By Tim MacMahon, 2026-05-19 14:00:51
俄克拉荷马城——在佩科姆中心 (Paycom Center) 球馆举行的赛前仪式上领到了他的连续第二座 NBA MVP 奖杯后，谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在这场惊心动魄的西部决赛揭幕战中，未能打出符合其崇高身价的表现。
圣安东尼奥马刺队窒息般的防守，是导致亚历山大在周一这场史诗般的系列赛首战中陷入挣扎的主因。最终，卫冕冠军雷霆队以 115-122 经过双加时苦战不敌对手。
马刺队对亚历山大采取了持续的包夹战术。全票当选的年度最佳防守球员维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 则放空定点射手，在禁区巡逻并镇守篮筐。
亚历山大在 51 分钟的出场时间里贡献了 24 分和 12 次助攻，但他全场 23 投仅 7 中，并出现了 4 次失误，表现远低于他一贯的高效水准。
“我们必须做得更好——尤其是对我而言，”成为 NBA 历史上第 14 位蝉联 MVP 的球员亚历山大说道，“我必须表现得更好，特别是面对这种级别的球队时。仅此而已。”
雷霆队后卫亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso) 利用文班亚马游走协防留下的空档，三分球 14 投 8 中，砍下季后赛生涯新高的 31 分。但马刺队愿意付出这样的代价，以阻止亚历山大——这位自迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan) 以来首位连续四个赛季场均至少得到 30 分的球员——找到进攻节奏。
“我知道我的队友们的能力，也知道我们全队在全神贯注时能达到什么水平，”亚历山大说，“遗憾的是我今晚没能发挥出最佳状态，但这就是比赛的一部分。有时你是最好的自己，有时则不然。你必须学会应对挑战，不要灰心，并始终坚持自我。”
比赛大部分时间里，当亚历山大从弧顶发起进攻时，雷霆队的进攻显得有些停滞，这让圣安东尼奥的防守能够集中兵力限制他。他在前 14 次出手仅命中 3 球，直到比赛后期的一波得分高潮才帮助雷霆队从落后 10 分的劣势中追回，将比赛拖入加时。
“我们需要解决这个问题，”雷霆队主教练马克·戴格诺特 (Mark Daigneault) 表示，“他们在战术执行上做得很好。显然，他们拥有出色的领防者和文班亚马这样的防守利器。他们能走到这一步是有原因的，但我们能走到这里也并非偶然。我喜欢这支球队的一点就是我们解决问题的能力。”
“我们以前也经历过这样的系列赛，遇到过类似的瓶颈。尽管今晚进攻不顺，但凭借防守和拼劲，我们显然给了自己赢球的机会。不过，我们必须解决一些问题，并在第二场比赛中做得更好。”
文班亚马送出了 3 次盖帽，其中包括第四节中段在底线封盖了亚历山大的中距离后仰跳投，但这些数据远不能完全体现他的防守影响力。他的存在封锁了突破路线，威慑着雷霆队的持球创造者们，甚至包括这位两届 MVP 得主。
“这显然极具挑战性——他非常高，臂展极长，在篮筐附近干扰了很多球，”亚历山大说，“当你突进去时必须打得聪明。要保持耐心，但也要保持侵略性。不能太畏首畏尾。我觉得如果你过于担心他的防守，就会失去攻击性。那正是他们真正掌控比赛的地方。你必须在保持侵略性的同时打得聪明。”
亚历山大在常规时间最后 5 分 26 秒找到了这种平衡，他砍下 10 分并助攻卡鲁索命中三分和完成上篮，策动了雷霆队的反击。这波攻势始于亚历山大在面对包夹时沿底线突破上篮，并在过掉文班亚马后完成得分。在常规时间还剩 3 秒时，亚历山大再次突破上篮将比分扳平，他利用了文班亚马不愿放空底角切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren) 投准绝杀三分的机会。
在第一个加时赛还剩 58 秒时，亚历山大从防守缝隙中穿过，在文班亚马头顶完成扣篮，帮助雷霆队领先 3 分。但文班亚马随即以一记超远三分还以颜色，而亚历山大在随后的两个加时赛中再无进球。
“我只是觉得那是比赛当时所需要的——尝试保持侵略性，冲击禁区，创造机会，”亚历山大说，“就我个人而言，今晚做得还不够，但我认为那是比赛当时所需要的打法。”
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：SGA says 'I have to be better' after Thunder letdown vs. Spurs
SGA says ‘I have to be better’ after Thunder letdown vs. Spurs
OKLAHOMA CITY – After being presented his second straight NBA MVP trophy in a pregame ceremony on the Paycom Center floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t perform up to that lofty standard in a thrilling Western Conference finals opener.
