By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-10 13:27:31
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。
2025年1月8日，威斯康星州密尔沃基——在菲瑟夫球馆举行的第二节比赛中，密尔沃基雄鹿队的扬尼斯·阿德托昆博(Giannis Antetokounmpo) 34号防守圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama) 1号。
洛杉矶——距离维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)在新年前夜告诉记者他为马刺队以一个虽然不算高的胜率进入2025年而感到自豪，仅仅过去了11天。
“我们每晚都在战斗，所以我为这个战绩感到骄傲，”这位球队的基石人物在谈到球队在新年到来时的17胜16负的战绩时说道。“这还远远不够，但我为之自豪。”
几天后，情况变得 even 更好，马刺在2025年的第一场比赛中以36分的优势击败了洛杉矶快船队。作为接下来的表演，他们在丹佛以113-110击败了尼古拉·约基奇和掘金队，取得了赛季的标志性胜利。
但自那段短暂的美好时光以来，一周内发生了很多变化。文班亚马并没有充满骄傲，而是对球队最近无法完成比赛表示失望，尤其是当对手调整并用尽全力在最后阶段向他们发起进攻时。
“我认为其他球队会在比赛中进行调整，而也许我们调整得还不够，”文班亚马说道。“当然，我们需要有不止一个计划，因为他们也会有不止一个计划。”
这位21岁的法国人的这番话是在马刺队周一在芝加哥以114-110输掉比赛后发表的，他们在第四节以15-32的比分被对手逆转，此前他们曾领先19分。在那场失利之前，他们周六在主场对阵丹佛的比赛中经历了加时赛的“断电”，在加时赛中以3-14的比分被对手击败。
周三在密尔沃基，在缺少前锋杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)（背部受伤）的情况下，他们以16分之差输给了雄鹿队。
结果是三连败，追平了球队本赛季的最长连败纪录。在即将到来的与湖人队（20胜16负）的两场比赛中（周六开始，周一结束），马刺队（18胜19负）希望重拾月初的良好氛围。
控球后卫克里斯·保罗表示，要做到这一点，必须调整心态。
“抱着希望去赢球是一回事，抱着期待去赢球是另一回事，”他说道。“我们必须明白随之而来的责任。”
整个赛季，这位39岁的未来名人堂成员一直向他的年轻队友强调，他们需要带着十足的信心进入每一场比赛。他在密尔沃基再次以一种全新的方式这样做了。
“NBA有很多比赛，一个漫长的赛季，”保罗告诉记者。“当你用League Pass看比赛时，你看俄克拉荷马城雷霆队或波士顿凯尔特人队的比赛，他们对着一支实力不如他们的球队，在还剩七分钟时落后五分——总有人说，糟糕的球队总能找到输球的方法。多年来，你看比赛，你就会看到这一点。我们远非一支糟糕的球队。我们只需要明白这份责任。我们来这里不是为了仅仅作为NBA赛季的填充物。我们正在努力赢得比赛。”
与此同时，马刺代理教练米奇·约翰逊强调了团队团结的重要性，并强调要专注于大局，即使一些球迷和专家在球队输掉每场比赛后都会对球队和教练组进行挑剔。
“如果你看了我们很多比赛，你会发现我们打得很好，”他在密尔沃基说道。
“我们输掉了比赛，我知道这是人们会关注和谈论的事情。这就是精神打击的来源，也是我们在今晚屁股被踢之后必须团结一致的地方。我们今年没有经常被痛扁。现在我们最近被痛扁了，这在这个联盟里时有发生。我们把功劳归于他们，我们也需要在个人和集体方面进行反思，并从中吸取教训。”
2025年1月6日，周一，在芝加哥举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)（左）与马刺队后卫德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)（24号）交谈。（美联社照片/南Y. Huh）
就个人而言，后卫德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)的表现受到了密切关注。这位马刺队仅次于文班亚马的第二得分点在对阵雄鹿队的比赛中19投仅4中，得到11分。
对于瓦塞尔来说，这又是一个糟糕的投篮之夜，他全场17投4中，三分球9投3中。本月，他的三分球命中率只有26投6中（23.1%）。
“德文是一位非常出色的射手和得分手，”约翰逊说道。“我认为这是一个风水轮流转的问题。你只需要等待。”
前锋哈里森·巴恩斯表示，总的来说，马刺队只需要以任何方式赢得比赛。换句话说，他呼应了NFL传奇教练比尔·帕塞尔斯(Bill Parcells)的核心理念之一：信心不能凭空而来，也不能靠许愿获得。信心源于展现出的能力。
“我们必须在比赛最后阶段的执行力方面做得更好，”巴恩斯说道。“做到这一点的唯一方法就是在比分胶着的比赛中赢球并执行到位。你可以看所有的（录像），你可以进行良好的沟通等等。但是，在某个时刻，你必须去做。这就是人性的运作方式。”
对积极和消极的结果都反应过度也是人之常情。漫长的82场比赛的赛季有其起伏。就像他所代替的那个人一样，约翰逊并不关注战绩，只关注进步。
“我认为胜利必须是发展、进步、变得更好以及想要进入下一个阶段或步骤的一部分，”约翰逊说道，他在名人堂教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)在11月初轻微中风后接替了他的位置。“但我们不以战绩来评判。战绩会自己照顾好自己。”
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Interim head coach Mitch Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs reacts against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum on January 08, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Bobby Portis #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks lays up a shot against Sandro Mamukelashvili #54 and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum on January 08, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum on January 08, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Keldon Johnson #0 of the San Antonio Spurs dribbles the ball against Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter at Fiserv Forum on January 08, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Keldon Johnson #0 of the San Antonio Spurs dribbles the ball against Brook Lopez #11 of the Milwaukee Bucks during the fourth quarter at Fiserv Forum on January 08, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 and Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs high five against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
点击查看原文：Spurs seek to recapture good vibes in two-game set against Lakers
Spurs seek to recapture good vibes in two-game set against Lakers
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - JANUARY 08: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter at Fiserv Forum on January 08, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
LOS ANGELES – It’s been only 11 days since Victor Wembanyama told reporters on New Year’s Eve how proud he was that the Spurs were heading into 2025 with a winning record, albeit it a modest one.
