By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-02-20 15:08:44
2026年2月19日周四晚，在奥斯汀穆迪中心举行的两场“I-35系列赛”的首场比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) (1) 在马刺以121-94战胜菲尼克斯太阳队后，带领球队和球迷一同欢呼。
奥斯汀——2月7日，随着马刺以138-125击败达拉斯的终场哨声响起，这意味着维克托·文班亚马在离开霜冻银行中心球馆地板前，还有最后一项任务要完成。
有人推出了那面巨大的低音大鼓，它已成为马刺队每晚获胜后的固定仪式。本场比赛的英雄斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 带领着流连忘返、陷入狂欢的主场球迷，进行了一场庆祝式的击鼓表演。
在马刺队开启为期九场的“牛仔客场之旅”前的最后一个主场之夜，后卫达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 看着这一切发生，感受到一种熟悉的感觉正在回归。
在一支意料之外的季后赛球队在圣安东尼奥敲响大鼓之前，萨克拉门托的一支意料之外的季后赛球队曾点亮过那道光束。
福克斯在两次突破中都拥有前排视角。
“我认为那时候我们有点让人们感到意外，”福克斯在反思2023年那支终结了16个赛季季后赛荒的国王队时说道，“我认为我们现在也同样让人们感到惊讶。”
对于马刺和国王来说，在那之后的三年里发生了太多事情。
在圣安东尼奥的第三个赛季，文班亚马书写了马刺队的翻身篇章，这是每个人都能预见到的——但并非每个人都预见到它来得如此之快。
与此同时，国王队正陷入连续第三个失败赛季的阵痛中，他们将带着15连败的颓势进入周六在奥斯汀穆迪中心举行的比赛。这段连败纪录标志着这支因各种不光彩纪录而臭名昭著的球队历史上最长的连败。
“说实话，我真的无法用言语来解释，”萨克拉门托前锋基根·穆雷 (Keegan Murray) 在周四国王主场94-131惨败给奥兰多后说道，“我不知道是否有人能解释清楚。显然，我们必须改变一些东西。”
无论好坏，两支球队之间的差距将在周六的穆迪中心展现无遗。
马刺队（39胜16负）带着七连胜之姿到来，位居西部第二，并且已经刷新了自2018-19赛季以来的最高胜场数。
2026年2月19日周四晚，在奥斯汀穆迪中心举行的两场“I-35系列赛”的首场比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) (1) 在第三节庆祝一次进攻。马刺最终以121-94获胜。
就像2023年的国王队一样，他们有望终结球队历史上最长的季后赛荒（六年）。
“从现在起，每一场比赛都将充满意义，”文班亚马说。
而在萨克拉门托，情况则完全不同。国王队以12胜45负的战绩排在全联盟垫底，似乎每晚都在玩一场“还能跌多深？”的游戏。
周四晚上，就在马刺队的班车在121-94狂胜太阳后离开穆迪中心时，国王队正被同样风光不再的奥兰多魔术队在自家地板上横扫。
萨克拉门托以94-131惨败给魔术队的这场比赛，其结果之可预见性令人瞩目。
国王队在连败期间的平均输球分差为14.4分。他们在过去三场比赛中分别输掉了37分、28分和26分。
在国王的地界上，短期内几乎看不到任何扭转局面的希望。
随着得分王扎克·拉文 (Zach LaVine) 和篮板王多曼塔斯·萨博尼斯 (Domantas Sabonis) 因赛季报销的手术而缺阵，蹒跚走向终点线的国王队只能指望两位早已过了巅峰期的全明星球员——德马尔·德罗赞 (DeMar DeRozan) 和拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克 (Russell Westbrook) 来扛起大旗。
“这简直是痛苦到了极点，”萨克拉门托主帅米奇·约翰逊 (Doug Christie) 说道。
站在圣安东尼奥的安稳高地上，福克斯仍能记起在萨克拉门托的那些美好旧时光，尽管它们转瞬即逝。
2022-23赛季的那支“光束队 (Beam Team)”在北加州依然备受推崇。
在福克斯、穆雷以及另一位未来的马刺成员哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 的带领下，那支国王队速度飞快、充满乐趣且振奋人心。
每次主场获胜后，球员们都会聚集在黄金1号中心 (Golden1 Center) 球馆的中场，其中一人按下按钮，一道1800瓦的紫色激光便会射向萨克拉门托的天空。
“我们当时觉得正处于上升轨道，”福克斯说。
在福克斯看来，“点亮光束”的国王队和“敲响大鼓”的马刺队之间的区别在于期望值。
没有人预见到2023年国王队的崛起。
但每个人都预见到了文班亚马领导下的马刺队会崛起，尽管可能没想过会这么快。
“我觉得我们被看待的方式略有不同，”福克斯说，“显然，拥有像维克托和斯蒂芬、迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 以及我自己这样的球员。我认为我们绝对被视为拥有天赋。我们让人们感到惊讶，更多是因为‘我们来得早了一点’，而不是‘我们没有竞争力’。”
如今，黄金1号中心球馆上空依旧漆黑。国王队已经一个多月没有机会点亮那道光束了。
福克斯在2025年2月被交易至马刺，标志着萨克拉门托那个短暂美好时代的最后丧钟。
