By Jeje Gomez, Marilyn Dubinski, Mark Barrington, Devon Birdsong | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-05-10 08:10:07
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。
扣人心弦的2024/25赛季季后赛能给马刺队带来一些重要的启示，帮助他们重返巅峰。
纵观季后赛中的顶尖球队，你认为马刺队距离那个水平还有多远？
玛丽莲·杜宾斯基(Marilyn Dubinski)： 他们距离真正的争冠球队，比如雷霆、骑士和凯尔特人（至少在第二轮开始前，后两者的表现灾难性的崩盘）还有很长的路要走。他们目前还没有足够的进攻火力或防守效率来与这些球队竞争。话虽如此，他们距离下一档的季后赛高顺位球队并不遥远。如果全员健康，他们本赛季至少能进入附加赛，甚至可能进入季后赛。马刺队可能还需要几年时间和几位关键球员才能成为真正的争冠球队，但他们正在逐级提升。
马克·巴林顿(Mark Barrington)： 如果你看的是赛季末的那支球队，差距是巨大的。但如果全队都保持健康，他们就能成为一支附加赛级别的球队。季后赛前几轮的比赛水平非常高，步行者等球队展现出了精英级别的投篮能力，尼克斯队则上演了令人难以置信的关键球表现，而马刺队目前还达不到这种水平。
赫苏斯·戈麦斯(Jesus Gomez)： 这取决于文班亚马和球队的健康状况。如果文班明年能成为联盟前三的球员，并且大多数球员保持健康，他们就能获得更高的种子排名，并真正与精英球队一较高下。如果关键球员缺席比赛，且文班在进攻端没有质的飞跃，马刺队可能只会是季后赛首轮的陪衬。对于一支年轻球员占据大量上场时间的球队来说，这没什么可耻的。不必操之过急。但存在这样一种可能，圣安东尼奥下赛季能像休斯顿火箭队那样迅速崛起，并且如果他们的超级球星能更进一步，他们就有机会打进西部决赛。
德文·伯德松(Devon Birdsong)： 这是一个有趣的问题，因为我们看到季后赛的竞争非常激烈。从排名上看，高顺位球队和低顺位球队之间的差距似乎比过去更大（尤其是在西部，只有5支球队赢了50+场比赛，其中一支附加赛球队甚至没有赢下40场——相比之下，上赛季的两支附加赛球队都赢下了46场比赛），但自从附加赛制度确立以来，领跑者似乎更容易被爆冷。我认为马刺队或许有希望打出像火箭队今年这样的一个赛季，但正如我们所看到的，距离真正的争冠还需要一到两个赛季。
马刺队能从季后赛中最成功的球队身上学到什么？
杜宾斯基： 由于比赛节奏加快，以及球队在关键时刻的三分爆发，即便在季后赛中，大比分逆转也变得越来越普遍。我认为最根本的教训是，比赛有48分钟，所以永远不要轻视它，无论你是领先还是落后。在过去的几个赛季里，马刺队多次在领先两位数的情况下被逆转，他们已经为此付出了惨痛的代价，而这是他们不能再犯的错误，无论是在争取进入季后赛，还是在季后赛中走得更远。
巴林顿： 你必须坚持比赛。尼克斯队看起来几次都快不行了，但他们一直在战斗，并取得了一些不可思议的逆转胜利。步行者队则像现实版的《追梦赤子心》，不知何故地通过利用对手的失误，完成了一系列令人难以置信的最后一分钟的逆转。
这种比赛的结局表明，你需要一位不惧在关键时刻接管比赛的球星。像布伦森和哈利伯顿这样的球员正在展现关键时刻终结者的价值，目前尚不清楚马刺队的阵容中是否有这样的球员。斯蒂芬·卡斯尔和文班亚马未来或许能成为那样的球员，但他们现在还不是。德阿隆·福克斯已经展现出成为精英级别的关键球球员的迹象，但他还没有达到我们在今年季后赛中看到的水平。
戈麦斯： 最重要的教训是，你不能有弱点。球队会利用你在攻防两端的薄弱环节，来让他们的比赛计划更容易执行。如果马刺队有投篮不好的球员，他们最好能不断跑动并冲击进攻篮板；如果他们有个人防守能力差的球员，他们至少需要努力比赛，并且在团队层面不出错。在常规赛中，拥有明显的弱点可能并不总是会伤害到你，但在季后赛中，当教练组有时间找出针对你的最佳方式时，这会让你陷入非常糟糕的境地。
伯德松： 他们将不得不适应身体对抗。这是过去两个赛季以来对马刺队一贯的批评之一，虽然关于“文班太瘦弱，无法承受对抗”的说法几乎肯定是胡说八道，但当杰里米·索汉和克里斯·保罗等球员不在场时，马刺队确实有明显的被推来推去的倾向。他们需要作为一个团队变得更强硬，包括身体上和精神上，我认为马刺队引进像斯蒂芬·亚当斯这样的人来向他们展示如何做到这一点，也不会是一个坏主意。特别是考虑到他们在这个位置上确实有阵容需求。
在一个有些平淡的常规赛之后，季后赛却非常精彩。你认为这是为什么？
杜宾斯基： 肯定有很多不寻常的事情发生，有好有坏，都带来了悬念。我不确定40分的大胜是否有帮助，但西部出现了两场首轮的爆冷，一场来自老牌劲旅勇士队，另一场来自年轻的森林狼队，他们拥有联盟中年轻的面孔之一，当然还有像德雷蒙德·格林这样的人带来的戏剧性。我认为球迷们也对看到一些新面孔和球队重新崛起感到兴奋，比如活塞队。
巴林顿： 我不知道这在NBA是否出乎意料。优秀的球队知道真正的赛季要到常规赛结束后才开始，他们在常规赛划水，直到是时候发光发热。明星球员会在季后赛中提升他们的水平——季后赛吉米·巴特勒是真实的，季后赛泰瑞斯·哈利伯顿、季后赛斯蒂芬·库里、季后赛谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大、季后赛朱利叶斯·兰德尔也是真实的……需要我继续说下去吗？
另一个限制常规赛悬念的因素是赛季报销伤病的泛滥，在赛季结束前，谁能进入季后赛已经非常清楚了。
戈麦斯： 我觉得这是因为顶尖球队拥有大量令人兴奋的天赋，包括年轻球员和老将，以及那些真实存在但并非刻意营造的有趣故事的结合。卢卡和勒布朗带领的湖人队能走多远？勇士队是否还有最后一搏的机会？伤病缠身的凯尔特人队看起来是卫冕的热门，但现在却显得不堪一击。拥有活塞和火箭这样令人兴奋的年轻球星的新兴球队给中立球迷提供了支持的对象。可能还有很多其他的故事我没有提到——我甚至没有提到雷霆队和骑士队！最重要的是，这些比赛似乎很重要，因为联盟似乎正处于一个时代的过渡期，这种过渡带来了实力均衡，但并没有稀释产品的质量，而产品的质量正处于一个极高的水平。
