By J.R. Wilco | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-06-05 12:31:30
在总决赛第一场失利之后，那种熟悉的感觉在多个层面上扑面而来。今天，我将与我们尼克斯兄弟网站 Posting and Toasting 的总编辑罗塞尔·理查德森 (Russell Richardson) 带来我们《与敌共舞》（Fraternizing with the Enemy）专栏的第四期。马刺在首战中完全没有打出自己的风格，但好消息是，在之前的三个系列赛中，他们已经证明了自己有能力在表现糟糕后迅速做出调整并扭转局面。坏消息是，尼克斯也远未达到他们的最佳状态，同样有很大的提升空间。因此，我们将探讨两支球队在至关重要的第二场比赛中会有怎样的表现，尤其是对马刺而言，这一战不容有失。
如果您错过了第一部分并想跟上进度，请点击链接。
J.R.
第一场打完，目前的局势显然更接近你的预测，而不是我的。如果圣安东尼奥不能解决我接下来要提到的这些问题，你就能舒舒服服地陪妻子去看 Wilco 乐团的演唱会，而不用担心错过任何一场总决赛了。你们队打得真棒，确实如此。而我们家乡子弟兵的表现实在不尽如人意，这完全出乎我的意料。在某些方面，圣安东尼奥看起来似乎根本没有针对尼克斯制定任何特定的战术，这实在令人费解。
这种困惑让我想起了上一次让我如此百思不得其解的时刻——2017年季后赛次轮对阵休斯敦火箭的第一场。当时马刺并没有针对火箭调整他们常规的比赛计划。他们拿出了最平淡无奇的进攻和防守，结果被彻底击溃，输了近30分。你还记得迈克·德安东尼 (Mike D’Antoni) 那场“3分大于2分”的新闻发布会吗？那就是在第一场比赛之后。在第二场比赛之前，铺天盖地的舆论都在唱衰马刺，称马刺的体系已经过时，休斯敦的晋级不可阻挡。
随后，格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 根据第一场看到的问题做出了调整，马刺在接下来的五场比赛中赢下了四场。其中第五场通过加时险胜，那场比赛以马努·吉诺比利 (Manu Ginobili) 从背后封盖詹姆斯·哈登 (James Harden) 的三分出手而告终，并顺理成章地迎来了第六场——在那场比赛中，哈登彻底隐形，毫无作为。（关于哈登的这种表现，你作为尼克斯球迷可能也感同身受。）所以，圣安东尼奥以前也经历过这种诡异的系列赛开局，但他们最终笑到了最后。
虽然我不知道米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 的教练组（简称 MCS？）正在酝酿什么调整，但以下是我注意到并希望看到能有所改善的几点。
第一，维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 打出了他今年季后赛中第一场真正令人失望的比赛。有些人可能会说西决第五场也算，但对我来说，那场只是消极的文班，而周三晚上的表现则是……我不知道该怎么形容。亢奋版的文班？不管那是什么，如果马刺想赢，这种情况绝对不能再次发生。自2月1日以来，文班在场正负值为负的比赛只有三场。而其中两场都是对阵纽约尼克斯，当本赛季剩下的所有比赛都要对阵同一支球队时，这实在无法让人信心大增。期待第二场能看到一个愤怒但沉着的文班。
第二，在决定比赛胜负的关键时刻，你的终结战术不能是让文班在三分线外单打。在比赛开始前几个小时，我还在和我的一个作者聊天，我说文班最喜欢的打法可能就是自由发挥。好吧，如果你的默认模式是让他随心所欲，那也没问题。他可以在比赛的前43分钟里这么干。但当进入总决赛最后5分钟、比分紧咬的决战时刻，我们能不能跑一些战术？比如一些我们把握性更大的招牌配合？期待米奇在未来的这种情况下能展现出强硬的手腕，或者至少期待队员们能挨一顿臭骂，并在下次遇到时换个方式处理。
第三，面对没有 OG 的阵容，马刺竟然允许杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 和兰德里·沙梅特 (Landry Shamet) 留在场上，却没有在进攻端针对他们。这绝对不能再发生了。有太多方法可以让他们陷入防守轮转，多到我都懒得一一列举。要么把沙梅特打下场，要么彻底消耗他。强迫布伦森在防守端投入精力，即使他在关键时刻依然生龙活虎，至少你在这个过程中能拿到分数，而不至于像第一场第四节那样仅得18分。期待马刺会更多地针对纽约防守较弱的球员。
第四，给迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 更多的时间，并在这些时间里为他设计更多样化的战术。这孩子在总决赛首秀中有什么想做却没做到的吗？我想不出任何一个对球员的合理要求是他没有做到的。我还可以继续说下去，但这已经超过600字了，我不想消磨你的耐心。
在总决赛第一场中，你看到了哪些让你欣喜的地方，又有哪些让你感到担忧？
R.R.
