By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-22 14:11:03
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。
1月19日周日，在迈阿密进行的NBA篮球比赛上半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)（1号）与后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)（3号）和后卫德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)（24号）交谈。(美联社照片/Lynne Sladky)
巴黎——作为一名拥有20年NBA经验的老将，马刺队控球后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)习惯于将他的“身经百战”展现得淋漓尽致。
因此，当保罗周三训练结束后走进采访室，发现几十名记者等着向他提问时，这并不是他从未见过的场面。
然而，保罗不得不承认，在这个时候看到这样的场面，他还是第一次。
“通常只有在季后赛或总决赛才会看到这种规模的媒体，”保罗说道。
这就是维克托·文班亚马领衔的马刺队本周在巴黎的处境。他们来这里是为了在周四和周六于雅高体育馆与印第安纳步行者队进行两场常规赛，但这两场比赛的盛况却非同寻常。
“我们知道会有很多喧嚣，这是交易的一部分，”马刺队代理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)说道。“我们不需要回避或否认这一点，但我们也不需要赋予它过多的力量。”
拥有自托尼·帕克以来最著名的法国球星文班亚马，马刺队成为了今年巴黎赛的主要看点。
这两场比赛的20,300个座位的雅高体育馆门票在开售后24小时内便售罄。
“幸运的是，我们的球队里有文班，”保罗说。“所以这应该是两场主场比赛。”
尽管在客场拥有绝对的主场优势，但马刺队并不指望这两场比赛会像在香榭丽舍大街上悠闲漫步一样轻松。
马刺队目前正遭遇三连败，每场失利都至少输了14分。与此同时，步行者队是NBA近期最炙手可热的球队之一，在过去的11场比赛中赢了9场。
保罗希望他的队友们记住，尽管球队的接下来的两场比赛是在巴黎度假的过程中进行的，但它们仍然计入NBA战绩。
1月19日，佛罗里达州迈阿密：迈阿密热火队的海伍德·海史密斯(Haywood Highsmith)（24号）在卡塞亚中心与圣安东尼奥马刺队的克里斯·保罗（3号）在比赛的第一节对抗。
“我们在这个令人难以置信的场馆里，”保罗说道。“我们在巴黎。但常规赛仍在继续。我们查看手机，其他球队正在（美国）各个城市进行常规比赛。能来到这里并有机会体验一切真的很棒。一旦球抛起来，一切就应该恢复正常了。”
约翰逊希望他的球队在其他情绪高涨的比赛中的经验——在圣诞节的纽约和本月野火之后的洛杉矶——能够在马刺队在巴黎的比赛中发挥作用。
“你仍然需要做好你的工作，”约翰逊说道。“当球抛起来的时候，我们希望在某个时刻能够专注于做好自己的工作。它将只是一场篮球比赛。”
马刺队将巴黎纳入未来计划
即使拥有文班亚马，马刺队在本周末离开巴黎时也不确定何时会回来参加NBA比赛。
联盟会为其年度全球系列赛选择球队，到目前为止，还没有将同一支球队两次派往巴黎。
无论联盟的赛程安排者如何决定，首席执行官R.C. 布福德(R.C. Buford)表示，马刺队打算在未来几年继续与巴黎保持联系。
“我们很早就来到法国了，可以追溯到2000年我第一次考察托尼(Tony Parker)的时候，”布福德说道。“我们有很多关于如何回到维克托的社区，推广篮球和促进儿童工作的想法。”
本周早些时候，几名马刺队的成员出席了文班亚马在他的家乡勒谢奈为一个免费使用的户外篮球场剪彩的仪式。
布福德表示，马刺队可以利用这个球场作为立足点，继续在文班亚马的成长地开展活动。
马刺队已经拥有了“法国队”的非官方称号。
从2001年的帕克开始，马刺队历史上共有七名法国出生的球员，包括鲍里斯·迪奥(Boris Diaw)、伊恩·马辛米(Ian Mahinmi)、南多·德科洛(Nando de Colo)、乔弗里·洛文吉(Joffrey Lauvergne)、西迪·西索科(Sidy Cissoko)和文班亚马。
“当你回顾我们球队和俱乐部的历史，法国对马刺队来说一直很重要，”布福德说道。“我们期待在未来建立这种关系。”
点击查看原文：In Paris, Spurs hope to put the ″regular″ in regular-season games
In Paris, Spurs hope to put the “regular” in regular-season games
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) talks with guard Chris Paul (3) and guard Devin Vassell (24) during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
PARIS – As a 20-year veteran of everything that can possibly happen in the NBA, Spurs point guard Chris Paul makes a habit of wearing his “been there, done that” on his sleeve.
