By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-01-03 12:24:12
2025年11月20日，星期四，圣安东尼奥马刺队在主场霜冻银行中心迎战亚特兰大老鹰队。比赛第四节，马刺主教练米奇·约翰逊正在与前锋凯尔登·约翰逊（3号）交谈。最终，圣安东尼奥马刺以135-126击败亚特兰大老鹰。
在正式担任马刺队主教练仅两个月后，米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 便荣获了NBA西部月最佳教练的荣誉。
而他麾下的球员们则在想，联盟为何现在才给予他这份认可。
“他当之无愧，”前锋凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 说道。“我为他感到无比高兴。他带领我们球队的方式堪称卓越，我很自豪能有他作为我的教练。”
现年39岁的约翰逊当选为12月西部最佳教练，他率领马刺队在该月取得了11胜3负的联盟最佳战绩，其中包括一波八连胜、三次战胜卫冕冠军俄克拉荷马城雷霆，以及6胜1负的客场战绩。
这是自他的前任格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 于2017年2月获得其创纪录的17次月最佳教练中的最后一次以来，马刺队首次有教练获此殊荣。
一如既往地，约翰逊尽力将赞誉归于他人，称这是整个组织的功劳。
“在我看来，这个奖项是团队成功的体现，”约翰逊说。“这是整个团队自上而下共同努力的成果，是球员们在场上将这一切变为现实。这份认可是真实的，但它更多地属于整个集体，而非教练个人。”
本赛季开始时，NBA中没有几位教练比约翰逊面临着更严苛的审视，他肩负着接替联盟历史上胜场数最多教练的艰巨任务。
约翰逊最初是在2024年11月波波维奇因中风休养后，以代理主教练的身份接管球队，并带领马刺以32胜45负的战绩结束了那个赛季。
去年五月，在这位名人堂教练宣布从教练岗位上退役后，他被正式任命为波波维奇的全职接班人。
在周六于霜冻银行中心主场对阵波特兰的比赛前，约翰逊已经带领马刺取得了25胜9负的开局，出人意料地排在西部联盟第二位。
尽管本赛季开始前他的执教生涯总战绩还落后五成胜率13场，但这个火热的开局已将他的总战绩提升至57胜54负，胜率超过了五成。
马刺队取得如此佳绩，还是在全明星中锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 因伤缺阵13场的情况下完成的。本赛季，约翰逊心目中的首选首发阵容——文班亚马、德阿龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)、斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)、哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 和德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell)——总共只一起出场过五次。
“他是一位杰出的球员型教练，”新秀后卫迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 说。“他与我们每个人都相处得非常融洽，关系不像教练和球员。他允许我们提出反馈意见。我认为我们所有人都乐于接受指导，这要归功于他以及他每天为人处世的方式。”
本赛季初，约翰逊所做的工作也引起了联盟中其他同行的关注。
“米奇的篮球头脑是顶级的，”犹他爵士队主教练威尔·哈迪 (Will Hardy) 表示，他曾在2016年约翰逊加入马刺时与他共事。“米奇能成为今天这样的教练，我一点也不惊讶。他极其敏锐。”
在约翰逊的球员们看来，他的第一个教练荣誉肯定不会是最后一个。
“这仅仅是个开始，”凯尔登·约翰逊说。“对他和我们而言，未来不可限量。他拥有如此卓越的篮球头脑，取得成功是必然的。”
约翰逊摔倒后迅速回勇
在周五马刺客场以123-113战胜印第安纳步行者的比赛上半场，凯尔登·约翰逊在一次重摔后，下定决心不让自己进入球队的伤病名单。
在一次闪电般的突破上篮中摔倒后，他曾短暂返回更衣室，但随后又回到场上，帮助马刺队锁定了2026年的首场胜利。
“我的臀部有点疼，”约翰逊说。“一旦我把它活动开，感觉就相当不错了。赛季就是这样，磕磕碰碰在所难免，你只需继续前进。”
约翰逊全场得到16分和6个篮板，其中10分来自第四节，帮助球队顶住了印第安纳的反扑。他所在的马刺替补阵容合力从步行者身上砍下了57分。
“就持续努力拼搏、充满活力并试图以正确方式打球而言，他可能一直是我们队里做得最好的球员之一，”米奇·约翰逊说道。“这不意味着事事都会如你所愿，但他在这些方面做得非常出色，并因此在各方面都得到了回报。”
San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson talks to San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) during the first half of an NBA game at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson talks to San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) during a timeout in the first half of an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. The Spurs fell 113-101 to the Cavaliers.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson argues a call during the second half of an NBA game with the Sacramento Kings n San Antonio, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. San Antonio beat Sacramento 123-110.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson talks to forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA game with the Houston Rockets in San Antonio, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. San Antonio beat Houstoh 121-110.