至少从我们的角度来看，第一场比赛非常惊心动魄。我们认为圣安东尼奥打得足够好，本可以赢下比赛，尤其是考虑到尼克斯在进攻端显得非常生疏。在开局不错之后，我们没想到他们第一节结束时只拿到19分。他们在23天内打了八场比赛，这在半场的数据中体现得淋漓尽致。
我们也没想到这场比赛会与季中锦标赛决赛如此相似——在那场比赛中，纽约在第三节落后两位数的情况下奋起直追，并在第四节将马刺限制在19分，最终逆转夺冠。简直是惊人的相似！
我同意，如果圣安东尼奥做出你建议的调整，这个系列赛还远未结束。我很惊讶哈珀在下半场没有得到重用，而且布伦森没有被更多地针对——尤其是他刚受伤的时候。沙梅特的防守其实比外界传闻的要好，但不可否认，他是防守链条中较弱的一环。针对他是合情合理的。
至于文班，我们再次达成共识：在比分胶着的比赛后期疯狂投三分（或者像你说的，自由发挥）显然不是对他天赋的最佳利用。继续让那个大个子冲击篮筐吧！他通过这种方式更有可能拿到3分（通过打成2+1）并停表。
告诉我，你是通过短信还是电子邮件向米奇·约翰逊提出建议的？至于汤姆·锡伯杜 (Tom Thibodeau)，我以前常常把视频建议藏在录像带（VHS）里，贴上错误的标签（比如随机写上“1982年1月5日，开拓者对阵步行者”），然后丢在训练馆外的路边。录像带可是锡伯杜的最爱。
遗憾的是，迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 对我申请了人身限制令。
在第一场比赛中，我们看到了很多令人欣喜的地方。纽约依然保持着自信和韧性。得知“关键先生”（指布伦森）依然拥有他的神秘力量，真是让人安心。卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 的表现也非常棒。当纽约打唐斯-布伦森挡拆时，这为他们创造了多种得分选择。为什么他们不每场比赛疯狂复刻100次，这让我百思不得其解。话虽如此，每当维克托休息时，马刺在限制唐斯方面就显得非常吃力。仔细想想，文班在场时也没能怎么限制住他。
米卡尔·布里奇斯 (Mikal Bridges) 和乔什·哈特 (Josh Hart) 合计只得到12分并不太令人担心。我在赛后分析中写到了乔什：
“到比赛结束时，乔什 5投1中仅得3分，这看起来很糟糕。但扫一眼他的数据单，真相就会显现：在出场的27分钟里，贡献了14个篮板、6次助攻、4次抢断、1次盖帽，以及全队最高的+22正负值。他那永不停歇的活力将这场比赛从失利的边缘拉了回来。”
纽约在这个系列赛中不会再有太多手感冰冷的夜晚了。等着看这些家伙真正火力全开吧！纽约不仅已经取得了12连胜，而且其中11场都是净胜两位数。对于一支被视为下位者的球队来说，这确实令人瞩目。
布伦森的投篮让我想起了1994年的总决赛第一场。在那场对决中，帕特里克·尤因 (Patrick Ewing) 26投10中，而在这场比赛中，布伦森31投12中。同样的打铁表现，不同的结局。即使在杰伦打出如此失准的投篮表现之后，我们依然要赞美他。因为在关键时刻，他的球又一次投进了。
尼克斯拥有如此多的武器，以至于当布伦森手感冰冷时，总有其他人能挺身而出填补空缺。你在第一场比赛中也看到了。唐斯在比赛中期扛起了球队。阿奴诺比在前三节几乎隐形，但在第四节砍下8分扭转了战局。换作另一晚，布里奇斯可能会用8次出手就砍下20分。或者沙梅特可能会在三分线外9投5中，又或者乔丹·克拉克森 (Jordan Clarkson) 贡献15分。迈克·布朗手里的好牌可真多！
你对你们角色球员的贡献感到惊讶吗？也就是达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)、德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 和凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson)。我看到他们合力只拿到了19分。另外：朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 非常喜欢在对阵尼克斯时投三分，本赛季在对阵纽约的四场比赛中，他三分球34投18中。最后，终于，迈克·布朗设计战术限制住了这孩子，让他在下半场只得到1分。你比我更了解他——他是在打尼克斯时才会打鸡血，还是他真的是一个“货真价实”的神射手？（我本可以在 Basketball-Reference 上查一下，但数据有时会骗人……而且我快睡着了。）
