们或许会这样做。
亚特兰大确实放弃了穆雷和特雷·杨的组合，将穆雷交易到新奥尔良，换来了戴森·丹尼尔斯、小拉里·南斯和两个未来的首轮选秀权。
到目前为止，对马刺队来说不幸的是，这些收获足以让老鹰队保持在东部季后赛的竞争行列中。
德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市 - 12月8日：2024年12月8日，在德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市的弗罗斯特银行中心，圣安东尼奥马刺队的斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（5号）和新奥尔良鹈鹕队的德章泰·穆雷（5号）在比赛结束后合影。
老鹰队以14胜13负的战绩进入周四的比赛，排名东部第七。如果赛季今天结束，马刺队将获得第16顺位的选秀权。
这是一个不错的选秀权，但与马刺队认为他们今年夏天可能从老鹰队那里偷来的高顺位乐透签相去甚远。这并不令人意外，在周四的比赛开始前，球员们并没有把这件事放在首位。
“对我们来说，最重要的事情就是做好现在的工作，”前锋哈里森·巴恩斯说。“你无法控制任何（选秀）的事情。我们能控制的是我们如何在场上竞争。”
至少在与老鹰队的比赛中，马刺队的现在和未来的利益是一致的。但对于与马刺队其他一些交易伙伴的比赛来说，情况并非如此。
本月早些时候，马刺队以139-124的令人失望的比分输给了芝加哥，这有助于他们追求另一个2025年的首轮选秀权。
作为2021年8月德玛尔·德罗赞交易的一部分，马刺队将在今年夏天获得公牛队的选秀权——但前提是它落在前10名之外。
换句话说，马刺队希望芝加哥队稍微差一点，但又不能太差。
公牛队目前正处于这条线的顶端。他们以12胜15负的战绩，在联盟中排名第10。
马刺队在面对夏洛特时也面临着类似的情况。作为穆雷交易的一部分，马刺队将在今年夏天获得黄蜂队的首轮选秀权——通过老鹰队——但前提是夏洛特队没有进入乐透区。
换句话说，马刺队需要7胜19负的黄蜂队以某种方式逆袭并进入季后赛。
“我认为这对我们球员来说想得太多了，”马刺队后卫特雷·琼斯说。“我们最好还是上场赢得每一场比赛。”
事实上，马刺队的目标不仅仅是让总经理布莱恩·莱特(Brian Wright)和他的团队在选秀之夜尽可能忙碌。
“我们的目标是进入季后赛，”巴恩斯说。
对于那些不在场上的人来说，本赛季剩余时间的一个持续的次要情节将涉及马刺队可能在2025年选秀大会上囤积多少选秀权，这被认为是近年来最有深度的选秀大会之一。
他们至少保证有两个——他们自己的和亚特兰大的。如果芝加哥和夏洛特配合的话，他们还可以再增加两个。
通过在周四击败老鹰队，马刺队可以在多个方面帮助自己。
“我们只专注于每天的比赛，”巴恩斯说。“任何事情都可能发生，但只要我们继续努力，继续赢得比赛，剩下的事情就会顺其自然。”
德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市 - 12月8日：2024年12月8日，在德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市的弗罗斯特银行中心，圣安东尼奥马刺队的斯蒂芬·卡斯尔（5号）在上半场对阵新奥尔良鹈鹕队的比赛中传球。
点击查看原文：Why a win over Atlanta counts double for the Spurs
Why a win over Atlanta counts double for the Spurs
San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) drives on Phoenix Suns guard Tyus Jones during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Phoenix. Phoenix won 104-93. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Spurs rookie Stephon Castle grew up a fan of the Atlanta Hawks, though perhaps not an avid one.
“It was by default, I guess,” Castle said.
Growing up in Covington, Ga., 35 miles southeast of Atlanta, Castle had a front-row view of the Hawks’ good-but-not-often-great golden era of Al Horford and Josh Smith.
With Atlanta lacking for Hall of Fame-worthy star power in the mid-2010s, Castle was left to idolize Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague.
“I remember watching a lot of him,” Castle said, “and using him in (the NBA) 2K (video game).”
