By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-12-02 13:51:30
2025年10月27日，周一，圣安东尼奥，霜冻银行中心，在对阵多伦多猛龙的第四节比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队后卫迪伦·哈珀（2号）将球传给前锋哈里森·巴恩斯（40号）。自11月20日以来，哈珀和马刺队大部分时间都在客场度过，如果他们能晋级NBA杯淘汰赛，那么在25天的时间里，他们在家的时间可能只有36个小时。
在刚刚起步的职业生涯中，马刺队新秀迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 已经与像尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokic)、德文·布克 (Devin Booker) 和安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 这样的超级巨星同场竞技过。
他也曾与维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 共用一个更衣室。
对于19岁的哈珀来说，直到他需要为自己的首次NBA漫长客场之旅打包行李时，他才真正感受到NBA的真实。
“我想，那就是我的‘NBA洗礼’时刻吧，”哈珀说道。
两周前的那个周六，马刺队踏上了一段为期九天、共计四场比赛的客场之旅，整个感恩节期间球队都在外奔波。
尽管他想尽办法把行李箱塞满，哈珀还是发现自己的换洗衣物不够穿。
幸运的是，这次行程的第二站是波特兰——耐克员工店的所在地，那可是NBA球员的天堂。
“我总算在那儿买了些运动套装之类的东西，才撑了过去，”哈珀说。
对于马刺队而言，这段客场之旅似乎永无止境。他们在周二回到霜冻银行中心主场打了一场对阵孟菲斯灰熊的比赛。
紧接着，他们又要再次踏上征途，至少还有四场客场比赛在等待着他们——如果球队能够晋级在拉斯维加斯举办的NBA阿联酋杯四强赛，客场之旅还会更长。
如果马刺队能一路杀入12月16日的NBA杯总决赛，那么在25天的时间里，他们总共在家的时长将只有36个小时。
周二在霜冻银行中心的比赛结束后，马刺队将立即搭乘包机飞往奥兰多，准备迎接周三对阵魔术队的背靠背第二场比赛。
马刺队主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 选择从积极的角度看待这段客场密集赛程。
“你在路上的时间越多，你就越是被迫共同成长，”约翰逊说。“在享受彼此陪伴方面，我们的团队确实成长了许多。”
感恩节那天本身就是一次增进感情的经历。马刺队在傍晚时分从波特兰抵达丹佛。
球队下榻的酒店为他们准备了丰盛的晚宴，摆满了传统的感恩节美食，电视上还播放着橄榄球比赛。
“我们队里有些（达拉斯）牛仔队的球迷，也有些是他们的死对头，”约翰逊说。“这营造了一个很好的氛围。我们度过了一段很棒的时光。”
马刺队前锋凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 也认为，与队友们共度佳节是无法回家过节的一个不错替代方案。
“显然，你肯定希望能和直系亲属一起过节，”他说。“但在赛季期间，这里（球队）就是我们的直系亲属。”
本赛季到目前为止，客场作战对马刺来说未必是绝境。
在最近的这次客场之旅中，他们取得了2胜2负的战绩，赢下了在波特兰和丹佛的NBA杯比赛，并且赛季客场总战绩为5胜4负。
在过去的赛季中，马刺队总是将每年二月份的“牛仔节客场之旅”视为一个凝聚团队、建立化学反应的机会。
从这个意义上说，马刺队将他们2025-26赛季当前的这段赛程看作是一次提前到来的“牛仔节客场之旅”。
“我们喜欢待在一起，喜欢享受乐趣，”凯尔登·约翰逊说。“这一点不会改变。我们继续一起做所有事。我们同甘共苦，荣辱与共。我们只是在相聚中寻找快乐。”
即便如此，球员们还是计划充分利用本周在圣安东尼奥的短暂停留。
凯尔登·约翰逊为自己在家的时间列出了一长串待办事项。
“洗衣服，重新打包行李，”他说。“还有去看看我的宠物们。”
尽管回到了熟悉的霜冻银行中心，有主场球迷为他们加油呐喊而不是喝倒彩，但周二对阵灰熊的比赛感觉仍像是马刺全国巡回赛的又一站。
终场哨声响起后，一架飞机将等候着他们，载他们前往下一个目的地——这次是奥兰多。
“无论前方有什么等着我们，我们都做好了准备，”凯尔登·约翰逊说。“我们不会绕开它，也不会逃避它。我们会迎难而上，做好我们该做的事。”
接下来的客场之旅包括12月10日与洛杉矶湖人队的NBA杯四分之一决赛，以及可能前往拉斯维加斯参加杯赛的半决赛和决赛，马刺队的目标是尽可能久地留在客场。
“希望我们能在客场待上一段时间，”凯尔登·约翰逊说。“这就是我们的计划。”
这是一个崇高的计划。
然而，这次行程不确定的长度，可能会让像哈珀这样的新人更难打包行李。
这一次，行程中可没有波特兰那一站来拯救那些行李准备不足的人了。
“对我来说，最难的就是打包足够的衣物，”哈珀说。“这真是一件非常容易被低估的事情。”
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) works around Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, left, in the first quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Minneapolis. Johnson and the Spurs have spent most of their time on the road since Nov. 20 and could spend just 36 hours at home in a 25-day span if they advance in the NBA Cup knockout rounds.
Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown, left, drives to the rim past San Antonio Spurs guard Keldon Johnson in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in Denver. Harper and the Spurs have spent most of their time on the road since Nov. 20 and could spend just 36 hours at home in a 25-day span if they advance in the NBA Cup knockout rounds.
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) reacts to making a basket against the Atlanta Hawks in the second quarter at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The Spurs have spent most of their time on the road since the win over Atlanta, and they could spend just 36 hours at home in a 25-day span if they advance in the NBA Cup knockout rounds.
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) and San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox (4) embrace San Antonio Spurs forward David Jones Garcia (25) after their 135-126 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The Spurs have spent most of their time on the road since the win over Atlanta, and they could spend just 36 hours at home in a 25-day span if they advance in the NBA Cup knockout rounds.
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。
点击查看原文：Why the Spurs feel like the annual rodeo road trip has come early
Why the Spurs feel like the annual rodeo road trip has come early
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) passes the ball out to San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. Harper and the Spurs have spent most of their time on the road since Nov. 20 and could spend just 36 hours at home in a 25-day span if they advance in the NBA Cup knockout rounds.
So far in his fledgling professional career, Spurs rookie Dylan Harper has shared the floor with superstars like Nikola Jokic, Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards.
He has shared a locker room with Victor Wembanyama.
For the 19-year-old Harper, the NBA didn’t seem real until it came time to pack for his first lengthy NBA road trip.
“I guess that was my welcome-to-the-league moment,” Harper said.
Two Saturdays ago, the Spurs embarked on a four-game trip spanning nine days that kept the team on the road during Thanksgiving.
Try as he might to adequately fill his suitcase, Harper still found himself short on outfits.
Luckily, the second stop on the itinerary was in Portland, home of the Nike Employee Store, an NBA players’ paradise.
“I was able to get some sweatsuits and stuff to get me by,” Harper said.
The road goes on seemingly forever for the Spurs, who returned home for one game Tuesday against Memphis at the Frost Bank Center.
Then it is back on the road for at least four more games — and maybe more than that if the team advances to the NBA Emirates Cup final four in Las Vegas.
If the Spurs make it to the Dec. 16 Cup championship, they will have spent a grand total of 36 hours at home in the span of 25 days.
Immediately after Tuesday’s contest at the Frost Bank Center, the Spurs are set to take a charter flight to Orlando to complete a back-to-back Wednesday against the Magic.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson chooses to look at the road-heavy portion of the Spurs’ schedule as a positive.
“You spend more time on the road, you’re forced to kind of grow together,” Johnson said. “Our group really has grown in terms of enjoying being around each other.”
Thanksgiving Day was a bonding experience in itself for the Spurs, who arrived in Denver from Portland in the late afternoon.
There was a catered dinner full of traditional Thanksgiving fare awaiting at the team hotel, and football on TVB.
“We have some (Dallas) Cowboys fans and some opposite of that,” Johnson said. “It made for a good environment. Good quality time spent.”
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson agreed that the camaraderie of being with teammates was an acceptable alternative to being home for the holiday.
“Obviously, you’d love to be able to spend it with your immediate family,” he said. “During the season, this is our immediate family.”
So far this season, the road has not necessarily been a death sentence for the Spurs.
They went 2-2 on their latest trip, winning NBA Cup games at Portland and Denver, and are 5-4 away from home overall.
In past seasons, the Spurs have viewed the annual rodeo road trip in February as an opportunity to come together and build chemistry.
In that sense, the Spurs look at the current phase of their 2025-26 schedule as a rodeo trip that came early.
“We love being around each other, love having fun,” Keldon Johnson said. “That won’t change. We continue to do everything together. We win ’em together, we lose ’em together. We just find joy in being together.”
Even so, players planned to make the most of their brief stop in San Antonio this week.
Keldon Johnson had a lengthy to-do list for his time at home.
“Wash clothes, repack,” he said. “Go see my animals.”
Despite a return to the friendly confines of the Frost Bank Center, with a crowd rooting for them instead of against them, Tuesday’s date against the Grizzlies feels a bit like another stop on the Spurs’ nationwide tour.
After the final horn, a plane will be waiting to take them to their next destination — in this case, Orlando.
“We’re prepared for whatever we have in store,” Keldon Johnson said. “We are not going to go around it or avoid it. We’re going to face it head on and do what we got to do.”
With a trip that includes an NBA Cup quarterfinals match with the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 10, and a possible engagement in Las Vegas for the Cup semifinals and finals, the Spurs aim to stay gone as long as possible.
“Hopefully we’re going to be on the road for a while,” Keldon Johnson said. “That’s the plan.”
It’s a noble plan.
The ambiguous length of the trip, however, could make packing more difficult for a newbie like Harper.
This time, there will be no Portland stop on the docket to save an under-packer.
“The hardest thing for me is just packing enough clothes,” Harper said. “That’s something that’s very underrated.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News