J.R.
上一次我和马刺教练有秘密沟通渠道还是在鲍勃·希尔 (Bob Hill) 执教期间。我想我不需要告诉你那次的结果如何。简单来说，我别无选择，只能投身于写博客这行，并以此来向球队传达我的想法。
在这场比赛中，圣安东尼奥在领先的情况下被逆转，因为他们在第四节仅得19分，同时布伦森接管了比赛；我甚至分不清自己是在讨论周三晚上的比赛，还是在讨论季中锦标赛决赛。这实在太离奇了，但我有一个解决方案。我们急需在这个系列赛里多投进（can）几个球！现在，我只需要弄清楚在这个语境下“投进”代表着什么，我们就能有所收获。我知道了！我会录一盘录像带，然后——我妻子正在摇头……显然我没有摄像机了。真遗憾。
相反，让我们来谈谈文班对唐斯的防守（除了我脑子里闪过的几个不便在此分享的词——只能说它们绝对不是什么好话）。我希望看到维克托在防守外线投手时，除非对方已经起跳投篮，否则绝不失去防守位置。这并不是说文班防不下来三分球，而是因为几乎没有人能真正封盖到。与此同时，他本赛季在防守外线时被对手一步过掉轻松上篮的次数已经多达几十次了！我认为维克托在远离篮筐的地方盲目追求盖帽没有任何价值，因为一旦他时机判断失误、起跳过早，球队失分会更多。我很想看看，如果文班只是对唐斯进行扎实的外线防守，唐斯还能打出怎样的表现。如果他依然能大杀四方，那球队在战术结构上才需要做出改变，但我对此表示怀疑。维克托本人似乎也同意这一点，因为他在赛后采访中提到，他需要做的只是打得更合理一些。
紧随布伦森（我稍后会提到他）之后，我认为哈特是纽约本场的 MVP。仅仅用“永不停歇的活力”不足以解释哈特的影响力。正负值也无法完全体现。他身上有一种特质。那种你一看到就能心领神会的特质。在电视机前，这种特质直击眼球；而在现场，它更是扑面而来。亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso) 身上也有这种特质。在经历了七场比赛、看着“那种球员”在正确的时间出现在正确的位置，用最精准、甚至可能是唯一的防守动作破坏马刺的得分、战术或起势之后，马刺球迷发现自己又碰上了另一个这样的人！哈特就是那种你作为对手会恨之入骨，但一旦他在你队里，你就会瞬间爱上他的球员，我现在不想再多说他一个字了。
杰伦在比赛后期的火热状态掩盖了一切——只要你能投进那些关键球，前面的投篮再糟糕也无所谓。（看，又一个“投进”的文字游戏。我告诉过你它们很重要！）投篮确实至关重要，当你们的球员开始火力全开时，文班就必须展现出满格的战斗力，否则场面会变得非常难看。
我对福克斯、瓦塞尔和约翰逊未能得到更多分并不感到意外。福克斯即使在健康时也会有发挥失常的时候，而且他的脚踝显然仍然限制了他的发挥。不过，他通常能很快反弹。瓦塞尔在季后赛中表现出色，虽然他今晚在外线手感不佳（三分6投1中），但他两分球5投3中，送出3次助攻并抢下了9个关键篮板。我并不担心他。约翰逊的表现让我感到奇怪。他只打了8分钟，我看不出有什么特别的理由。当然他4投1中，但他却是马刺队中唯一一个正负值为正的球员。米奇显然看到了他不喜欢的东西。必须希望这种情况能有所好转。
这就谈到了朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie)，他可不仅仅是喜欢在对阵尼克斯时投篮。尚帕尼现在已经是一个名副其实的外线高炮台了，虽然他在常规赛期间经历过低谷，在对阵雷霆的系列赛初期也有些沉寂，但现在他已经火力全开，必须引起纽约防守端的高度重视。
R.R.
我很高兴你在首场失利后还能保持幽默感。马刺肯定很快就会用胜利来回报你的信心。尽管纽约目前取得了12连胜，但我仍然怀疑他们能否横扫对手。你们那边的阵容天赋太强了。
上一次这两支球队在总决赛交手还要追溯到1999年，当时实力的悬殊让我们痛苦万分。与那时相比，现在的对决已经是篮球天堂了。抛开悲观情绪不谈，NBA将连续第八年诞生不同的总冠军，这确实是一件很酷的事情。
你把卡鲁索和哈特相提并论简直太准确了。我对卡鲁索也有同感（以前对何塞·阿尔瓦拉多 (Jose Alvarado) 也是如此）：那个讨厌鬼在成为你的队友之前是难以忍受的，但一旦他加入你的球队，他就会成为你最喜欢的球员。至于狄龙·布鲁克斯 (Dillon Brooks) 是否也是如此，我们得去问问菲尼克斯或孟菲斯的球迷了。而且我依然坚守我的庄严誓言：绝不支持任何雇佣凯利·乌布雷 (Kelly Oubre Jr.) 的球队。这是一种毫无道理的讨厌，但却非常真实。
