By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2025-11-26 00:23:29
我们即将知晓马刺队能在阿联酋航空NBA杯中走多远。在接下来的一周里，圣安东尼奥将客场挑战开拓者队和掘金队，完成小组赛阶段的全部比赛，并力争晋级淘汰赛。
如果你还不熟悉这项赛事的赛制和具体规则，这里有你需要了解的一切。
什么是阿联酋航空NBA杯？它是如何运作的？
联盟于2023-24赛季推出了一项季中锦标赛。其目标是通过赋予比赛额外的意义，为赛季初期的常规赛增添激情与看点。
所有球队被分为若干个五队小组，进行单循环赛。除了最终的冠军赛，所有比赛的胜负都将计入常规赛战绩。小组赛中的净胜分是决定排名的首要标准。共有八支球队能够晋级淘汰赛阶段：每个小组的头名，以及两个外卡名额——即东西部各自分区中，战绩最好的小组第二名球队。
这八支球队将进行四分之一决赛，排名较高的种子队拥有主场优势。此后的半决赛和冠军赛将移师拉斯维加斯举行。最终的获胜者将捧起奖杯，球员们则会获得现金奖励。
我为什么要关心这项杯赛？
这项杯赛尚未完全俘获大多数NBA球迷的心，所以如果你对能否从小组赛出线不太在意，也完全可以理解。过去的两届冠军——湖人队和雄鹿队——在夺冠后都未能迎来一个出色的赛季，这可能也是季中锦标赛未能获得太多认可的原因之一。
话虽如此，另外两支闯入过决赛的球队——步行者队和雷霆队——上赛季都打进了NBA总决赛，所以也并非是随便什么球队都能在杯赛中走得很远。对于像马刺这样一支年轻、阵中鲜有球员参加过高风险对决的球队来说，能够晋级淘汰赛，并在单场定胜负的比赛中与另一支强队交锋，将是一次宝贵的经历。
半决赛将在十二月初至中旬进行，届时一些目前因伤缺阵的球员或许已经回归。此外，能从这个公认的最艰难的小组中脱颖而出，本身就是一项了不起的成就。如果马刺未能晋级淘汰赛，也算不上什么灾难；但如果他们做到了，这可能预示着球队正朝着正确的方向迈出了一步，并为全队的成长提供一个绝佳的机会。
马刺目前的形势如何？为什么本周如此重要？
马刺队在击败火箭队、负于勇士队后，目前以1胜1负的战绩位列小组第三。掘金队和开拓者队同为2胜1负，但掘金队凭借净胜分优势暂居榜首。
圣安东尼奥将于11月26日（周三）客场挑战波特兰，进行一场小组赛对决。如果马刺输球，他们晋级淘汰赛的希望将大大减小。如果他们击败开拓者，他们所在的小组将出现四支球队同为2胜1负的局面，因为火箭和勇士也将在同日交锋。随后，马刺将于11月28日前往丹佛，迎来小组赛的收官之战，届时他们有机会锁定一个淘汰赛席位。
马刺队将面临严重的人员短缺，因为维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 不会随队参加这次客场之旅，而斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 预计也不会复出。但他们的对手同样在为核心球员的伤病问题而烦恼。开拓者队预计将缺少朱·霍勒迪 (Jrue Holiday) 和谢登·夏普 (Shaedon Sharpe)。至于掘金队，他们最近因伤失去了克里斯蒂安·布劳恩 (Christian Braun) 和阿龙·戈登 (Aaron Gordon)，这意味着他们将缺少两名常规首发球员。圣安东尼奥完全有机会拿下两连胜，并以小组头名出线。
我有兴趣了！能再说一遍关键日期吗？
马刺队将于11月26日（周三）晚上9点，在波特兰客场对阵开拓者队，您可以通过Fanduel Network观看比赛。随后，他们将于11月28日（周五）晚上8点30分迎战掘金队，KENS电视台将转播这场比赛。
如果他们成功晋级淘汰赛阶段，四分之一决赛将在12月9日或10日进行。如果他们能闯入在拉斯维加斯举办的半决赛，比赛日则是12月13日。冠军赛定于12月16日举行。
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。
点击查看原文：The Spurs’ Emirates NBA Cup fate will be decided this week
The Spurs’ Emirates NBA Cup fate will be decided this week
We are about to find out how far the Spurs will go in the Emirates NBA Cup. In the upcoming week, San Antonio will attempt to qualify for the Knockout Stage after facing the Trail Blazers and Nuggets on the road to complete Group Play.
If you are not familiar with the format and the details of how the Cup works, here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Emirates NBA Cup and how does it work?
The league started a midseason tournament in the 2023/24 season. The goal is to create excitement for early-season games by giving them some stakes.
Teams are divided into groups of five and play each other in a round robin format. The wins and losses count towards the regular season, except for the championship game. Point differential in group play is the tiebreaker. Eight teams advance to the knockout stage: the top squad from each group and two wildcards, the team from each conference with the best record in Group Play games that finished second in its group.
Those eight teams will play the quarterfinals, with the highest seed hosting, before moving to Las Vegas for the semifinals and the championship game. The winner gets the cup, and the players get a cash prize.
Why should I care about the Cup?
The Cup has not yet captured the imagination of most NBA fans, so it’s understandable not to be too concerned about making it past the group stage. The two past champions, the Lakers and Bucks, didn’t go on to have great seasons after being crowned, which has likely also contributed to the midseason tournament not getting much recognition.
That said, the two other finalists, the Pacers and Thunder, played in the NBA Finals last season, so it’s not like random teams are making it far in the Cup. For a young team like the Spurs featuring few players who’ve participated in high-stakes matchups, it could be a good experience to make it to the knockout round and likely face another good squad in a one-and-done situation.
The semifinals will be played in early to mid-December, so some of the players currently out could be back by then. It would also be an accomplishment to simply make it out of the toughest group. It won’t be a catastrophe if the Spurs don’t make it to the knockout stage, but it could signal a step in the right direction if they do, and it could offer an opportunity for growth as a team.
How are the Spurs doing, and why is this week important?
The Spurs are currently third in their group with a 1-1 record after beating the Rockets and losing to the Warriors. The Nuggets and Trail Blazers both have 2-1 records, but the Nuggets sit at the top because of point differential.
San Antonio will visit Portland on Wednesday, November 26, for a group play matchup. If the Spurs lose, their chances of making it to the knockout stage will dwindle significantly. If they beat the Blazers, they will be one of four teams in their group with a 2-1 record, as the Rockets and Warriors will also face each other the same day. Then they will travel to Denver for the final game of group play, on November 28, where they could secure a spot in the knockout stage.
The Spurs will have major absences, as Victor Wembanyama won’t make the road trip, and Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are not expected back, but their opponents are also dealing with injuries to major contributors. The Blazers are expected to be without Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe. As for the Nuggets, they have lost both Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon to injuries recently, so they will be without two regular starters. San Antonio could pull off two wins and take the group.
I’m in! What are the important dates again?
The Spurs will play the Trail Blazers in Portland on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 9 p.m., and you can watch on the Fanduel Network. Then they will face the Nuggets on Friday, Nov. 28, at 8:30 p.m., and KENS will broadcast the game.
If they make it to the knockout stage, they will play the quarterfinals on either Dec. 9 or 10. If they make the semifinals to be hosted in Las Vegas, they’ll play on Dec. 13. The championship game is on Dec. 16.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock