By Jacob Douglas | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-04-06 00:01:55
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。
是否存在“完美的”失利这种说法？
库珀·弗拉格(Cooper Flagg)在圣安东尼奥登上领奖台，在与杜克蓝魔队一起参加四强赛之前向媒体发表讲话。 当他回答有关在主场NBA球队的设施中训练的问题时，他几乎容光焕发。
库珀·弗拉格被问及圣安东尼奥以及在#马刺设施中训练的事宜…
“我欣喜若狂…
这是一个美丽的城市…
马刺队的设施非常现代化，令人惊叹，一流…”
完整回答#四强赛#圣安东尼奥#NCAA
视频由NCAA提供 pic.twitter.com/87ZH3wqgCh— Hector Ledesma (@ HectorLedesmaTV) 2025年4月4日
虽然圣安东尼奥马刺队目前获得这位备受瞩目的新秀的几率并不高，但奇怪的事情也发生过。 去年，亚特兰大老鹰队以第十名的最佳赔率获得了状元签，并最终在选秀中选择了扎卡里·里萨谢(Zaccharie Risacher)。 像周五晚上以 114-113 输给克利夫兰骑士队的比赛，让他们越来越接近提高选中弗拉格，或者今年夏天其他顶级新秀的几率。
在没有球星保持健康的情况下，马刺的角色球员已经战斗了几个月，保持了令人尊重的比赛水平，使他们刚好无法触及附加赛席位。 尽管面临重重困难，这支球队仍在继续战斗。 这就是为什么当马刺队将东部联盟最好的球队逼到最后，尽管他们在比赛的大部分时间里都落后两位数，这合乎情理。
很难称一场失利为“完美”，但这场失利非常接近。 马刺队从其核心球员那里获得了稳定的发挥。 他们在第四节强势反弹，与一支潜在的NBA总决赛球队一较高下。 与此同时，圣安东尼奥仍然有前七名的机会获得选秀状元。 仅剩 5 场比赛，附加赛就在眼前，很难对周五晚上的结果提出太多异议。
收获：
- 哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)应该是维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)时代马刺队中的重要一员。 他正是他们需要的这种老将角色球员。 他的投篮、进攻智商和防守站位使他每晚都能带来积极的影响。 周五，他以 23 分（包括 4 个三分球）几乎凭借一己之力帮助马刺队取得了胜利。
- 即使没有任何利益，你也会喜欢克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)的竞争力。 尽管他因年龄的增长而失去了一些运动能力，但他仍然在他的比赛中保留了很多“F-you”成分。 他在比赛后期得分的激增几乎完全是出于愤怒。 希望年轻的马刺球员能够看到这种激情并做笔记。
- 马刺队在本赛季末一直在慢慢地让查尔斯·巴锡(Charles Bassey)恢复状态。 他周五只打了 3 分钟，但看起来他仍然在努力从膝伤中恢复。 巴锡的潜力显而易见，他兼具身高和运动能力，但必须先恢复膝盖的健康，他才能再次做出贡献。 希望一个健康的夏天能让他重回正轨。
- 德文·瓦塞尔(Devin Vassell)在本赛季末表现出了一些让我兴奋的时刻，让我对他成为明年的第三或第四选择充满期待。 他的投篮正在进步，并且他在没有球的情况下也能很好地移动。 他在防守端变得更加投入。 瓦塞尔可能会成为文班亚马和达龙·福克斯(De’Aaron Fox)旁边一个超级加强版的 3D 侧翼。
- 周五是斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)又一个助攻上双的夜晚，他再次与三双失之交臂。 在这场失利中，他得到 22 分、11 次助攻和 9 个篮板。 年度最佳新秀奖很快就会属于他。
点击查看原文：What We Learned from the Spurs loss to the Cavaliers
What We Learned from the Spurs loss to the Cavaliers
Is there such a thing as a “perfect” loss?
Cooper Flagg took the podium in San Antonio to address the media ahead of his Final Four appearance with the Duke Blue Devils. He nearly beamed as he answered questions about practicing in the hometown NBA team’s facility.
Asked Cooper Flagg about San Antonio and working out in the #Spurs facility…
“I’m overjoyed…
it’s a beautiful city…
Spurs facility is very modern, amazing, top notch…”
Full answer
Video Courtesy: NCAA pic.twitter.com/87ZH3wqgCh— Hector Ledesma (@ HectorLedesmaTV) April 4, 2025
While the odds aren’t currently in the San Antonio Spurs’ favor to land the heralded top prospect, stranger things have happened. Last year the Atlanta Hawks had the 10th best odds to pick first overall, and ended up selecting Zaccharie Risacher at the top of the draft. Games like Friday night’s 114-113 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers get them closer and closer to improving their odds to select Flagg, or another top prospect this summer.
With no superstars left healthy, the Spurs role players have been battling it out for months, maintaining a respectful level of play that kept them just out of arms reach of a Play-In spot. This team has kept fighting, despite the odds being stacked against them. That’s why it made sense when the Spurs took the Eastern Conference’s best team down to the wire despite trailing by double-digits for the majority of the game.
It’s hard to call a loss “perfect,” but this one comes pretty close. The Spurs got solid play from its core players. They surged back in the fourth quarter to compete with a potential NBA Finals team. Meanwhile San Antonio still has a shot at top-seven odds at the number-one pick in the draft. With just 5 games to go and the Play-In just out of sight, it’s hard to argue too much with Friday night’s result.
Takeaways:
- Harrison Barnes should be a fixture of Spurs teams during the Victor Wembanyama era. He’s exactly the type of veteran role player they’ll need. His shooting, offensive IQ and defensive positioning make him a net-positive on a nightly basis. He almost willed the Spurs to victory on Friday with 23 points including four three-pointers.
- You gotta love Chris Paul’s competitiveness even with nothing on the line. He still has so much “F-you” to his game despite losing some of his athletic pop to age. His scoring surge late in the game seemed almost entirely fueled by anger. Hopefully the younger Spurs see that kind of passion and take notes.
- The Spurs have slowly been ramping Charles Bassey back up at the end of this season. He only logged 3 minutes on Friday but looked like he’s still struggling to return from his knee injury. Bassey’s potential is clear with his combination of size and athleticism, but that knee has to be healthy before he can contribute again. Hopefully a summer of health can get him back on track.
- Devin Vassell has had some moments late in the season that have me excited about him being the third or fourth option next year. His shooting is coming around and he’s moving well without the basketball. He’s become more engaged defensively. Vassell could be a supercharged 3&D wing next to Wembanayama and De’Aaron Fox moving forward.
- Friday was another double-digit assist night for Stephon Castle, who was once again a rebound away from a triple-double. He had 22 points, 11 assists and 9 rebounds in the loss. The Rookie of the Year award should be his soon enough.
By Jacob Douglas, via Pounding The Rock