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What Popovich has done goes far beyond guiding the Spurs to the best record in the league this season. He has created a template for NBA success. His influence extends so far that his presence is likely to be felt in the NBA Finals even if the Spurs don’t make it.
波波维奇所做的，已经远远超越了本赛季带领马刺拿到联盟最佳战绩这一个范围，他为NBA联盟创造出了一个成功的样本。他的影响力如此之远，即便马刺没能走到最后，在总决赛上，你依旧能感受到他的存在。
If the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers or Los Angeles Clippers get in they all have key figures with significant ties to Popovich. For the Thunder it’s general manager Sam Presti, who got his start in the NBA working in the Spurs’ front office. For the Lakers and Clippers it’s coaches Mike Brown, who was an assistant, and Vinny Del Negro, who played for Popovich.
假如俄克拉荷马雷霆、洛杉矶湖人或者洛杉矶快船打进总决赛，他们都与波波维奇有着密切的联系。对于雷霆，那是他们的总经理萨姆·普莱斯蒂，他在NBA的第一份工作就是在马刺的管理层。对于湖人和快船来说，迈克·布朗曾经是波波维奇的助理教练，而文尼·德尔·内格罗也在波波维奇手下工作过。
Nonplayoff teams that reflect the Popovich effect include the Phoenix Suns (general manager Lance Blanks), the New Jersey Nets (coach Avery Johnson) and the New Orleans Hornets (general manager Dell Demps and coach Monty Williams).
还有些没打入季后赛的球队也和波波维奇有着千丝万缕的联系，这其中包括菲尼克斯太阳(总经理兰斯·布兰克斯)，新泽西篮网(主教练埃弗里·约翰逊)，以及新奥尔良黄蜂(总经理德尔·邓普斯和主教练蒙蒂·威廉姆斯)。
"You go work for him, it’s like going to school," said Brown, who was an assistant coach under Popovich. "You learn a lot, not only on the coaching side, but on the frontoffice side."
“你为他工作，感觉就像去上学。”布朗这样说道，他曾是波波维奇手下的助理教练。“你能学到很多，不仅是教练这方面的知识，还包括管理球队的东西。”
Phil Jackson and Pat Riley have more rings, but Popovich has more ②progenies around the league. It’s because Popovich’s way is portable. Brown has "tremendous respect" for Jackson and Riley and considers them worthy Hall of Fame enshrinees. He just doesn’t think their success is as feasible to duplicate as Popovich’s.
菲尔·杰克逊和帕特·莱利有着更多的戒指，但波波维奇在联盟拥有更多的门生。布朗对杰克逊和莱利抱有“无比崇高的敬意”，他认为这两人都应当入选名人堂。但他只是觉得，他们的成功并不像波波维奇那样，有复制的可能。
"When you talk about Phil and Pat, they went to big-market cities where everybody wants to go, there’s tremendous amount of money and support of going and getting any guy you want, " Brown said. "And the teams were already, for the most part, halfway decent.
“当你说到菲尔和帕特，他们去了所有人都想去的大球市，他们有充足的资金和支持，能找到任何你想要的球员，”布朗说，“而且那些球队基本上已经是很不错的了。”
"You look at Pop taking an underdog situation and turning it into a championship situation, similar to what Sam Presti has done in Oklahoma City and similar to what Danny Ferry [another Popovich offspring] was starting to do in Cleveland, and you relish that or want that. Because not all situations are the Lakers, Chicago, Miami, New York."
“你再看看波普，他接手了一个弱旅，然后把他们打造成总冠军。萨姆·布莱斯蒂在俄克拉何马做着类似的工作，丹尼·费里(另一个波波维奇的门生)也开始在克利夫兰着手。你会欣赏或者希望这样的情况，因为不是所有的球队都像湖人、公牛、热火或者尼克斯一样。”
It makes sense for team-builders to emulate Popovich just as it makes more sense for the typical player to pattern his game after Kevin Love rather than Blake Griffin.
对于球队建设者们来说，模仿波波维奇是更合理的，就像球员们会模仿凯文·乐福，而不是布雷克·格里芬一样。
When you hear the alumni talking about Popovich’s success, you notice two things: They always call him "Pop" and they never talk about on-court strategy. Even though Popovich is a respected game coach, nothing from his playbook has entered the basketball lexicon the way you hear terms such as"Princeton offense" or "UCLA cut." Besides, it wouldn’t make sense to copy a playbook when Popovich himself hasn’t adhered to it the past couple years, revamping the Spurs’ style and going up-tempo to reflect a changing roster and league.
当你听那些门生们谈论波波维奇的成功时，你会注意到两件事：他们总称呼他为“波普”，以及他们从来不会谈论球场上的策略。尽管波波维奇的临场指挥颇令人称赞，但是他的战术从来没有像“普林斯顿进攻”或者“UCLA空切”那样进入过篮球词典。除此之外，连波波维奇自己在过去几年都不再坚持自己的打法，而是改组了马刺的阵容，以此应对联盟变换的球风和人员，那么照抄他的战术也就毫无道理了。
Whenever anyone talks about why the Spurs win so much it always comes down to a company-wide ethos.
