By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-02-22 15:16:46
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。
圣安东尼奥马刺队代理主教练米奇·约翰逊在2025年2月20日星期四于德克萨斯州奥斯汀的穆迪中心举行的马刺队对阵菲尼克斯太阳队的赛前新闻发布会上回答有关维克托·文班亚马的健康状况的问题。马刺队宣布，由于右肩深静脉血栓，他们的明星球员将缺席本赛季剩余的比赛。
新奥尔良——底特律活塞队的J.B.比克斯塔夫周五晚成为了最新一位称赞米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)担任马刺队代理主教练的NBA教练。
在NBA历史胜场最多的教练和五次总冠军得主格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)11月初因轻微中风而休战后，约翰逊接过了教鞭。
圣安东尼奥马刺队临时主教练米奇·约翰逊在2025年2月10日星期一于华盛顿举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场对阵华盛顿奇才队的比赛中做出反应。(美联社照片/Nick Wass)
这位76岁的名人堂成员正在进行康复治疗。马刺队表示，他预计会完全康复，并且他已经暗示计划重返他已经执教了29个赛季的岗位。
与此同时，38岁的助理教练约翰逊因带领马刺队度过诸多逆境和压力局面而赢得了同行的赞扬。
球队遭遇的最新不幸发生在周三，当时他们得知球队的支柱球员维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)由于右肩血栓将缺席本赛季剩余的比赛。
在接替波波维奇和失去文班亚马之间，马刺队克服了几次伤病。约翰逊还必须应对在假期期间监督在纽约举行的两场比赛的挑战，其中包括俱乐部自2016年以来的第一场圣诞节比赛；在野火肆虐该地区时在洛杉矶度过了五天，这场灾难迫使对阵湖人的两场比赛中的一场被推迟；在巴黎度过了一周，进行了两场对阵印第安纳的比赛；以及在奥斯汀进行的两场背靠背比赛，最终以周五以125-110输给活塞队而告终。
“他做得非常出色，”比克斯塔夫说。“首先，这份工作并不容易。其次，在没有训练营的情况下，在赛季已经开始并且没有期望这会是你的工作，也没有时间为此做准备的情况下被推到这个位置上，承担这些责任是非常困难的。”
“但是你可以从他们的比赛方式中看出他已经让他们接受了他。你观察他们打球的无私精神，他们如何协同作战，他们如何全力以赴地竞争。对我来说，这些都是球员相信他们的教练的明显迹象。他们在攻防两端都组织得井井有条。因此，你可以看出他们每天都在接受他们需要的准备，以建立一支球队应有的样子。他做得非常出色。”
比克斯塔夫还指出，对于整个马刺队组织来说，处理失去像波波维奇这样一位备受爱戴的人物（即使只是暂时的）后涌现出的情绪，可能是多么困难。
马刺队（24胜30负）将在周日对阵鹈鹕队的比赛中以约翰逊执教下的22胜27负的战绩出战。
“当像波波这样的人，他是某种事物的领导者（生病）时，个人和你的团队都必须经历一种情感上的过程，”比克斯塔夫说。“而且似乎，从局外人的角度来看，（约翰逊）在团结所有人方面做得非常出色。”
前锋在奥斯汀表现出色
在一个有些晦涩的统计数据中，没有哪位球员在奥斯汀这座城市获得的比凯尔登·约翰逊(Keldon Johnson)更多的NBA得分。
这位五年级后卫参加了马刺队在这座城市举办的六场比赛中的五场，只错过了上赛季对阵明尼苏达的失利。
在周五以125-110输给活塞队的比赛中，约翰逊连续打出了他在I-35系列赛中的最高得分——28分，现在他在州首府已经获得了103分，平均得分为20.6分。
对约翰逊来说，这似乎很合适，因为他在2019年在奥斯汀开始了职业生涯，与马刺队的G联赛附属球队一起打球。从那时起，他对这座城市一直情有独钟。
“我的一切都是从这里开始的，”他说。“这让我有一种远离家乡的家的感觉。”
约翰逊特别记得他作为一名19岁的第一轮选秀球员必须经历的成长过程，以及奥斯汀马刺队如何让他在NBA的高风险环境之外做到这一点。
“我有在NBA打球的天赋，但奥斯汀给了我一个没有压力真正成长为一名年轻人的机会，真正培养专业的习惯，”约翰逊说。“作为一名年轻球员，这绝对带给了我信心，但它也带来了良好的习惯，所以当轮到我来到顶级联赛时，我并没有落后。”
老将对合同“无比感激”
俾斯麦·比永博(Bismack Biyombo)将他周五从马刺队获得的第二份10天合同视为天意。
“在生活中，在我的职业生涯中，在我的旅程中，我比任何事情都更依赖上帝，有时我试图理解一些事情，我把它交给上帝，”他说。“而且，很明显，能和这支球队在一起的机会只是上帝，我很感谢这个组织和这个机会。能身处这个环境真是太棒了。”
这位征战了14个赛季的老将比永博表示，他喜欢和这么多渴望学习、容易指导的年轻球员在一起。
“孩子们都很棒，”他说。“他们问很多问题。他们想听。他们想学。当你在比赛中和他们交谈时，他们真的会注意。”
32岁的比永博称赞马刺队引进了这么多高素质的球员。
“我们有一些有天赋但很谦逊的年轻人，”他说。“这非常重要。当你拥有一群合适的年轻人时，更容易领导他们，更容易和他们交谈。”
在文班亚马缺席的情况下，比永博在奥斯汀的两场比赛中都首发。在周四以120-109战胜太阳队的比赛中获得8分、3个篮板、2次助攻和1个盖帽后，他在对阵活塞队的比赛中出场9分钟，得到2分、2个篮板、1次助攻和1个盖帽。
“我在马刺队的第一次（首发）是在背靠背比赛中进行的，所以你必须适应这一点，但我无比感激，”他说。“比赛给我带来了很多快乐。我打比赛是为了它带给我的快乐。有这么多人来看我们比赛，所以我非常幸运能来到这里。我感谢上帝和这个组织。”
特约撰稿人杰夫·麦克唐纳对本文亦有贡献。
点击查看原文：Johnson draws more praise for job replacing Popovich
Johnson draws more praise for job replacing Popovich
San Antonio Spurs acting head coach Mitch Johnson answers questions about Victor Wembanyama’s health during a pre-game press conference before the Spurs’ game against the Phoenix Suns at Moody Center on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in Austin, Texas. The Spurs announced that their star player will sit out for the rest of the season due to a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
NEW ORLEANS – Detroit’s J.B. Bickerstaff on Friday night became the latest NBA coach to praise the job Mitch Johnson has done as the acting Spurs coach.