辉煌时光已转移到了圣安东尼奥，在经历连续六个失败赛季后，马刺队正处于复苏之年。
福克斯一直是这次转型的核心人物，场均贡献19.4分，并正朝着职业生涯第二次全明星之旅迈进。
“他是一个28岁的全明星球员，正处于职业生涯的巅峰期，”马刺主帅米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 表示，“而且他有时会不断地把球权让给那些19、20岁，不知疲倦、无所畏惧且勇往直前的孩子们。”
毫无疑问，福克斯热爱他现在的处境。
去年8月，他签下了一份为期四年、总价值2.29亿美元的续约合同，这将是马刺队有史以来一次性给出的最高金额——直到今年夏天文班亚马获得续约资格。
在圣安东尼奥，福克斯正处于一支充满乐趣、朝气蓬勃且处于上升期的球队中心，这支球队有望首次冲击季后赛派对。
福克斯曾经在萨克拉门托也有过同样的感觉。
这一次，他期待着一个具有更持久生命力的突破。说到这支“敲响大鼓”的马刺队，福克斯希望这鼓声永远响下去。
“能够持续地达到那个高度并了解那种感觉，”福克斯说，“那才是你真正开始成就一番事业的时候。”
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：Why the Spurs will bang the drum a lot longer than the Kings lit beam
Why the Spurs will bang the drum a lot longer than the Kings lit beam
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) leads the team and fans in a cheer after the Spurs 121-94 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night, Feb. 19, 2026 in the first of two “I-35 Series” games in Austin at the Moody Center.
AUSTIN — The final horn sounded on the Spurs’ 138-125 victory over Dallas on Feb. 7, which meant Victor Wembanyama had one more item of business remaining before he could vacate the Frost Bank Center floor.
Someone wheeled out the giant bass drum that has become the Spurs’ nightly victory gong. The hero of the game, Stephon Castle, led the lingering and delirious home crowd in a celebratory beat session.
Watching all of this unfold on the Spurs’ last night in town before the beginning of their nine-game rodeo trip, guard De’Aaron Fox sensed a familiar feeling return.
Before an unexpected playoff-bound team in San Antonio banged a drum, an unexpected playoff-bound team in Sacramento lit a beam.
Fox had a front row seat for both breakthroughs.
“I think at that time we kind of surprised people,” Fox said, reflecting on a Kings club that stopped a 16-season postseason drought in 2023. “And I think we’re surprising people right now as well.”
For the Spurs and the Kings, so much has happened in the three years since.
In his third season in San Antonio, Wembanyama has authored a Spurs turnaround everyone saw coming — but not everyone saw coming so soon.
The Kings, meanwhile, are in the throes of a third consecutive losing season and will stumble into Saturday’s contest at the Moody Center in Austin on a 15-game losing streak that marks the longest in the history of a franchise infamous for ignominious records.