Now that he is a member of the Spurs, Castle has twice the reason to consider his former hometown team a sworn enemy. Thanks to the June 2022 trade that sent Dejounte Murray to Atlanta, the Spurs control the Hawks’ first-round picks in each of the next three drafts.
Simply put, the more the Hawks lose, the better it is for the Spurs.
Which makes Thursday’s game at the Frost Bank Center between the two former trade partners all the more meaningful.
“If Atlanta does bad, we get a pretty good pick,” Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan said, and that’s about as succinct of a summation as there is.
For Spurs players themselves, the goal Thursday is to win and push their record back over .500. Those in the Spurs’ front office, eyeing a summertime draft haul, would benefit from the Hawks going on a prolonged losing streak.
The Spurs own Atlanta’s first-round pick this season and again in 2027, and have the right to swap picks with the Hawks in 2026.
Now they need the Hawks to cooperate and lose.
Heading into the season, it looked as if Atlanta might be a serious threat to challenge for the No. 1 overall pick in a loaded 2025 draft, which would give the Spurs a valuable tool for adding top-shelf talent around Victor Wembanyama.
Coming off a campaign in 2023-24 in which they posted a 36-46 record and fell short of the playoffs, the Hawks seemed on the verge of hitting the reset button.
Had they owned any of their own first-round picks in the near future, they might have.
Atlanta did give up on the Murray-Trae Young pairing, shipping the former to New Orleans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr. and a pair of future first-round picks.
So far, and unfortunately for the Spurs, that haul has been enough to keep the Hawks in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 08: Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs and Dejounte Murray #5 of the New Orleans Pelicans poses at the end of the game at Frost Bank Center on December 8, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
Atlanta enters Thursday at 14-13 and in seventh place in the East. If the season ended today, the Spurs would receive pick No. 16.
A nice pick to have, but a far cry from the high lottery spot the Spurs thought they might steal from the Hawks this summer. It should come as no surprise this isn’t exactly at the forefront of the players’ minds heading into Thursday’s game.
“For us, the biggest thing is just taking care of business now,” forward Harrison Barnes said. “You can’t control any of that (draft) stuff. What we can control is how we go out there and compete.”
When it comes to a meeting with the Hawks, at least, the rooting interests for the Spurs’ present and future jibe. The same cannot be said for contests against some of the Spurs’ other trading partners.
When the Spurs dropped a disappointing 139-124 decision against Chicago earlier this month, it aided their pursuit of an additional 2025 first-round pick.
As part of the DeMar DeRozan trade in August 2021, the Spurs receive the Bulls’ pick this summer – but only if it falls outside of the top 10.
In other words, the Spurs want Chicago to be somewhat bad, but not too bad.
The Bulls are presently sitting directly on top of that line. At 12-15, they have the 10th-worst record in the league on the dot.
The Spurs face a similar situation when it comes to Charlotte. As part of the Murray deal, the Spurs receive the Hornets’ first-round pick this summer – by way of the Hawks – but only if Charlotte stays out of the draft lottery.
Put another way, the Spurs need the 7-19 Hornets to somehow go on an unlikely tear and make the playoffs.
“I think that’s too much for us players to think about,” Spurs guard Tre Jones said. “We’re better off going out there and winning every game.”
Indeed, the Spurs’ aspirations go beyond making draft night as busy as possible for general manager Brian Wright and his staff.
“Our goal is to make the postseason,” Barnes said.
For those not on the floor, however, a running subplot throughout the remainder of the season will involve how many picks the Spurs might horde in 2025 draft considered one of the deepest in recent memory.
They are guaranteed at least two – their own and Atlanta’s. They could add two more, if Chicago and Charlotte play along.
By beating the Hawks on Thursday, the Spurs could help themselves in more ways than one.
“We’re just focusing on the daily game,” Barnes said. “Anything could happen, but as long as we continue to work hard and continue to win games, the rest of that stuff will just play out how it’s supposed to.”
SAN ANTONIO, TX - DECEMBER 8: Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs makes an outlet pass against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first half at Frost Bank Center on December 8, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News