[SAEN] 马刺队和巴恩斯享受“搅局者”的角色

By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-04-10 14:29:32

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。

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圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)(40号)在2025年4月9日星期三于旧金山举行的NBA篮球比赛中,命中压哨绝杀金州勇士队后,受到队友的祝贺。(美联社图片/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

菲尼克斯 – 一次又一次,马刺队的球员们几乎是蹦跳着离开大通中心球馆,穿过通往客队更衣室的通道,每个人的脸上都洋溢着喜悦。

“太疯狂了!”德文·瓦塞尔喊道。

“比赛结束!”克里斯·保罗吼道。

当哈里森·巴恩斯(Harrison Barnes)最终压轴出场时,球队工作人员纷纷驻足,给予这位今日英雄最后的欢呼。

巴恩斯为马刺队带来了一场来之不易的喜悦,他当之无愧。

“感觉真好,”巴恩斯说。

巴恩斯祈祷般的右手一挥,为马刺队带来了一场以114-111击败金州勇士队的压哨胜利,这场比赛于周三举行。

他的压哨后撤步三分,越过了吉米·巴特勒伸出的手臂,沉重打击了勇士队避免参加西部季后赛附加赛的希望。

这也让早已无缘季后赛的33胜47负的马刺队,连续第二年能在四月下旬欢呼雀跃。

早已无缘季后赛,但马刺队不会承认他们在赛季末已经无所事事。

“让我纠正你一下,”前锋朱利安·尚帕尼说,“我们可能不是为了季后赛而战,但我们是为了未来几年而战。所以每场比赛都很重要。”

马刺队在本赛季常规赛中还剩下两场比赛,周五在菲尼克斯,以及周日在主场迎战多伦多的常规赛收官战。

他们的目标是以对阵勇士队时所展现出的同样勇气来对待这两场比赛。

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2025年4月9日星期三,在旧金山大通中心,哈里森·巴恩斯(40号)在吉米·巴特勒(10号)的防守下,投出压哨绝杀球,金州勇士队对阵圣安东尼奥马刺队。马刺队凭借巴恩斯(40号)的压哨三分以114-111获胜

“当你被淘汰出季后赛时,总是很困难,”巴恩斯说,“你真的不知道接下来会发生什么。如果没什么可争夺的,那就为了尊严而战。”

如果说马刺队有可能会放弃抵抗,那应该就是周三在旧金山的比赛。

十天前,勇士队气势汹汹地进入霜冻银行中心,以148-106大胜马刺队,这场失利是俱乐部历史上第五大惨败。

当金州勇士队在周三的湾区重赛中以11-0领先时,似乎他们又要朝着那个方向前进了。

马刺队奋起直追,半场以55-51领先,在第三节末段再次落后14分,然后在一节又一节的拉锯战中不断努力,为自己创造了机会。

“我为球员们感到非常自豪,”代理教练米奇·约翰逊说,“我们没有眨眼。我们从未让比分差距过大。我们始终保持在可以追赶的范围内。”

值得称赞的是巴恩斯,他在2012年被勇士队选中,并在2015年随队赢得NBA总冠军,如今却对老东家完成绝杀。

值得称赞的是凯尔登·约翰逊,他在第四节顽强地拿下了10分,其中包括最后32.6秒内的两次关键进球。

值得称赞的是新秀斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle),他迫使勇士队的全明星杀手斯蒂芬·库里在第四节三分球3投0中。

值得称赞的是马刺队突然变得强硬的防守,他们在比赛最后阶段迫使金州勇士队出现三次失误,从而促成了这场冷门。

“我们已经说了80场比赛——我们的标准就是标准,”米奇·约翰逊说,“我们专注于每一次机会都变得更好。有时候,如果你只是在文字记录中看到它,那可能只是教练的套话。但球员们已经实践了它。”

马刺队本不必在周三的旧金山做这些。事实上,这场胜利损害了马刺队在NBA选秀抽签中的机会,确保了他们最终只能获得第八好的顺位概率。

但这都无关紧要。

“我认为在这个联盟中,你必须具备一种竞争力,无论你是否为了什么而战,”保罗说,“看到那些家伙获得信心——谁知道这会对明年产生什么影响呢?——但就目前而言,这是一种很棒的感觉。”

