By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-02-02 15:43:24
2026年2月1日，周日，在圣安东尼奥举行的一场NBA常规赛上半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) (1) 在对阵奥兰多魔术队的比赛中得分。(美联社照片/Eric Gay)
在周日那场两度更改开球时间的比赛开始前1小时45分钟，马刺队主帅米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 坐在霜银中心 (Frost Bank Center) 的采访台前，宣布了一个小小的奇迹。
“我们赶到了，”他说。
为了在开球前赶回圣安东尼奥迎战奥兰多魔术，马刺队经历了整整25小时的波折：在夏洛特多滞留了一个计划外的夜晚，意外绕道亚特兰大，遭遇了北卡罗来纳州创纪录的暴雪，经历了一次飞机故障，甚至还有一次近乎“与死神擦肩而过”的体验。但最终，马刺队确实按时抵达了。
而且，他们也及时找回了状态，击败了魔术队。
凭借维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)、凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson)、迪兰·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 以及多名球员的强硬表现，马刺队顶住了被主帅称为“人在囧途 (Planes, Trains and Automobiles)”式的旅途折磨，以112-103将胜利收入囊中。
考虑到马刺队为了出现在赛前介绍仪式上所付出的一切，这场胜利成了球队本赛季最令人欣慰的胜仗之一。
“我们本可以抱怨太累了，经停时间太长，没休息好，或者在飞机上待了太久，”凯尔登说，“但我们没有任何借口。我们走上球场，打出了属于我们的篮球。”
这场周日胜利的故事始于周六下午，当时马刺队刚在夏洛特以106-111遗憾落败。
为了躲避一场正瞄准卡罗来纳地区的特大暴雪，那场比赛已经提前了三小时（东部时间中午）开球，但这一尝试并未成功。
当马刺球员到达光谱中心 (Spectrum Center) 进行热身时，这场最终给夏洛特大都会区带来11英寸降雪的暴风雪已经进入了狂暴状态。
输给夏洛特黄蜂 (Charlotte Hornets) 后，马刺队顶着严寒奔向道格拉斯国际机场，球队专机在那里等待了两个多小时希望起飞。然而天气状况持续恶化，跑道完全结冰，机场当晚关闭，马刺队仍滞留在起飞跑道上。
他们不得不返回登机口，重新坐上大巴，回到夏洛特再熬一夜。
只不过，他们没能回到原来的酒店。
马刺队周六早些时候退房的那家酒店，此时已经住满了新奥尔良鹈鹕 (New Orleans Pelicans) 的球员和工作人员，后者是为了备战原定于周一在夏洛特的比赛而提前抵达的。
球队最终找到了其他住所，马刺众将至少能为周日的返程之旅保证一整晚的睡眠。而回到主场对阵魔术的比赛，也从原定的下午3点推迟到了下午6点。
“因为那种不确定性，我们甚至产生了一点‘新冠时期的创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD)’，”米奇·约翰逊说，“我们回到酒店睡了一觉，度过了一些高质量的团队时光。”
周日上午8点，马刺队从第二家夏洛特酒店退房。
他们等待已久的航班于上午10:21顺利起飞。然而，起飞几分钟后，飞机的机舱加压系统开始失效。
飞行员被迫在亚特兰大进行紧急迫降，其间飞机在短短五分钟内骤降了2万英尺，由于气压剧变，所有人的耳朵都感到剧痛。
虽然这次飞行没有立即的生命危险，但降落过程非常惊险，以至于一名空乘人员身体不适，在抵达亚特兰大后不得不离队接受治疗。
“当时确实有点吓人，”凯尔登说，“广播里说机舱失压，我们必须紧急降落……看起来情况挺严重的。”
上午10:59，马刺全员平安降落在亚特兰大。在寻找新飞机的同时，他们又被迫消磨了3个半小时。
东部时间下午2:23，他们登上了飞往圣安东尼奥的新飞机。在飞越阿拉巴马州上空时，对阵魔术的开球时间再次被推迟到了晚上8点。
降落后，仍有一场比赛在等着他们。
“我问了身边的老将，他们说这就是职业比赛的一部分，”新秀后卫哈珀说，“拿了这份工资就要干活。既然要打，我们就要全力以赴。”
经过两小时的飞行，马刺队于中部时间下午1:25在圣安东尼奥国际机场着陆。
此时距离比赛开始还有4个多小时。
部分球员和教练有时间回趟家稍作休整再赶往球馆，而大多数人则直接从机场奔赴现场。
“只要飞机轮子一落地，”凯尔登说，“我就准备好出发了。”
作为马刺队的“人体咖啡因”，凯尔登自然要确保队友们也和他一样充满活力。
开球前一小时，他拎着一个迷你冰箱大小的私人音箱走进更衣室，播放着动感十足的嘻哈音乐，震得墙壁发颤。他给队友们分发了“狗链”项链，提醒他们要像疯狗一样去战斗。
在球队准备上场前的几分钟，凯尔登在走廊里把大家召集在一起进行赛前动员。即便按照他那类似“海绵宝宝”式的亢奋标准来看，这次讲话也显得格外激情四射。
“我们知道，归根结底，球会在8点钟准时抛起，”凯尔登说，“没有任何借口，没有退路。你不能倒下，你必须想办法解决问题。”
一旦球被抛向空中，一切便回到了正轨。
“打篮球就是我们的常态，”文班亚马说。
凭借着意志力和肾上腺素的加持，马刺队在首节打出了37-21的开局；虽然在第二节以23-40将领先优势全部送回，但他们在下半场成功锁死了魔术，仅让对手得到42分。
文班亚马全场砍下25分、8个篮板、4次抢断和5次盖帽，领衔全队。凯尔登贡献了14分、10个篮板的两双数据。德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 拿到16分，哈珀替补出场贡献15分。
“球员们的表现真是太棒了，”米奇·约翰逊感叹道。
文班亚马对此有另一种评价。
“这真是漫长的一天，”他说。
周日终场哨响一小时后，马刺队总经理布莱恩·莱特 (Brian Wright) 来到更衣室，祝贺球员们克服了过去25小时内的所有阻碍。
“现在，回家睡觉去吧，”莱特对站在附近的瓦塞尔和哈珀说道。
在这个充满意外的一天里，只有这个回应是预料之中的。
瓦塞尔笑了。
“您不用再说第二遍，”他说。
