By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-08 15:00:57
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。
2024年12月31日星期二，在圣安托尼奥举行的一场NBA篮球比赛的上半场，圣安托尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)盖掉了洛杉矶快船队伊维察·祖巴茨的投篮。（美联社照片/达伦·阿贝特）
密尔沃基——周一晚上比赛进入白热化阶段，在联合中心球馆的最后一分钟，芝加哥公牛队艰难地以一分领先马刺队。
公牛队后卫科比·怀特(Coby White)选择在那一刻挑战珠穆朗玛峰。
怀特在禁区内横冲直撞，为公牛队47分钟以来一直存在的维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)难题想出了一个新奇的解决方案。
“我闭上了眼睛，”怀特说，“然后就成功了。”
怀特的飞跃暴扣——2米21的文班亚马晚了一瞬间——不仅为芝加哥队锁定了114-110的逆转胜局。
还让怀特跻身于少数几个能在NBA盖帽王头上得分的球员之列。
“这就是篮球，你总会被人隔扣的，”马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔(Stephon Castle)说道。“我觉得（文班亚马）被隔扣的次数最少。”
事实上，周三在密尔沃基的比赛开始前，文班亚马以领先优势位居联盟盖帽榜榜首——而且领先优势相当大。
他在当天之前本赛季已经送出了124次盖帽。排名第二的是犹他爵士队的沃克·凯斯勒，只有74次。
文班亚马已经连续70场比赛都有盖帽进账，这是马刺队史最长连续盖帽纪录，也是自2006年12月至2007年12月约什·史密斯连续76场盖帽以来NBA最长的纪录。
想在文班亚马头上投篮得分需要什么？怀特的“闭上眼睛，放手一搏”的策略可能并非无理取闹。
“或许是运气和祈祷，”马刺队后卫特雷·琼斯(Tre Jones)说道。“他是联盟里最好的护框手。想在他头上得分可不容易。”
在上周末与丹佛掘金队的背靠背比赛之前，掘金队主教练迈克尔·马龙(Michael Malone)向他的球员们提出了一个精心设计的比赛计划，以防止他们的投篮死在文班亚马巨大的手掌中。
“没错，别在他面前投篮，”马龙打趣道。
掘金队或多或少地遵循了教练的指示，在两场比赛中将文班亚马的盖帽总数限制在6次，低于他场均4次的水平。
尽管各支球队已经学会了在文班亚马巡逻内线时保持警惕，但仅仅在四个小节里都躲着他并不总是一个可行的选择。
当对手发现自己在篮筐下与文班亚马一对一时，成功往往取决于智力和力量的结合。
“你必须贴住他的身体，”马龙说。“如果你以为你只要带球过掉他，然后轻轻一抛就能得分，那球肯定会被扇飞。你必须贴住他的身体，让他稍微失去平衡，这样他就无法完全伸展他的臂展。”
马龙还向他的球队提出了另一点：任何球员都不应该觉得他们必须与文班亚马一对一单挑。
“当你看到他过来的时候，你的责任至少是把球投到篮筐上，”马龙说。“面对一个伟大的盖帽手，进攻篮板是你应该争取的东西。”
伊利诺伊州芝加哥 - 1月6日：2025年1月6日，在伊利诺伊州芝加哥的联合中心球馆，圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马1号盖掉了芝加哥公牛队的尼古拉·武切维奇9号的投篮。
“传球时机也很重要，”马龙补充道。“一旦你吸引了防守球员，而他已经扑向持球人——那就寻找空位队友，寻找一个延迟传球给身后顺下的内线球员，让他为成为如此优秀的盖帽手付出代价。”
对芝加哥公牛队主教练比利·多诺万(Billy Donovan)来说，文班亚马能够用一两步就从三分线内覆盖到篮下的能力让他更加危险。
“他的防守范围很大，”多诺万说。“他真的能保护篮筐，为他们覆盖篮下。在很多方面，他都非常非常具有欺骗性。有些时候，他在那里，你以为你找到了一个角度，他够不着，但他的速度、臂展和起跳能力让事情变得非常非常困难。”
最有机会在文班亚马头上得分的球队是那些让他最辛苦的球队。
在周一与芝加哥的比赛后期，怀特在禁区获得了一瞬间的空位，因为文班亚马在三分线外被尼古拉·武切维奇(Nikola Vucevic)牵制，后者在上一个回合中投中了一记三分球。
“很多时候，要么是他位置不好，要么是他被边线上的某个人缠住了，所以他没能及时赶到，”琼斯说。“有时候，这与进攻方的策略无关。只是因为他不在篮下。”
在比赛的前47分钟里，公牛队要么躲着文班亚马，要么被他彻底羞辱，但在第四节，他们做出了一个果断的决定：直接挑战他。
“(多诺万)告诉我们，尽管上，”怀特说。“如果他要盖帽，那就让他盖。除非你挑战他，否则你永远不知道结果。”
文班亚马在对阵芝加哥的比赛中送出了8次盖帽，但在比赛的关键时刻却没能再送出一记盖帽。
在他那记响亮的扣篮之前，怀特在文班亚马头顶上完成了一记高抛上篮，球打板入筐，在比赛还剩47.1秒时，公牛队才首次取得领先。
那时他已经三次被文班亚马扇飞。
“我只是必须在那一刻想出办法，”怀特说。“他在防守端简直不可思议，他能做到的事情，他能覆盖的范围。我不得不把球高高抛起，让它打板入筐。”
虽然那次进攻对怀特奏效了，但他认为，如果他再次面对文班亚马，巧妙的技巧不会奏效。
这发生在公牛队的下一个回合。
“我告诉自己，下次我要在他赶到篮筐之前尝试扣篮，”怀特说。“我知道如果我尝试上篮、抛投或其他任何方式，他都会盖掉它。我必须扣篮。”
怀特本赛季的第二次扣篮罕见地让文班亚马出现在了别人的海报上，而不是他自己的海报上。
闭上眼睛，怀特登上了他的珠穆朗玛峰。公牛队也征服了他们的文班亚马难题。
这是NBA中很少有人能体会到的感觉，也是怀特可能无法再次享受的感觉。
“那是我扣篮的机会，”怀特说。“我想如果他早到一秒钟，他就会盖掉它。”
很多时候，要么是他位置不好，要么是他被边线上的某个人缠住了，没能及时赶到。有时候，这与进攻方的策略无关。只是因为他不在篮下。”
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs blocks a shot by Jalen Smith #7 of the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) tries to block a shot by Denver Nuggets center DeAndre Jordan (6) during the second half of their NBA game with the Denver Nuggets at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 in San Antonio. Denver beat the Spurs 122-111 in overtime.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1)blocks a shot by Denver Nuggets center Nkola Jokic (15) during the second half of their NBA game at the Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025 in San Antonio. Denver beat the Spurs 122-111 in overtime.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs blocks a shot by Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on January 06, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois.
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (1) moves to block a shot-attempt by Los Angeles Clippers’ Ivica Zubac (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
点击查看原文：'Luck and prayer:' What it takes to score on Victor Wembanyama
‘Luck and prayer:’ What it takes to score on Victor Wembanyama
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks a shot by Los Angeles Clippers’ Ivica Zubac during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
MILWAUKEE – The game was in the balance late Monday night, with Chicago holding a hard-earned one-point lead over the Spurs in the final minute at the United Center.
Bulls guard Coby White chose that moment to scale Mt. Everest.
Careening through the lane, White came up with a novel solution for what had been a 47-minute Victor Wembanyama problem for the Bulls.
“I closed my eyes,” White said, “and it worked out.”
White’s soaring dunk – with the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama closing a split second too late – not only iced a 114-110 comeback for Chicago.
It also put White on the short list of players who have gotten one over on the NBA’s No. 1 shot blocker.
“It’s basketball, you’re going to get dunked on,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “I feel like it happens to (Wembanyama) the least.”
Indeed, Wembanyama entered Wednesday’s game at Milwaukee leading the league in blocks – and not by a little.
He came into the day having totaled 124 rejections this season. In a distant second place is Utah’s Walker Kessler with 74.
Wembanyama had posted a block in 70 consecutive games, the longest streak in Spurs’ history and the longest in the NBA since Josh Smith did it in 76 straight from December 2006 to December 2007.
