By Lee Dresie | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-08-18 04:11:35
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。
自从6月23日我母亲生日那天，为Pounding the Rock网站写下我的总决赛回顾之后，我就再也没有更新过文章。就像NBA的球员和教练一样，我也需要一个休赛期。为了给新赛季做准备，我计划在夏天结束前写点什么。我们中任何为人父母或为人子女（这两种身份我都经历过！）的人都知道，无论日历怎么说，当孩子们重返校园时，夏天才算正式结束。
在洛杉矶这里，我得知学校上周就开学了。Chat GPT告诉我，圣安东尼奥的许多学校开学时间甚至更早。*美国这是怎么了？！*学校本该在劳动节后的第一天开学，这才是天经地义的。当我2028年竞选总统时，将“劳动节后开学”作为我施政纲领的核心主题。
我总统竞选纲领的另一关键部分将更受欢迎：每家餐厅都必须在顾客落座时，在桌上摆好薯片和萨尔萨辣酱（或类似的小食）。这项要求可以通过多种方式满足，比如意大利餐厅的面包和橄榄油，葡萄牙餐厅的橄榄，或是中餐馆的脆面和辣芥末酱。在加拿大，只要桌上摆着肉汁奶酪薯条（poutine）就算合规。
因为夏天的结束来得如此突然，这篇文章会比我平时的东西更加不成体系。我们可以称之为“夏日骤然终结之篮球杂谈 (DBT)”。（从我2029年当选后开始，这篇文章将会在九月份发布，并且标题中不会包含“骤然”这个词。）
篮球杂谈 1 . 篮球界一致认可马刺队在2025年NBA选秀中选中迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 的决定，他被公认为本届第二出色的球员。我听到的唯一担忧是，哈珀的技能与马刺队预期的首发后场组合德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 有所重叠。
作为有过一些执教经验的人，我深知为两个后场位置配备三名优秀后卫是好事，而非坏事。原因很简单，球员们不会打满48分钟。事实上，马刺队去年最好的球员（你们都知道他的名字）场均也只打了33分钟。在为马刺队效力的17场比赛中，福克斯场均出战34分钟，而卡斯尔场均27分钟。如果福克斯和卡斯尔本赛季出场时间不变，他们总共将占据后场96分钟里的61分钟。这就给哈珀或其他人留下了35分钟的时间——例如，如果德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 在2号位和3号位之间摇摆。哈珀要到2026年3月才满20岁——对于这样一位年轻球员来说，20分钟或许正是他新秀赛季合适的出场时间。这点上场时间可能不足以让哈珀为马刺队赢得连续第三座年度最佳新秀奖，但考虑到达拉斯那位为独行侠首发的新秀，哈珀恐怕无论如何也拿不到这个奖。
杂谈分支 . 克里斯·保罗 (Chris Paul) 上赛季场均出战28分钟，并且在这些时间里大部分都由他持球。马刺队有足够多的优秀年轻球员来填补这些时间，包括年龄只有保罗一半的哈珀。总而言之，由三位才华横溢的后卫来占据马刺后场96分钟里的大部分时间，情况会相当不错。
篮球杂谈 2 . 三人轮换的模式或许不太适用于马刺的前场，因为马刺有五名球员在竞争这些时间：瓦塞尔、哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes)、凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson)、杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan) 和朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie)。这其中一些球员也可能会摇摆到后场，分走一些出场时间。当然，我宁愿拥有太多NBA级别的球员，也不愿人手不足。这也是为什么许多圈内人士对这支马刺队感到兴奋的原因。我或许不算“圈内人士”，但我也同样乐观。
篮球杂谈 3 . 除了哈珀，马刺队第二个最重要的引援是从凯尔特人队签下的卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet)。虽然我没怎么看过凯尔特人的比赛，但我的凯尔特人球迷朋友们（自从我“抛弃”湖人后，交这些朋友就容易多了）都非常喜欢他。继续分钟数这个话题，科内特上赛季场均出战略多于18分钟，这与维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 不在场上的时间完美契合。如果将科内特的基础数据换算成36分钟，他场均能得到12分、10个篮板和2次盖帽——比上赛季任何一位担任马刺替补五号位的球员都高效得多。他还发明了“科内特干扰法”（Kornet Kontest），这一招既有效又滑稽。
篮球杂谈 4 . 请不要把这看作是对福克斯的批评，但我不太理解NBA的顶薪规则。马刺队刚给了福克斯一份顶薪合同。相关新闻是，雷霆队给了2025年常规赛和NBA总决赛双料MVP谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 一份顶薪合同。再次强调，我无意冒犯福克斯，但他确实不如SGA。The Ringer网站将福克斯排在联盟第26位，而SGA则是第一（如果我们忽略丹佛的那位仁兄）。是的，我知道SGA实际上得到的是一份“超级顶薪”（supermax），但这个词的存在恰恰说明NBA自己都不明白“最大”（maximum）这个词的含义。这让我想起了电影《摇滚万岁》(Spinal Tap) 里的这个场景：
篮球杂谈 5 . 同样是在相关新闻里，NBA在地理方面也有些小问题。雷霆队位于NBA的“西北赛区”。任何人都可以在维基百科或任何地图上确认，俄克拉荷马城根本就不在西北部：
篮球杂谈 6 . 波特兰开拓者队刚刚被卖给了一个拥有“国家冰球联盟”旗下卡罗莱纳飓风队的老板。我从没听说过这个联盟。不管怎样，开拓者队在波特兰有着悠久的历史和热情的球迷基础。我确信，开拓者球迷完全不必因为他们的新老板身处另一个州而感到担忧。请稍等一下——我一位来自西雅图的前队员打来电话了……
