By Mike Finger, Columnist | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-07 13:20:31
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。
2025年1月6日，星期一，在芝加哥举行的NBA篮球比赛下半场，芝加哥公牛队后卫科比·怀特(Coby White)（0号）在扣篮后做出反应，圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)（1号）走上球场。(美联社照片/Nam Y. Huh)
芝加哥——请求宽恕的声音几乎立即响起。星期一晚上，维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)拒绝了第一个飘入他防守范围的不明智的投篮，然后又扇飞了另一个。接着，联合中心下层碗的顶排传来恳求声。
“手下留情，文班！”一位公牛球迷喊道。
最终，他会学会如何不手下留情。
在这个赛季，马刺队最强大的对手之一就存在于他们自己的大脑和骨子里。正如代理主教练米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)所说，“当事情进展顺利时，你必须对抗自满或自我满足的人性”，而有时人性会获胜。
连续两个第四节，分别是对阵丹佛和芝加哥，马刺队变得过于自满、过于开心、过于友善，他们为此付出了代价。周一114-110的失利——他们挥霍了19分的领先优势输给了公牛队——尤其残酷。
然而，这并不意外。尽管文班亚马和克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)喜欢坚称马刺队不应该再以年轻作为借口，但这仍然可以是一个解释。
像上周六那样的失利，文班亚马本有机会连续第二晚击败掘金队的尼古拉·约基奇(Nikola Jokic)，却放过了他，正因为如此，他会学习如何更加无情。
像周一那样的失利，马刺队在比赛还剩三分钟多一点时领先七分，正因为如此，他们会明白将一个受伤的敌人彻底击败是多么重要。
“我们有一群非常优秀的球员，”保罗说。“但为了赢得这些比赛，我们需要一种不同的心态。一个我们必须找到并必须拨动的开关。”
文班不是唯一需要拨动这个开关的人。他不是周一最后时刻犯下最致命失误的人，也不是投失最重要一球的人。
但就像二十年前，另一位百年一遇的天才在带领一支试图成为竞争者的球队时，面对着巨大的期望，每一次失利的每一个细节都会被仔细审查。对于年轻的勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)来说，每次他在关键时刻选择传球给队友而不是自己出手时，都会有各种各样的质疑声，即使他确信自己做出了明智的篮球选择。
那么，在周一比赛后期一次关键的进攻中，当文班亚马在包夹中将球传给空位的杰里米·索汉(Jeremy Sochan)时呢？当索汉的三分出手不中时，家里的观众问出了他们曾经问过关于詹姆斯同样的问题。
这孩子是不是太无私了？
也许，在那个特定的情况下，文班亚马是无私的。但在某种程度上，这证明了他对周围球员的信任，也证明了他像之前的詹姆斯一样相信，无论如何，明智的选择就是明智的选择。
随着时间的推移，以及十年来在NBA总决赛的征战，詹姆斯 learned到事情比这要微妙得多。有时，明星球员必须放弃明智的选择而选择更具侵略性的选择，有时，一点点的自私对整个团队是有益的。
要让这个教训深刻铭记的唯一方法就是输掉像周一那样的比赛。这并不是说下次马刺队需要一个关键进球时，文班亚马就不会把球传给索汉。
但也许他会先看看篮筐，然后再做决定。也许，他不会选择跳投，而是会考虑利用内线防守球员身材较小的优势。也许他会选择更强硬的选项，而不是更友善的选项。
诚然，整个讨论可能有点滑稽，因为在谈论NBA球员时，我们往往会被眼前的时刻所束缚。如果这篇专栏是在上周五而不是本周写的，那么它将会是关于文班亚马在连续击败快船和掘金的比赛中在最后时刻是如何 dominant 的。两场失利并没有改变他的本质。
好消息是，文班亚马有足够的远见来认识到，如果胜利不是侥幸，那么失败也不是。
“现在我们应该有更多的胜利，”他说。“但我们不配拥有更多的胜利，因为这就是我们目前的水平。”
正如NFL传奇教练比尔·帕塞尔斯(Bill Parcells)常说的那样，“你的战绩决定了你是谁。”现在，在周三对阵密尔沃基的比赛之前，36场比赛过后，马刺队是一支胜率50%的球队。
这比大多数人预期的要好。当他们展望下一步时呢？
下次别人请求宽恕时，文班亚马会知道他不需要理会。
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, right, drives as Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, left, drives to the basket past San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs controls a rebound against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs blocks a shot by Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Jalen Smith #7 of the Chicago Bulls battle for a rebound during the second half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Interim head coach Mitchell Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs talks with Victor Wembanyama #1 against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is defended by Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket against Josh Giddey #3 of the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Chris Paul #3 and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs look on against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, center, drives to the basket between San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, left, and guard Chris Paul in the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
点击查看原文：Victor Wembanyama learns to get mean as Spurs fight human nature
Victor Wembanyama learns to get mean as Spurs fight human nature
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) reacts after dunking as San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) walks on the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
CHICAGO – The pleas for mercy began almost immediately. Victor Wembanyama rejected the first ill-advised shot that floated into his airspace Monday night, then swatted away another, and from the top rows of the lower bowl at the United Center came the begging.
