By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-09 11:42:44
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。
伊利诺伊州芝加哥 - 1月6日：2025年1月6日，在伊利诺伊州芝加哥的联合中心球馆，圣安东尼奥马刺队的克里斯·保罗（Chris Paul）3号在对阵芝加哥公牛队的下半场比赛中运球上篮。
周三深夜在密尔沃基，克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)冲完澡，穿好衣服，前往马刺队的球队大巴，渴望回家。
他也焦急地想知道，当他抵达时，家是否还在那里。
马刺队的红眼航班飞往洛杉矶，准备在周六和周一与湖人队进行两场比赛。尽管山火肆虐了洛杉矶的大部分地区，但目前这两场比赛的赛程仍然保持不变。
“目前发生的一切真的令人害怕，”保罗说道，自从效力于快船队以来，他就一直在洛杉矶抚养家人。“我向一些失去一切的亲朋好友表达我的爱和祈祷。”
周二，保罗的妻子和两个孩子撤离了他们的家，前往该市一个更安全的地方的酒店避难。
五场大火席卷了该地区，大部分火势尚未得到控制，烧毁了洛杉矶一些最著名的地标——从好莱坞山到太平洋帕利塞德。
帕利塞德大火被认为是洛杉矶历史上破坏性最大的一次，摧毁了2000多栋房屋。
即便如此，马刺队在周三以105-121输给密尔沃基雄鹿队后，仍按计划飞往洛杉矶，并在周四凌晨抵达南加州，眼前的景象如同世界末日。
由于情况如此不明朗，NFL宣布了一项应急计划，如果需要，将把周一的洛杉矶公羊队和明尼苏达维京人队之间的季后赛改到亚利桑那州的格伦代尔举行。
与此同时，NBA推迟了湖人队原定于周四与夏洛特黄蜂队的比赛。马刺队在本周晚些时候与湖人队的两场比赛目前仍保留在赛程中。
“显然，我们对洛杉矶发生的这一切以及所有受灾的人们表示同情和祈祷，”马刺队代理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)说道。“这是一场灾难性的情况。我知道我们在联盟的人员、市政官员等等都在沟通，所以我相信他们会告诉我们一些事情。目前，我们为所有在那里的人们祈祷，希望他们平安。”
保罗承认，在担心洛杉矶的家人时，很难专注于他的日常工作。他期待着在周四早上与家人团聚。
“这很难，真的很难，”保罗说道。“我昨晚没睡。对我来说，我更兴奋的是能回到我的家人身边。在这一切发生的过程中，我一直没有见到他们。我真的很想回到他们身边。”
马刺队教练在密尔沃基享受斯坦福重聚
周三对阵雄鹿队的比赛对约翰逊来说是一个特别的夜晚，这是他第一次以代理教练的身份对阵前大学队友布鲁克·洛佩斯(Brook Lopez)。
洛佩斯和约翰逊在2006年至2008年期间在斯坦福大学一起打了两个赛季。
36岁的洛佩斯比约翰逊小两岁，在兰德里·菲尔兹(Landry Fields)和洛佩斯的孪生兄弟罗宾·洛佩斯(Robin Lopez)退役后，他是那些斯坦福球队中唯一 remaining 留在NBA的成员。
“当你看到他的职业生涯如此长久，然后回想起差不多20年前，我们还只是年轻的小伙子一起打篮球的时候，这真的很酷，”约翰逊说道。
洛佩斯在2008年被新泽西篮网队以第10顺位选中，在NBA征战了17个赛季。
洛佩斯曾经主要是一个低位得分手，防守并不出名，但他转型成为一名空间型五号位三分射手和常年年度最佳防守球员的候选人。
他已经成为密尔沃基不可或缺的一员，在过去七个赛季里他一直效力于雄鹿队。他在周三的比赛中发挥了关键作用，得到22分并投进5个三分球。
“当你看到他是如何适应这个新角色并成为这支球队的重要组成部分时，我一点也不感到惊讶，”约翰逊说道。“当你看看联盟，看看和他同一届选秀以及同年龄段的球员，那些家伙都不在了，而他还在继续前进。”
文班亚马的全明星投票排名上升
NBA发布了第二次全明星投票更新，马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)的排名有所上升。
在最新的球迷投票统计中，文班亚马在西部联盟前场球员中排名第四。在上周公布的第一轮投票中，他排名第五，但现在超过了湖人队的安东尼·戴维斯(Anthony Davis)。
他比排名第三的湖人队球星勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)少350,581票。
球迷投票只是选择全明星首发球员的一个组成部分。NBA球员和报道联盟的媒体的单独投票也会被考虑在内。
每个赛区的得票最多的三名前场球员和两名后场球员将被选为全明星首发。然后，联盟教练的投票将用来补充替补阵容。
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Chris Paul #3 of the San Antonio Spurs celebrates a three pointer against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul, left, drives as Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, right, guards during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul, center right, congratulates center Victor Wembanyama after the Spurs’ victory over the Denver Nuggets in an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
点击查看原文：Spurs' Paul concerned for family amid Los Angeles wildfires
Spurs’ Paul concerned for family amid Los Angeles wildfires
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Chris Paul #3 of the San Antonio Spurs dribbles up the court against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
Chris Paul showered, dressed and headed to the Spurs team bus late Wednesday night in Milwaukee, eager to return home.