篮球杂谈 7 . 在我们开启2025-26赛季之前，让我们最后回顾一下2024-25赛季的总决赛，特别是印第安纳步行者队。步行者队本可能赢得一切，要不是，嗯，你们知道的，泰瑞斯·哈利伯顿 (Tyrese Haliburton) 在第七场开场时的那次受伤。对于马刺球迷来说，The Ringer网站的迈克尔·皮纳 (Michael Pina) 的这段分析，简直就像是在描述2014年那支完成救赎的马刺队：
步行者队只是在坚持打出步行者式的篮球，也就是说，他们部署的战术体系将对手置于一种独特的篮球地狱：全场紧逼，持续的球的转移，永不停歇的手递手传球，每个位置都具备投射能力，对比赛节奏和保护球权的执着，纪律严明的转换防守，以及一位睿智、善于反常规战术的主教练，他为这支深厚的阵容注入了信心，而这支球队完美诠释了‘整体大于部分之和’这句古老的格言。
虽然2014年的马刺队并没有全场紧逼（除了帕蒂·米尔斯 (Patty Mills) 的单人紧逼之外），但这段描述非常贴切——尤其是“睿智、善于反常规战术的主教练”这一点。两支球队还有其他相似之处：都起源于ABA，并且都重视延续性和组织性。两支球队的进攻火力都很均衡：步行者队只有一名球员——帕斯卡尔·西亚卡姆 (Pascal Siakam)——场均得分超过20分，为20.2分；而2013-14赛季马刺队的头号得分手是托尼·帕克 (Tony Parker)，场均16.7分。伟大的邓肯场均15.1分，科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 12.8分，而我心爱的马努则为12.3分。
哈利伯顿那次不合时宜的受伤意味着我们永远不会知道，步行者队是否也能企及2014年救赎马刺的巅峰之作——队史五座总冠军中最为辉煌的一座。夏末已至，我已开始期待在不远的将来，见证队史第六座总冠军的诞生。
点击查看原文：End-of-summer disjointed basketball thoughts
End-of-summer disjointed basketball thoughts
I have not written any posts for Pounding the Rock since my Finals recap on my mother’s birthday, June 23. Like players and coaches in the NBA, I also needed an off-season. To get ready for the new season, I planned to write something before the summer ended. Any of us who has been a parent or a child (I have been both!) knows that, whatever the calendar might say, summer officially ends when children go back to school.
Here in Los Angeles, I learned that school started *last week.*Chat GPT tells me that school started even earlier in many San Antonio schools. What is happening to America?!? School is supposed to start up again the day after Labor Day, as God intended. When I run for president in 2028, starting school after Labor Day will be the central theme of my agenda.
Another key part of my presidential platform will be even more popular: Every restaurant must have chips and salsa (or the equivalent) on the table when you sit down. This requirement can be satisfied by bread and olive oil in an Italian restaurant, olives in a Portuguese place, or crispy noodles and hot mustard in a Chinese restaurant. In Canada, poutine on the table will comply with the rule.
Because the end of summer snuck up so suddenly, this will be even more disjointed that my normal stuff. We can call it “Disjointed Basketball Thoughts (DBT) As Summer Prematurely Ends.” (Starting after my election in 2029, this post will occur in September, and will not included the work “prematurely”.)
DBT 1. The basketball universe unanimously approved the Spurs’ selection on Dylan Harper as the clear second best player in the 2025 NBA draft. The only concern I have heard is that Harper’s skills overlap with those of the anticipated starting backcourt of De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle.