“We are battling every night, so I’m proud of that record,” the franchise cornerstone said of the club’s 17-16 showing as the calendar flipped. "It’s nowhere near enough, but I’m proud of it.”
Things got even better a few days later when the Spurs clobbered the Los Angeles Clippers by 36 points in the first game of 2025. For an encore, they recorded their signature win of the season when they beat Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets 113-110 in Denver.
But much has changed in the week since that short-lived era of good feelings. Instead of swelling with pride, Wembanyama is expressing consternation with the team’s inability of late to get the job done, especially when opponents adjust and come at them with all they’ve got down the stretch.
“I think teams adapt during the game and maybe we don’t adapt enough," Wembanyama said. “For sure, we need to have more than one plan, because they are going to have more than one.”
The 21-year-old Frenchman’s comments came after the Spurs blew a 19-point lead in losing 114-110 at Chicago on Monday after they were outscored 32-15 in the fourth quarter. Preceding that loss was an overtime power outage at home against Denver on Saturday in which the Spurs were outscored 14-3 in the extra period.
On Wednesday in Milwaukee, without forward Jeremy Sochan (back), the Bucks beat them by 16.
The result is a three-game losing streak that matches the team’s longest skid of the season. Entering a two-game set against the Lakers (20-16) that begins Saturday and ends Monday, the Spurs (18-19) look to recapture the good vibes they enjoyed at the start of the month.
To make it happen, an attitude adjustment must occur, point guard Chris Paul said.
“It’s one thing to go out hoping you can win. It’s a different thing to go out expecting to win,” he said. "We’ve got to understand the type of responsibility that comes with that.”
All season long, the 39-year-old future Hall of Fame has stressed to his younger teammates the need for them to come into every game oozing confidence. He did it again in Milwaukee with a fresh approach.
“The NBA is a lot of games, a long season," Paul told reporters. "When you’re watching games on League Pass, you watch OKC play or Boston play, and they’re down five with seven minutes left against a team that’s not as good – there’s always a saying that bad teams find a way to lose. Over the years you watch games and you see that. We’re far from a bad team. We’ve just got to understand that responsibility. We’re not going out here to just be a game filler for the NBA season. We’re trying to win games.”
Acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, meanwhile, preached about the importance of team unity and on focusing on the big picture even as some fans and pundits pick apart the team and coaching staff after every loss.
“If you just went and watched a lot of our games, we’ve played good basketball,” he said in Milwaukee.
“We’ve lost games, and I understand that’s what people will look at and talk about. That’s when the mental toll comes in and that’s where we have to stay together in that room tonight after we got our butt kicked. We haven’t got our butt kicked a lot this year. Now we’ve got our butt kicked lately and that happens in this league. We give them credit and there’ll be some things that we need to look at in the mirror individually and collectively and grow from.”
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, left, talks to Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Individually, guard Devin Vassell’s play has come under scrutiny. The Spurs’ No. 2 scoring option behind Wembanyama missed 15 of 19 shots against the Bucks en route to 11 points.
It was another rough shooting night for Devin Vassell, who finished 4 of 17 from the field and 3 for 9 from the 3-point line. For the month, he’s just 6 for 26 from 3-point range (23.1%).
“Devin is a heck of a shooter and a scorer,” Johnson said. “I think it’s one of those deals where the worm will turn. You’re just waiting for it.”
Collectively, the Spurs just have to win games any way they can, forward Harrison Barnes said. In so many words, he echoed one of NFL coaching great Bill Parcells’s cornerstone beliefs: Confidence can’t be dreamed up or wished for. Confidence is born of demonstrated ability.
“We have to get better with our late-game execution,” Barnes said. “The only way to do that is to win games close and execute. You can watch all the (video), you can have the good conversations and things like that. But, at some point, you got to go do it. That’s the way human nature works.”
It’s also human nature to overreact to both positive and negative outcomes. There are ebbs and flows to the long 82-game season. Like the man he is filling for, Johnson isn’t focused on the record, only improvement.
“I think winning has to be a part of development and progressing and getting better and wanting to get to next steps or stages as a program,” said Johnson, who replaced Gregg Popovich after the Hall of Fame coach suffered a mild stroke in early November. “But we don’t judge it on the record. The records takes care of itself.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News