这场胜利让人想起大约一年前马刺队取得的一场胜利,当时德文特·格雷厄姆在还剩0.9秒时投中的疯狂抛投击败了卫冕冠军丹佛掘金队,那场比赛也在霜冻银行中心举行。

格雷厄姆的制胜球是在时间还未耗尽时投进的。

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2025年4月9日星期三,在旧金山举行的NBA篮球比赛中,马刺队在哈里森·巴恩斯(40号)投中压哨制胜球后庆祝。(Carlos Avila Gonzalez/旧金山纪事报 via AP)

在巴恩斯周三的绝杀之前,马刺队上一次真正的压哨胜利发生在2019年1月,当时鲁迪·盖伊的最后一秒跳投击败了菲尼克斯。

马刺队最近一次在客场完成压哨绝杀是在2011年2月,当时安东尼奥·麦克戴斯补进了蒂姆·邓肯投失的跳投,震惊了洛杉矶湖人队。

“对我们来说,这是一个疯狂的赛季,”保罗说,“整个赛季都没有太多亮点。对(巴恩斯)来说,投进那个艰难的球,对这支球队来说真的非常令人满意。”

这对巴恩斯来说同样令人满意,五天前,他有机会在对阵克利夫兰的比赛中投进制胜球,但错失了。

在对阵东部联盟榜首球队的比赛中落后一分,米奇·约翰逊指定巴恩斯来完成最后一攻。

巴恩斯在内线错失了一记短距离抛投,骑士队以114-113获胜。

“总是有机会尝试弥补过失是件好事,”巴恩斯说。

他在周三得到了机会。

在暂停之后,巴恩斯有3.1秒的时间来……做些什么。

战术仍然是让他向篮筐移动。巴特勒的防守非常出色,巴恩斯别无选择,只能选择后撤步三分。

冷静的巴恩斯以禅定的方式面对这一刻。

“投制胜球的关键在于,”巴恩斯说,“你必须出手。”

当巴恩斯投出的球穿过篮网时,马刺队的场边瞬间变成了一个狂欢的海洋。

他们不仅仅是在庆祝一场压哨胜利。他们还在庆祝一位他们最喜欢的队友完成了自我救赎。

“那家伙配得上那一刻,”米奇·约翰逊说,“我很高兴他得到了。”

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San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) and Golden State Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) compete for a rebound during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

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San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes reacts after making a 3-point basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

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Jimmy Butler (10) walks off the court as the Spurs celebrate the win after the Golden State Warriors played the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. The Spurs won 114-111 on a last second 3-point basket by Harrison Barnes (40)

点击查看原文:Spurs, Barnes relish spoiler role

Spurs, Barnes relish spoiler role

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San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) is congratulated by teammates after scoring the game-winning basket against the Golden State Warriors in an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

PHOENIX – One by one, Spurs players practically skipped off the court at the Chase Center and through the tunnel leading to the visitors’ locker room, each face more exuberant than the next.

“That was crazy!” Devin Vassell shouted.

“Ballgame!” bellowed Chris Paul.

As Harrison Barnes at last brought up the rear, team staffers lingered to give the man of the hour one last ovation.

Having provided the Spurs with a hard-won jolt of joy, Barnes had earned that much.

“It’s a good feeling,” Barnes said.

Barnes’ prayerful flick of his right wrist delivered the Spurs a buzzer-beating 114-111 victory over Golden State on Wednesday.

His fallaway 3-pointer at the horn, over the outstretched arms of Jimmy Butler, dealt the Warriors’ hopes of avoiding the Western Conference play-in tournament a gut punch.

It also gave the lottery-bound Spurs something to cheer about in late April for the second year in a row.

Long since eliminated from playoff contention, the 33-47 Spurs would dispute the notion they have nothing left to play for as the season winds down.

“Let me correct you there,” forward Julian Champagnie said. “We may not be playing for the playoffs, but we’re playing for what’s to come in the years to come. So every game is important.”

The Spurs have two games remaining in the regular season, Friday at Phoenix and the regular-season finale at home against Toronto on Sunday.