我不知道该怎么评价凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson)。他本赛季一定打出过一些伟大的比赛，才赢得了年度最佳第六人的荣誉，但在我看到的有限样本中，他的表现并不尽如人意。瓦塞尔给我留下了更深刻的印象，我正准备迎接他在第二场比赛中打出更好的表现。你对文班的评价似乎指向了年轻人的不成熟。他和那些老将相处得越多，他就会变得越有纪律性，到那时整个联盟就真的要完蛋了。
关于尚帕尼，多说一句。我们能拥有迈克·布林 (Mike Breen) 和伟大的沃尔特·“侠盗”·弗雷泽 (Walt “Clyde” Frazier) 作为尼克斯比赛的解说员，真是被宠坏了。弗雷泽曾作为球员和广播员两次入选奈史密斯篮球名人堂，而我们的 SB Nation 网站就是以他那些色彩丰富的口语俚语之一命名的。他最可爱的特质之一就是他那独一无二的念错名字的本领。听他把“朱利安·尚帕尼”念成“Julian Champagne-y”（香槟小子），真是人生一大乐事。
我们很高兴尼克斯的超级死忠本·斯蒂勒 (Ben Stiller) 和斯派克·李 (Spike Lee) 来到了德克萨斯。也许我现在买张机票飞往圣安东尼奥，租间酒店，在二级市场上买张票去现场看第二场比赛还来得及。遗憾的是，这所有的费用加起来，甚至比试图买张票进麦迪逊广场花园 (MSG) 看第三或第四场还要便宜。纽约的球迷分为两个阶层：能负担得起天价门票的富人阶层，以及在家里或在 MSG 外街道护栏后观看比赛的普通大众。我自豪地代表后者，尽管无可否认，有时麦迪逊广场花园的贪婪就像我鞋里的一颗石子一样让人难受。
顺着这个话题……作为球迷，当看到霜冻银行中心球馆 (Frost Bank Center) 里有那么多人给站在罚球线上的布伦森高呼*MVP！*时，你是什么感受？可怜的多诺万·米切尔 (Donovan Mitchell) 可能永远无法从那种折磨中恢复过来了。
最后分享一个真实的、不太光彩的故事。在第二节进行到8分钟左右时，我妻子从卧室发来短信，让我帮她挑出脚上的刺。既然她永远不会读到这篇文章：因为比赛太精彩了，我绝对考虑过假装没看到这条短信。幸运的是，米奇·约翰逊叫了一个挑战暂停，这才让我得以履行丈夫的职责。
后来，珍 (Jen) 发短信说她现在正用笔记本电脑看比赛直播，因为“所有人都在讨论这场比赛”。因此，在最后的决胜阶段，我在客厅大声欢呼，她在卧室大声尖叫，从人行道上听起来，我们家肯定像疯了一样。我想 La Casa de Wilco 的情况也同样疯狂。让我们期待第二场比赛能有同样精彩的对决。祝你好运（但显然，尼克斯必胜）。
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：The Spurs must adjust to a familiar Knicks problem
The Spurs must adjust to a familiar Knicks problem
After a Game 1 Finals loss that felt all too familiar in more ways that one, I continue our fourth installment of Fraternizing with the Enemy with the editor-in-chief of our Knicks sister site, Posting and Toasting, Russell Richardson. The Spurs didn’t look anything like themselves, but the good news is they have shown they can make adjustments and flip the switch after poor performances in each of the previous three rounds. The bad news is the Knicks were far from the greatest version of themselves and have plenty of room to improve as well, so we discuss what to expect from both teams in what will be a vital Game 2, particularly for the Spurs.
