By Lee Dresie | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-04-21 22:37:35
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。
挑选每个首轮系列赛中更倾向的胜者。
连续二十年，马刺球迷不需要决定在NBA季后赛中支持哪支球队。我们可以把那些年称为“邓肯时代”，即使有好几年的季后赛发生在伟大的蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)退役之后。在那些年里，Pounding the Rock的作者们不需要写像这样一篇文章。但在后邓肯时代，我一直在写这篇文章。
我希望这是我最后一次需要写关于在季后赛中为哪支球队欢呼的文章，因为马刺没有参加。不，让我们稍微换一种说法。我期望这将是我最后一个需要写关于在季后赛中支持除马刺之外的球队的赛季。
通常，我会在季后赛开始前写这篇文章。今年，我是在所有球队都打完第一场比赛后才写的。为什么？因为对于几个系列赛，我不知道我希望哪支球队获胜。因为我在生理上和精神上都无法在不为其中一支球队欢呼的情况下观看篮球比赛，所以我可以通过简单地观看几分钟的比赛，让我的内心做出决定，来做出我的抛硬币选择。
这种“赛时决定”对于某些系列赛来说是不必要的。例如，我知道我希望掘金击败快船——一支我最喜欢的非马刺球队对阵一支我最不喜欢的球队。而对于其他系列赛，我根本不需要决定，因为结果没有任何真正的疑问。例如，看看俄克拉荷马城雷霆 vs 孟菲斯灰熊。第一场比赛的中场比分：雷霆以 68-36 领先。一度，雷霆以 85-42 的比分领先灰熊一倍，最终以 50 分的优势获胜。那场比赛看起来更像是三月疯狂中的 1 号种子对阵 16 号种子，而不是同一联盟中两支职业球队之间的比赛。
考虑到这个框架，让我们快速浏览一下八个首轮系列赛。像太阳一样，我们将从东部开始，然后向西移动。
- 克利夫兰骑士 vs 8. 迈阿密热火
自从热火队不再是“热火三巨头”后，我就喜欢上了热火队，这随着马刺队在2014年总决赛中瓦解了勒布朗三巨头而结束。热火队能够像过去的马刺队一样，将默默无闻的球员转化为关键组成部分，他们得到了很好的执教，并在季后赛中始终超出预期。最突出的是，季后赛吉米·巴特勒(Jimmy Butler)带领2020年热火队进入总决赛，热火队在那场比赛中给湖人队带来了他们所能承受的一切。另一方面，今年的骑士队是一个伟大的故事，他们以东部联盟头号种子的身份击败卫冕冠军凯尔特人队，让NBA世界感到惊讶。如果骑士队能够赢得一座奖杯，并且这座城市能够在没有勒布朗的情况下赢得一座总冠军，那将是一件好事。唉，我对热火队挥之不去的感觉，即使没有季后赛吉米，也让我支持他们——但这可能无关紧要。在第二轮中，我认为我将在骑士队和雄鹿队或步行者队之间做出选择。
- 印第安纳步行者 vs 5. 密尔沃基雄鹿
和热火队一样，我对雄鹿队也有挥之不去的好感，因为扬尼斯带领的2021年总冠军球队。那支球队由前波莫纳学院球员和马刺队助教迈克·布登霍尔泽(Mike Budenholzer)执教，并拥有史上最伟大的队友朱·霍乐迪(Jrue Holiday)。虽然后两者已经离开，但雄鹿队仍然拥有扬尼斯，这对我来说就足够了，特别是如果达米安·利拉德(Damian Lillard)从他类似文班亚马的伤病中恢复过来。这也将对维克多的预后起到鼓励作用。
- 波士顿凯尔特人 vs 7. 奥兰多魔术
虽然凯尔特人队有霍乐迪和我最喜欢的前马刺球员德里克·怀特(Derrick White)，但他们仍然是凯尔特人队。即使我是一个已经改过自新的前湖人球迷，仍然很难支持绿衫军。然而，这个系列赛感觉会和雷霆队对阵灰熊队一样。凯尔特人队可能会在 4 或 5 场比赛中获胜，所以没有必要在这个系列赛中浪费我宝贵的助威资本。
- 纽约尼克斯 vs 6. 底特律活塞
也许这只是一件男性会做的事情，但当我长大后，我们会反对我们朋友最喜欢的球队，这样我们就可以在朋友的球队输球时取笑那个朋友——并避免在我们的朋友的球队获胜时被反过来取笑。随着时间的推移，我开始支持我朋友的球队，这样我的朋友就会很高兴。奇怪的概念，我知道我有很多好朋友是尼克斯队的忠实球迷，所以我将支持他们的幸福而不是今年活塞队的伟大故事。尼克斯队拥有所有那些维拉诺瓦的球员也有帮助。此外，活塞球迷对他们的赛季已经感到满意。但支持一支纽约球队仍然感觉很奇怪——而且我永远不会支持洋基队或大都会队。
- 俄克拉荷马城雷霆 vs 8. 孟菲斯灰熊
就像路上的车祸一样，这里没什么可看的。走开吧。
- 休斯顿火箭 vs 7. 金州勇士
对我来说最简单的选择之一。我对火箭队有轻微的负面情绪，也许是哈登时代的残留，也许是因为他们可能成为马刺队未来的绊脚石。自从我需要一支第二支球队——在马刺队之后——当湖人队变得让我无法喜欢时，我就一直是勇士队的球迷。虽然我反对“死亡之星”杜兰特勇士队对阵猛龙队，但一旦勇士队恢复到库里带领的坚韧的小勇士队的旧模样，他们就重新获得了我第二喜欢的球队的地位。
- 洛杉矶湖人 vs 6. 明尼苏达森林狼
这个系列赛是导致我介绍这篇文章的赛时决定。我对森林狼队没有强烈的感情。几十年来，我一直是湖人队的忠实球迷。我与魔术师、卡里姆、沃西共享了 1980 年代湖人队在论坛球馆的季票，并愉快地经历了科比-奥尼尔和科比-加索尔时代。但湖人队在科比职业生涯的后期变得无法观看，而且我从未支持过勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)或卢卡·东契奇(Luka Doncic)的球队（顺便说一句——卢卡在周六得了 37 分，只有 1 次助攻）。我在周六第二节开始时打开了第一场比赛——我的心选择了森林狼队。尤其是当唐特·迪温琴佐(Donte DiVecinzo)（另一个维拉诺瓦的家伙）在中场休息时投进那个三分球时。向我的湖人队朋友们道歉。
- 丹佛掘金 vs 5. 洛杉矶快船
另一个简单的选择。我的兄弟住在科罗拉多州，我的超级女儿上了科罗拉多大学，并在大学毕业后住在丹佛。掘金队还有尼古拉·约基奇(Nikola Jokic)，所有篮球迷都必须欣赏他（就像库里一样）。（还有谁注意到自从丹佛阳光明媚以来，约基奇的肤色变得多么黝黑吗？）为拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克(Russell Westbrook)欢呼感觉很奇怪——就像马刺球迷今年看到克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)身穿银黑球衣时的感受一样。我从来不喜欢掘金队的对手快船队。在我几年前的愚人节帖子中，亚当·肖华(Adam Silver)将他们重新命名为 El Segundos，因为他们永远是洛杉矶的第二支球队。增加詹姆斯·哈登(James Harden)进一步推动了天平的倾斜。很高兴看到“我的”掘金队在周六的最佳比赛中击败了 El Segundos。
这些是我的选择。我很想知道我的马刺球迷同胞们对此有何看法。
点击查看原文：Who Spurs fans are rooting for in the NBA playoffs
Who Spurs fans are rooting for in the NBA playoffs
Picking a preferred winner from each first round series.
For twenty consecutive years, Spurs fans did not need to decide which team to root for in the NBA playoffs. We can call those years “The Duncan Years” even though several of the playoff years occurred after the Great Tim Duncan retired. During those years, Pounding the Rock writers did not need to write a column like this one. But for the post Duncan Years, I have been writing this column.
I hope this is the last time I need to write about which team to cheer for in the playoffs because the Spurs are not participating. No, let’s say that slightly differently. I expect this to be the last season I will need to write about rooting for teams other than the Spurs in the playoffs.
Normally, I write this column prior to the start of the playoffs. This year, I am writing this after all the teams have played their first game. Why? Because for several of the series, I did not know which team I wanted to win. Because I am physically and spiritually incapable of watching basketball games without rooting for one team or the other, I could make my coin-flip choices by simply watching a few minutes of a game, and letting my heart decide.
This “game-time decision” was not necessary for some series. For instance, I know that I want the Nuggets to beat the Clippers — one of my favorite non-Spurs teams playing against one of my least favorite teams. And for other series, I simply don’t need to decide because the outcome is not in any real doubt. For instance, see OKC vs. Memphis. Halftime score of Game 1: OKC was up by 68-36. At one point, the Thunder had doubled the Grizzlies at 85-42 and wound up winning by 50. That game looked more like a 1 vs. 16 game in March Madness than a game between two professional teams in the same league.
With this framework in mind, let’s take a quick run through the eight first round series. Like the sun, we will start in the East and move West.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 8. Miami Heat
I have liked the Heat ever since they stopped being the Heatles, which ended with the Spurs dismantling the LeBron Big Three in the 2014 Finals. The Heat were able to convert unheralded players into key components like the Spurs of old, have been very well-coached and consistently out-performed expectations in the playoffs. Most prominently, Playoff Jimmy Butler led the 2020 Heat into the Finals in which the Heat gave the Lakers all they could handle. On the other hand, this year’s Cavs are a great story, surprising the NBA world by finishing as the Eastern Conference top seed over the defending champion Celtics. It would be good for the Cavs to win a crown and for the city to win a championship without LeBron on the team. Alas, my residual feelings for the Heat, even without Playoff Jimmy, have me rooting for them — but it likely won’t matter. In the second round, I assume I will be choosing between the Cavs and either the Bucks or Pacers.
4. Indiana Pacers vs. 5. Milwaukee Bucks
As with the Heat, I have residual good feelings for the Bucks because of the Giannis-led 2021 championship team. That team was coached by former Pomona College player and Spurs’ assistant Mike Budenholzer and featured all-time great teammate Jrue Holiday. While the latter two have departed, the Bucks still have Giannis, which is enough for me, especially if Damian Lillard comes back from his Wembanyama-like injury. That would also be encouraging for Victor’s own prognosis.
2. Boston Celtics vs. 7. Orlando Magic
While the Celtics have both Holiday and my favorite ex-Spur Derrick White, they are still the Celtics. Even though I am a reformed former Laker fan, it remains difficult to root for the Green. However, this series feels like it will go the same way as OKC-Memphis. The Celtics will probably win in 4 or 5 games, so no need to waste any of my precious rooting capital on this series.
3. New York Knicks vs. 6. Detroit Pistons
Maybe it is just a guy thing, but when I grew up we would root against our friend’s favorite teams so we could rag on that friend when his team lost — and to avoid the reverse when our friends’ team won. As time has gone by, I started rooting for my friends’ teams so my friends would be happy. Odd concept, I know I have several good friends who are big Knick fans, so I will root for their happiness over the great story that is this year’s Pistons. It also helps that the Knicks have all those Villanova guys. Also, Pistons fans are already happy with their season. But it still feels odd to root for a New York team — and I will still never root for the Yankees or Mets.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Memphis Grizzlies
Like a car accident on the road, nothing to see here. Just move along.
2. Houston Rockets vs. 7. Golden State Warriors
One of the easiest choices for me. I have mildly negative feelings for the Rockets, perhaps a residual of the Harden years, perhaps because they could be a roadblock in the Spurs’ future. And I have been a Warriors fan ever since I needed a second team — behind the Spurs — when the Lakers became impossible for me to like. While I rooted against the Death Star KD Warriors against the Raptors, once the W’s went back to being the gritty little Curry-led Warriors of old, they regained their status as my second favorite team.
3. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 6. Minnesota Timberwolves
This series was the game-time decision that led to my introduction to this column. I don’t have strong feelings one way or the other about the T’Wolves, For decades I was a big Laker fan. I shared season tickets at the Forum for the Magic, Kareem, Worthy 1980’s Lakers and joyfully lived through the Kobe-Shaq and Kobe-Gasol runs. But the Lakers became unwatchable in the late Kobe years, and I have never rooted for a LeBron James team or Luka Doncic team (side note — Luka had 37 points and only 1 assist on Saturday). I turned on Game 1 on Saturday during the second quarter — and my heart chose the T’Wolves. Especially when Donte DiVecinzo (another ‘Nova guy) drilled that three-pointer at halftime. Apologies to my Laker friends.
4. Denver Nuggets vs. 5. Los Angeles Clippers
Another easy choice. My brother lives in Colorado and super-daughter went to University of Colorado and lived in Denver after college. The Nuggets also have Nikola Jokic, who (like Curry) all basketball fans must appreciate. (Anyone else notice how tan Joker has gotten since the sun came out in Denver?) It feels odd to be cheering for Russell Westbrook — as Spurs fans felt this year when Chris Paul was wearing Silver and Black. I have never liked the Nuggets’ opponent, the Clippers. In my April Fools’ post a few years back, Adam Silver re-named them the El Segundos because they will always be LA’s second team. Adding James Harden moved the needle even further away. Good to see “my” Nuggets beat the El Segundos in Saturday’s best game.
Those are my picks. I will be interested to see how my fellow Spurs fans feel about all of this.
By Lee Dresie, via Pounding The Rock