By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-04-30 21:18:15
马刺完全统治了这个系列赛，如果文班亚马没有遭遇脑震荡，他们本可以横扫开拓者：是真是假？
玛丽琳·杜宾斯基 (Marilyn Dubinski)： 说是“真”很容易，因为在第二场比赛他离场后，马刺曾一度取得领先才被逆转；随后在没有他的情况下，马刺又在第三场完成了惊天大逆转。但最终，这很难定论。维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 既能因为用力过猛而输掉比赛，也能凭一己之力赢下比赛。不过，为什么不呢？我认为是真的。
马克·巴灵顿 (Mark Barrington)： 是真的！但面对并克服逆境的经历对球队很有好处，这将有利于他们在接下来的季后赛以及未来几年的征程。
比尔·黄 (Bill Huan)： 马刺在很大程度上确实统治了系列赛，但我认为即使文班健康，也不一定能横扫。即使是在实力悬殊的对决中，弱队通常也会有一个手感发烫的夜晚，再加上强队可能会有所松懈，所以我仍然认为系列赛会以马刺 4-1 晋级结束。俄克拉荷马城雷霆 (OKC) 是特例而非普遍现象，希望圣安东尼奥马刺有一天能达到那个水平。
德文·伯德桑 (Devon Birdsong)： 我觉得很有可能，但我也认为波特兰在第三场比赛中唤醒了一头沉睡的猛兽。从那场比赛结束起，马刺在执行力上简直冷酷无情。我觉得系列赛还是有可能打到第五场，因为我确实觉得他们需要那个小小的警钟，让他们意识到必须尽可能保持最佳状态。季后赛可不能梦游。
杰杰·戈麦斯 (Jeje Gomez)： 是真的。在文班亚马缺席了一场半比赛，且马刺没有第三个能顶上的大个子、被迫打小阵容的情况下，他们几乎完成了横扫。这绝非不尊重波特兰开拓者，他们在第二场末段打得很努力，战胜了人员不整的圣安东尼奥，但在文班在场的四场对决中，马刺总共赢了他们 45 分。
你认为马刺从这个系列赛中学到的最大教训是什么？
杜宾斯基： 考虑到除了第一场之外，每场比赛最大的共同点就是“半场论”——要么是第三、四场上半场表现糟糕必须苦苦追赶，要么是第二场下半场崩盘，或者是第五场下半场惊险守住领先——最大的教训就是提醒他们必须打满 48 分钟。开拓者的进攻能力较弱，容易陷入长时间的得分荒，这帮助马刺在自己的低迷期幸存了下来，但更强的球队不会这么宽容。
巴灵顿： 我认为马刺学到的是，他们很优秀，但仅仅优秀还不足以在季后赛赢球。你必须保持冷静，不能掉以轻心。马刺和开拓者之间的天赋差距足够大，大到即使他们在某些比赛开局时心理准备不足，或者在取得领先之后开始巡航，仍然能轻松获胜。在后面的轮次中，他们不会有这种奢侈。我不知道马刺是否能打满 48 分钟的巅峰表现，但他们绝对可以做得比首轮系列赛中那种只打 24 分钟好球的表现更好。
黄： 最显而易见的一点是他们需要打满 48 分钟，玛丽琳和马克已经提到了。更具体地说，为了打出一场完整的比赛，马刺需要始终推节奏。当进攻变得停滞、缺乏持球和无球移动时，表现就会下滑；而当他们打得快速且果断时，才是他们在攻防两端表现最好的时候。
伯德桑： 我认为他们学到了只要抓到机会，就必须直取对方要害，因为整个系列赛的走势可能在瞬息之间发生变化。我们在整个季后赛都看到了这一点，但理智上理解和亲身经历势头逆转是两回事。这是一次很好的警示，我敢打赌他们会记住这一点。在最后两场比赛中，他们几乎没有给波特兰任何扭转局面的机会。
戈麦斯： 我认为最大的教训是他们不能让对手左右自己的打法。开拓者做了很多事情来打乱他们的节奏，比如在三分线外完全放空斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)，通过极强的身体对抗来减缓节奏，以及频繁更换球员和阵容。当马刺掉入陷阱，试图强行配合对手的节奏而不是在原有的风格内进行调整时，是他们表现最差的时候。没必要使用奇怪的阵容、陷入缓慢的磨牙战或打英雄球。随着系列赛的进行，马刺似乎意识到了这一点。
这个系列赛中两队都有许多精彩瞬间和表现。你认为最难忘或最有意义的是哪一个？
杜宾斯基： 简单来说，第一场比赛是文班亚马盛大的季后赛首秀，证明了他已经准备好迎接更大的挑战，但对于记得他曾有职业联赛经验并打过奥运会金牌争夺战的人来说，这并不令人意外。我认为最令我难忘的表现是迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 在第三场比赛中的爆发。那是如此出人意料，他回应斯库特·亨德森 (Scoot Henderson) 垃圾话的方式（顺便说一句，亨德森自那以后就判若两人）让人看得非常过瘾。那是一场精彩的表现，甚至让 凯文·奥康纳 (Kevin O’Connor) 收回了他认为马刺选他而不选康·克努佩尔 (Kon Knueppel) 是个错误的立场。
巴灵顿： 我会选开拓者的一个瞬间。尽管他们在整个系列赛中实力悬殊，但在终结战中他们没有放弃，在第四节末段顽强反扑，将分差缩小到个位数。你必须尊重他们在陷入困境时依然保持斗志的精神。马刺需要从中学习，并拥抱那种强度和冷静，因为接下来的比赛会更加艰难。
黄： 我很喜欢马克对开拓者的赞赏，因为这是一个很好的观点：无论比分如何，即使大比分领先，马刺也需要继续战斗。除此之外，我想说第三场和第四场的下半场是我看球以来最开心的时刻。马刺球迷都知道哈珀的能力，但在大舞台上看到这一幕让全联盟都大开眼界。同时，第四场的逆转证实了我半场时那种毫不慌张的感觉。我从未在落后 20 分时如此自信，我知道只要马刺专注起来就能追回来，但连我也没预料到会有 40 分的分差逆转。此处应有勒布朗假装害怕的表情包。