Having coached a bit, I know that having three good guards for the two backcourt spots is a good thing, not a bad one. The reason is simple is players don’t play all 48 minutes. Indeed, the Spurs’ best player last year (you know his name) averaged just 33 minutes per game. In 17 games with the Spurs, Fox averaged 34 minutes while Castle averaged 27. If Fox and Castle play the same amount this season, they will play a total of 61 minutes out of the 96 minutes available. That leaves 35 minutes for Harper or others — for instance if Devin Vassell splits his time between the 2 and the 3. Harper will be not be 20 years old until March 2026 — and 20 is probably about the right number of minutes for such a young player in his rookie season. There probably won’t be enough playing time for Harper to win the Spurs’ third consecutive Rookie of the Year award, but with that other rookie in Dallas starting for the Mavs, Harper probably won’t win the award anyway.
One sub-DBT. Chris Paul averaged 28 minutes per game last season, and the ball was in his hands for most of those minutes. The Spurs have plenty of good and younger players to fill those minutes, including Harper, who is half of Paul’s age. All in all, things will be fine with three talented guards filling most of the 96 minutes allotted to the Spurs backcourt.
DBT 2. The three man rotation may not work as well for the Spurs frontcourt because the Spurs have five players competing for those minutes: Vassel, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie. Some of this group may drop down to steal some backcourt minutes. Of course, I would rather have too may NBA quality players than not enough. Which is also why many in the know are excited about this Spurs team. I may not be “in the know”, but I too am optimistic.
DBT 3. After Harper, the Spurs’ second most important addition was Luke Kornet, signed away from the Celtics. Although I have not watched very much Celtic basketball, my Celtics’ fan friends (easier to have those friends once I abandoned the Lakers) all really like him. Sticking with the minutes theme, Kornet averaged just over 18 minutes per game, which fits nicely into the minutes that Victor is not on the floor. If you double Kornet’s counting stats, over 36 minutes Kornet averaged 12 points, 10 boards and 2 blocks — much more productive than anyone who filled the back-up 5 role for the Spurs last season. He also invented the Kornet Kontest, which is both effective and hilarious.
DBT 4. Please don’t take this as a criticism of Fox, but I don’t quite understand the NBA’s maximum salary rules. The Spurs just gave Fox a maximum contract. In related news, OKC gave 2025 regular season and NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a maximum contract. Again with no disrespect to Fox, he is not as good as SGA. The Ringer ranked Fox as the 26th best player in the league. SGA is first (if we ignore that Denver guy). Yes, I know that SGA actually got a “supermax”, but that term just means that the NBA doesn’t know the meaning of the word “maximum”. It reminds me of this scene from Spinal Tap:
DBT 5. In related news, the NBA also has a bit of trouble with geography. OKC is is the NBA’s “Northwest Division”. Anyone can go on Wikipedia or any map and confirm that Oklahoma City is simply not in the Northwest:
DBT 6. The Portland Trailblazers were just sold to a guy who owns the Carolina Hurricanes in something called the “National Hockey League”. Never heard of it. Anyway, the Blazers have a long history in Portland and a passionate fan base. I am sure that Blazer fans have nothing to worry about just because their new owner is based in another state. Hold that thought just one second — one of my ex-players from Seattle is on the line…
DBT 7. Before we start the 2025-26 season, let’s take a last look back at the 2024-25 Finals, and in particular, the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers might have won it all except for, well, you know, that Tyrese Haliburton injury at the start of Game Seven. For Spurs fans, this analysis from Michael Pina at the Ringer could have been a description of the 2014 Redemption Finals Spurs:
The Pacers just keep playing like the Pacers, which is to say they deploy a scheme that puts their opponent in a singular kind of basketball hell: full-court pressure, constant ball movement, never-ending dribble handoffs, shooting at every position, an obsession with pace and ball protection, disciplined transition defense, and a wise, tactical contrarian for a head coach who instills confidence in a deep roster that epitomizes the age-old axiom of their whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
While the 2014 Spurs did not full court press (except Patty Mills’ one-man press), the description fits — especially the “wise, tactical contrarian head coach”. The two teams also have other similarities: Both started in the ABA and value continuity and organization. Both teams had a balanced attack: only one player on the Pacers averaged more that 20 points per game –Pascal Siakam at 20.2 — while the 2013-14 Spurs’ leading scorer was Tony Parker at 16.7 ppg. The Great Duncan averaged 15.1, Kawhi Leonard 12.8 and My Man Manu 12.3.
Haliburton’s ill-timed injury means we will never know if the Pacers could have also matched the 2014 Redemption Spurs’ crowning achievement, the best of the team’s five championships. As the summer ends, I am looking forward to the sixth of those championships in the not-too-distant future.
By Lee Dresie, via Pounding The Rock