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：Mitch Johnson turning heads across NBA as Spurs surge in loaded West
Mitch Johnson turning heads across NBA as Spurs surge in loaded West
San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson talks to forward Keldon Johnson (3) during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Atlanta Hawks 135-126.
Two months into his tenure as the Spurs’ full-time head coach, Mitch Johnson earned NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month honors.
The players under his charge are wondering what took the league so long.
“It’s well deserved,” forward Keldon Johnson said. “I couldn’t be happier. He’s done an amazing job with our team, and I’m proud to have him as my coach.”
The 39-year-old Johnson was the Western Conference honoree for December, when he guided the Spurs to an NBA-best 11-3 record, which included an eight-game winning streak, three victories over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and a 6-1 road mark.
Johnson brought the Spurs their first coach of the month award since his predecessor, Gregg Popovich, earned the last of his record 17 in February of 2017.
True to form, Johnson did his best to deflect the praise, calling it the property of the organization at large.
“It is, in my opinion, a reflection of the team success,” Johnson said. “That’s a byproduct of the operation from top to bottom, and the players bring that to life. The acknowledgement is real, but it’s more about the whole than the coach.”
Fewer coaches in the NBA began the season under more scrutiny than Johnson, who was saddled with the unenviable task of taking over for the winningest coach in league history.
Johnson first took the team’s reins on an acting basis following Popovich’s stroke in November of 2024, and led the Spurs to a 32-45 record to close the season.
He was named Popovich’s full-time replacement in May, after the Hall of Famer announced his retirement from coaching.
Heading into Saturday’s game against Portland at the Frost Bank Center, Johnson had the Spurs out to a 25-9 start, good for a surprising second place in the Western Conference.
That hot opening out of the gate has Johnson’s career record above .500 (57-54) despite beginning the season in a 13-game hole.
The Spurs have done so with All-Star center Victor Wembanyama missing 13 games with injuries. Johnson has been able to use his preferred starting lineup — Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes and Devin Vassell — only five times this season.
“He’s a great player’s coach,” rookie guard Dylan Harper said. “He’s very personal with all of us. It’s not like coach and player. He allows us to give feedback. I think all of us are coachable. I think that’s a credit to him and how he carries himself every day.”
The job Johnson has done early this season has not gone unnoticed by his contemporaries across the league.
“Mitch’s basketball brain is high-level,” said Utah coach Will Hardy, who was on staff with the Spurs when Johnson joined the organization in 2016. “It’s not shocking to me that Mitch is the coach he is. He’s incredibly sharp.”
The way Johnson’s players see it, his first coaching honor is certain not to be his last.
“This is just the beginning,” Keldon Johnson said. “The sky’s the limit for him and for us. He’s such a great basketball mind. It’s inevitable that he’s going to do his thing.”
Johnson bounces back after fall
After taking a hard spill in the first half of the Spurs’ 123-113 win at Indiana on Friday, Keldon Johnson was determined not to join the club’s injured list.
He briefly went to the locker room after tumbling on a breakneck drive to the basket, but returned to help the Spurs finish off their first victory of 2026.
“My hip was a little sore,” Johnson said. “Once I got it warmed up and stuff, I was pretty solid. It comes with the season. Bumps and bruises. You just keep going.”
Johnson finished with 16 points and six rebounds, scoring 10 in the fourth quarter to keep Indiana at bay. He was part of a Spurs’ bench attack that popped the Pacers for 57 points.
“He’s probably been at the top of the list for us in terms of consistently just playing hard, playing with energy and trying to play the right way,” Mitch Johnson said. “It doesn’t mean it always goes your way, but he’s done a great job of that. He’s been rewarded for that in various ways.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News