By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-05-16 12:08:01
2026年5月15日，星期五，在明尼阿波利斯标靶中心举行的西部半决赛第六场上半场，明尼苏达森林狼队后卫安东尼·爱德华兹 (5) 向裁判詹姆斯·卡佩斯 (19) 申诉。
明尼阿波利斯——斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和马刺队在进入西部半决赛时对安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 充满敬意，但这位明尼苏达森林狼队的四届全明星后卫在周五晚上那场以 139-109 锁定胜局的比赛第四节所展现的体育精神，让他们对他更加钦佩。
比赛还剩 8 分钟时，马刺队领先 33 分，森林狼队主教练克里斯·芬奇 (Chris Finch) 换下包括爱德华兹在内的先发球员，宣告认输。爱德华兹全场 26 投 9 中，得到全队最高的 24 分。
爱德华兹并没有直接走向森林狼队的替补席，而是走向马刺队的替补席，向主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 及其球员表示祝贺。
“我以前从未见过这种场面，”本场比赛砍下 32 分、季后赛生涯新高的 11 个篮板以及 6 次助攻领衔全队的卡斯尔说道。
“这很酷，”卡斯尔在谈到这位乔治亚州同乡的行为时表示，“我们整个系列赛都在竞争，所以他能走过来展现出这种尊重，绝对是非常酷的。”
尽管双膝酸痛，爱德华兹在对阵马刺的系列赛中曾连续两场砍下 30+。
“我向他们致敬，”爱德华兹说道，“他们确实是表现更好的那支球队。”
在系列赛早些时候，卡斯尔谈到了他与爱德华兹作为亚特兰大老乡之间的情谊。
“华子（Ant）是一名伟大的球员，”卡斯尔说道，“（乔治亚州）是一个打篮球的好地方。那里到处都是高水平的竞争。”
迈向伟大： 凭借对森林狼队的这场大胜，马刺队跻身精英行列，成为 NBA 历史上仅有的第五支在连续缺席季后赛六个或更多赛季后，重返分区决赛的球队。
这是马刺队自 2019 年以来首次进入季后赛，他们通过六场决战击败森林狼队，挺进西部决赛。其他在经历类似长期低迷后完成如此惊人跨越的球队包括：1976-77 赛季的波特兰开拓者队、2001-02 赛季的波士顿凯尔特人队、2019-20 赛季的洛杉矶湖人队以及 2020-21 赛季的菲尼克斯太阳队。
由比尔·沃顿 (Bill Walton) 率领的开拓者队和由勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 率领的湖人队最终都赢得了 NBA 总冠军。
马刺队认为他们也能做到这一点，因为他们成为了 NBA 历史上第一支在单轮季后赛系列赛中，有三场比赛赢球分差至少达到 29 分的球队。
“我们是一支非常有天赋的团队，打得整体且非常无私，而且我们都很年轻，”卡斯尔说道。
终结战进攻火力全开： 马刺队在第一场比赛（注：原文如此，应指本场终结战）中得到的 139 分，创下了队史季后赛单场得分第三高的纪录。
马刺队曾在 1983 年西部半决赛第一场得到 152 分，并在同系列赛对阵丹佛掘金队的第七场比赛中得到 145 分。
“我们有很多非常有天赋的年轻人，”卡斯尔说道，“在任何特定的夜晚，任何人都可能爆发。我们表现得非常无私，球权的流转让比赛变得充满乐趣。”
巴恩斯获赞： 约翰逊将哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 视为马刺队本赛季标志性无私精神的典范。
这位 33 岁的前锋在对阵森林狼队的系列赛中数据有所下滑，以至于直到第六场第四节开始才登场，但主教练特意表扬了他以团队为先的态度。
“当你看到一群球员愿意为球队、为这个过程奉献自己，而不计较个人得失时，这真的很有趣，”约翰逊说道，“哈里森·巴恩斯今晚直到第四节才上场，但他再次贡献了关键表现。我知道当时的比分差距很大，但每一个回合都至关重要。”
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 Anthony Edwards' show of sportsmanship impressed the Spurs
How Anthony Edwards’ show of sportsmanship impressed the Spurs
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) pleads his case to referee James Capers (19) during the first half of Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals at Target Center in Minneapolis, Friday, May 15, 2026.
MINNEAPOLIS — Stephon Castle and the Spurs entered the Western Conference semifinals with plenty of respect for Anthony Edwards, but a show of sportsmanship by Minnesota’s four-time All-Star guard in the fourth quarter of Friday nights’ 139-109 series-clinching victory made them appreciate him even more.
With eight minutes left and the Spurs ahead by 33 points, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch conceded defeat by pulling his starters, including Edwards, who finished with a team-high 24 points on 9-for-26 shooting.
Rather than head straight for the Minnesota bench, Edwards made his way to the Spurs bench to offer his congratulations to coach Mitch Johnson and his players.
“I never seen that before,” said Castle, who led the Spurs with 32 points, a playoff-best 11 rebounds and six assists.
“It was cool,” Castle said of the act by his fellow Georgian. “We were competing all series, so for him to come over there and show that kind of respect is definitely cool.”
Edwards had consecutive 30-point games against the Spurs despite playing on two sore knees.
“I just tip my hat to them,” Edwards said. “They were just the better team.”
Earlier in the series, Castle talked about his bond with Edwards as two Atlanta natives.
“Ant’s a great player,” Castle said. “(Georgia) is a great state to play basketball. It’s nothing but great competition out there.”
Rush to greatness: With their rout of the Timberwolves, the Spurs joined some elite company by becoming just the fifth team in NBA history to reach the conference finals after missing the postseason for six or more seasons.
In their first playoff appearance since 2019, the Spurs reached the Western Conference finals by vanquishing Timberwolves in six games. The other teams to make such an impressive leap after similar long droughts are the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers, the 2001-02 Boston Celtics, the 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers and the 2020-21 Phoenix Suns.
The Bill Walton-led Blazers team and the LeBron James-led Lakers squad went on to win the NBA championship.
The Spurs think they can do the same after becoming the first team in NBA history to win three separate games in a playoff series by at least 29 points.
“We’re a really talented group that plays together and plays very selfish and we’re all young,” Castle said.
Offense sizzled in close-out game: The 139 points the Spurs scored in Game 1 marked the third-most points tallied in a playoff game in franchise history.
The Spurs had 152 in Game 1 of the 1983 West semifinals and 145 in Game 7 of those same West semifinals against Denver.
“We have a lot of young guys that are very talented,” Castle said. “It could be anybody’s night on any given night. We’re just very selfless and the way we move the ball is just fun to play.”
Barnes praised: Johnson held up Harrison Barnes as an example of the unselfishness that has been a trademark of the Spurs all season.
The 33-year-old forward’s numbers dwindled against the Timberwolves to the point that he didn’t enter Game 6 until the start of the fourth quarter, but the coach made sure to praise him for his team-first attitude.
“It’s been pretty fun when you see a group of guys willing to give themselves to the team, the process, regardless of what that means for themselves,” Johnson said. “Harrison Barnes tonight didn’t play to the fourth quarter, but had monster plays again. I know the score was what it was, but you need every single possession.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News