By Tim MacMahon, Michael C. Wright | ESPN, 2026-01-13 20:00:00
编者按：本文初版发布于12月23日，现已针对周二的对决进行更新。
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 将 他那双20½码的巨足，塞进一双专为他定制的棕色毛绒LV潮鞋中，思索着本赛季第四次面对卫冕冠军俄克拉荷马城雷霆队的前景。
周日，在明尼苏达标靶中心一间昏暗且几乎空无一人的客队更衣室里，文班亚马回忆起圣安东尼奥马刺队在圣诞节那天战胜雷霆队的比赛，认为那是他职业生涯初期的关键时刻。
“我当然还记得那种感觉，”这位22岁的年轻人说道。“我不是说那场胜利意味着什么，因为它只是一场常规赛。但那可能是我职业生涯迄今为止，感觉我们状态最好的时刻。”
这么说也确实有理有据，因为那场胜利标志着圣安东尼奥取得了八连胜，也是他们在12天内第三次击败俄克拉荷马城。就在12天前，文班亚马因左小腿扭伤缺席12场比赛后迎来复出首战，马刺队便在NBA杯半决赛中将雷霆队淘汰出局。接着，在圣诞大战胜利的两天前，圣安东尼奥在一场经历了15次交替领先和13次平分的比赛中，以20分的优势轻取俄克拉荷马城，马刺队最终在第四节轰下毁灭性的43分，彻底锁定胜局。
“我们必须变得更好，”雷霆队明星控卫谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在那场圣诞大战失利后说道。“如果你在短时间内连续输给同一支球队三次，那只能说明他们比你更强。”
尽管马刺队在本赛季的系列赛中以3-0领先，但吉尔杰斯-亚历山大和雷霆队将有机会在周二于俄克拉荷马城的佩科姆中心，在这场西部头号和二号种子之间的又一次对决中，向他们的宿敌扳回一城。
文班亚马预计，他们将遇到一支“憋着一股劲”、并期待在前三次交锋中被NBA的未来力量颠覆当下格局后寻求复仇的雷霆队。
“当然，他们会拿出我们连输三场后会有的那种态度，”文班亚马说。“但在他们憋着这股劲之前，他们就已经是支强队了。”
之后也是如此。
自从上次输给圣安东尼奥以来，俄克拉荷马城在随后的九场比赛中赢下了七场，场均净胜17分，充分展示了他们的实力。与此同时，马刺队则经历了两次两连败，此外还在周日输给了明尼苏达森林狼——在那场比赛中，他们打出了16-0的开局，并一度领先多达19分，但最终安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 在比赛还剩16.8秒时命中制胜抛投，帮助森林狼完成逆转。
“我们只是想努力重回胜利的轨道，”圣安东尼奥后卫德阿隆·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 说。“我们就是要去那里，执行好我们的比赛计划，看看在已经和他们交手三次之后是否需要做出调整。连续四次击败同一支球队是非常困难的。”
达拉斯独行侠队 是最后一支在季后赛中淘汰俄克ла荷马城雷霆队的球队，他们在2024年西部半决赛中击败雷霆，并一路杀入NBA总决赛——然而几个月后，他们却出人意料地交易了正值巅峰前夕、常年位列MVP候选人的卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Doncic)。
请放心，马刺队绝对打算在可预见的未来，围绕他们的三位前四顺位乐透秀——文班亚马以及后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)——来建队。这可能是我们这个时代圣安东尼奥版本的蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan)、托尼·帕克 (Tony Parker) 和马努·吉诺比利 (Manu Ginobili)。
俄克拉荷马城和圣安东尼奥上一次在季后赛中相遇——是在2016年西部半决赛——当时马刺队阵中除了邓肯、帕克和吉诺比利外，还有更年轻的球星拉马库斯·阿尔德里奇 (LaMarcus Aldridge) 和科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard)，后者当时刚首次入选全明星并第二次荣获NBA年度最佳防守球员奖。而雷霆队则由凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant)、拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克 (Russell Westbrook) 和史蒂文·亚当斯 (Steven Adams) 领衔。
雷霆最终历经六场淘汰马刺，雷霆三巨头在第六场比赛中合砍80分，以113-99大胜对手。
邓肯离开切萨皮克能源球馆（现名佩科姆中心）的球场时，头发上还粘着彩带，心中充满了对是否要延续其名人堂生涯的迷茫。在客队更衣室里，他背靠着一面煤渣砖墙，当被问及未来时，这位沮丧的传奇球星答道：
“等我离开这里，理清了生活之后，我再考虑这个问题。”
在那场俄克拉荷马城的失利两个月后，邓肯宣布退役。
两队之间的宿敌之争从未真正达到人们所期望的高度。雷霆队在接下来的四个赛季均止步季后赛首轮，之后连续三年无缘季后赛。与此同时，圣安东尼奥在接下来的赛季闯入了西部决赛，但在那之后的两个赛季均在首轮被淘汰，随后陷入了长达六年的季后赛荒。
自从雷霆队迁至俄克拉荷马城以来，他们与马刺队在季后赛中交手过三次。雷霆队赢了其中两次（2012年和2016年），在对阵圣安东尼奥的季后赛中取得了10胜8负的战绩。
或许现在，这对宿敌之争又回来了，或者至少正处于萌芽阶段。斯蒂芬·卡斯尔相信，马刺队用他们在半决赛中的胜利传递了一个信息。
“这表明了我们是认真的，”他说。“无论场上是哪五个人，这都展现了我们逐步成熟的一面。我们队里有很多球员，在任何一个晚上都能挺身而出。人们都说他们是不可战胜的。但我们每场比赛都抱着同样的心态，所以我认为这恰恰说明了我们是一支什么样的球队。”
在NBA杯 半决赛后的赛后媒体采访中，文班亚马的一句评论引起了人们的注意，尤其是那些渴望马刺能成为雷霆队心腹大患的人们。
当被问及圣安东尼奥在他因左小腿拉伤缺席12场比赛后、于当晚复出前赢下了其中9场时，文班亚马回答说：“我很高兴能成为这件正变得如此美好的事业的一部分。”