Click the link if you missed part 1 and would like to catch up.
J.R.
After one game, we’re a lot closer to your prediction than we are mine. If San Antonio doesn’t fix the problems I’m about to address, you’re in a great position to see Wilco with your wife without having to miss a Finals game. Great performances from your team. Truly. And not a very good showing from the hometown boys, which was not at all what I was expecting. In some ways it looked like San Antonio didn’t prepare any kind of Knicks-specific approach to the game. Which seems puzzling.
So puzzling that I’m reminded of the last time I was puzzled like this, Game 1 of the 2017 playoffs second round series against Houston. The Spurs didn’t cater their standard game plan to the Rockets. They came out with a plain-vanilla offense and defense, and got absolutely trucked. Lost by almost 30. Do you remember Mike D’Antoni’s, “three is more than two” press conference? That was after Game 1. The overwhelming narrative leading up to Game 2 was the antiquated nature of the Spurs system and how inevitable Houston’s victory was.
Then Gregg Popovich made adjustments based on what he saw after Game 1 and the Spurs won four of the next five games, with an overtime win in Game 5 that ended with Manu Ginobili’s over-the-back block of James Harden‘s three-point attempt and led to a Game 6 in which Harden failed to show up in any meaningful way. (You may experienced something like that from Harden yourself.) So San Antonio has had this kind of weird series start before, and they’ve come out smiling.
While I have no insight to the adjustments being cooked up by Mitch’s Coaching Staff (MCS?), here are the things I noticed that I would like to see addressed.