伯德松： 最近我非常喜欢季后赛的一件事是犯规判罚的减少。部分原因是常规赛中的骗犯规行为一直令人沮丧，但也因为这会严重中断比赛。总的来说，跑动>看人们投很多罚球。然而，这种强调也迫使球队偏离在常规赛中效果最佳的公式。从一个三分线冲到另一个三分线的冲刺，或者寻找轻松犯规的突破都减少了很多。季后赛通常表明比赛质量的提高是基于球队的实力，但这种改变使得比赛比以往任何时候都更加像猫捉老鼠，无法适应的球队正在输球，无论他们年初的策略有多好。约翰·霍林格本周写了一篇精彩的文章，详细介绍了季后赛中发生的节奏、犯规和投篮方面的所有变化，我强烈推荐。它非常有启发性。
点击查看原文：What the Spurs can learn from an exciting and unpredictable NBA postseason
What the Spurs can learn from an exciting and unpredictable NBA postseason
The riveting 2024/25 playoffs can teach the Spurs some important lessons that could help them climb their way back to the top.
Looking at the top teams in the playoffs, how far off do you think the Spurs are from that level?
Marilyn Dubinski: They’re a long way from the true title contenders like the Thunder, Cavs and Celtics (at least before the second round started in disastrous form for the latter two). They just don’t have the offensive firepower or defensive efficiency to contend with those teams yet. That being said, they are not that far from the next tier of upper-seeded playoff teams. They likely would have made the play-in at a minimum this season, possibly even the playoffs had everyone been healthy. The Spurs are probably a few years and pieces away from being true title contenders, but they’re working their way up, tier-by-tier.
Mark Barrington: If you look at the team that finished the season, the gap is immense. But if the entire team were healthy, then they’re a play-in team. The level of play has been extremely high in the first couple of rounds, and there has been some elite shot-making by teams like the Pacers and incredible clutch play by the Knicks, and the Spurs aren’t even in that neighborhood yet.
Jesus Gomez: It depends on Wembanyama and health. If Victor can be a top-3 player next season and most guys stay healthy, they could get a high seed and really test themselves against the elite. If key players miss games and Wemby doesn’t make a leap on offense, the Spurs will likely be nothing more than first-round fodder. There’s no shame in that, especially for a team with young players getting heavy minutes. There’s no rush. But there is a universe where San Antonio has a Houston-like ascent next year and a puncher’s chance of getting to the conference finals if their superstar takes the next step.
Devon Birdsong: It’s an interesting question due to the parity that we’re seeing in the postseason. The standings suggested that there was more separation between top seeds and bottom seeds than in the past (especially in the West, where only 5 teams won 50+ games, and one of the play-in teams didn’t even win 40 — as opposed to last season where both play-in teams won 46 games), but front-runners seem more prone to upset since the play-in was established. I think the Spurs are perhaps due for a season like the one the Rockets had this year, but as we’ve seen, that’s still a season or two away from true contention.
What can the Spurs learn from the most successful teams in the postseason?
Dubinski: Massive comebacks are becoming a lot more common even in the playoffs thanks to pace and teams going nuclear from three at the right time. I would say the ultimate lesson is that the game is 48 minutes long, so never treat it as anything less, whether you’re winning or losing. The Spurs have been on the wrong side of a lot of blown double-digit leads over the last couple of seasons, so they’ve been learning that the hard way, and it’s something they just can’t do anymore, both to make the postseason and then to stay in it.
Barrington: That you have to keep playing. The Knicks have looked out of it a few times, but they kept fighting and have secured some improbable comeback victories. The Pacers have been real-life Hoosiers, somehow pulling off a series of insane last-minute upsets by exploiting opponents’ mistakes.
These kind of game endings make it apparent that you need a star who isn’t afraid of taking the game over in a critical moment. Players like Brunson and Haliburton are showing the value of a finisher, and it’s unclear if the Spurs have that kind of player on their roster yet. Both Castle and Wembanyama could be that kind of player sometime in the future, but they aren’t there now. De’Aaron Fox has shown signs of being an elite clutch player, but he hasn’t been on the same level as we’ve witnessed in this year’s playoffs.
Gomez: The biggest lesson is that you can’t have liabilities. Teams will exploit weak links on both ends to make their game plans easier. If the Spurs are going to have non-shooters, they better be moving constantly and crashing the offensive glass; If they are going to have poor individual defenders, they at least need to play hard and not make mistakes at the team level. Having a glaring weakness might not always hurt you in the regular season, but it puts you in a terrible position in the postseason, when coaching staffs have time to figure out the best way to target it.
Birdsong: That they’re going to have to be able to deal with physicality. It’s been one of the consistent critiques regarding the Spurs over the last two seasons, and while the ‘Wemby’s too frail for it’ narratives are almost certainly bunk, the Spurs have a noticeable tendency to get pushed around when players like Jeremy Sochan and Chris Paul are off the court. They’re going to have to get tougher as a team, both physically and mentally, and I don’t think it would be a bad idea for the Spurs to bring in someone like Stephen Adams to show them how it’s done. Especially since they do have a roster need in that area as well.
After a somewhat lackluster regular season, the playoffs have been fantastic. Why do you think that is?
Dubinski: There have certainly been a lot of unusual happenings, both good and bad, that are bringing intrigue. I’m not sure 40-point blowouts are helpful, but the West featured two first-round upsets, one from the old guard Warriors and another from a younger Timberwolves squad that features one of the young faces of the league, and of course drama from folks like Draymond Green brings some intrigue. I think fans are also excited about seeing some new faces and teams rising back up, such as the Pistons.
Barrington: I don’t know if that’s all that unexpected in the NBA. Good teams know that the real season doesn’t start until the regular season is over, and they coast until it’s time to shine. Star players elevate their play for the post-season—Playoff Jimmy Butler is for real, but so is Playoff Tyrese Haliburton, Playoff Steph Curry, Playoff Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Playoff Julius Randle … need I go on?
Another thing that limited the drama in the regular season was the proliferation of season-ending injuries, and it was pretty clear who was and wasn’t going to the playoffs well before the season came to an end.
Gomez: I feel like it’s a combination of having a tremendous amount of exciting talent, young and old, in the top teams and the truly intriguing narratives that are present but don’t feel forced. How far could the Luka-LeBron Lakers go? Do the Warriors have one last run in them? The banged-up Celtics looked like a favorite to repeat but now look fragile. Young teams on the upswing with exciting stars like the Pistons and Rockets gave neutral fans someone to root for. There are a lot of other stories that I’m probably missing — I didn’t even mention the Thunder and Cavaliers! The biggest thing is that the games seem like they matter, as the league appears to be in the middle of a transition between eras that has brought parity without diluting the quality of the product, which is at an extremely high level.
Birdsong: One of the things I’ve really enjoyed about the postseason as of late has been the decline in foul calls. Partly because foul baiting in the regular season is a consistent source of frustration, but also because of how much it interrupts play. Generally speaking, movement > lots of watching people shoot free throws. However, this emphasis is also forcing teams to veer away from the formula that works best in the regular season. There’s a lot less sprinting from one three-point line to the other, or driving looking for the easy foul. The playoffs are usually indicative of an increase in quality based on team quality, but this change is making it even more cat and mouse than ever, and teams that can’t adjust are losing, no matter how good their strategy was earlier in the year. John Hollinger wrote an excellent piece this week on all the changes in pace, fouls, and shooting that have occurred in the postseason that I highly recommend. It’s pretty illuminating.
By Jeje Gomez, Marilyn Dubinski, Mark Barrington, Devon Birdsong, via Pounding The Rock