San Antonio Spurs guard De’aaron Fox (4) celebrates a play with teammates forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and forward Keldon Johnson (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magicin San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) moves the ball up court against the Orlando Magic during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet, center, is blocked by Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) drives against San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) and center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives around Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) drives against Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives against Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots a free-throw during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) watches his shot during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) shoots over Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) jumps to save a loose ball from going out of bounds during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, left, scores over San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) scores over Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) drives past San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Julian Champagnie (30) of the San Antonio Spurs shoots and scores over Paolo Banchero (5) of the Orlando Magic in the first half at Frost Bank Center on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images/TNS)
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：Inside the harrowing 25 hours that led to the Spurs' win over Orlando
Inside the harrowing 25 hours that led to the Spurs’ win over Orlando
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) scores against the Orlando Magic during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
An hour and 45 minutes before a twice-rescheduled tipoff Sunday, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson plopped down at an interview podium inside the Frost Bank Center and announced a minor miracle.
“We made it,” he said.
All it took was 25 hours, an extra unscheduled night in Charlotte, an unexpected detour to Atlanta, one record-setting Carolina snowstorm, one malfunctioning airplane and a pseudo near-death experience, but the Spurs did indeed arrive in San Antonio in time to face Orlando.
They arrived in time to beat the Magic, too.
Behind gutsy performances from Victor Wembanyama, Keldon Johnson, Dylan Harper and a host of others, the Spurs shrugged off what their coach labeled a “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” type of travel saga to pocket a 112-103 win.
Given all it required for the Spurs just to make it to pregame introductions, it added up to one of the team’s most satisfying victories of the season.
“We could have said we were tired, we had a long layover, we didn’t get no rest, we were on the plane this amount of time,” Keldon Johnson said. “There weren’t no excuses. We went out there and played our brand of basketball.”
The story of Sunday’s victory began Saturday afternoon, following the Spurs’ disappointing 111-106 defeat at Charlotte.
That game had already been moved up three hours, to noon Eastern time, in a failed attempt to beat a monster winter storm that had the Carolinas in its cross hairs.
