By Jared Weiss | The Athletic, 2025-12-17 12:00:31
拉斯维加斯电 — NBA杯决赛一度出现这样一幕：马刺队正处于领先，但维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 却坐在替补席上，神情沮丧。几小时后，当文班亚马在新闻发布会上回答第一个问题时，泪水开始在他眼眶里打转。
他停顿了一下，手扶额头，低头看着地板。起初，这看起来像是因以113-124不敌纽约尼克斯而感到的失望，但很快就显露出情况远比这更糟。随后，他的注意力回到了面前的媒体和向全世界直播的镜头前。
“抱歉，我今天失去了一位亲人，”他含泪说道。
一位球队消息人士告诉The Athletic，周二上午，文班亚马得知了他在法国的祖母去世的消息。
他表示自己会再回答一个问题，并专业而详尽地作答，随后便起身离场。截至周二晚间，尚无更多细节披露，但他的痛苦显而易见。
这场比赛有过许多积极的时刻，却以一个糟糕的结局收场。对文班亚马而言，他肩上扛着的远不止一座奖杯的重量。这或许可以解释为何马刺在收官阶段的整体性突然消失，以及为何文班亚马迟迟未能在比赛中打上自己的烙印。
这提醒着人们，即便是联盟中最看似超凡的球员，也终究是凡人——一个拥有着挚爱家庭的21岁年轻人。尽管这场比赛的结果不如他所愿，但他强忍悲痛出战，足以说明他多么渴望拿下这场胜利，多么渴望成为一名伟大的球员。
有些球员在悲痛时会选择暂时离开赛场，而另一些则选择坚持比赛。唯一正确的选择，就是对他们自己而言最合适的那个。
现在，马刺必须消化这场失利带来的影响。在半决赛对阵俄克拉荷马城雷霆队时，他们在关键时刻表现出色并最终取胜，但面对尼克斯，圣安东尼奥人在比赛末段却束手无策。这就是漫长赛季的现实：有时你感觉自己站在世界之巅，但转眼间，疲劳、战术、运气甚至悲剧都可能将你重新拉回谷底。
马刺本赛季首次以完整健康的阵容抵达拉斯维加斯，并有机会在常规赛所能提供的最大舞台上检验实力。总的来说，这次征程相当顺利，直到第四节球队突然崩盘。这也提醒着他们，在本赛季的进化之路上，还有许多步要走。
“我想，这是备战重要比赛的最好演练，因为我们的重心当然早已放在了季后赛上，”文班亚马说道。他在因小腿伤势缺阵一个月后复出的第二场比赛中，17投7中得到18分和6个篮板。“季后赛将是全年最重要的时刻。所以，今天能有这样的经历，我认为是件好事。”
比赛在末节初段开始对马刺失控，他们被打出了一波8-0的攻势，瞬间从整晚大部分时间里手握几个回合的领先优势，变为落后几个回合。主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 指出，正是在那时，球员们忘记了要珍惜每一次球权。
进攻篮板开始被对手予取予求，防守强度稍有下滑，比赛的势头也就这样悄然逆转。
“你必须确保，当感觉比赛正在脱离掌控时，那正是你需要挺身而出、稳住局面的时刻，”约翰逊说道。
这支球队之所以表现稳定，得益于其阵容深度和全员的竞争力。约翰逊排出的阵容，健康地融合了爆发力强的后卫、具备篮板和投射能力的侧翼，以及一位能够将这一切捏合在一起的中锋。
实际上，马刺在这场比赛中甚至没有出现太大的低谷，只是那段足以葬送他们优势的短暂断电，发生在了一位高水平对手的面前。
进入关键时刻，当场上阵容为文班亚马、迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)、德阿龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)、斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 时，球队进攻陷入了停滞。文班亚马勉强出手，始终没能和队友找到节奏。后卫们无法突入内线撕开空间，突破分球也几乎绝迹。尼克斯锁死了禁区，而马刺则无法持续找到攻入其中的办法。
一个积极的方面是哈珀精准的投射，他三分球7投5中。如果他能成为一名可靠的外线射手，那将使这套决胜阵容的可行性大大增强。整场比赛大部分时间里，马刺都暴露出优质射手匮乏的问题，而哈珀是全队唯一手感火热的球员。
“这只是我们所有人第二次在一起打球，”哈珀说。“我认为，要学会如何在高水平比赛中并肩作战，需要时间和经验的积累。我们在这方面还很欠缺。我想，在本赛季接下来的时间里，当比赛进入到收官阶段时，大家会看到我们截然不同的表现。”
在NBA杯决赛输给尼克斯的比赛中，迪伦·哈珀是马刺为数不多的亮点之一。(Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
总的来说，这套收官阵容的组合已经展现出巨大的潜力。对阵纽约的比赛中，卡斯尔和福克斯联手送出了21次助攻，而且在某些时段，球队的进攻运转得行云流水。尽管将所有拼图融合在一起尚需时日，但福克斯已经对所看到的一切感到满意。
“我认为有很多积极的方面。这套阵容无疑让我们的进攻变得更好了。我们能杀入禁区，并由此创造出三分机会，”福克斯告诉The Athletic。“我们在为彼此创造机会。我认为在防守端，我们能真正给对手施压，迫使他们出现一些失误，并且能够进行全场紧逼。我觉得这对我们来说是件好事。”
马刺需要让这套阵容进行更多的磨合，才能在第四节找到他们的节奏和目标。当文班亚马参与到进攻中时，他能改变很多事情，但在关键时刻，圣安东尼奥马刺队在如何为他创造成功机会方面表现得并不稳定。
尽管NBA杯的荣耀及其丰厚的奖金无比诱人，但从长远来看，马刺或许已经得到了他们最需要的东西。
“可能最重要的就是那个词——经验。这是他们所有人一起打的第二场比赛，”米奇·约翰逊说道。“与那些真正顶尖、经验丰富、经历过类似场面的老牌强队进行高强度的较量。我不敢说所有球队都有丰富的杯赛经验，但能够亲身感受这样的比赛，在场上努力拼搏，并沉浸其中，我认为这本身就是一种宝贵的经历。”
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：As Victor Wembanyama grieves grandmother's passing, Spurs process NBA Cup loss
As Victor Wembanyama grieves grandmother’s passing, Spurs process NBA Cup loss
LAS VEGAS — There was a moment in the NBA Cup Final when the Spurs were winning, but Victor Wembanyama was sitting on the bench, looking dejected. Hours later, when Wembanyama answered the opening question of his news conference, tears began to well in his eyes.
He paused, looking down to the floor with his hand resting on his brow. What at first appeared to be disappointment over losing to the New York Knicks, 124-113, had clearly revealed itself to be something worse. Then his attention returned to the media gathered in front of him and the cameras broadcasting him out to the world.
“Sorry, I just lost somebody today,” he said through tears.
On Tuesday morning, Wembanyama learned that his grandmother passed away in France, a team source told The Athletic.
He said he would take one more question, did so professionally and thoroughly, then walked off. There were no further details available as of Tuesday evening, but the pain was evident.
In a game that had so many positive moments but ended poorly, Wembanyama was carrying more than the weight of the Cup on his shoulders. Perhaps it could help explain why the Spurs’ connectivity faded in the closing moments, or why Wembanyama struggled to put his stamp on this game.
It was a reminder that even the most apparently superhuman player in the league is indeed human, a 21-year-old man with a loving family. Though this game didn’t go the way he wanted it to, that he played through grief speaks to how badly he wanted this one. It speaks to how badly he wants to be great.
Some players choose to step away from work when grieving, while others choose to play through it. The only right choice is what’s right for them.
Now the Spurs must process the loss of this game. After a triumphant crunch-time performance vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals, San Antonio didn’t have the answers late against the Knicks. This is the reality of a long season: Some days you’re on top of the world, then fatigue, strategy, luck or even tragedy can knock you back down.
The Spurs arrived in Vegas with their full lineup healthy for the first time this season and a chance to test it on the biggest stage the regular season has to offer. The trip went well overall, until things fell apart in the fourth quarter. It was a reminder that there are many steps they still have to take in their evolution this season.
“I guess this is the best practice for important games because we, of course, our focus is already on the playoffs,” said Wembanyama, who had 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting and six rebounds in his second game back from his month-long absence with a calf injury. “The playoffs are going to be the biggest time of the year. So I guess it’s good that we get this experience today.”
The game fell apart for the Spurs early in the final quarter, when they gave up an 8-0 run and suddenly went from being a few possessions up for most of the night to a few possessions down. That’s when coach Mitch Johnson noted that they lost sight of valuing each possession.
The offensive rebounds pile up, the defensive intensity wanes a bit and momentum can swing just like that.
“You’ve got to make sure that when there is a moment where the game feels like it’s getting away from you, that’s when you sometimes need to make a stand,” Johnson said.
This team has been consistent because of its depth and competitiveness across the roster. Johnson has put together lineups that have a healthy mix of explosive guards, rebounding and shooting wings, and a center who can bring it all together.
The Spurs didn’t even have that big of a lull in this game, just one long enough to ruin their advantage against a high-caliber opponent.
In crunch time, with Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell on the floor, the offense sputtered. Wembanyama forced shots and never found a rhythm with his teammates. The guards couldn’t get downhill into space and the drive-and-kicks hardly materialized. The Knicks locked the paint down, and the Spurs couldn’t consistently find a way in.
One positive was Harper’s knockdown shooting, as he went 5-of-7 from deep. If he can become a reliable outside shooter, that makes this closing lineup significantly more viable. The lack of quality shooting was glaring for most of the night, and Harper was the only Spur who had it going.
“It’s our second time all being out there together,” Harper said. “Just finding out how to play with each other at a high level, I think, comes with time and comes with experience. We don’t got a lot of that. I think over the next course of the season we are going to see a lot differently when we get to close games and stuff like that.”
Dylan Harper was one of the bright spots for the Spurs in their NBA Cup final loss to the Knicks. (Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
Overall, that closing lineup combination is showing plenty of promise. Castle and Fox combined for 21 assists against New York, and there were times when everything was humming. It’s still early days of getting all the pieces together, but Fox is already liking what he is seeing.
“I think there’s been a lot of good. It definitely makes our offense better. We’re just getting into paint, we’re getting 3s out of that,” Fox told The Athletic. “We’re creating for one another. I think the defense is really getting after people, turning guys over a little bit, just being able to pick up full court. I think that’s been good for us.”
The Spurs need many more reps to find their rhythm and purpose in the fourth quarter with this group. Wembanyama changes so much when he gets involved, but San Antonio has been inconsistent about putting him in positions to succeed in crunch time.
As great as the glory of the Cup may be, along with its hefty prize money, the Spurs might have gotten what they needed most in the long run.
“Probably that word, more than anything, experience. Second game all together,” Mitch Johnson said. “Playing really competitive games against really, really good teams. Seasoned, experienced teams that have been in similar situations. I’m not sure about all the Cup experience of all teams. But to be able to feel those games, work those games, be in the moment in those games, I think, is a valuable experience.”
By Jared Weiss, via The Athletic