无论什么时候，当任何人谈论起为什么马刺能确定这么多成功时，答案总会归结到宽泛的所谓的气质上来。
"I think everyone that has had a chance to work for Pop and RC [Buford] would tell you that a lot of things that have the greatest impact are not necessarily basketball-related alone," Presti wrote in an email."There’s healthy disinterest in the path of least resistance and an authentic and humble appreciation for having the opportunity to be involved with the game at the highest level.
“我觉得所有有机会跟波普和RE(布福德)共事的人都会告诉你，很多能产生重大影响的，并不仅是跟篮球有关的。”普莱斯蒂在邮件中写道，“他们对于最小的反正也没有兴趣，并且对于能在最高水平的篮球联赛里获得机会有着由衷的感激。”
"Above all else, it’s clear that the organization itself is the most important thing; as Pop would say, everyone has to get over themselves and put the organization and team first. The endurance of their organization is uncommon, I feel fortunate for the opportunity to have been a small part of it."
“在此之外，显然球队本身是最重要的；就像波普会说的，每个人都要克服自我的观念，把球队放在第一位。他们球队的持久力是不同寻常的，我感到很幸运，能有机会成为其中的一小部分。”
Del Negro said: "They had a culture that was about doing it the right way and having the right people and character, and understanding your role and job. Pop kept everybody accountable. ’This is how we need you to play and this is what we need you to do.’"
德尔·内格罗说：“他们有一种球队文化，就是用正确的方法做事，寻找到合适的人和个性，理解你的角色和工作。波普让每个人都负起责任来。‘这就是我们需要你打球的方式，这就是我们需要你做的事。’”
Having that culture means putting a premium on players who fit that culture. No need to waste time looking at renegades who won’t fit in. The Spurs consistently bring in impact rookies -- most notably Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili -- even though they haven’t picked higher than 20th since they got Duncan.
拥有这样的球队文化意味着，能适应这种文化的球员会打出更高水平，而不需要在不适应球队文化的人身上浪费时间。马刺总能找到有影响力的新秀——最著名的当然是托尼·帕克和马努·吉诺比利——即便在选择邓肯后，马刺的选秀顺位从来没高过20顺位。
"When there’s a clarity of what works here and doesn’t work, hopefully it gives us the clarity to know when we’re looking for people," Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said."Maybe it helps us reduce our pool."
“当你知道在这什么行得通什么行不通时，但愿这能让我们清楚，什么时候该去寻找球员。”马刺总经理RC·布福德说，“也许这帮助我们减少了薪金。”
It’s not just a culture. The term the Spurs keep using is program, as in a college program.
这不仅仅是球队文化。马刺一直在说的一个词就是计划，就像大学计划一样。
Example: "Pop has brought the vision to our program," Buford said. "Everyone who has come through our program understands the things that are important: character and selfless people who want to be part of a team. Want to be part of something bigger than themselves."
举个例子：“波普对我们的计划有着自己的看法，”布福德说，“那么所有经历过我们计划的人都知道这些是很重要的：个性，以及愿意成为球队一部分的无私的人。想成为其中的一部分比这个人本身更重要。”
It has been Popovich’s show since 1994, when he was named the Spurs’ executive vice president of basketball operations. In December of 1996, with the Spurs off to a 3-15 start, Popovich fired Bob Hill and took over as coach -- timing the move with the return of David Robinson from a back injury that kept him out of the first 18 games.
自从1994年波波维奇被任命为马刺篮球事务的执行副总裁后，他就开始了自己的表演。1996年12月，当马刺打出了3胜15负的开局后，波波维奇炒了鲍勃·希尔的鱿鱼，亲手接过主教练的教鞭——那时大卫·罗宾逊也正好从让他缺席了18场比赛的背伤中恢复。
Two critical things happened that season that enabled Popovich to reach the status he has today.
那个赛季发生的两件大事让波波维奇有能力到达现在的状态。
The first was veterans such as Robinson, Avery Johnson and Sean Elliott took Popovich seriously. That wasn’t a given for a man who had never played in the NBA and whose only head-coaching experience was at Division III Pomona-Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif.
第一就是像罗宾逊、艾弗里·约翰逊和肖恩·埃利奥特这样的老将非常尊重波波维奇。对于一个从没在NBA执教过，而且主教练的经验仅仅是执教三级联赛中的加州克莱尔门特的波莫纳-皮策尔大学的波波维奇，这种尊敬并不是很容易得到的。
"We had really good guys that were in the prime of their career that had been through a lot of stuff," said Del Negro, who played on that team. "It was just the right mixture of people."
“我们拥有很多还在巅峰、经历过不少阵仗的好球员。”德尔·内格罗说，他曾经是那支球队的一员。“那就是合适球员的一种融合。”
The next career-altering moment came in the spring of 1997, when the Spurs won the lottery and drafted Tim Duncan. Not only was Duncan was a true franchise player, he was one of the lowest-maintenance superstars to ever enter the NBA.