Johnson took over for Gregg Popovich in early November after the NBA’s all-time winningest coach and five-time league champion suffered a mild stroke.
San Antonio Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The 76-year-old Hall of Famer is going through rehab. The Spurs have said he is expected to make a full recovery and he has signaled he plans to return to the job he’s held for 29 seasons.
In the meantime, Johnson, a 38-year-old assistant, has drawn praise from his peers for holding the Spurs together through plenty of adversity and stressful situations.
The latest misfortune to hit the team occurred Wednesday when it learned it would be without franchise pillar Victor Wembanyama for the remainder of the season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder.
In between taking over for Popovich and losing Wembanyama, the Spurs have overcome several injuries. Johnson also had to navigate the challenge of overseeing two games in New York in the midst of the holiday season, including the club’s first game on Christmas Day since 2016; five days in Los Angeles while wildfires ravaged the area, a disaster that forced one of two games against the Lakers to be postponed; a week in Paris for two games against Indiana; and the back-to-back set in Austin that ended with Friday’s 125-110 loss to the Pistons.
“He’s done a great job,” Bickerstaff said. "One, this job is not an easy job. Two, being thrown into it without training camp and when the season’s already going and not having the expectation that that’s going to be your job and not having the time to prepare for that, it’s extremely difficult to assume those responsibilities.
“But you can tell by the way they play he’s got them to buy into him. You watch how selfless they play, how they play together, how they compete their tails off. To me, those are the telltale signs of players believing in their coach. They’re organized on both sides of the ball. So you can tell day by day they’re getting the preparation they need to build what a team should look like. He’s done a phenomenal job.”
Bickerstaff also noted how difficult it’s likely been for the entire Spurs organization to deal with the emotions that surfaced after losing, if only temporarily, such a beloved figure as Popovich.
The Spurs (24-30) will enter Sunday’s game against the Pelicans with a 22-27 record under Johnson.
“When a guy like Pop, who’s the leader of something (is ill), there’s an emotional piece that individuals have to go through, your staff has to go through,” Bickerstaff said. “And it seems again, from the outside looking in, (Johnson) has done a great job of holding everybody together.”
Forward thrives in Austin
In an arcane sort of statistic, no player has scored more NBA points in the city of Austin than Keldon Johnson.
The fifth-year guard has played in five of the six contests the Spurs have staged in the city, missing only the loss against Minnesota last season.
After stringing together his highest-scoring game in the I-35 series yet, 28 points in Friday’s 125-110 loss to the Pistons, Johnson has now logged 103 points in the state capital for a 20.6 average.
To Johnson, it seems fitting after he began his professional career in Austin in 2019, playing with the Spurs’ G League affiliate. Since then, he’s always has a soft spot for the city.
“This is where everything started at for me,” he said. “It gives me a sense of a home away from home.”
Johnson specifically remembers the growing up he had to do as a 19-year-old first-round draft pick, and how the Austin Spurs allowed him to do that outside of the high-stakes environment of the NBA.
“I had the talent to play in the NBA, but Austin gave me a chance to have no pressure to really grow as a young man, really develop professional habits,” Johnson said. “As a young player, it definitely brought me confidence, but it also brought good habits so that when it was my time to come up to the big time, it wasn’t like I was running behind.”
Journeyman ‘beyond grateful’ for contract
Bismack Biyombo views the second 10-day contract he received from the Spurs on Friday as an act of providence.
"Through life, to my career, to my journey, I’ve leaned on God more than anything, and sometimes some things I’m trying to make sense out of it, I leave it up to God,” he said. "And, obviously, the opportunity to be with this team is just God and I’m grateful for the organization and the opportunity. To be in this environment has been great.”
Biyombo, a 14th-year veteran, said he enjoys being on a team with so many eager, coachable younger players.
“The kids are great,” he said. “They ask a lot of questions. They want to listen. They want to learn. When you talk to them within the game, they really pay attention."
Biyombo, 32, praised the Spurs for acquiring so many high-character players.
“We have some talented but humble young guys,” he said. “And this is very important. When you have the right group of young guys, it’s easier to lead them, easier to speak to them.”
With Wembanayama sidelined, Biyombo started both games in Austin. He had two points, two rebounds, an assist and a block in nine minutes against Detroit after collecting eight points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in 16 minutes in the 120-109 win over Phoenix on Thursday.
“My first (starts with the Spurs) comes in a back-to-back, so you got to adjust to this, but I’m beyond grateful, man,” he said. “The game brings me so much joy. I play the game for the joy it brings to me. There are so many people that come to watch us, so I’m extremely blessed to be here. I thank God and the organization for this.”
Staff writer Jeff McDonald contributed to this story.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News