伯德桑： 既然写到了这个，第三场第四节的逆转/爆发将会在我脑海中停留很长时间。当时我已经在脑子里构思关于失利的稿子了。我真心觉得比赛结束了。我认识的几乎每个马刺球迷都这么想。这不仅是一场史诗级的逆转，也是我以前从未在马刺身上见过的表现。作为一名支持了 30 年左右的粉丝，这可不是件小事。我压根不会赌这种事发生。
戈麦斯： 第五场比赛的最后几分钟让我印象深刻。上半场表现非常出色，为胜利奠定了基础，但由于我们在这个系列赛中见过大逆转，也见过马刺在第二场收割比赛时的挣扎，所以当时对于他们的年轻和缺乏经验是否会付出代价感到有些紧张。相反，他们看起来像一支老牌强队，虽然有时会“戏耍对手”，但知道何时彻底终结比赛。福克斯 (Fox) 和文班亚马表现出色，但整个团队在粉碎对手反扑企图时都显得信心十足。
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：A final look at the Spurs’ dominant first round series against the Trail Blazers
A final look at the Spurs’ dominant first round series against the Trail Blazers
The Spurs completely dominated the series and would have swept the Trail Blazers had Wembanyama not suffered his concussion: true or false?
Marilyn Dubinski: It’s easy to say true since they still got ahead without him later in Game 2 before blowing it, then also made a massive comeback to win Game 3 without him, but ultimately it’s impossible to say. He is just as capable of losing a game by trying to do too much as he is winning one for them, but why not? True.
Mark Barrington: True! But the experience of facing and overcoming adversity was good for the team and will work in their favor for the rest of the playoffs, and in years to come.
Bill Huan: The Spurs did largely dominate the series, but I don’t think it would’ve been a sweep even with a healthy Wemby. Even in a lopsided matchup, the lesser team usually has a hot shooting night combined with the better team taking their foot off the pedal, so I still believe it would’ve ended with the Spurs in 5. OKC is the exception instead of the norm, and hopefully San Antonio can reach that level one day.
Devon Birdsong: I think it’s likely, but I also think that Portland woke a slumbering beast in Game 3. From the end of that game onward, the Spurs were borderline merciless in the execution. I think there’s a possibility that this series might have gone five games anyway, because I do feel like they needed that little wakeup call to know they have to be the best version of themselves as much as possible. There’s no sleepwalking in the playoffs.
Jeje Gomez: True. It was almost a sweep with Wembanyama missing one and a half games and the Spurs having no third big man who could step up, forcing them to play small. In no way is this meant to disrespect a Portland team that played hard and outexecuted a shorthanded San Antonio team down the stretch in Game 2, but the Spurs, with Wembanyama on the floor, outscored them by 45 total points in four matchups.
What is the biggest lesson you think the Spurs learned from the series?
