By Jon Krawczynski | The Athletic, 2026-05-02 22:07:17
洛杉矶全明星周末期间，最令人难忘且可能具有重要意义的一次互动并非发生在赛场上，而是在跳球开始前，发生在直觉穹顶球馆 (Intuit Dome) 幽深的后台区域。
在两支球队交手前，圣安东尼奥马刺队球星维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 找到了明尼苏达森林狼队球星安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards)。当时，全明星赛因缺乏竞争性而备受诟病，文班亚马想要改变这一现状。
“我会对位你，”文班亚马直勾勾地盯着爱德华兹的眼睛说道。
爱德华兹也直视着他，点了点头。随后，他上场并荣膺全明星赛 MVP。
“我不说假话，”在爱德华兹率领的星锐队击败文班的世界队后，他说道，“文班定下了基调。他上场后打得很拼，我们必须紧随其后。”
随着马刺队和森林狼队准备在西部季后赛第二轮展开对决，所有人都在关注这两位年轻的球队领军人物是否会再次相遇。如果听听爱德华兹的想法，答案是肯定的。
森林狼队的安东尼·爱德华兹和马刺队的维克托·文班亚马在常规赛中有过三次交手，明尼苏达赢得了其中的两次。（Daniel Dunn / Imagn Images）
据 The Athletic 消息人士透露，爱德华兹一直在对受伤的左膝进行全天候治疗，并告诉队友他计划在系列赛的某个时间点回归。
这印证了森林狼队主教练克里斯·芬奇 (Chris Finch) 在对阵丹佛掘金队系列赛第五战前的说法。他当时表示，如果森林狼能将季后赛征程延续到首轮之后，“我们将有幸迎来他的回归”。芬奇在周六训练后表示，爱德华兹“每周观察”的状态并未改变。球队尚未发布正式的复出时间表，这使得他几乎不可能在周一的第一场比赛中出场。
爱德华兹在周六训练结束后留在场上进行了投篮练习，但他没有参加正式训练。他在对阵掘金队的第四场比赛中遭遇了左膝过度伸展和骨挫伤，并缺席了该系列赛最后两场半的比赛。不过，所有人都在准备迎接他在本轮系列赛某个时刻的回归。
“无论何时，只要能让受伤的球员回归，尤其是华子（Ant），仅凭他所具备的牵制力，哪怕只是站在场上都会给我们带来巨大帮助，”前锋杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯 (Jaden McDaniels) 说道，“我告诉他，无论他什么时候准备好，在他回归之前我们都会稳住局面。”
爱德华兹受膝伤困扰已有一个多月。右膝炎症导致他缺席了常规赛最后 14 场比赛中的 11 场，并在对阵丹佛的系列赛初期对他造成了困扰。在第四场比赛中，他在试图封盖卡梅隆·约翰逊 (Cam Johnson) 的投篮时伤到了左膝。许多人曾担心伤势会比实际情况严重得多。
“我们躲过了一劫，”芬奇上周说道，“我认为这是最重要的一点。这让人松了一大口气。我知道他很沮丧，因为他一直在处理另一边膝盖的伤势，并且为了最终从伤病名单中除名做了所有必要的努力。”
爱德华兹的左膝伤势有两个因祸得福之处。首先，森林狼队在没有他的情况下赢得了系列赛最后三场比赛中的两场，连续第三年晋级第二轮。其次，这段休息时间也让爱德华兹能够休养他的右膝，这可能有助于缓解他一直感到的不适。
据 The Athletic 消息人士透露，爱德华兹一直在向队友传达他计划在系列赛某个时间点加入他们的想法。在系列赛潜在的前五场比赛中，两队每隔一天进行一场比赛。如果有必要，在第五场和第六场之间会有两天的休息时间。第二场比赛将于周三在圣安东尼奥举行。系列赛将在周五的第三场和周日的第四场移师明尼苏达。
爱德华兹一直在尽一切努力加速重返赛场。据联盟消息人士告诉 The Athletic，在第六场锁定胜局击败掘金的比赛中，他没有坐在替补席上，因为他当时正在接受伤病治疗。
无论他在系列赛的哪个阶段回归，对力争连续第三次闯入西部决赛的森林狼队来说，都将是巨大的提振。明尼苏达在常规赛对阵圣安东尼奥的战绩为 2 胜 1 负。爱德华兹的三分球是这组对决中的关键因素，能帮助森林狼拉开空间，给文班亚马和马刺队的防守施加更大压力。
两位超级巨星在 1 月份的一场扣人心弦的马刺胜利中展开了正面对决。爱德华兹在那场比赛中砍下 55 分并命中了 9 记三分。文班亚马则以 39 分和 9 个篮板予以回击，帮助球队以 126-123 获胜。
爱德华兹在 11 月的交锋中占据了上风，当时他砍下 32 分，并在过掉文班后投中了锁定胜局的一球。
同样悬而未决的还有后卫阿约·多苏穆 (Ayo Dosunmu) 的情况，他因右小腿肌肉酸痛缺席了对阵丹佛的第六场比赛。芬奇表示，多苏穆在周六的训练中进行了一些轻量训练，目前仍被列入每日观察名单。
“所以我们还得再看看，”芬奇说道。
多苏穆是在交易截止日前从芝加哥交易而来的，他在对阵丹佛的比赛中场均贡献 21.8 分和 4.0 次助攻，其中包括在第四场比赛中的 43 分大爆发，帮助森林狼克服了失去爱德华兹和右侧跟腱断裂的丹特·迪温琴佐 (Donte DiVincenzo) 带来的损失。
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：Anthony Edwards is hoping he can return to play against Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Anthony Edwards is hoping he can return to play against Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
One of the most memorable and likely important interactions during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles did not happen on the court during the games. It happened in the cavernous backstage area of Intuit Dome before the ball was even tipped.
