By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-05-13 01:10:11
2026年5月12日（周二），在圣安东尼奥弗罗斯特银行中心举行的西部半决赛第五场比赛中，圣安东尼奥马刺队以126-97战胜明尼苏达森林狼队。赛后，马刺队前锋凯尔登·约翰逊在欢呼的球迷面前高喊“Go Spurs Go”。目前马刺队以大比分3-2领先。
凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 摆脱了思想包袱，重新找回了那个充满乐趣、随性自在的自我，从而强势走出了季后赛的低迷状态。
这位NBA年度最佳第六人兼季后赛新人在周二晚上的比赛中砍下了季后赛生涯新高的21分，帮助马刺以126-97大胜明尼苏达。在此之前，他在前九场比赛中场均仅得到7.3分。
“我觉得之前的很多场比赛我都想得太多了，总想追求完美，”约翰逊说道，“今晚，我只是上场打球，享受其中。”
约翰逊出战22分钟，投篮11投8中，罚球5投4中。他此前的季后赛最高分是在西部半决赛第一场和第三场得到的11分。目前马刺以3-2领先，双方将于周五回到明尼阿波利斯进行第六场对决。
自马刺与波特兰的首轮系列赛开启季后赛征程以来，约翰逊的投篮命中率仅为38.3%（60投23中），而他在常规赛期间的命中率高达51.9%，场均贡献13.2分。
但在周二晚上，这位效力联盟第七年的前锋找回了常规赛的状态。
“我只是打出了自己的风格，”他表示，“我顺其自然，球就投进了。我只需要保持专注。”
在低迷期间，约翰逊得到了大量的鼓励。
马刺前锋凯尔登·约翰逊谈及他在季后赛艰难开局后于第五场表现：“就是打球。我觉得季后赛很多场比赛我都在过度思考，试图追求完美。……今晚能打顺手对信心是极大的鼓舞。” pic.twitter.com/myAMSBFagQ
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) 2026年5月13日
“我的队友、教练，每一个人都在和我交流，告诉我他们相信我，信任我，我出现在这里是有原因的，”他说道，“他们始终站在我这一边，一直支持我，告诉我我可以做到，即便是在季后赛表现挣扎或经历低谷的时候。今晚能打出表现对信心是极大的提升。”
教练和队友们都为他的爆发感到兴奋。
“我真的、真的为他感到高兴，”前锋德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 说道，“就是要让他放下思想包袱。KJ（凯尔登的缩写）是这里待得时间最久的人，我们都知道他的天赋和实力。他很特别，他只需要打得更有侵略性。”
“他是我们能走到今天这一步的重要原因。当他打出这种表现时，我们是一支很难被击败的球队。”
约翰逊的高光时刻出现在第三节。当时马刺在下半场开局慢热，导致森林狼在第三节进行了四分钟时将比分追成61-61。约翰逊单节投篮2投2中，罚球4投4中贡献8分，帮助马刺在最后八分钟打出30-12的进攻高潮，以32-26赢下该节，并带着91-73的领先优势进入第四节。
马刺后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 在第三节同样贡献8分，全场砍下17分。他表示约翰逊在最完美的时机找回了状态，打出了一场“非常高效”的比赛。
2026年5月12日（周二），在圣安东尼奥弗罗斯特银行中心举行的西部半决赛第五场比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋凯尔登·约翰逊控制住地板球并运球推进。马刺队以126-97击败森林狼队，目前大比分3-2领先。
“我们需要每一晚都能看到这个版本的KJ，”卡斯尔说道，“他是我们排名西部第二的原因之一。很高兴看到他打出这样的比赛，尤其是在我们最需要的时候。”
约翰逊在第三节的进攻高潮初期贡献了职业生涯最精彩的一次防守：在第三节还剩6分12秒、马刺领先66-61时，他封盖了鲁迪·戈贝尔 (Rudy Gobert) 的补篮尝试。随后一个回合中卡斯尔的突破扣篮让这次防守显得更加珍贵。
“这说明他有多么专注，”瓦塞尔谈到这位身高6英尺6英寸的队友在篮下拒绝了身高7英尺1英寸的法国人，“球迷们都疯了，我们也热血沸腾。这正是我们需要的那种身体对抗和韧性。”
仅仅一分钟后，约翰逊在安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 头上完成了一记转身勾手跳投，让马刺以72-63领先，再次点燃了弗罗斯特银行中心全场19,345名观众的热情。森林狼随即请求暂停，而约翰逊则跳向马刺替补席对面的场边席，在球迷面前展示肌肉并大声呐喊。
赛后，约翰逊最后一次调动起全场气氛，他拿起麦克风带领球迷们进行了激昂的“Go Spurs Go”呐喊。
“你们日复一日地到场支持我们，”他说道，“你们是全世界最伟大的球迷。”
在第五场比赛中，他只需做回自己，就给了球迷们足够的欢呼理由。
“他没有刻意去做什么，也没有试图表现成某种样子，”马刺主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 表示，“正如他在职业生涯，尤其是今年所展现的那样，当他带着那种能量打球时，球总会找到他，他也会出现在进攻的核心位置。当球队需要能量和身体对抗时，他就是那个催化剂。”
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：How the Spurs' Keldon Johnson broke out of his scoring slump
How the Spurs’ Keldon Johnson broke out of his scoring slump
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson yells “Go Spurs Go,” in front of cheering fans following the Spurs’ 126-97 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The Spurs now lead the series 3-2.