He was also anxious to find out if home would still be there when he arrived.
The Spurs’ red-eye flight was headed to Los Angeles for a pair of games against the Lakers on Saturday and Monday that, for now, remain scheduled despite wildfires that have ravaged much of the city.
“It’s definitely scary, everything that is going on,” said Paul, who has raised his family in L.A. since his days playing with the Clippers. “I’m sending so much love and prayers to some of my closest friends and family who have lost everything.”
Paul’s wife and two children evacuated their home Tuesday, heading to a hotel in a safer part of the city.
Five fires, mostly uncontained, have swept through the region, scorching some of the most famous addresses in Los Angeles – from the Hollywood Hills to Pacific Palisades.
The Palisades fire is considered the most destructive in L.A. history, with more than 2,000 homes destroyed.
Even so, the Spurs flew to Los Angeles as planned after Wednesday’s 121-105 loss in Milwaukee, arriving to apocalyptic scenes in Southern California in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
With so much up in the air, the NFL announced a contingency plan to move Monday’s playoff game between the L.A. Rams and Minnesota Vikings to Glendale, Ariz., if need be.
The NBA, meanwhile, postponed the Lakers’ game against Charlotte scheduled for Thursday. The Spurs’ pair of contests with the Lakers later in the week remain on the docket for the time being.
“Obviously our thoughts and prayers are for everybody and everything going on in L.A.,” Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s a devastating situation. I know our people at the league, city officials and everything are in communication, so I’m sure they’ll tell us something. At this time, our prayers are for all those people out there that they’re safe.”
Paul acknowledges it has been difficult to focus on his day job while worried about his family in Los Angeles. He was looking forward to being reunited Thursday morning.
“It’s hard, really hard,” Paul said. “I didn’t sleep last night. For me, I’m more excited to get back to my family. I haven’t seen them throughout all this. I definitely want to get there.”
Spurs coach enjoys Stanford reunion in Milwaukee
Wednesday’s game against the Bucks marked a special night for Johnson, his first to serve as acting coach against former college teammate Brook Lopez.
Lopez and Johnson played together at Stanford for two seasons between 2006 and 2008.
Two years Johnson’s junior at 36, Lopez is the only member of those Stanford teams to remain in the NBA, after Landry Fields and Lopez’ twin brother, Robin, have retired.
“It’s just something cool to see when you see his longevity and then you think back to 20 years ago almost now, when we were just young punks playing basketball together,” Johnson said.
Drafted 10th overall by the New Jersey Nets in 2008, Lopez evolved to last 17 seasons in the NBA.
Once a predominantly low-block scorer not exactly renowned for his defense, Lopez morphed into a stretch-5 3-point shooter and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
He has become an indispensable piece for Milwaukee, where he has played the past seven seasons. He was key to the Bucks win on Wednesday, with 22 points and five 3-pointers.
“I’m not surprised at all when you see how he’s settled into this new role and become such a big part of this team,” Johnson said. “When you look around the league and who he came in with his draft class and his age group, those guys are not around and he’s still rolling along.”
Wemby moves up in All-Star returns
The NBA released its second update of All-Star balloting, with Spurs center Victor Wembanyama making a push up the rankings.
Wembanyama is fourth among Western Conference frontcourt players in the latest count of fan votes. He was fifth in the first round of balloting released last week, but leapfrogged the Lakers’ Anthony Davis.
He is 350,581 votes behind the Lakers’ LeBron James, who is in third place.
Fan voting is only one component used to select All-Star starters. Separate ballots of NBA players and media covering the league are also factored in.
The top three frontcourt vote-getters and top two backcourt vote-getters from each conference are selected as All-Star starters. A ballot of the league coaches is then used to fill out the reserve rosters.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News