Dubinski: Considering one of the biggest takeaways from every game besides Game 1 was that it was always a tale of two halves – whether they had bad first halves and had to come back in Games 3 and 4, or bad second halves that either blew (Game 2) or had them holding on (Game 5) – the biggest lesson is a reminder that they have to play all 48 minutes. The Blazers are a poor enough offensive team that is prone to long droughts, so that helped the Spurs survive their own poor stretches, but better teams won’t be as forgiving.
Barrington: I think the Spurs learned that they’re good, but just being good isn’t enough to win in the playoffs. You have to keep your composure and not get complacent. The talent gap between the Spurs and the Blazers was big enough for them to get away with not being mentally ready to play at the start of some of the games, or coast after gaining a lead while still winning easily. They won’t have that luxury in later rounds. I don’t know if the Spurs are capable of playing up to their potential for 48 minutes, but they can definitely do better than the 24-minute efforts in the first round series.
Huan: The most obvious one is that they need to play a full 48 minutes, which Marilyn and Mark have already mentioned. More specifically, in order for them to play a complete game, the Spurs need to always push the pace. The offense bogs down when it becomes stagnant and lacks movement on and off the ball, and playing fast and deliberately is when they look best on both ends of the court.
Birdsong: I think they learned that they have to step on the neck every time they get an opening, because the whole complexion of a series can change in a heartbeat. We’re seeing it all over the postseason, but there’s a difference between knowing something intellectually and being on the other side of a momentum turn. It was a good scare, and I’m betting they’ll remember it. They gave Portland precious few opportunities to turn the tide over the last two games.
Gomez: I think the biggest lesson is that they can’t let opponents dictate how they play. The Trail Blazers did a lot to throw them off balance, like letting Stephon Castle completely open on the perimeter, playing extra physical to slow things down, and using a lot of different players and lineups. The Spurs were at their worst when they fell for the trap of trying to force things to match them instead of simply adapting within their preexisting identity. There’s no need for weird lineups, slow, grind-it-out possessions, or hero ball, and it seems like, as the series progressed, the Spurs realized it.
There were many good moments and performances from both teams in this series. Which will you remember as the best or most meaningful?
Dubinski: It’s easy to just say Game 1 was a huge playoff debut for Victor Wembanyama and proved he is ready for bigger things, but that really shouldn’t surprise anyone who recalls he has prior professional experience and has played in an Olympic Gold Medal Game. I think the performance that will stick with me the most is Dylan Harper’s breakout in Game 3. It was so unexpected and out of nowhere, and the way he responded to Scoot Henderson’s trash talk (who, by the way, hasn’t been the same since) was a joy to watch. It was a beautiful performance that even had Kevin O’Connor backing down from his stance that the Spurs made a mistake in drafting him over Kon Knueppel.
Barrington: I’m going to go with a Portland moment, where they were outclassed for the entire series, but didn’t give up and fought back in the closeout game to pull within single digits late in the fourth quarter. You have to respect them for keeping their edge even when they were in a bad spot. The Spurs need to learn from that and embrace that kind of intensity and composure, because things are going to be tougher going forward.
Huan: I love Mark giving the Blazers credit because it’s a great point: the Spurs need to keep fighting regardless of what the score is, even if they’re up big. Other than that, I’d say the second halves of games 3 and 4 were some of the most fun I’ve ever had watching basketball. Spurs fans have all known what Harper’s capable of, but seeing it on a big stage opened the eyes of the entire league. Meanwhile, the comeback in game 4 validated the lack of panic I felt at halftime. I’d never been more confident down 20 and knew the Spurs would claw back if they locked in, but even I didn’t see a 40-point swing. Cue the gif of LeBron pretending to be scared.
Birdsong: Having written about it, that 4th quarter comeback/explosion in Game 3 is going to stick with me for a very long time. I was already prepping an article in my head about the loss. I genuinely thought it was over. Just about every Spurs fan I know thought the same. Not only was it a historical-grade comeback, but it’s also something I’ve never seen from the Spurs before. And after 30-ish years of being a fan, that’s no small thing. I would never have bet on that in a million years.
Gomez: The last few minutes of Game 5 stand out to me. The first half was fantastic, and it set them up to win, but we had seen big comebacks and the Spurs struggling to close out Game 2 in this series, so there was some tension about whether their youth and inexperience would cost them. Instead, they looked like a veteran team that might play with its food but knows when to put opponents away. Fox and Wembanyama were terrific, but the entire group looked confident as they crushed the comeback attempt.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock