By Jeph Duarte | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-12-25 12:00:00
在昨晚马刺与雷霆的比赛开始前，两队教练都被单独问及了这两支年轻球队之间“正在萌芽的宿敌关系”。米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 和马克·戴格诺特 (Mark Daigneault) 的回答都对煽风点火的说法表现出了一丝顾虑，同时表达了对对手的尊重。
在约翰逊的赛前新闻发布会上，他表示：
“我并不认为这是一种正在萌芽的宿敌关系。我们的团队组建至今才打了二十五场左右的比赛。而那支球队在季后赛赢了十六场比赛最终夺冠，所以我不想不尊重他们的体系和他们所建立的一切。我们正努力建立一些东西。我们正在追赶联盟中的每一支球队。他们显然处于联盟的最前沿，我认为，只要对每个球员来说是自然而然的，能激励他们，无论他们有何感受，只要能让他们做好准备达到应有的状态，我都没意见。”
片刻之后，在客队的媒体室里，戴格诺特分享道：
“恕我直言，我们专注于自身表现、执行力和执教水平，以及我们是否在进步。我们沉浸在下一个竞争挑战中……然后我们会转向下一支球队，下一个对手。我们利用这些比赛来检验自己，建立我们的习惯，像往常一样在赛季进程中不断提高。而所有周遭的喧嚣和杂音只会让你从这些事情上分心。”
除了两队都很年轻之外，他们都通过选秀完成了建队。他们都进行了关键的交易和调整来囤积选秀权，从而为每年的选择创造了可能性。
此外，两队都幸运地得到了一位身高7英尺以上的现象级球员。俄克拉荷马城雷霆队在2022年用榜眼签选中了切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren)。由于伤病，他错过了本应属于他的新秀赛季。
马刺则有幸在次年用状元签选中了维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)，这引发了关于文班和霍姆格伦之间年度最佳新秀之争的猜测。然而，这场竞争的胜负毫无悬念，维克托横扫了全部99张第一名选票，而霍姆格伦获得了98张第二名选票和一张第三名选票。如果没有文班，霍姆格伦本是年度最佳新秀的不二人选。奈何，文班亚马就是如此与众不同。
对于马刺而言，维克托·文班亚马是头号球星，是战术核心，也是队内遥遥领先、最具天赋的球员。而对于雷霆队，霍姆格伦身边有卫冕常规赛MVP和总决赛MVP的谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)。虽然霍姆格伦是雷霆成功的关键一环，但他并非球队的基石。
然而，文班亚马与霍姆格伦的对决，在某种程度上让马刺与雷霆的整体对抗一直备受关注。但在西部半决赛前的一次采访中，文班亚马表示两人之间没有可比性，这一举动激怒了德克·诺维茨基 (Dirk Nowitzki)。
无论宿敌关系是否存在，马刺和雷霆都身处同一赛区，每个赛季要交手四次。本赛季，由于NBA阿联酋航空杯（即季中锦标赛）的缘故，还将有额外的第五次交锋。如果两队以健康阵容在季后赛相遇，那可要当心了。
就目前来看，这种宿敌关系似乎更多是媒体提问和球迷嘘声的产物，而非球员之间产生了贯穿职业生涯的恩怨。
目前，雷霆本赛季的四场失利中有两场都拜马刺所赐。今天下午，他们能否为家乡球迷再献上一场胜利大礼呢？
各位球迷，圣诞快乐。
马刺加油！
由生成式 AI 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：Open Thread: There is no rivalry budding between the Spurs and Thunder
Open Thread: There is no rivalry budding between the Spurs and Thunder
Before the Spurs/Thunder match up last night, both coaches were individually asked about the “budding rivalry” between the two young teams. Mitch Johnson and Mark Daigneault both replied with a sense of apprehension toward stoking those flames while expressing respect for their opponent.
During Johnson’s pregame presser, he stated
“I don’t view it as a budding rivalry. Our group’s been together twenty-five some-odd games. That team won sixteen games in the playoffs to win the championship, so I don’t want to disrespect their program and what they’ve built. We are trying to build something. We’re chasing every single team in this league. They are obviously at the forefront of it all, and I think whatever’s organic and natural for each individual and whatever motivates them and whatever they feel as long as it gets them ready to go where they need to be, I’m fine with it.”
Only moments later in the opponent press room, Daigneault shared,
“Respectfully, we focus on how we perform, how we execute, how we coach, whether or not we’re improving. We get lost in the next competitive challenge…then we’ll move on to the next team, the next opponent. Use these games to test ourselves, build our habits, improve through the course of the season as we always do. And all the noise all the stuff around that is really distracts you from those things.”
More than the two teams youth, they have both built through drafting. They both made key trades and adjustments to load up on draft picks, allowing for options each year.
Additionally, both have been graced with a 7-plus-foot phenom. The Oklahoma City Thunder drafted Chet Holmgren second overall in 2022. Because of injury, he sat out what should have been his rookie season.
The Spurs were fortunate to draft Victor Wembanyama with the number one overall pick the following year, leading to speculation of a Rookie of the Year race between Wemby and Holmgren. There was no question as to a clear winner as Victor swept the 99 first place votes, while Holmgren received 98 second place votes and one third place vote. Without Wemby, Holmgren was a shoo-in for ROTY. Alas, Wemby is who he is.
For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama is the top player, the focus, and far and away the most gifted player on the team. For OKC, Holmgren has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP and Finals MVP. While Homgren is a key asset in the Thunder’s success, he is not their cornerstone.
Yet, the Wembanyama/Holmgren rivalry is in part what keeps the overall Spurs/Thunder rivalry in contention, but in an interview prior to the Western Conference Semifinals, Wembanyama expressed that there is no comparison between the two, a move which triggered ire from Dirk Nowitzki.
Rivalry or not, the Spurs and the Thunder are in the same division and play one another four times a year. This season, because of the NBA Emirates Cup, there is an additional fifth face off. And if these two teams meet healthy in the postseason, beware.
For now, it seems the rivalry is more a product of media questions and fan booing than of players developing career grudges.
As it stands, the Spurs have given the Thunder two of their four losses this season. Can they gift wrap another win for the fans back home this afternoon?
Merry Christmas, Pounders.
Go Spurs Go!
By Jeph Duarte, via Pounding The Rock