“Be nice, Wemby!” a Bulls fan shouted.
Eventually, he will learn how not to be.
During a season like this, one of the Spurs’ most formidable opponents is the one that resides in their own brains and their own bones. As acting head coach Mitch Johnson put it, “you have to fight the human nature of being complacent or happy with yourselves when things are going well,” and sometimes human nature wins.
In two consecutive fourth quarters, against Denver and Chicago, the Spurs got too complacent, too happy, and too nice, and they paid for it. Monday’s 114-110 loss, in which they blew a 19-point lead against the Bulls, was especially brutal.
It was not, however, unexpected. As much as Wembanyama and Chris Paul like to insist that the Spurs shouldn’t use youth as an excuse anymore, it still can be an explanation.
Because of losses like last Saturday’s, when Wembanyama had a chance to outduel the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic for a second-straight night and let him off the hook, he’ll learn how to be more ruthless.
Because of losses like Monday’s, when the Spurs led by seven with just over three minutes to play, they’ll learn how imperative it is to put a wounded foe out of its misery.
“We’ve got a group of very good guys,” Paul said. “But in order to win these games, it’s just a different mentality. A switch that we’ve got to find and got to flip.”
Wembanyama isn’t the only one who needs to flip it. He’s not the guy who committed the costliest turnover of the final minutes Monday, nor did he miss the most important shot.
But much like two decades ago, when another once-in-a-generation prodigy was dealing with immense expectations while leading a team trying to become a contender, every detail of the losses will be scrutinized. For a young LeBron James, every time he passed to a teammate in a clutch moment instead of taking a shot himself, there was a chorus of second-guessing, even when he was sure he made the smart basketball play.
And when, on a crucial late-game possession Monday, Wembanyama passed out of a double-team to a wide-open Jeremy Sochan in the corner? As Sochan’s 3-point attempt came up short, viewers at home asked the same question they once did about James.
Wasn’t the kid being too unselfish there?
Maybe, in that specific instance, Wembanyama was. But in a way it was a testament to his trust in the players around him, and also in his belief – like James’ before him – that the smart play is the smart play, no matter what.
Over time, and through a decade’s worth of runs to the NBA Finals, James learned there’s a little more nuance to it than that. Sometimes a star has to turn down the smart play for the aggressive one, and sometimes a little selfishness is beneficial for the team as a whole.
The only way for that lesson to get hammered home is to lose a game like Monday’s. And this isn’t to say that the next time the Spurs need a big bucket, Wembanyama won’t pass the ball to Sochan.
But maybe he’ll take at least a glance at the rim first, before making up his mind. Maybe, instead of settling for a long jumper, he’ll think about taking advantage of a smaller defender inside. Maybe he’ll choose the meaner option, instead of the nice one.
Admittedly, this entire conversation can be a bit comical, because we tend to be prisoners of the moment when talking about NBA players. If this column had been written last Friday instead of this week, it would have been about how dominant Wembanyama was down the stretch in rousing back-to-back victories over the Clippers and Nuggets. Two losses didn’t change who he is.
The good news is Wembanyama has enough perspective to realize that if the victories weren’t flukes, the losses weren’t, either.
“Right now we should have more wins,” he said. “But we don’t deserve more wins because this is where we are at.”
As NFL coaching legend Bill Parcells used to say, “you are what your record says you are.” Right now, 36 games into the season heading into Wednesday’s game at Milwaukee, the Spurs are a .500 team.
That’s better than most expected to them to be. And as they look to take their next step?
The next time others beg for mercy, Wembanyama will know he doesn’t have to listen.
By Mike Finger, Columnist, via San Antonio Express-News