Keldon Johnson broke out of his playoff slump in a big way by getting out of his own head and returning to his fun-filled, free-wheeling self.
The NBA Sixth Man of the Year and playoff rookie finished with a postseason career-high 21 points in the Spurs’ 126-97 win over Minnesota on Tuesday night after entering the game averaging just 7.3 through nine games.
“I feel like a lot of the games I was trying to overthink it, trying to be perfect,” Johnson said. “Tonight, I just went out there and played. I had fun.”
Logging 22 minutes, Johnson hit 8 of 11 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line on his way to eclipsing his previous playoff high of 11 points in Games 1 and 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, which the Spurs lead 3-2 heading back to Minneapolis for Game 6 on Friday.
Since the playoffs got underway for the Spurs with a first-round series against Portland, Johnson had connected on just 38.3% of his shots from the floor (23 of 60) after shooting 51.9% in the regular season while averaging 13.2 points per game.
But the seventh-year forward returned to regular season form Tuesday night.
“I just played my game,” he said. “I let it come to me and the shots were falling. I just had to stay with it.”
Johnson received plenty of encouragement during his slump.
Spurs forward Keldon Johnson, on his play in Game 5 after a difficult start to the postseason: “Just playing. I feel like a lot of games in the playoffs I was trying to overthink it, trying to be perfect. … Just getting it going tonight was a big confidence booster.” pic.twitter.com/myAMSBFagQ
— Spurs Nation (@ Spurs_Nation) May 13, 2026
“My teammates, my coaches, everybody, have been talking to me and just telling me they believe in me and they trust me and I’m here for a reason,” he said. “They stayed in my corner. They always had my back, were always telling me I could do it and things like that even though it’s been a rough playoffs or rough stretch of games. But getting it going tonight was a big confidence booster.”
His coaches and teammates were thrilled to see him break out.
“I was super, super happy for him,” forward Devin Vassell said. "Just got to get him out of his own head. KJ’s been here the longest out of everybody and we all know the talent he has and the player he is. He’s special. He just had to come out and be aggressive.
“He’s a huge part of why we’re in the position we’re in and when he plays like we’re a really hard team to beat.”
Johnson’s best moments came in the third quarter when he helped the Spurs overcome a slow start coming out of halftime that led to the Timberwolves tying it 61-61 four minutes into the period. He had eight points on 2 of 2 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line to help the Spurs close the period on a 30-12 run over the final eight minutes and win the quarter 32-26 for a 91-73 lead heading into the fourth.
Spurs guard Stephon Castle, who also had eight points in the third on his way to 17 for the game, said Johnson picked the perfect time to return to form with a “very efficient” outing.
San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson takes control of a loose ball and drives down the court during the second half of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. The Spurs defeated the Timberwolves 126-97, now leading the series 3-2.
“We need that version of KJ every night,” Castle said. “He’s one of the reasons why were number two in the West. It’s good to see him have a game like this, especially when we needed it most.”
Johnson had the biggest defensive play of his career early in the third quarter run when he blocked Rudy Gobert’s put-back attempt with 6:12 left in the period and the Spurs up 66-61. Castle’s driving dunk on the ensuing possession made the defensive gem even sweeter.
“It just shows how locked in he was,” Vassell said of his 6-foot-6 teammate rejecting the 7-1 Frenchman at the rim. “The fans were going crazy. It got us going crazy. That’s the type of physicality and tenacity we need.”
A little over a minute later, Johnson brought the sold-out Frost Bank Center crowd of 19,345 to its feet again with a turnaround jump hook over Anthony Edwards that gave the Spurs a 72-63 advantage. Minnesota called a timeout after the play while Johnson hopped to the courtside seats opposite the Spurs bench to flex his muscles and shout in front of the fans.
After the game, Johnson got the crowd going one last time when he grabbed a mic to lead them in a spirited “Go Spurs Go” chant.
“You guys turn out night in and night out for us,” he said. “You are the greatest fans in the whole wide world.”
In Game 5, he gave them plenty to cheer about by just being himself.
“He wasn’t trying to do something or trying to be anything,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “As he’s shown in his career, and most specifically this year, when he plays with that type of energy, the basketball finds him and he’s in the middle of plays. He’s the catalyst for that energy and physicality when our team needs it.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News