馬刺當天若有比賽,我都會上PTT看刺迷與反刺迷「論戰」,尤其是輸球的時候,我想看看有沒有什麼建設性的看法,今天看到1則標題:「馬刺的輸球原因有沒有技不如人這選項」非常感嘆,因為這正是我的看法!
馬刺贏球,我不見得會看遍所有外電文章,因為我不想看那些歌功誦德的文章,但是輸球我絕對每篇、每篇看,希望聽聽教頭Gregg Popovich與球員是怎麼說的,尤其是要看有沒有失焦的發言,對,我最在意:「輸球怪裁判!」的行為與態度。
馬刺與雷霆這個系列賽已吞下3敗,其中第4戰吞敗毫無爭議,自己第4節被雷霆Kevin
Durant一人打爆,「雙鋒」Kawhi
Leonard與LaMarcus
Aldridge都當機,輸得心服口服,但是第2戰與今天第5戰都在決勝期出現爭議哨聲,也引發刺迷與反刺迷唇槍舌戰。
拉鋸戰的爭議哨聲的確是左右勝負的關鍵,但是我的看法是,這樣的道理大家都知道,所以最重要的是:「如何在哨聲決定勝負前,自己先把握贏球契機立於不敗之地,不要到最後有讓哨音來定生死的機會。」
身為馬刺迷,我認同馬刺在這點做的非常好,輸球不會怪裁判,只會怪自己在決勝關鍵沒有拿出執行力,或是犯下導致輸球的錯誤,這一點是我在輸贏之外,以馬刺迷為榮的驕傲。
因為輸球怪裁判,只會讓為何輸球的問題失焦,只會讓球員替輸球找藉口,就像大家朗朗上口的這句名言「成功的人找方法,失敗的人找藉口」,不要讓「輸球怪裁判」成為阻礙球隊與球員知錯能改、追求進步的兇手。
以下是我整理出來馬刺在這系列賽,輸球不怪哨聲、輸球只怪自己技不如人的發言,從今天第5戰吞敗往前推回去來回顧:
Manu Ginobili針對Kawhi對Russell Westbrrok犯規但裁判沒響哨說:「He (Westbrook) got away, attacked the rim and got an and-one. Very
tough outcome. I didn't watch the replay. I don't know how emphatic the foul
was, but it's not the point. We should have arrived to that point in a better
situation. For most of the game we were up. We had couple of opportunities to
get a good lead. They made some tough shots and we couldn't capitalize.」意指他不知道Kawhil Leonard對Westbrrok犯規,裁判並未響哨的影響有多大,但這不是重點,馬刺應該在這一刻來臨前處於更好的情況,我們大半時間領先,也有機會擴大領先,但他們投進幾球高難度球,我們卻未利用機會。
Popovich也針對此解釋說:「He (Kawhi) fouled him (Westbrook). It was pretty obvious he fouled
him, but every call doesn’t get called. That’s the way the game is. I was more
concerned about the play before that with Durant’s shot. But as I’ve said,
sometimes you get a call. Sometimes you not. It happens to everybody. Tough
game.」意指Kawhi一定有去犯規,但是並非所有犯規都會響哨,我更在意的是這爭議之前Durant的投籃,不過如我所說,有時你能得到哨音,有時你不行,這對大家都一樣,總之是場艱苦比賽。」
Danny Green說:「They take away the plays we are looking for. They know what plays
are coming. You can hear them yelling from the bench, and communicating.」意指雷霆有備而來,讓許多馬刺想要執行的戰術施展不出來,雷霆知道我們要打什麼戰術,你可以聽到雷霆在板凳上喊、在溝通。」
第4戰落敗賽後
Popovich 說:「You've got to give him (Kevin Durant) credit. He was great. I don't
know what else to say, he was fantastic.」然後「They out-toughed us.」意指必須肯定Durant,他很偉大,不知道該說什麼,他就是很棒,雷霆打得比我們強悍。
Boris Diaw說:「When a team is scoring more than 100 points, it's going to be hard
for us to win. We've been relying on our defense for all the regular season. It
should be the same in the playoffs.」意指當對手得分破百,對馬刺而言是很難贏球的,我們從例行賽起,就倚賴防守,季後賽也要做好防守。
第2戰落敗後
Ginobili針對Dion Waiters在發邊線球時所引發的一連串爭議,包括Ginobili腳有沒有踩線、Waiters有沒有出肘進攻犯規說:「I don’t know what type of violation it is-gotta be something. But it’s
not the play that decided anything because we got the steal, we got the shot.
And it doesn’t matter, it’s over. I’m not going to be able to change it. It’s
1-1.」意指不知道這一連串爭議是何犯規或違例,反正就是有事情發生,但是無論如何吹判並不能決定任何事,因為馬刺抄到球,也有投籃機會,但這一切都無所謂了,現在就是1比1。
Popovich也針對賽後裁判坦承吹判有瑕疵說:「It has nothing to do with what we do to try to win a basketball
game. The league does that for their transparency, and I think that’s cool for
the fans, the public and everybody. But it’s not something I use in preparing
for a game.」這些都和我們想做什麼去贏下比賽沒有關係,聯盟想要執法透明化對球迷、對大眾、對大家都很酷,但這不是我用來準備比賽的素材。
Popovich另外指出輸球重點表示:「Our disorganization offensively was the most important part, and it
ended up in a lot of poor shots. It’s about a game of mistakes and for a
48-minute period I thought they were sharper than we were.」意指馬刺進攻毫無章法才是輸球關鍵,導致許多很差的投籃選擇,籃球比賽在於48分鐘內犯了多少錯,我認為雷霆就是比我們犀利許多。
Green也表達不想怪裁判的看法:「We still want to be us, regardless of how they’re calling it. If
things don’t work out with the officials, you know what, we’re going to lose
being us and being physical.」意指不管裁判怎麼吹判,馬刺做自己還是最重要,如果一直在乎裁判,是無法做自己或是拿出對抗力的。
Ginobili甚至在第2戰前就擔心首戰大破雷霆32分的後果:「I think after a game like
that, you are worried. The tendency is to be satisfied, so you get to worry
about the next one.」意指大勝之後反而讓人擔心,因為大勝之後的心態就是會傾向自滿,所以你會擔心下一戰。
或許有人會酸,這種檯面話誰都會講,私底下會不會怪東怪西誰知道!但是至少馬刺在輸球後的公開場合應對進退都是非常一致,每個人都很謹言慎行,檢討自己優先,該給對手的肯定也不會吝嗇,有時候看了甚至會生馬刺氣,為何不能有霸氣一點,就像勇士Draymond Green一樣。
NBA存在「明星哨」與「人氣哨」的問題由來已久,馬刺並非聯盟的天之驕子球隊,也沒有天之驕子球星,所以克服哨音影響是非常重要的,要就是在哨音決定勝負之前,自己先掌握自己的生死,一旦輸贏成定局後,就不再說什麼了,一切就是「技不如人」,沒有其他輸球的藉口與選項。
我當然羡慕勇士是天之驕子球隊,Stephen Curry是天之驕子球星,但是他們在達成這樣天之驕子的標準之前,也曾不是天子驕子,也曾吃下不少暗虧,所以今天他們所享受的哨音禮遇,也只是剛好而已,這就是比賽的一部分,多少希望馬刺有球員能像Draymond一樣,在第4戰力擒拓荒者,取得3比1「聽牌」優勢後,面對第5戰能嗆:「就是要回家『關門』結束系列賽了啊,不然是要怎樣!」
馬刺在和雷霆系列賽下來,3場敗仗都是可贏未贏,原本有機會4比1在家「關門」晉級,現在落得2比3落後要在雷霆主場背水一戰,依過去慣例是八、九不離十俯首稱臣提早放暑假了,只是Popovich在第5戰賽後說了:「The series
is not over yet!」那就保持好「輸球不怪裁判」的態度與格調,好好在第6戰證明不是「技不如人」吧!