What does it take to get a shot up over Wembanyama? White’s “just close your eyes and go for it” strategy is probably not far off the mark.
“Probably luck and prayer,” Spurs guard Tre Jones said. “He’s the best in the league at defending the rim. It’s not easy to get one off.”
Before last weekend’s back-to-back series with Denver, Nuggets coach Michael Malone presented his players with a well-honed game plan for preventing their shots from dying in Wembanyama’s gargantuan hands.
“Yeah, don’t shoot it by him,” Malone quipped.
More or less following their coach’s instructions, the Nuggets limited Wembanyama to a total of six blocks between the two games, below his average of four per contest.
Though teams have learned to be wary when Wembanyama is patrolling the paint, simply avoiding him for four quarters isn’t always a viable option.
On the occasions when an opponent finds himself mano-a-mano at the rim against Wembanyama, success tends to hinge on a combination brains and brawn.
“You have to get into his body,” Malone said. “If you think you’re just going to drive by him and throw a little shot up, that’s going to get punched. It’s getting into his body, collapsing him a little bit, so now he doesn’t have his whole reach.”
Another point Malone made to his team: No player should feel like they must take on Wembanyama one-on-one.
“When you know he’s coming, your responsibility is to at least try to get the ball up on the rim,” Malone said. “Against a great shot-blocker, offensive rebounds are something you can try to take advantage of.
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.
“Same with a late pass,” Malone added. “Once you’ve drawn that defender and he’s committed to the ball – looking for a kickout, looking for a late pass to a big rolling behind him, to try and make him pay for being such an elite shot blocker.”
To Chicago coach Billy Donovan, Wembanyama’s ability to cover territory from the 3-point lane to the rim in one or two strides makes him all the more dangerous.
“He’s got a lot of range,” Donovan said. “He can really protect the rim and cover the basket for them. In a lot of ways, he’s very, very deceptive. There are times he’s down there and you think you have an angle and he can’t get there, but his speed and his length and his ability to get off the floor makes things really, really difficult.”
The teams who stand the best chance of scoring on Wembanyama are the ones who make him work the hardest.
Late in Monday’s game against Chicago, the paint was open for White for a split second because Wembanyama was occupied at the 3-point line by Nikola Vucevic, who had connected from distance on a previous possession.
“A lot of times, it’s either him just being out of position or him tied up with somebody on the wing and he’s not able to get there,” Jones said. “Sometimes it’s not about what the offense does. It’s just because he’s not there at the rim.”
After spending the first 47 minutes of Monday’s game shying away from Wembanyama when they weren’t being thoroughly humiliated by him, the Bulls made the executive decision in the fourth quarter to simply challenge him head on.
“(Donovan) was telling us just to go,” White said. “If he’s going to block it, he’s going to block it. You never know unless you try him.”
Wembanyama had eight blocks against Chicago, but couldn’t come up with another one with the game on the line.
Moments before his resounding dunk, White snuck a high-arching layup over Wembanyama and off the top of the glass to give the Bulls their first lead of the night with 47.1 seconds remaining.
He had already been victimized by three Wembanyama swats at that point.
“I just had to figure out something in the moment,” White said. “He’s unreal defensively, the stuff he can do, the ground that he can cover. I had to get it high off the glass and kind of teardrop it in.”
Though that play worked out for White, he decided finesse was not going to do the trick if he got another crack at Wembanyama.
That happened on the Bulls’ next possession.
“I told myself the next time I was going to try to dunk it before he can get to the rim,” White said. “I knew if I was going to try and lay it in or finger roll or anything, he was going to block it. I’ve got to go dunk it.”
White’s second dunk of the season had the rare effect of putting Wembanyama on a poster than wasn’t his own.
Eyes closed, White had scaled his Mt. Everest. The Bulls had conquered their Wembanyama problem.
It is a feeling few in the NBA know, and one White might not be able to enjoy again.
“That was my opportunity to dunk it,” White said. “I think if he had come over maybe one second earlier, he would have blocked it.”
A lot of times it’s either him just being out of position or him tied up with somebody on the wing and he’s not able to get there. Sometimes it’s not really what the offense does. It’s just because he’s not there.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff writer, via San Antonio Express-News