They aim to approach them with the same moxie on display against the Warriors.

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Harrison Barnes’s (40) shoots a last second, game-winning shot over Jimmy Butler (10) as the Golden State Warriors played the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. The Spurs won 114-111 on the last second 3-point basket by Barnes (40)

“It’s always difficult when you’ve been eliminated from the playoffs,” Barnes said. “You don’t really know what’s next. If you play for nothing else, you play for pride.”

If there was ever a time the Spurs might have considered giving up the ghost, it was Wednesday in San Francisco.

Ten days earlier, the Warriors marched into the Frost Bank Center and handed the Spurs a 148-106 defeat that matched the fifth-worst in club history.

When Golden State began Wednesday’s rematch by the Bay with an 11-0 lead, it seemed it might be headed that direction too.

The Spurs rallied to take a 55-51 lead at half, fell behind by 14 again late in the third quarter, and then kept punching through a back-and-forth quarter to give themselves a chance.

“I’m just really proud of the guys,” acting coach Mitch Johnson said. “We didn’t really blink. We never let it get too far away from us. It was always in striking distance.”

Give credit to Barnes, who hit the game-winner against the team that drafted him in 2012 and with which he won an NBA championship in 2015.

Give credit to Keldon Johnson, who willed his way to 10 fourth-quarter points, including a pair of big baskets in the final 32.6 seconds.

Credit rookie Stephon Castle, chasing Warriors All-Star assassin Stephen Curry into an 0-for-3 showing from 3-point range in the fourth.

Give kudos to the Spurs’ suddenly handsy defense, which forced three Golden State turnovers down the stretch to fuel the upset.

“We’ve been saying it for 80 games – our standard is the standard,” Mitch Johnson said. “We are focused on getting better every opportunity we have. At times, it can be coach-speak if you just see it on a transcript. Those guys have lived it.”

The Spurs did not have to do any of that Wednesday in San Francisco. In fact, the victory hurt the Spurs’ chances in the NBA draft lottery, ensuring they could finish with no better than the eighth-best odds.

No matter.

“I think there’s a competitiveness in this league that you have to have, regardless of whether you’re playing for something,” Paul said. “To see those guys get that confidence – who knows what it’s going to do for next year? – but for right now, it’s a great feeling.”

The victory was reminiscent of one the Spurs pulled off almost a year earlier to the day, when Devonte’ Graham’s madcap floater with 0.9 seconds remaining beat the defending champion Denver Nuggets at the Frost Bank Center.

Graham’s game-winner fell with time still on the clock.

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The Spurs celebrate Harrison Barnes’s (40) last second, game-winning shot during an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Before Barnes’ dagger Wednesday, the Spurs’ last true at-the-buzzer victory came in January 2019, when Rudy Gay’s last-second jumper beat Phoenix.

The Spurs’ most recent walk-off win on the road came in February 2011, when Antonio McDyess tipped in a Tim Duncan’s missed jumper to stun the Los Angeles Lakers.

“It’s been a wild season for us,” Paul said. “There ain’t been a lot of bright spots all season long. For (Barnes) to hit that tough one, it was just real satisfying for this group.”

It was equally satisfying for Barnes, who five days earlier had a chance at a game-winner against Cleveland and squandered it.

Down by a point against the top team in the Eastern Conference, Johnson called Barnes’ number for the win.

Barnes missed a short runner in the paint that gave the Cavaliers a 114-113 victory.

“It’s always good to have the opportunity to try and make it right,” Barnes said.

He got his chance Wednesday.

Coming out of a timeout, Barnes had 3.1 seconds to do … something.

The play was again designed to get him moving toward the basket. Butler defended the action so well, Barnes was left no option but a fadeaway 3-pointer.

The cool-headed Barnes approached the moment in Zen-like fashion.

“The thing with a game-winning shot,” Barnes said, “is you’ve got to take the shot.”

When Barnes’ heave dropped through the net, the Spurs’ sideline was transformed into an instant mosh pit.

They weren’t just celebrating a walk-off victory. They were celebrating redemption for one of their favorite teammates.

“That guy deserved that moment,” Mitch Johnson said. “I’m glad he got it.”
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By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News