“I don’t really have words to explain it, to be honest,” Sacramento forward Keegan Murray said after the Kings’ 131-94 home loss to Orlando on Thursday. “I don’t know if anyone has words to explain it. Obviously we have to change something.”
The difference between the teams will be on display at the Moody Center on Saturday, for better or worse.
The Spurs (39-16) come in on a seven-game winning streak, in second place in the Western Conference, and have already posted their highest number of victories since 2018-19.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a play in the third quarter as the Spurs take on the Suns on Thursday night, Feb. 19, 2026 in the first of two “I-35 Series” games in Austin at the Moody Center. The Spurs won the game 121-94.
Like the 2023 Kings, they are in line to halt the longest playoff drought in franchise history (six years).
“Every game is going to be meaningful from now on,” Wembanyama said.
The same cannot be said in Sacramento, where the Kings own the NBA’s worst record at 12-45 and seem to be playing a nightly game of “how low can you go?”
Thursday night, at about the time the Spurs’ bus was leaving the Moody Center following a 121-94 thrashing of Phoenix, the Kings were getting blown off their home floor by an Orlando squad that has likewise seen better days.
Sacramento’s embarrassing 131-94 loss to the Magic was notable in how predictable it was.
The Kings’ average margin of defeat during their skid is 14.4 points. They have lost their past three games by 37, 28 and 26.
There is little hope for an about-face in Kings Land any time soon.
With leading scorer Zach LaVine and leading rebounder Domantas Sabonis shut down after season-ending surgeries, the Kings will limp to the finish line asking a pair of past-their-expiration-date All-Stars to carry them in DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook.
“It’s about as painful as it gets,” Sacramento coach Doug Christie said.
From the safety of his perch in San Antonio, Fox can still remember the good old days in Sacramento, fleeting as they were.
The 2022-23 “Beam Team” remains revered in Northern California.
Led by Fox and Murray and another future Spur, Harrison Barnes, those Kings were fast and fun and inspiring.
After each home victory, players would congregate at midcourt at the Golden1 Center as one of them hit a button that launched an 1,800-watt purple laser into the Sacramento sky.
“We felt like we were on an upward trajectory,” Fox said.
To Fox, the difference between the “Light the Beam” Kings and the “Bang the Drum” Spurs is one of expectations.
Nobody saw the 2023 Kings coming.
Everybody saw the Wembanyama Spurs coming, albeit maybe not so quickly.
“I think we’re looked at a little differently,” Fox said. “Obviously having somebody like Vic and then Steph, Dylan (Harper), myself. I think we’re definitely looked at as having the talent. We’re surprising people more so with ‘we’re a little early’ part, not the ‘we don’t have the talent to compete’ part.”
The sky remains dark above the Golden1 Center these days. The Kings haven’t had occasion to light the beam in over a month.
Fox’s trade to the Spurs in February of 2025 marked the final death knell of that brief feel-good era in Sacramento.
The high times have been transferred to San Antonio, where the Spurs are in the midst of a resurgent season of their own after six consecutive losing campaigns.
Fox has been at or near the center of the turnaround, averaging 19.4 points on his way to a second career All-Star berth.
“He’s a 28-year-old man in the prime of his career that’s an All-Star,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “And he consistently defers at times to 19- and 20-year old, relentless, fearless kids that just are full steam ahead.”
There is no question Fox loves where he is now.
Last August, he inked a four-year, $229-million contract extension that will mark the most money the Spurs have ever handed out at once — until this summer, when Wembanyama becomes extension-eligible.
In San Antonio, Fox is in the middle of a fun-loving, high-spirited team on the rise, one poised to crash the playoff party for the first time.
Fox once felt the same way in Sacramento.
This time around, he is looking forward to a breakthrough with more staying power. When it comes to the “Bang the Drum” Spurs, Fox hopes the beat goes on forever.
“To be able to get there on a consistent basis and know what that feels like,” Fox said, “that’s when you really start to build towards something.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News