The San Antonio Spurs’ smothering defense had a lot to do with Gilgeous-Alexander’s struggles during the defending champion Thunder’s 122-115 double-overtime loss in Monday’s epic Game 1.
The Spurs threw a steady diet of double-teams at Gilgeous-Alexander. Victor Wembanyama, the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, sagged off spot-up shooters to patrol the paint and protect the rim.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 24 points and 12 assists in 51 minutes, but he shot only 7 of 23 from the floor and committed four turnovers, falling far short of his efficient norms.
“We just got to be better – me, in particular,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who became the 14th player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVPs. “I have to be better, especially against a team of this caliber. Nothing more than that.”
Thunder guard Alex Caruso took advantage of Wembanyama roaming off of him to make 8 of his 14 3-point attempts en route to scoring a playoff-career-high 31 points. But the Spurs are willing to make that sacrifice to prevent Gilgeous-Alexander, the first player to average at least 30 points in four consecutive seasons since Michael Jordan, from getting in a groove.
“I know what my teammates are capable of, what we’re capable of as a team when we bring it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s just unfortunate that I wasn’t able to bring my best game tonight, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Sometimes, you’re your best version, sometimes you’re not. You’ve got to roll with the punches, don’t get discouraged and stay true to who you are.”
For most of the game, the Thunder’s offense felt stagnant when Gilgeous-Alexander initiated from the top of the floor, allowing the San Antonio defense to load up to stop him. He made only three of his first 14 field goal attempts before a late scoring flurry helped the Thunder rally from a 10-point deficit to force overtime.
“We’re going to have to figure that out,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They’re good schematically. They obviously have a lot of tools with the point-of-attack defenders and with Wembanyama. There’s a reason they are where they are, but there’s a reason we are where we are, and one of the things that I love about this team is our problem-solving.
“We’ve been in these series before. We’ve hit these types of plateaus. We gave ourselves obviously a chance to win despite that tonight with our defense and the way that we played, but we got to solve a few problems and be better in Game 2.”
Wembanyama blocked three shots, including a midrange step-back jumper by Gilgeous-Alexander on the baseline midway through the fourth quarter, but that total hardly shows his defensive impact. His presence eliminated driving lanes and intimidated the Thunder’s off-dribble creators, even the two-time MVP.
“It’s obviously challenging – very tall, very long, deters a lot of things at the rim,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You’ve got to be smart when you go in there. Be patient, but also be aggressive. Don’t be too timid in there. I think you get caught worrying about it too much, and you lose aggression. That’s where they really put a stranglehold on the game. You’ve got to be able to be aggressive but also be smart.”
Gilgeous-Alexander found that balance in the final 5:26 of regulation, when he scored 10 points and fed Caruso for a 3 and a layup, fueling a Thunder comeback. The flurry began when Gilgeous-Alexander drove baseline for a layup despite being double-teamed, turning the corner on Wembanyama. Gilgeous-Alexander tied the score by driving for a layup with three seconds remaining, taking advantage of Wembanyama’s refusal to leave Chet Holmgren open in the corner for a potential go-ahead 3.
Gilgeous-Alexander slithered through a crack in the defense for a dunk over Wembanyama to give the Thunder a three-point lead with 58 seconds remaining in the first overtime. But Wembanyama answered with a deep 3, and Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t have another bucket in either of the overtime periods.
“I just felt like it was what the game needed – to try to be aggressive, touch the paint, make plays,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Didn’t make enough of them tonight personally, but I think that’s what the game needed.”
By Tim MacMahon, via ESPN