First, Victor had his first truly disappointing game of the playoffs. Some people would say that Game 5 of the WCF qualifies, but for me that was passive Wemby and Wednesday night was … I dunno what to call it. Hyperactive Wemby? Whatever it was, it can’t happen again if SA wants to win. Since February 1, there have only been three games in which Wemby has been a minus in his minutes on the court. And two of those have come against the Knickerbockers, which is not very confidence-inducing when all of the games for the rest of the season are against the same team. Expect angry-but-composed Wemby for Game 2.
Second, in a game-on-the-line, clutch situation, your go-to play can’t be a Wemby isolation from outside the 3 point line. A couple of hours before the game I was talking with one of my writers, and I said that Wemby’s favorite play is probably freelancing. Well, if you default mode is letting him have his favorite play, that’s fine. He can have it for 43 minutes of the game. But when it comes down to the final 5 minutes of a nip and tuck Finals game, how about we run some kind of action; some kind of pet play that we like our chances with? Expect a firm let hand from Mitch in these situations going forward. Or at least expect the guys to get an earful and handle it differently next time.
Third, against a lineup without OG, the Spurs allowed Brunson and Shamet to stay on the floor without running any offense at them. That should probably not be allowed to stand. There are so many ways to get them involved in actions that it’d be silly to even start a list. Either play Shamet off the court or tire him out. Force Jalen to exert himself in his own end and even if he’s still fresh as a daisy in crunch time, at least you’ll be scoring points along the way which would be a far cry from posting 18 in the fourth like in G1. Expect SA to do more targeting of NY’s weaker defenders.
Fourth, more Harper, and a greater range of actions run for him during said more. What did the kid try to do in his Finals debut that he couldn’t do? I can’t think of anything realistic that could’ve asked of a player that he didn’t deliver on. I could go on, but that’s over 600 words already and I don’t want to try your patience.
What did you see that you liked from the first Finals game, and what concerns you?
R.R.
It was a thrilling Game One, from our vantage at least. We thought San Antonio played well enough to win, especially given how rusty the Knicks were on offense. After a promising start, we didn’t expect them to finish the first quarter with 19 points. They had played eight games in 23 days, and it showed in the halftime numbers.
Nor did we think this game would so closely resemble the NBA Cup Final, in which New York rallied from a double-digit third-quarter deficit and held the Spurs to 19 points in the fourth to win. Uncanny similarities!
I agree that the series is far from over, if San Antonio makes your recommended adjustments. I was surprised at how underutilized Harper was in the second half, and that Brunson wasn’t hunted more — especially when he was initially injured. Shamet’s a better defender than his reputation suggests, but admittedly one of the weaker links in the chain. Targeting him makes sense.
As for Wemby, we agree again: bombing threes late in a tight game (or freelancing, as you say) seems a suboptimal use of his talent. Keep sending that big fella to the cup! He’s more likely to get three points that way (with an and-one) and stop the clock.
Tell me, do you communicate suggestions to Mitch Johnson by text or email? For Thibs, I used to hide video messages on VHS tapes, mislabel them (randomly, e.g., “Portland vs. Pacers, Jan. 5, 1982”), and leave them on the sidewalk outside the practice facility. VHS is Thibs’ catnip.
Regrettably, Mike Brown has a restraining order against me.
We liked plenty of what we saw in this first contest. New York remains confident and resilient. It’s reassuring to know Captain Clutch still has his mystical powers. KAT was pretty sweet, too. When New York runs the Towns-Brunson pick-and-roll, it opens multiple scoring options for them. Why they don’t spam it 100 times per game baffles me. That said, the Spurs had real trouble containing Towns whenever Victor rested. Come to think of it, Wemby didn’t do much to slow him, either.
Bridges and Hart combining for 12 points wasn’t too concerning. I wrote about Josh in the postgame piece:
“By the end of the game, Josh would have three points on 1-of-5 shooting, which looks bad. But run your eye across the stat line and let the truth reveal itself: 14 rebounds, six assists, four steals, a block, and a team-high +22 in his 27 minutes. His relentless energy rescued this game from the loss column.”