文班亚马停顿了一下，似乎在寻找最恰当的词语：“你知道，就是那种纯粹且合乎准则的篮球。”
这是在暗讽雷霆吗？这是否巧妙地呼应了社交媒体上对方球迷的普遍抱怨——他们哀叹吉尔杰斯-亚历山大获得了太多罚球，而雷霆队在防守端却能摆出橄榄球式的身体对抗而免于吹罚？文班亚马所说的“纯粹且合乎准则的篮球”究竟是什么意思？
这个问题引起了极大的兴趣，以至于两天后他在训练前的下一次媒体采访中，头两个问题就是用法语和英语对他这句话的追问。
“基本上，我的回答很简单，就是在现代篮球中，我们看到很多篮球风格，它们给对手造成的威胁种类并不多，”文班亚马说。“大量的单打独斗，有时是一种有些勉强的篮球。”
“我们尝试展现一种有时可以被形容为更复古的篮球风格，也就是马刺之道。在我看来，这是一种战术上更为正确的篮球。”
这番回应并未将矛头指向俄克拉荷马城。当被问及马刺队是否认为与雷霆队之间正在形成一种宿敌关系时，文班亚马也表现出了尊重的态度。
“我认为我们还没到那个地步，但人们能看到这种可能性是个好兆头，因为我们现在又不是排在第二的种子球队，”他说。“我认为目前联盟里还没有哪支球队能声称与他们存在宿敌关系。他们自成一档。”
“但在未来，如果我们能提供这样一个精彩的舞台，并达到那个水平，那拥有一段宿敌关系当然会很棒。因为如果你身处顶峰，并且拥有一对宿敌，那就意味着你处于争夺总冠军的最佳位置。我对此非常感兴趣。”
由生成式 AI 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 budding Spurs-Thunder rivalry that could shape the West
The budding Spurs-Thunder rivalry that could shape the West
Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Dec. 23 and has been updated ahead of Tuesday’s matchup.
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA SLID his massive sized 20 ½ feet into a pair of furry brown Louis Vuitton kicks made exclusively for him and pondered the prospect of facing the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder for the fourth time this season.
Inside a dark, mostly empty visiting locker room at Minnesota’s Target Center on Sunday, Wembanyama recalled San Antonio’s win on Christmas Day against the Thunder as a seminal moment in his budding career.
“I remember the feeling, of course,” the 22-year old said. “Not to say it means anything, because it was just a regular-season game. But that’s probably the moment where I felt we were probably, in my career, [at] our best so far.”
For good reason, too, considering that win marked San Antonio’s eighth in a row and third in a span of 12 days over Oklahoma City. The Spurs ushered the Thunder out of the NBA Cup semifinals just 12 days prior in Wembanyama’s first game back after sitting out 12 outings because of a sprained left calf. Then, two days before the Christmas win, San Antonio dusted Oklahoma City by 20 points in a game that featured 15 lead changes and 13 ties before the Spurs finally smashed the gas with a crushing 43-point fourth quarter.
“We have to get better,” Thunder star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said in the aftermath of that Christmas defeat. “You don’t lose to a team three times in a row in a short span without them being better than you.”
While the Spurs lead the season series 3-0, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will get their chance to add a win over their rivals Tuesday at Oklahoma City’s Paycom Center in yet another battle between the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds in the Western Conference.
Wembanyama anticipates encountering a Thunder squad that’s “pissed off” and looking for revenge after the previous three meetings saw the NBA’s future topple its present.
“Of course, it will be just like we would be if we got beat three times,” Wembanyama said. “But they were already a good team before they were pissed off.”
After, too.
Oklahoma City showcased as much since its last loss to San Antonio by winning seven of its nine games by an average margin of 17 points. The Spurs, meanwhile, have since endured a pair of two-game losing streaks, in addition to a loss Sunday at Minnesota in which they sped out to a 16-0 start and led by as many as 19 before Anthony Edwards hit a winning floater with 16.8 seconds left to complete a Timberwolves comeback.
“We’re just trying to get back on the winning side of things,” San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox said. “Just going in there and executing whatever our game plan may be if we’re going to make adjustments after already playing them three times. It’s hard to beat a team four times in a row.”
THE DALLAS MAVERICKS were the last team to eliminate Oklahoma City in the playoffs, beating the Thunder in the 2024 West semifinals en route to an NBA Finals appearance – and then, months later, shockingly traded pre-prime, perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic.
Rest assured, the Spurs fully intend to build around their trio of top-four lottery picks – Wembanyama and guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper – for the foreseeable future. It could be this generation’s version of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in San Antonio.
The last time Oklahoma City and San Antonio faced off in the postseason – in the 2016 Western Conference semifinals – the Spurs featured Duncan, Parker and Ginobili alongside younger stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard, fresh off his first All-Star appearance and second NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. The Thunder, meanwhile, were anchored by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams.
OKC would knock off the Spurs in six games, as the Thunder trio combined for 80 points in a 113-99 rout in Game 6.
Duncan left the floor at Chesapeake Energy Arena (now called Paycom Center) with confetti embedded in his hair and uncertainty in his heart about continuing his Hall of Fame career. Leaning back against a cinder block wall in the visitors’ locker room, a dejected Duncan was asked about his future.
“I’ll get to that after I get out of here and figure out life,” he said.
Duncan would announce his retirement two months after the loss in Oklahoma City.
The rivalry between the teams never lived up to its potential. The Thunder fell in the opening round of the playoffs over the next four seasons, before missing the postseason the next three years. San Antonio, meanwhile, advanced to the conference finals the next season, before suffering elimination in the opening round the next two seasons, followed by a six-year postseason drought.
The Thunder and Spurs have battled it out in three postseason series since the former’s move to Oklahoma City. The Thunder won two (2012 and 2016), posting a 10-8 playoff record against San Antonio.
Perhaps now the rivalry is back, or at least in the early stages of development. Castle believes the Spurs sent a message with their semifinal win.
“It just showed that we’re serious,” he said. “It shows our maturity down the line with whatever five is in the game. We have a lot of guys that can do it any given night. People are saying that they were unbeatable. But we come into every game with that same mindset, so I think it just shows what kind of team we are.”
A COMMENT BY Wembanyama during his postgame media availability after the Cup semifinal raised eyebrows, particularly from the hordes of folks hopeful the Spurs can become thorns in the Thunder’s side.
“I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful,” Wembanyama said, answering a question about San Antonio’s success in winning nine of the 12 games he had missed due to a left calf strain before his return that night.
Wembanyama paused and contemplated, looking for just the right words: “Pure and ethical basketball, you know.”
Was that a subtle jab at the Thunder? Was it a sly nod to the rampant social media rumbling from opposing fans who whine that Gilgeous-Alexander draws so many fouls calls while Oklahoma City gets away with flexing a football-style physicality on defense? What exactly did Wembanyama mean by the phrase “pure and ethical basketball?”
It was such a subject of intrigue that the first two questions of his next media availability, conducted two days later before practice, were variations of that inquiry in French and English.
“Basically, my answer is simply going to be that in modern basketball we see a lot of brands of basketball that don’t offer much variety in the dangers they pose to the opponents,” Wembanyama said. "Lots of isolation ball. Sometimes kind of forced basketball.
“We try to propose a brand of basketball that can be described as more old-school sometimes, the Spurs’ way, as well. It’s tactically more correct basketball, in my opinion.”
That response sent no shade Oklahoma City’s way. Wembanyama also struck a respectful tone when asked whether the Spurs believed there’s a rivalry brewing with the Thunder.
“I think we’re not quite there yet, but it’s a good sign that people see that it’s possible because it’s not like we’re the second seed right now,” he said. "I don’t think anybody right now can claim to have a rivalry with them in the league. They’re in their own tier.
“But in the future if we can provide a stage this good and we reach that level, of course it would be great to have a rivalry because if you’re at the top and you have a rivalry, it means you’re in the best position to win titles. I’m very interested by it.”
By Tim MacMahon, Michael C. Wright | ESPN, via ESPN