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama called Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards before their teams faced each other. The All-Star Game had come under intense scrutiny for its lack of competitiveness, and Wembanyama wanted to change that.
“I’m matched up with you,” Wembanyama told Edwards, looking him dead in the eye.
Edwards nodded his head while looking right back at him. Then he went out and earned All-Star MVP honors.
“I ain’t gonna lie,” Edwards said after his Stars beat Wembanyama’s World team. “Wemby set the tone. He came out playing hard and we had to follow that.”
As the Spurs and Timberwolves prepare to face off in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, everyone is wondering if the two young faces of their franchises will see each other again. If Edwards has something to say about it, they will.
The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards and the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama had three head-to-head matchups in the regular season, Minnesota winning twice. (Daniel Dunn / Imagn Images)
Edwards has been doing around-the-clock treatment on his injured left knee, and he has told teammates he plans on returning at some point in the series, team sources told The Athletic.
That backs what Wolves coach Chris Finch said before Game 5 of Minnesota’s series against the Denver Nuggets when he said that if the Wolves could extend their playoff run beyond the first round “we will be lucky enough to get him back.” Finch said Saturday after practice that Edwards’ “week-to-week” designation has not changed. The team has not issued an official timeline for his return, making it all but impossible for him to play in Game 1 on Monday.
Edwards was on the court after practice Saturday getting some shots up, but he did not participate in practice. He suffered a hyperextension and a bone bruise in his left knee in Game 4 against the Nuggets and did not play in the final 2 1/2 games of the series. Everyone is preparing to see him at some point this round, though.
“Anytime you can get someone that’s been hurt back, especially Ant, just the gravity that he carries, even him just being on the court will help us out a lot,” forward Jaden McDaniels said. “Whenever he’s ready, I told him we’re going to hold it down until he gets ready.”
Edwards has been dealing with knee issues for more than a month. The inflammation in his right knee caused him to miss 11 of the final 14 games of the regular season and was hampering him early in the series against Denver. He injured his left knee in Game 4 after trying to block a shot from Cam Johnson. Many feared the injury could have been much worse than it actually was.
“We dodged a bullet,” Finch said last week. “I think that’s the biggest thing there. It’s a huge sigh of relief. I know he’s frustrated because he had been dealing with the other knee and done all the things necessary to finally get himself off the injury report.”
There are two silver linings to Edwards’ left knee injury. First, the Wolves were able to win two of the final three games in the series without him to advance to their third straight second round. Second, this time off also allows Edwards to rest his right knee, which could help him with the discomfort he had been feeling.
Team sources have told The Athletic that Edwards has been communicating to teammates his plans to join them at some point in this series. The teams play every other day through the first five potential games of the series. There will be two days off between Games 5 and 6 if that is necessary. Game 2 is Wednesday in San Antonio. The series shifts to Minnesota for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.
Edwards has been doing everything he can in an effort to hasten his return to the court. He did not sit on the bench for the clinching Game 6 win over the Nuggets, because he was getting treatment for his injury, league sources told The Athletic.
His return at any point in the series would be a huge boost to the Timberwolves, who are trying to make their third straight Western Conference finals. Minnesota went 2-1 against San Antonio in the regular season. Edwards’ 3-point shooting is a crucial element in the matchup, helping the Wolves spread the floor and put more pressure on Wembanyama and the Spurs’ defense.
The two superstars went at it in a thrilling Spurs victory in January. Edwards scored 55 points and hit nine 3s in the game. Wembanyama countered with 39 points and nine rebounds in the 126-123 win.
Edwards got the better of Wembanyama in November, when he scored 32 points and got the game-sealing bucket after bursting by Wemby.
Also up in the air is the status of guard Ayo Dosunmu, who missed Game 6 against Denver with a sore right calf muscle. Finch said Dosunmu did some light work at practice Saturday and was still listed as day to day.
“So we’ll have to see on that one,” Finch said.
Dosunmu, who was acquired from Chicago before the trade deadline, averaged 21.8 points and 4.0 assists against Denver, including a 43-point explosion in Game 4 to help the Wolves overcome the losses of Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, who tore his right Achilles tendon.
By Jon Krawczynski, via The Athletic