By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-24 13:57:08
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4日星期四，在圣安东尼奥马刺队与密尔沃基雄鹿队在弗罗斯特银行中心进行的比赛上半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)（左二）在暂停期间与后卫布雷克·韦斯利(Blake Wesley)（14号）交谈。密尔沃基以125-121击败了马刺队。
巴黎——比赛结束的哨声响起后不久，电话就会像上了发条一样准时打来。
马刺队控球后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)会看着他的手机，看到格雷格·波波维奇的名字出现在屏幕上。
“他会在比赛结束后打电话，”保罗说。“我会和他聊天。他会告诉我他看到了什么。我非常感激他这样做。因为他没有义务这样做，但他还是做了。”
75岁的马刺队名人堂主教练波波维奇自11月2日在圣安东尼奥对阵明尼苏达的比赛前中风以来，一直没有随队。
这意味着波波维奇没有随马刺队前往巴黎与印第安纳步行者队比赛，而这原本是一次他绝对会喜欢的国际之旅。
巴黎意味着美食、悠久的历史、独特的文化，当然还有世界上最好的葡萄酒。
“这完全是波波的风格，”后卫特雷·琼斯(Tre Jones)说道。
自从波波维奇中风缺席以来，马刺队每天都在想念他。球队在法国时，对他的缺席感受尤为强烈。
他们身处波波维奇喜欢的环境中，却没有他。
波波维奇是法国球星维克多·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)在马刺队周一抵达巴黎后组织球队聚餐的部分原因。
“我知道他也会做那样的事情，”文班亚马说。
不仅仅是马刺队注意到了波波维奇在巴黎的缺席。
NBA总裁亚当·萧华(Adam Silver)在周四巴黎赛开幕致辞中专门用一部分时间表达了对这位马刺队教练的祝福。
“我只想说，我们很想念他，”萧华说。“我代表联盟办公室的所有人，祝他早日康复。”
正如波波维奇倒下之后的情况一样，代理教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)沉着地带领球队应对在国外比赛的独特且有时会分散注意力的环境。
球队安排了工作和娱乐的时间。马刺队在周四于雅高体育馆以140-110的比分战胜了步行者队，双方将于周六再次交锋。
和保罗一样，39岁的约翰逊仍然每天都与波波维奇交流。
“就我们谈论的关于球队的事情而言，这些对话很平常，”约翰逊说。“我们的互动并没有太大变化。只是试图帮助我们的球队，谈论和争论我们的想法。”
由于波波维奇远在大洋彼岸进行康复治疗，马刺队不得不独自前往巴黎。
除了聚餐之外，文班亚马还在球队抵达法国首都后为球队组织了一次购物之旅。在另一次外出活动中，几名队员跟随文班亚马前往他位于巴黎郊区的家乡勒谢奈。
球员们参观了埃菲尔铁塔和巴黎圣母院等地标性建筑。文班亚马希望在离开巴黎之前能说服一些队友和他一起去卢浮宫。
“这太棒了，”琼斯说。
在球场上，马刺队在周四以一场大胜步行者队的比赛让法国球迷兴奋不已——这场比赛在技术上被指定为印第安纳的主场比赛。
文班亚马在他第一次在法国本土进行的NBA比赛中表现出色，拿下30分、12个篮板和5个盖帽，带领马刺队取得了自1月13日在洛杉矶湖人队比赛以来的首场胜利。
马刺队以本赛季第二大比分的胜利结束了三连败，仅次于除夕夜以122-86大胜洛杉矶快船队的比赛。
马刺队老将前锋哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)说，当文班亚马罕见地决定在赛前控制球队更衣室的音响系统时，他就预感到文班亚马可能会度过一个特别的夜晚。
“他放了法国音乐，”巴恩斯说。
一旦音乐停止，比赛开始呢？
“我认为他非常沉着，”巴恩斯说。“我认为他很好地让我们作为队友变得更好。我认为这是我们本赛季打得比较好的比赛之一。”
尽管如此，对于马刺队来说，没有波波维奇的陪伴，这次海外商务旅行还是苦乐参半的。
“我们时刻都能感受到他的存在，”琼斯说。“我们知道他在想着我们，我们也在想着他。”
马刺队首席执行官R.C.布福德(R.C. Buford)表示，球队仍然希望波波维奇能在某个时候回归。
“他正在进行康复，并且正在好转，”布福德说。“我们不知道什么时候会回来，但我们期待他回来。”
同样，约翰逊——他代替NBA历史上胜场最多的教练执教，取得了18胜19负的战绩——说他仍然乐观地认为他的老板会回来，但无法提供任何时间表。
“从一开始，波波的健康就是首要任务，并且将一直如此……点点点，”约翰逊说。“这就是我们的处理方式。我们希望波波一切都好，也希望这支球队一切都好。无论如何，只要我能帮忙，我就会投入我的精力。”
与此同时，保罗会在每场比赛后守着电话。即使在巴黎也是如此。
“我仍然记得我与马刺队签约的那一天，”七月份加入球队的保罗说。“我当时在拉斯维加斯。我有一张我和波波通电话的照片。显然，我们当时不知道会发生什么。
“我为他感到难过。”
点击查看原文：In Paris, Spurs can't forget Gregg Popovich
In Paris, Spurs can’t forget Gregg Popovich
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, second from left, talks to guard Blake Wesley (14) during a time out in the first half of their game with the Milwaukee Bucks at the Frost Bank Center on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. Milwaukee beat the Spurs 125-121.
PARIS – The calls come like clockwork, not long after the final horn after each game.
Spurs point guard Chris Paul will look at his phone and see Gregg Popovich’s name come up.
“He calls after games,” Paul said. “I talk to him. He tells me what he sees. I appreciate that more than anything. Because he doesn’t have to do that, and he does.”
Popovich, the Spurs’ 75-year-old Hall of Fame head coach, has been away from the team since he suffered a stroke before a Nov. 2 game against Minnesota in San Antonio.
Which means Popovich is not on the Spurs’ trip to Paris to face the Indiana Pacers, an international journey he would have absolutely loved.
Paris means a mixture of good food, deep history, unmistakable culture and, of course, some of the best wine in the world.
“It has Pop written all over it for sure,” guard Tre Jones said.
The Spurs have missed Popovich every day since his stroke sidelined him. His absence has been most acutely felt with the team in France.
They are in Popovich’s element, but without him.
Popovich is part of the reason French star Victor Wembanyama organized a team dinner after the Spurs touched down in Paris on Monday.
“I know he would have done something like that too,” Wembanyama said.
It is not only the Spurs who have recognized Popovich’s absence in Paris.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver devoted a portion of his remarks to open the Paris Games on Thursday to offering well-wishes for the Spurs’ fallen coach.
“I just want to say we miss not having him here with us,” Silver said. “On behalf of everyone at the league office, we wish him a speedy recovery.”
As has been the case since Popovich went down, acting coach Mitch Johnson has handled the team with aplomb as it navigates the unique and at times distracting circumstances of playing abroad.
There have been times set aside for work and for play. The Spurs responded with a 140-110 victory over the Pacers at Accor Arena on Thursday, with a rematch set for Saturday.
Like Paul, the 39-year-old Johnson still communicates with Popovich daily.
“Those conversations are typical in terms of the things we talk about regarding our team,” Johnson said. “Our interactions have not changed much. Just trying to help our team, talking and arguing about what we think.”
With Popovich rehabilitating an ocean away, the Spurs have been forced to take Paris without him.
In addition to dinner, Wembanyama organized a shopping spree for the team upon its arrival to the French capital. On another outing, several team members traveled with Wembanyama to his hometown of Le Chasney on the outskirts of Paris.
Players have visited landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. Wembanyama was hoping to coax some teammates to come with him to the Louvre before leaving town.
“It’s been amazing,” Jones said.
On the floor, the Spurs thrilled French fans with a blowout victory over the Pacers on Thursday – one that was technically designated as a home game for Indiana.
Wembanyama rose to the occasion of his first NBA game on his native French soil, going for 30 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks to spearhead the Spurs’ first victory since Jan. 13 at the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Spurs snapped a three-game losing skid with their second-most lopsided win of the season, trailing only a 122-86 trouncing of the Los Angeles Clippers on New Year’s Eve.
Veteran Spurs forward Harrison Barnes said he suspected Wembanyama might be in for a special night when, in a rare step, he decided to take control of the sound system in the team’s locker room before the game.
“He played French music,” Barnes said.
Once the music stopped and the game began?
“I thought he was extremely poised,” Barnes said. “I think he did a great job of making us as teammates better. I thought that was one of the better games we’ve played this season.”
Still, without Popovich in tow it has been a bittersweet overseas business trip for the Spurs.
“We feel his presence at all times,” Jones said. “We know he’s thinking of us and we’re thinking of him.”
Spurs chief executive officer R.C. Buford indicated the team still harbors hope Popovich will return at some point.
“He’s doing his rehab and improving,” Buford said. "We don’t know when that will be, but we expect him to be back.”
Likewise, Johnson – who has compiled an 18-19 filling in for the winningest coach in NBA history – said he remains optimistic his boss will return but could offer no inkling of a timetable.
“Pop’s health has been the priority since the start of this and will be until … dot, dot, dot,” Johnson said. "That’s kind of how we take the approach. We want the best for Pop and the best for this team. However I can help is where I’ll put my energy.”
In the meantime, Paul will wait by the phone after each game. Even in Paris.
“I still remember the day I signed with the Spurs,” said Paul, who joined the team in July. “I was in (Las) Vegas. I’ve got a picture of me on the phone with Pop. Obviously, we didn’t know what happened was going to happen.
“I hate it for him more than anything.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News