而下一个改变职业生涯的一刻发生在1997年春天，马刺拿到了乐透签选下了邓肯。不仅因为邓肯是一个真正的王朝球员，他也是NBA历史上最没架子的超级巨星之一。
Popovich could harp on him without the relationship deteriorating to Dwight HowardStan Van Gundy levels. That gives Popovich the leeway to yell at players who are more likely to do yell-worthy things. There’s no double standard. Popovich can, as Monty Williams says, coach all 12 guys. Some coaches coach only 2-12 and let their superstar behave like Joffrey, the petulant teenage king in ③"Game of Thrones."
波波维奇可以教训邓肯，而不用担心两人的关系会坏到霍华德和大范那种程度。这也给了波波维奇冲其他做了更该被训斥的事的球员大声斥责的理由。这里不会有双重标准。就像蒙蒂·威廉姆斯说的，波波维奇可以管住全部12个人。有些教练只能管住2到12人，放任超级巨星像《权力的游戏》里那个任性的年轻国王乔弗里一样。
Duncan, in turn, is "a part of a lot of our decisions, too," Buford said. "Manu and Tony, too."
反过来说，邓肯也是“我们很多决定的参与者”，布福德说，“马努和托尼也是”。
They’ll consult with Duncan on potential free agents. He’ll sit in on their draft discussions. And a long-standing tale in the NBA is the Spurs chose the location of their practice facility based on its proximity to Duncan’s house.
他们会就可能的自由球员咨询邓肯的意见，他会参与球队的选秀讨论。在NBA长久流传着一个故事，他们说马刺选择训练场地的位置主要是因为那离邓肯的房子更近。
"It’s not far from the truth," Buford said.“这和事实真相差得不多。”布福德说。
The full story is that many players and coaches resided in the area.
事实真相是，很多球员和教练都住在那个区域。
"It made sense to build it near where our players live," Buford said.
“建在离我们球员住的地方近一些是合理的。”布福德表示。
As for building a team, Popovich’s frontoffice background lets him think with a longterm perspective. He oversees most free-agent decisions, while leaving the drafting to Buford and the scouting staff. Most coaches need to think short-term, because their job status can change in the time it takes to refresh the NBA standings page on your web browser. Thinking long-term enabled Popovich to work long-term, to become the most tenured active coach in American major pro sports, to be so entrenched he easily survived a first-round exit from last year’s playoffs that would have sent many lesser coaches packing.
在打造球队方面，波波维奇出身管理层的背景让他能从长远角度考虑问题。他监督着大部分自由球员签约的决定，但是把选秀留给布福德和球员们。很多教练总会从短期目标出发，因为他们的工作状态会随着球队排名的变化而变化。考虑得长远也让波波维奇的任职时间变得很长，他已经成为美国职业体育中任职时间最长的现任教练。就是因为位置牢固，所以他才能轻松地从去年季后赛第一轮就出局的尴尬局面中解决，而这本来会让很多教练卷铺盖走人。
"Our program starts with our ownership, with Peter Holt and his group," Popovich said at the news conference to announce his coaching award. "They set a tone for all of us, and I’m the beneficiary of all of their talents."
“我们的计划开始于我们的老板，开始于彼得·霍尔特和他的集团。”在最佳教练的新闻发布会上，波波维奇表示，“他们为我们所有人定下了基调，而我则是他们所有智慧的受益者。”
That’s Pop, being all modest again. The attitude is so pervasive in the franchise that Buford even called back to make sure this article wouldn’t make the Spurs sound as if they were taking credit for a system that made them superior to everyone else. They want to assert that everything is player-based.
这就是波普，再一次展现了自己的谦逊。这种态度在球队非常普遍，以致于布福德特意要来了演讲稿，以确保这篇文章不会让其他人觉得，马刺得益于一种体系，而让马刺高于其他人。他们想说明，所有的一切都是以球员为基础的。
"The guys that played here are the reasons that our program has been allowed to be built," Buford said.
“那些在这里打球的人才是我们的计划可以执行的原因。”布福德说。
It’s not a false modesty. Popovich isn’t obsessed with credit. He thinks so little of individual accolades that he didn’t even wear a tie to coach the game when he was presented his trophy at half court.
这种谦虚没错，波波维奇也不痴迷于这种嘉奖。他对于个人荣誉看得很淡，当他在比赛中场时领取奖杯时，他在当场比赛中连领带都没打。
But make no mistake, it’s about Popovich.不过别搞错了，这就是波波维奇。
"His people-managing skills, they’re off the charts," Brown said. "You watch how he handles different situations with people, whether it’s people in the front office or players 1-15 or people that work for him and you try to copy that, to a certain degree, if you can."
“他管理人的技巧，这是无法显示在纸面上的。”布朗说，“你可以看到他如何应对不同人的不同情况，无论是管理层，还是1到15的球员，还是为他工作的人。如果可以的话，从某种程度讲，你会试着复制他的做法。”