http://goo.gl/TQf1qI
From Gregg Popovich down, Spurs relying on patience
Dan Feldman Dec 25, 2014, 6:10 PM EST
傷情不斷，馬刺將士耐心以對
SAN ANTONIO – Spurs guard Patty Mills – who injured his shoulder in the
offseason and was expected to return in 2015 – was quietly cleared two days
ago.
“I’m not going to let him play,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.
Huh?
“I’m going to hold him off as long as I can,” Popovich said. “There will
be a point where he won’t allow me to do that anymore, and that’s fine. But
for right now, I’m winning the battle. At some point, I’ll lose it.”
Popovich doesn’t lose these battles very often.
暑假肩膀動刀的毛巾哥原本預期明年一月復出
日前已悄悄為隊醫許為傷癒
但馬刺教頭卻表示「我仍不打算讓他上場」
這是為何?
「我打算能按他多久是多久
當然我總有按他不住的一天，那也很好
但至少現在這要不要打的論戰是我佔上風
雖然我遲早會輸。」
講到讓球員休養的論戰，Pop 往往贏面居多
The Spurs coach has instilled a culture of patience that he hopes will carry
his team through this relatively difficult stretch, including a 114-106 loss
to the Thunder today.
San Antonio 18-12, on pace for more than 49 wins. Most teams would be
thrilled with that record.
But the Spurs have never won so few of their first 29 games since drafting
Tim Duncan in 1997. They’ve lost seven of 10, a rare skid at any point in
the era. In this loaded Western Conference, that has them just seventh in
standings.
Not that Popovich checks those.
Pop 給他的子弟兵灌輸耐心的文化
希望馬刺能捱過近來相對艱辛的賽程及疲軟的戰績
馬刺目前18勝12敗
照這節奏下去季賽至少49勝
是多數球隊會感到興奮的戰績
於馬刺，這卻是1997年得到TD之後
開季29場勝場數最少的一年
而他們近十場輸了七場，也是TD時代罕見的低潮
在強隊如林的西區，只夠站上老七的位置
不過 Pop 沒在管戰績
“Never have before. Might as well not now,” Popovich said. “If I look at
them, they don’t change. It’s kind of like a referee’s call. You can moan
and groan, but it doesn’t change. I can stare at the standings, and we still
have, whatever, 11 losses. It doesn’t turn into nine if I look at it for a
while. So, I don’t pay any attention to it.”
(To be fair, Popovich is not immune from moaning and groaning to referees.
Far from it.)
Of course, Popovich’s most famous method of patience is resting his key
players – Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili especially – during entire
games. He’s concerned Duncan (whose 32.2 minutes per game entering today are
his most in six seasons) and Ginobili (whose 25.5 are his most in four) are
playing too much.
“I have to try to take care of that over time, so that we can be as
energetic and fresh as we can possibly be,” Popovich said. “And we haven’t
even made the playoffs yet. Aren’t we like eighth or ninth or seventh or
whatever we are? I don’t know. It’s not like we’re automatically in. We
have to play well enough to get in. There’s a lot of good teams out here.”
「我以前不管戰績排行，現在也不打算去管
因為戰績也不會因為我去看就變好
這有點像吹判，你抱怨你咆哮有差嗎，他照判不誤
我可以一直盯著戰績表，我們一樣是輸幾場? 輸11場嗎
也不會因為我努力看就變成只輸九場
所以我不會花心思在這上面。」
(老實講對裁判抱怨咆哮這種事 Pop 常做
事實上，這是他的強項)
當然 Pop 另一項出名的耐心就是在整個季賽中
休養球員，尤其是三巨頭TD, TP, 馬怒
他擔心 Duncan (場均32.2分鐘，近六季最多)
跟馬怒(場均25.5分鐘，近四季最多) 最近太操了
「為長遠計，我必須控制球員的上場時間
隊上才能盡可能的有活力有精力
而且我們還沒拿到季後賽門票
我們不是才第八還第九，還是第七? 我也不清楚
又不是說我們自動就有季後賽可以打
要打得夠好才行，外頭可是強敵如林。」Pop 道
He’s not concerned about San Antonio’s defense, either. The Spurs rank
fifth in points allowed per possession, down from third each of the last two
seasons.
“When we get all the players back, then I’ll think about it,” Popovich
said.
關於防守 Pop 一樣也不擔心
馬刺讓每次球權讓對手得分數(points allowed per possession)
從前兩賽季的聯盟第三落到今年的聯盟第五
「等我們人手到齊再來擔心防守也不遲。」
And that’s the one area – injuries – Popovich doesn’t always keep calm.
“I worry about it every day, really,” Popovich said.
But he overcomes that inclination.
Popovich is sitting Mills as long as possible, waiting for the guard to take
more contact in practice.
Kawhi Leonard, who injured his hand, is another story. That’s not patience
on Pop’s part. It’s reality.
“He can’t move his hand,” Popovich said. “He can’t catch and dribble and
all that kind of stuff.”
人手不齊為哪椿? 這就講到 Pop 頭痛的傷兵問題了
「我每天都在煩這個，真的，」本來想多講的 Pop 打住了
他想讓 Mills 再休養一會兒，畢竟能走不表示能跑能跳
能跑能跳不表示能碰能撞
至於好了眼睛又傷了手的可愛又是另一回事了
這與 Pop 的耐心無關，而是現實的問題
「他手不能動，他沒法接球、運球
他完全不能打球。」Pop 說
Obviously, injuries have kept both teams from their traditional perches atop
or near the top of the Western Conference. But Popovich won’t ask Santa
Claus for healthier players – or anything else.
“Ever since we’ve drafted Timmy, I’ve asked for nothing,” Popovich said.
“Anytime anything bad happens like injuries, I say, well, the scales are
just evening is all they’re doing. We’ve had enough luck that anybody
should ever ask for anything else is not fair. So, we never feel badly about
anything bad that happens to us, because we were able to get Timmy. That’s
the truth. Nothing will ever balance that.”
So, Popovich will patiently wait for his team to get healthy, for its defense
to play better, for its record to improve.
顯然傷兵問題讓這支西區勁旅
戰績反常地沒有名列前段班
但 Pop 不會求聖誕老公公許他全員健康的馬刺
他甚至不會求聖誕老公公許他任何事
「自從我們得到 Timmy, 我就別無所求了
每次有鳥事發生，像有人受傷什麼的
我就想，嘿，老天是公平的
一切都是上面在平衡天坪呢
我們實在太走運了，再多求什麼都不公平
所以我們從不曾因為一時失志來怨嘆
因為上天賜了 Timmy 給我們
什麼鳥事都無法平衡這種好運道
我說真的。」
所以，Pop 會耐心地等待隊員健康歸來
耐心等待防守力度改善
耐心等待戰績回穩