New York won’t have many more off-shooting nights in the series. Wait till you see these guys really cook with gas! Not only has New York won 12 games in a row, but 11 of those were by double digits. Impressive stuff from a team that’s considered the underdogs.
Brunson’s shooting reminded me of 1994’s Game One. In that tilt, Patrick Ewing went 10-for-26, and in this one Brunson shot 12-of-31. Same stinky, different outcomes. Even after a janky shooting performance by Jalen, we can sing his praises. Yet again, his shots fell in the clutch.
The Knicks have so many weapons that when Brunson is cold, someone else can step into the void. You saw it in Game One. KAT carried the team through the middle of the game. Anunoby was kind of a dud through three quarters, then knocked down eight points to swing the game. Another night, Bridges will drop 20 points on eight shots. Or Shamet might go 5-of-9 from yard, or Clarkson contributes 15. Mike Brown has a lot of cool toys!
Were you surprised by the contributions of your supporting cast, namely Fox, Vassell, and Johnson? I see they combined for 19 points. Also: Champagnie loves shooting three-pointers against the Knicks, making 18-of-34 in four games against NY this season. Finally, at last, Mike Brown schemed to stop this kid, limiting him to one point post-intermission. You’ve watched more of him than I—does he just go gonzo for Knicks games, or is he a ‘for real’ gunslinger? (I could look this up on Basketball-Reference, but stats can be suspicious…and I’m falling asleep.)
J.R.
The last time I had a mode of secret communication with a Spurs coach, it was Bob Hill. And I don’t need to tell you how that turned out. Suffice to say that there was nothing else for it but to work my way into the blogging business and lob my thoughts to the team that way.
In the game, San Antonio has a lead and loses a lead because they only score 19 in the fourth while Brunson goes off; I can’t tell whether I’m talking about Wednesday night or NBA Cup Final. That’s far too uncannily similar, but I have a solution. We need more cans in this series asap! Now, I just need to figure out what a can is in this context, and we’d have something. I know! I’ll make a VHS tape and — my wife is shaking her head … apparently I don’t have a camcorder anymore. That’s unfortunate.
Instead, let’s talk about Wemby’s defense on Towns (besides a few choice words I have that I won’t share here — suffice to say they aren’t complementary). I’d love to see Vic never leave his defensive stance while guarding a shooter on the perimeter unless his man is already off the ground in the middle of his jump shot. It’s not that Wemby can’t block three pointers, it’s that it’s just so rare that anyone does. In the meanwhile the number of times he’s been blown by for a layup this season is measured in the dozens! I don’t see anything of value being accomplished by Vic hunting blocks so far from the basket when he gives up far more total points when his timing isn’t perfect and he jumps too soon. I’d love to see what KAT can accomplish if Wemby simply plays solid perimeter defense on him. If he still goes off, then something structurally will need to change, but I doubt that. And it seems like Victor agrees because one of his post game quotes was about how he needed to just make normal plays.
Next to Brunson, who I will get to in a minute, I thought Hart was the MVP for New York. Relentless energy isn’t enough to explain Hart’s impact. Plus/minus isn’t enough either. He’s got that thing. The one where you know when you see it. It jumps off the screen as you watch on TV and it smacks you in the face when you’re viewing in person. Alex Caruso has it too. After seven games of seeing a one of Those Guys in the right place at the right time with the exact play, maybe the only play, that would stop the Spurs’ score or play or run, San Antonio fans have run right into another! Hart is a guy you hate but would love him in an instant if he was on your team and I don’t want to say another word about it right now.
Jalen’s late hot streak cures all — you can shoot as bad as possible IF you’re able to can the looks that matter. (There’s another “can.” I told you they were important!) Shooting is important too, and by the time your guys are cooking with gas, then Wemby will need to be operating at fully operational arrow station levels, or it’ll get ugly.