The storm – which would eventually dump 11 inches of snow onto the Charlotte metro area — had already reached full roar before the Spurs arrived at the Spectrum Center for warm-ups.
After losing to the Hornets, the Spurs beat a frosty path for Douglas International Airport, where the team plane waited more than two hours hoping to depart. Weather conditions worsened, the runways froze solid, and the airport was closed for the night with the Spurs still awaiting takeoff.
It was back to the gate, back on the bus and back into Charlotte to hunker down for another night.
Except not at the same hotel.
The one the Spurs had checked out of earlier Saturday was now full-up with players and staffers from the New Orleans Pelicans, who had arrived ahead of their scheduled game at Charlotte on Monday.
Other accommodations were procured, and the Spurs at least got a full night’s sleep for a Sunday morning trip home. The game against the Magic, originally scheduled for 3 p.m. back home, had been postponed to 6 p.m.
“We had a little of the COVID PTSD, just because of the uncertainty,” Mitch Johnson said. “We got back to the hotel and got some sleep. We had some good quality time.”
The Spurs checked out of their second Charlotte hotel by 8 a.m. Sunday.
Their long-waited flight from Charlotte took off without incident at 10:21 a.m. A few minutes after takeoff, however, the plane’s cabin pressurization system began to fail.
Pilots were forced to make a rapid emergency landing in Atlanta, a maneuver that included dropping the plane an ear-popping 20,000 feet in five minutes.
Though the flight was never in any immediate peril, the landing was harrowing enough that one flight attendant fell ill and had to be removed from the crew upon arrival in Atlanta.
“It was a little scary,” Keldon Johnson said. “They came on the intercom and said we were losing cabin pressure. We had to emergency land. … It seemed pretty serious.”
By 10:59 a.m., the Spurs were safely on the ground in Atlanta. They had another 3 ½ hours to kill while another aircraft could be located.
At 2:23 Eastern, they were on a new plane bound for San Antonio. Somewhere over Alabama, the tipoff time against Orlando was bumped to 8 p.m.
There would be a game still awaiting them upon landing.
“I was asking the vets around me, and they were like this is what comes with the game,” said Harper, a rookie guard. “You get paid to do the job. If we’re going play, we’re going to play hard.”
After a two-hour flight from Atlanta, the Spurs touched down at San Antonio International Airport at 1:25 p.m. central.
They had a little more than 4 ½ hours before game time against the Magic.
Some players and coaches had time for a quick pit stop at home before redirecting to the arena. Most proceeded directly there from the airport.
“As soon as the wheels hit the ground,” Keldon Johnson said, “I was ready to go.”
Leave it to Johnson – the Spurs’ human caffeine drip – to ensure the rest of his teammates were too.
An hour before tip, Johnson dragged his personal speaker the size of a mini refrigerator into the Spurs’ locker room, shaking the walls with upbeat hip-hop music. He passed out dog chains to teammates, reminding them of the importance of playing like, well, dogs.
Minutes before the team was to take the court, Johnson gathered everyone together in the hallway for a pregame pep talk that was animated even by his SpongeBob-esque standards.
“We knew at the end of the day, the ball was going to go up at 8 o’clock,” Johnson said. “There wasn’t going to be no excuses. There’s no way out. You can’t lay down. You got to figure a way.”
Once said ball went up, it was business as usual.
“Playing basketball is kind of our normal,” Wembanyama said.
Fueled by a blend of guts and adrenaline, the Spurs burst out to a 37-21 lead in the first quarter, gave it all back during a second quarter they lost 40-23, then snuffed out the Magic by holding them to 42 points in the second half.
Wembanyama led the way with 25 points, eight rebounds, four steals and five blocks. Keldon Johnson added a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double. Devin Vassell pumped in 16 points. Harper gave 15 off the bench.
“It was a heck of a response by the guys,” Mitch Johnson said.
Wembanyama had another phrase for it.
“It was a long-ass day,” he said.
An hour after the final horn sounded Sunday, Spurs general manager Brian Wright swung through the home locker room to congratulate players on all they had overcome in the previous 25 hours.
“Now go home and get some sleep,” Wright told Vassell and Harper, standing nearby.
The response was about the only thing predictable on a day that had been anything but.
Vassell laughed.
“You don’t have to tell us twice,” he said.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News