By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-05-05 15:37:42
2026年5月4日周一，在圣安东尼奥弗罗斯特银行中心球馆举行的西部半决赛首场比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋维克托·文班亚马 (1) 在一次犯规后倒地并做出反应。马刺队最终以102-104惜败于明尼苏达森林狼队。
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 拿工资是来打球的，而不是来当教练的。
在周一马刺队以102-104负于明尼苏达森林狼队的西部半决赛首战中，分析球队到底出了什么问题并不是他的职责。
然而，如果这真是他的工作，这位22岁的文班亚马很清楚在周三关键的第二场比赛之前他会做出哪些调整。
“我可以从投进球开始，”文班亚马说道。
有趣的是，文班亚马的全明星队友也可以说同样的话。
达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 和文班亚马一样，在周一交出了他那并不算长的季后赛生涯中最糟糕的进攻表现。
两人合计仅得到21分，投篮总计31投10中（包括三分球12投0中），并出现了9次失误。
福克斯并不需要看数据单才相信这些数字。
“我们知道自己什么时候打得好，什么时候打得烂，”福克斯说道，“我不需要听别人告诉我打得有多糟，我自己心里有数。”
马刺队进攻端双引擎全场哑火并不是森林狼队得以在系列赛中抢占先机的唯一原因。
但这绝对没有起到任何正面作用。
面对旨在封锁他们的森林狼防线，如何让这两位最重要的进攻核心找回状态，将是马刺队在周三回到弗罗斯特银行中心力争扳平系列赛比分的首要任务。
对于乐观派来说：尽管马刺队两大得分手手感冰凉，但球队距离赢得首战仅差朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 最后的压哨三分命中，这或许可以被视为一线曙光。
“我一点也不担心达龙·福克斯或维克托·文班亚马的数据表现，”主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 表示，“他们会打得更好，我们也会为他们做得更好。”
文班亚马全场17投5中仅得11分。由于内线经常被森林狼队那群臂展惊人、覆盖范围极广的防守悍将封锁，这位身高7英尺4英寸的法国人尝试了8次三分投篮，却无一命中。
在防守悍将杰登·麦克丹尼尔斯 (Jaden McDaniels) 的贴身盯防下，福克斯上半场5投0中颗粒无收。他全场14投5中得到10分，并出现了6次失误。
正是最后一项数据让福克斯耿耿于怀。
“我认为我错失了一些很好的出手机会，”福克斯说道，“你总会遇到投不进球的比赛，这就是篮球。对我来说，失误才是更严重的问题。”
去年秋天，马刺队为福克斯提供了一份为期四年、价值2.29亿美元的续约合同——这是该俱乐部历史上签下的最大单笔合同。马刺队需要福克斯贡献更多，才能在系列赛中站稳脚跟。
而他自己也心知肚明。
“非受迫性失误、投篮不中——这些其实并不是因为对手做了什么，”福克斯说道，“我的意思是，他们确实是一支防守强队，但就这场比赛而言，我觉得问题全在我自己身上。”
至少文班亚马能够用一场史诗级的防守表现来弥补他在进攻端的低迷。
他送出了12次盖帽——创下了NBA季后赛纪录——并抢下15个篮板，拿下了马刺队史第7个季后赛三双，这也是自蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 在西部半决赛第五场对阵洛杉矶湖人队完成三双以来的首个季后赛三双。
文班亚马的这个三双显得有些“头重脚轻”。直到比赛还剩43.6秒时，他才凭借一次突破扣篮让自己的得分达到两位数。
“我必须学会如何分配体力，”文班亚马说，“显然，我在球场的一端消耗了太多精力。在进攻端，我把太多的精力浪费在了一些对球队没有实际帮助的事情上。这是我的责任。”
在周一之前，NBA季后赛单场盖帽纪录由三名球员共同保持——分别是洛杉矶湖人队的安德鲁·拜纳姆 (Andrew Bynum)（2012年）、休斯顿火箭队的哈基姆·奥拉朱旺 (Hakeem Olajuwon)（1990年）以及犹他爵士队的马克·伊顿 (Mark Eaton)（1985年）。
在森林狼队主教练克里斯·芬奇 (Chris Finch) 看来，那三位盖帽大神应该继续保有这项纪录。
在观看周一比赛的录像后，芬奇表示他认为文班亚马的盖帽中有“四次甚至五次”应该被判为干扰球。
“你知道8分在NBA比赛中意味着什么吗？”芬奇反问道。
森林狼队身高7英尺1英寸的防守中枢鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 也随之附和道。
“我也希望自己能得到那样的待遇，”他说道。
两队球星在关键时刻的表现差异显而易见。
当文班亚马和福克斯在马刺阵中苦苦挣扎时，安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 几乎是拖着两条伤腿为森林狼队赢下了比赛。
这位全明星后卫能在首战出场令人意外，他在森林狼队首轮对阵丹佛掘金队的系列赛中左膝骨挫伤。
这还不算爱德华兹的右膝，他的右膝在赛季后半段的大部分时间里一直饱受髌骨肌腱炎（也称为“跑步者膝”）的困扰。
尽管如此，爱德华兹全场18分中有11分是在第四节拿到的，成功带领森林狼跨过了终点线。
他在末节的得分与文班亚马全场得分一样多，甚至超过了福克斯。
“他是这个联盟的超级巨星，”马刺队后卫迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 说道，“他总能满血复活并打出那样的表现。”
随着决定系列赛走势的第二场比赛即将到来，马刺队希望自家的球星们能在周三上演王者归来。
文班亚马和福克斯在首战并非彻底出局，只是状态全无。
马刺队若想扳平大比分，就需要双星重新闪耀。
“显然，我们必须做得更好，”文班亚马说，“我们需要弄清楚哪些地方可以改进，我毫不怀疑我们能做到。我的意思是，我信任球队。”
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：Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox open up on Game 1 shooting struggles
Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox open up on Game 1 shooting struggles
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after falling to the ground following a foul during the second half of Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Monday, May 4, 2026. The Spurs fell 104-102 to the Timberwolves.
Victor Wembanyama is paid to play basketball, not coach it.
It is not his job to diagnose what went wrong for the Spurs in their 104-102 loss to Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday.
If it was his job, however, the 22-year-old Wembanyama knows exactly what adjustments he would make heading into a crucial Game 2 on Wednesday.
“I could start by making some shots,” Wembanyama said.
Funny thing. Wembanyama’s All-Star teammate could say the same.
De’Aaron Fox, like Wembanyama, turned in the worst offensive performance of his modest postseason career Monday.
Together, the pair compared for 21 points, made only 10 of 31 field goals (including missing all 12 from 3-point range), and totaled nine turnovers.
They are numbers Fox does not necessarily need to read to believe.
“We know when we play bad and when we play well,” Fox said. “I don’t need to hear it from somebody else that I played bad. I know I played bad.”
The game-long misfires from the Spurs’ twin offensive engines were not the only reason the Timberwolves were able to seize early control of the series.
But they definitely didn’t help.
Finding a way to get their two most important offensive players going against a Minnesota defense designed to stop that from happening will be a top priority for the Spurs as they seek to even the series Wednesday at the Frost Bank Center.
For the glass-half-full crowd: The fact the Spurs came one missed Julian Champagnie 3-pointer at the horn from winning Game 1 despite their top two scorers’ shooting struggles could be seen as a silver lining.
“I have no concern over De’Aaron Fox or Victor Wembanyama’s box score,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “They’ll be better. We’ll be better for them.”
Wembanyama went 5-for-17 from the floor for 11 points. With the paint often closed off by the Timberwolves battalion of long and rangy defenders, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman took eight 3-point tries and missed them all.
Blanketed mostly by defensive demon Jaden McDaniels, Fox went scoreless in the first half on five shot attempts. He ended 5 of 14 for 10 points, and committed six turnovers.
It was the last of those numbers that stuck in Fox’s craw.
“I think I got good shots that I missed,” Fox said. “You’re going to have games where you just don’t make shots and that’s basketball. The turnovers are the bigger part for me.”
Having handed Fox a four-year, $229-million extension last fall — the largest single contract the club has ever handed out – the Spurs need more from Fox to regain their footing in the series.
And he knows it.
“Unforced turnovers, missed shots – it wasn’t really anything that they did,” Fox said. “I mean, that’s a good defensive team. But this game in particular, I think it was all me.”
At least Wembanyama was able to leaven his poor offensive showing with an all-timer of a defensive night.
He blocked 12 shots — an NBA playoff record — and grabbed 15 rebounds to log the seventh postseason triple-double in Spurs history, and the first since Tim Duncan did it against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Wembanyama’s was a lopsided triple-double. He needed a driving dunk with 43.6 seconds remaining to at last reach double digits in the points category.
“I have to know how to use my energy,” Wembanyama said. “Obviously, I used a lot of it on one end of the court. Offensively, I used too much energy on things that didn’t really help our team. That’s on me.”
Before Monday, the NBA record for blocked shots in a playoff game was shared between three players – the Lakers’ Andrew Bynum (2012), Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon (1990) and Utah’s Mark Eaton (1985).
The way Minnesota coach Chris Finch sees it, that shot-swatting trio should still hold the standard.
After reviewing film of Monday’s game, Finch said he believes “four or maybe five” of Wembanyama’s blocks should have been whistled for goaltending.
“Do you know the value of eight points in an NBA game?” Finch asked rhetorically.
Rudy Gobert, the Timberwolves’ 7-foot-1 defensive metronome, chimed in.
“I wish I had that type of treatment too,” he said.
The difference in each team’s stars was apparent down the stretch.
While Wembanyama and Fox struggled for the Spurs, Anthony Edwards all but won the game for the Timberwolves while playing on zero good legs.
The All-Star guard was a surprise participant in Game 1, having suffered a bone bruise in his left knee during the Timberwolves’ first-round series against Denver.
That is not to be confused with Edwards’ right knee, which has been plagued by patellar tendonitis (also known as runner’s knee) for much of the second half of the season.
Nevertheless, Edwards scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to pull Minnesota across the finish line.
He had as many points in the final frame as Wembanyama had all game, and more than Fox.
“He is a superstar in this league,” Spurs guard Dylan Harper said. “He’s going to come back and have games like that.”
With a Game 2 on tap that could make or break the series, the Spurs will hope their own stars can stage a comeback of their own Wednesday.
Wembanyama and Fox were not out in Game 1, just out of sorts.
For the Spurs to even the series, they will need their stars to align. Again.
“Obviously, we have to be better,” Wembanyama said. “We need to figure out what we can do better, and I got no doubt that we will. I mean, I trust us.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News