I wasn’t surprised by the inability of Fox, Vassell and Johnson to score more. Fox will have a bad game even when he’s healthy, and his ankle is obviously still limiting him. He bounces back regularly though. Vassell has played great in the playoffs and while he had an off night from deep (1-6) he hit 3 of 5 from the field, dished 3 assists and grabbed 9 huge boards. I’m not concerned about him. Johnson’s the one that’s weird to me. He only saw 8 minutes of play time and I didn’t see much of a reason for that. Sure he was 1-4, but he was the lone Spur with a positive +/-. Mitch obviously saw something he didn’t like. Gotta hope that turns around.
Which brings us to Julian Champagnie, who doesn’t just like shooting against the Knicks. Julian is now a certified flamethrower, and while he had a cold spell during the season and an early lull against OKC, he’s firing on all cylinders and will need to occupy a good amount of New York’s defensive attention.
R.R.
I’m glad you ‘can’ (ouch) maintain your humor after the opening loss. Surely the Spurs will reward your confidence soon. Despite their 12-game win streak, I still doubt New York will sweep. There’s too much talent on your side of the court.
The mismatch tortured us the last time these two fought in the Finals, back in 1999. Compared to then, this is already basketball nirvana. Cynicism aside, it is pretty cool that the NBA will have a different champion for the eighth straight year.
Your comparison of Caruso to Hart is dead on. I feel the same about Caruso (and used to about Jose Alvarado): that stinker is insufferable until he’s on your team, when he becomes your favorite player. Whether that holds true for Dillon Brooks, we’d have to ask a Phoenix or Memphis fan. And I stand by my solemn vow not to root for any team that employs the services of Kelly Oubre Jr. It’s an irrational dislike, but real.
I don’t know what to make of Keldon Johnson. He must have played some great games this season to earn Sixth Man of the Year honors, but he’s underwhelmed in the small sample size I’ve witnessed. Vassell impresses me more, and I’m bracing for him to perform better in his second chance. Your comments about Wemby seem to point to the immaturity of youth. The more he hangs out with the monks, the more disciplined he’ll become, and then the league will really be screwed.
A note about Champagnie. We are spoiled to have Mike Breen and the great Walt “Clyde” Frazier as our commentators for Knicks games. Clyde is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice, as a player and broadcaster, and our SB Nation site is named after one of his colorful colloquialisms. One of his most endearing qualities is his singular ability to mangle names. To hear him say “Julian Champagne-y” is one of life’s joys.
We were glad that Knicks superfans Ben Stiller and Spike Lee made it to Texas. There may still be time for me to buy a ticket, fly to San Antonio, rent a hotel room, grab a secondary-market seat, and attend Game Two. Sadly, the grand total would be cheaper than trying to get into MSG for Games Three or Four. New York has two strata of fans: the wealthy set who can afford astronomical ticket prices, and the unwashed masses who watch from home or behind barricades on the street outside MSG. I proudly represent the latter, although, admittedly, sometimes the greed at the Garden is a nagging stone in my shoe.
Along those lines . . . as a fan, how does it feel when so many at Frost Bank Center are cheering MVP! for Brunson at the free-throw line? Poor Donovan Mitchell may never recover from that particular torment.
Here’s a true, unflattering story to wrap this up. Around the eight-minute mark of the second quarter, my wife texted from the bedroom to ask for help removing a splinter from her foot. Since she’ll never read this: I absolutely considered pretending to miss the message because the game was so good. Luckily, Mitch Johnson called a challenge timeout that allowed me to fulfill my husbandly duties.
Later, Jen texted that she was now streaming the game on her laptop because “everyone is talking about the game.” Hence, down the stretch, I was shouting in the living room, she was shouting from the bedroom, and our house must have sounded bananas from the sidewalk. I imagine things were equally wild at La Casa de Wilco. Let’s hope for more of the same great basketball in Game Two. Good luck to you (but Go Knicks, obviously).
By J.R. Wilco, via Pounding The Rock