By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-06 17:18:53
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。
芝加哥——在马刺队比赛开始前一小时找到米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)并不难。
无论是在圣安东尼奥、芝加哥、纽约还是菲尼克斯，他都会出现在球场上，给一位7英尺3英寸的法国人传球。
自从文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)踏入NBA的第一天起，约翰逊就一直是他的热身搭档。即使约翰逊现在是马刺队的代理主教练，他们两人都认为没有理由改变这种关系。
“在此之前，我做了很多事情，除非不得已，否则我不想改变，”约翰逊说。“任何我能做的保持日常习惯的事情，我都会坚持。这只是其中之一。”
11月2日的下午，马刺队的世界发生了巨大的变化。
名人堂主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)在与明尼苏达森林狼队的比赛开始前的几个小时，在弗罗斯特银行中心突发轻微中风。
约翰逊被任命为球队的代理主教练，而75岁的波波维奇正在康复中。到周一在芝加哥的比赛，约翰逊已经连续执教了31场比赛。
约翰逊在得知他将在可预见的未来担任马刺队主教练后做的第一件事就是前往球场，为当晚对阵森林狼队的比赛给文班亚马热身。
这是一个约翰逊一直保持的惯例，因为他可以做到。
“我想尽可能保持一切不变，尤其是在情况不明朗的时候，”约翰逊说。“我认为，随着我们前进，尽可能保持一致性和连续性对我们自己来说很重要。”
38岁的约翰逊自2016年以来一直是马刺队的工作人员，在文班亚马时代的关键第二个赛季，他在帮助马刺队继续快速进步方面发挥了重要作用。
在没有波波维奇的第一场比赛之前，马刺队的战绩是2胜3负。在联合中心对阵公牛队的比赛之前，他们的战绩为18胜17负，正处于西部附加赛的激烈竞争中。
“他为我们付出了一切，甚至更多，”球队效力时间最长的球员凯尔登·约翰逊(Keldon Johnson)说道，这是他的第六个赛季。“他给了我们信心。他吸引了所有人的注意力。他无疑在领导着我们。”
要说自从约翰逊被要求顶替这位NBA历史胜场最多的教练以来的两个多月里，他的生活没有改变，那纯粹是愚蠢的。
他在比赛计划中的责任比以前更多了。他的声音在更衣室里更有分量了。比赛中的调整和轮换调整都由他决定。
随着肩上的担子越来越重，约翰逊不得不在哪些任务需要委派，哪些任务需要自己承担之间做出艰难的选择。
“我不得不重新分配精力，并在某些领域改变我的表达方式，”约翰逊说。“为了让我高效工作，并让其他工作人员支持我，必须做出一些改变。这对我们所有人来说可能是最困难的事情。”
有一件事没有完全改变，那就是约翰逊的汇报对象。
约翰逊说，他几乎每天都与波波维奇交流，如果不是通过电话，至少也会通过短信。
他知道他的老板在看着他。波波维奇虽然无法执教，但他并没有与世隔绝。
“他会给出反馈、想法和支持——有时会更强烈一些，”约翰逊笑着说。“我们仍然能够保持这种关系和对话，这很棒。”
马刺队的球员们表示，他们很欣赏约翰逊即使在波波维奇康复期间也尽可能保持常规的承诺。
“感觉没有太大变化，”马刺队后卫德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)说。“我们仍然在想念波波，希望他早日回来，但米奇在这个角色上做得很好。我们正在努力从他身上汲取力量。”
约翰逊与文班亚马持续的赛前训练是尽可能保持不变的一部分。为文班热身一直是约翰逊作为波波维奇助教的职责之一，到周一为止，他已经这样做了101场比赛，而且还在继续。
通常情况下，NBA的主教练在赛前不会与球员在场上互动。约翰逊决定打破常规，坚持他的比赛夜仪式，这对他自己和文班亚马都有好处。
这个决定向马刺队的明星球员发出的信号是明确无误的。
“这表明他关心我们的日常安排，关心我们每个人，”文班亚马说。“他不会因为他成为了主教练就牺牲与我们的关系。这恰恰展现了他的个性和他的真心所在。”
从芝加哥出发，马刺队将前往密尔沃基继续他们的客场之旅。在那场比赛开始前一小时，约翰逊的行踪将不再是秘密。
他会在费哲论坛球馆的场地上，像往常一样给一位7英尺3英寸的法国人传球。
“有些事情无法保持不变，但这件事情并没有以任何方式打乱我们的节奏，”约翰逊说。“这些看似微小或无关紧要的小事，保持一致性和连续性，我认为在一个非常独特的时期帮助了我们。”
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson watches San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) warm up before the Spurs’ home game against the Sacramento Kings at Frost Bank Center on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas.
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson, right, confers with guard Chris Paul (3) in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson, center, looks on as forward Julian Champagnie, front right, drives the baseline while Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook, left, defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
DENVER, COLORADO - JANUARY 03: Interim coach Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs works the sideline against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at Ball Arena on January 03, 2025 in Denver, Colorado.
San Antonio Spurs’ Mitch Johnson coaches during an NBA basketball game, Monday, Dec. 23, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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.
点击查看原文：For Spurs' Mitch Johnson, progress is routine
For Spurs’ Mitch Johnson, progress is routine
CHICAGO – It isn’t hard to find Mitch Johnson an hour before the start of any Spurs game.
He will be out on the court – whether in San Antonio or Chicago or New York or Phoenix – throwing passes to a 7-foot-3 Frenchman.
Johnson has been Victor Wembanyama’s warm-up partner since the day the big man first set foot in the NBA. Neither saw reason for that relationship to change even though Johnson is now the Spurs’ acting head coach.
“There’s a lot of things I did prior to this that I didn’t want to change unless I had to,” Johnson said. "Anything I could do to keep my routine going, I kept. This was just one of those things.”
The afternoon of Nov. 2 changed so much in the Spurs’ world.
Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich suffered a mild stroke at the Frost Bank Center in the hours before tipoff of a game against Minnesota.
Johnson was named the team’s acting head coach while the 75-year-old Popovich recovers, a title he held for the 31st consecutive game Monday in Chicago.
The first thing Johnson did upon learning he would be the Spurs’ coach for the foreseeable future was to head out to the court and warm-up Wembanyama for that night’s contest against the Timberwolves.
It is a routine Johnson has kept up, because he could.
“I wanted to try and keep the same things the same things, especially when it was an indefinite deal,” Johnson said. “I thought it was important for myself as we moved forward to try to keep as much consistency and continuity as we had.”
A member of the Spurs’ staff since 2016, the 38-year-old Johnson has been instrumental in helping the Spurs’ progress continue apace during the pivotal second season of the Wembanyama era.
The Spurs were 2-3 heading into their first game without Popovich. They entered Monday’s game against the Bulls at the United Center at 18-17 and in the thick of the Western Conference play-in race.
“He’s been everything we could ask for and more,” said Keldon Johnson, the team’s longest tenured player in his sixth season. “He’s putting confidence in us. He has everyone’s attention. He’s definitely leading us.”
It would be folly to suggest life has not changed for Johnson in the two-plus months since he was asked to fill in for the NBA’s all-time winningest coach.
He has more responsibility in the game-planning than he did before. His voice carries more weight in the locker room. In-game adjustments and rotation tweaks are his call.
With his plate fuller, Johnson has had to make difficult choices on which tasks to delegate and which to keep for himself.
“I had to re-direct energy and my voice in certain areas,” Johnson said. “For me to be efficient and allow the other staff to support me, there had to be some changes. That was probably the most difficult thing for all of us.”
One thing that has not completely changed is who Johnson answers to.
Johnson said he pow-wows with Popovich almost daily, if not by phone call than at least by text.
He knows his boss his watching. Popovich is out of commission, but he is not incommunicado.
“He has feedback, ideas, support – sometimes stronger than others,” Johnson said with a grin. “It’s great we’re still able to have that relationship and dialogue.”
Spurs players say they have appreciated Johnson’s commitment to keeping as much of a routine as possible, even with Popovich on the mend.
“It doesn’t feel like a lot has changed,” Spurs guard Devin Vassell said. “We’re still thinking about Pop and hoping he comes back soon, but Mitch has been great in this role. We’re trying to feed off him.”
Johnson’s ongoing pregame sessions with Wembanyama are a part of the effort to keep as much the same as possible. Warming up Wemby had been part of Johnson’s duties as Popovich’s assistant, for 101 games and counting entering Monday.
Typically, NBA head coaches do not interact with players on the court before games. Johnson has decided to defy convention and stick with his game-night ritual, as much for his sake as for Wembanyama’s.
The signal that decision sends to the Spurs’ star player is unmistakable.
“It shows that he cares about our routines, he cares about us as individuals,” Wembanyama said. “He’s not willing to sacrifice this relationship he has with us because he became a head coach. It just shows his personality and where his heart is.”
From Chicago, the Spurs head to Milwaukee to resume their road trip. Johnson’s whereabouts an hour before that game will be no secret.
He will be on the floor at the Fiserv Forum, throwing passes to a 7-foot-3 Frenchman, same as ever.
“Some things couldn’t stay the same, but thit was one that didn’t upset the apple cart in any way,” Johnson said. “Those little things that maybe feel small or insignificant, to keep the consistency and continuity I think helped us in a really unique time.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News