So when Paul walked into an interview room after practice Wednesday to find several dozen reporters waiting to pepper him with questions, it wasn’t a scene he had never seen before.
Paul was forced to acknowledge, however, it was a scene he had never seen before at this time of year.
“You really only get this type of media if it’s the playoffs or the Finals,” Paul said.
That is the rub of the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs in Paris this week. They are here to play a pair of regular-season games against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday and Saturday at Accor Arena, but the pomp and circumstance that accompanies those outings is anything but run-of-the-mill.
“There is an understanding that there is going to be hoopla, and that’s part of the deal,” Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson said. “We don’t need to shy away or deny that, but we don’t need to give it power.”
Featuring Wembanyama, the most famous French star since Tony Parker, the Spurs are the main attraction of this year’s edition of the Paris Games.
The two contests sold out the 20,300-seat Accor Arena within 24 hours of going on sale.
“Luckily we’ve got Vic on our team,” Paul said. “So it should be two home games.”
Despite a decide home-court advantage away from home, the Spurs are not expecting the games to be a Sunday stroll down the Champs-Elysses.
The Spurs come in riding a three-game losing streak, with each defeat coming by at least 14 points. The Pacers, meanwhile, come in as one of the NBA’s hottest teams, winning nine of their past 11.
Paul is hoping his teammates remember that, although the team’s next two games come in the middle of what amounts to a Parisian vacation, they still count in the NBA standings.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 19: Haywood Highsmith #24 of the Miami Heat drives against Chris Paul #3 of the San Antonio Spurs during the first quarter of the game at Kaseya Center on January 19, 2025 in Miami, Florida.
“We’re here in this unbelievable facility,” Paul said. “We’re in Paris. But the regular season is still going on. We check our phones and teams are in (U.S.) cities playing regular games. It’s cool to be here and get a chance to take everything in. Once the ball gets thrown up, it should be normal again.”
Johnson is hoping his team’s experience playing in other emotionally heightened games – in New York in Christmas and Los Angeles in the immediate aftermath of this month’s wildfires – will pay dividends when the Spurs hit the floor in Paris.
“You still have to do your job,” Johnson said. “When the ball goes up, we’ll hopefully at some point focus on just doing our job. It will just become basketball.”
Spurs to keep Paris in their plans
Even with Wembanyama on the roster, the Spurs will leave Paris at the end of the week uncertain when they will be back to play an NBA game.
The league chooses teams for its annual Global Games series, and to this point has not sent the same club to Paris twice.
No matter what the league schedule-makers decide, chief executive officer R.C. Buford said the Spurs intend to remain connected to Paris for years to come.
“We’ve been in France for a long time, dating back to 2000 when I first was scouting Tony (Parker),” Buford said. “We have all kinds of ideas on how we can be back in Victor’s community, promoting basketball and promoting work with children.”
Earlier this week, several members of the Spurs’ organization were on hand as Wembanyama helped cut the ribbon on a free-to-use outdoor basketball court in his hometown of Le Chesnay.
Buford indicated the Spurs could use that court as a foothold for staying active in Wembanyama’s stomping grounds.
The Spurs already hold the unofficial moniker of “France’s team.”
Beginning with Parker in 2001, the Spurs have rostered seven French-born players all-time, a list that includes Boris Diaw, Ian Mahinmi, Nando de Colo, Joffrey Lauvergne, Sidy Cissoko and Wembanyama.
“When you look at the history of our team and our club, France has been important to the Spurs,” Buford said. “We look forward to building that relationship in the future.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News
