By Joel Lorenzi | The Athletic, 2026-05-19 12:19:56
《The Athletic》正在实时报道2026年NBA季后赛西部决赛第二场马刺对阵雷霆的比赛。
俄克拉荷马城——在维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 震惊全场数小时后，曾经震耳欲聋的佩科姆中心（Paycom Center）终于恢复了可以听清的声音。清洁工们在下层看台低声交谈，一丝不苟地清扫着狂欢后留下的碎屑。球鞋在硬木地板上摩擦出的划痕清晰可见，见证了那场载入史册的西部决赛首战。同样显眼的还有那个位置：文班亚马毫不犹豫起跳出手的地方，正是那一球为圣安东尼奥马刺队赢得了第二个加时赛，并最终以122-115击败俄克拉荷马雷霆队。
距离记录台仅五步之遥，距离篮筐28英尺。这个距离让人感觉遥不可及。
每当文班亚马逼得那些入选最佳阵容的控球手们无法做出常规决策时，这一点就已经显而易见了；而当你亲自站在那片球场上时，这种感觉会更加真切：在攻防两端，你根本无法为这样一个神秘莫测、难以预料的庞然大物做好准备，也无法去精准模拟一个仍在不断进化的超级巨星。你能做的只有实时反应，见招拆招。
亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso) 深谙此道。在周一晚上的大部分时间里，雷霆队的希望都寄托在他身上——他必须清楚防守端必须做出哪些妥协，进攻端必须抢占哪些优势，以及需要做出怎样正确的决策来限制住这位身高7英尺4英寸（约2.24米）的内线支柱。
身高6英尺5英寸（约1.96米）的卡鲁索，打出了近年来最令人瞩目的角色球员表现之一，他满足了雷霆队所需的一切。在功亏一篑之前，他就像是迎战巨人歌利亚的少年大卫，直面文班亚马。
“很遗憾这付诸东流了，”谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在谈到卡鲁索砍下31分的表现时说道，“他今晚拼尽了全力。”
职业生涯迈入第九个年头，这位32岁老将的常规赛往往有很长一段时间是在“精心保护”中度过的。每一次肌肉痉挛或轻微扭伤都会被谨慎对待。即使在卡鲁索三分命中率仅为29.3%的低迷年份，糟糕的投篮手感也会被忽略不计。因为卡鲁索只是在蓄力。在季后赛到来之前，他只是一台多部件机器中的一个齿轮，一个无可替代的老将和稳定的防守破坏者。只有到了季后赛，他的终极形态才会被唤醒。季后赛需要一个不同的“混乱制造者”。春季的到来以及随之而来的高昂筹码，让他的价值倍增。
“我想这大概就是为什么我在一年的这个时候打得更好，因为赢球是重中之重，而且季后赛的胜负分量远比常规赛要重得多，”卡鲁索说，“在这样的比赛中，你只想做好每一次攻防，拼尽全力去赢下比赛。”
这就是为什么在这场急需他挺身出战的对决中，主教练马克·戴格诺特 (Mark Daigneault) 在开场仅两分钟时就派上了卡鲁索。这也是为什么此前打20分钟就算得上活跃的卡鲁索，今晚却出战了创赛季新高的32分钟；也是为什么在两个加时赛的大部分时间里，即使场上局势对他极其不利、随时可能暴露身材劣势，他依然被委以重任去防守文班亚马。如果世上真有“巨人杀手”，那卡鲁索当之无愧。
在他登场两分钟后——远在他14投8中投进那些三分球之前——卡鲁索用一个假动作晃过了文班亚马，突破了后者风驰电掣般的补防，并在文班亚马遮天蔽日的防守下完成终结。他突破了这道力场。
卡鲁索顺应了圣安东尼奥的防守策略。马刺队极力限制雷霆队以及MVP候选人吉尔杰斯-亚历山大冲击内线和突破的角度，宁愿漏出外线三分，而卡鲁索则乐此不疲地一次次出手。负责协防、放空威胁最小射手的文班亚马补防不及，眼睁睁看着卡鲁索投中他的第五个三分球。卡鲁索在退防时拍着手，脸上露出了得意的笑容。
但这种轻松的氛围很快就烟消云散了。卡鲁索继续出手并不断命中，频率之高逼得文班亚马不得不逐渐向外线靠拢。卡鲁索试图利用这位22岁年轻人生气蓬勃、防守积极性过高的特点来反制他。
“他在防守端是个优秀的球员，所以他总是试图破坏每一次进攻，这很正常，而且他确实有这个能力，”卡鲁索在谈到文班亚马时说，“所以，对付他的一部分秘诀就是聪明地选择进攻方式。你看他们前几轮系列赛，有些时候对手只是盲目地想在他头上上篮，这显然不是对付他的正确方法，对吧？
“我不会向你透露我们的战术计划，但有时候你需要打得更有侵略性，而有时候你则需要去调动对方的防守，从而获得更好的出手机会。”
想要生存下来，就必须注重这种程度的细节。卡鲁索曾与各种身材和名气的盖帽高手并肩作战或交手过。然而，文班亚马为马刺队提供的防守威慑力完全是另一个维度的。马刺队后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 像疯狗一样撕咬防守，而紧随吉尔杰斯-亚历山大身后的那道7英尺4英寸的阴影，则提供了额外的安全保障。文班亚马能精准地模仿对手的动作，且身材足够高大修长，只需一步就能兼顾弱侧协防或防守挡拆。他为迟缓的轮防提供了缓冲，也为队友的防守失误兜了底。
卡鲁索的表现通常在季后赛会更上一层楼，但防守文班亚马需要超人般的努力。（布雷特·罗霍 / Imagn Images）
文班亚马在进入第四节时身上没有一次犯规。吉尔杰斯-亚历山大在第四节前尝试了10次投篮，没有一次是在篮筐附近。他的大部分出手直到比赛后期才出现，当时球队专门为他设计了战术以摆脱防守。阿杰·米切尔 (Ajay Mitchell) 在雷霆队西部半决赛横扫洛杉矶湖人队的系列赛中表现亮眼，场均出手16次，而本场比赛他仅出手5次得到4分。雷霆队在内线仅得到38分，命中率低至43.2%。
全明星球员切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren) 在内线的3次出手全部投丢，整场比赛出战41分钟，7投仅2中。
在加时赛中文班亚马投中那记超远扳平三分之前，杰伦·威廉姆斯 (Jalen Williams) 在这位大个子镇守左侧低位、协防逐渐收紧的情况下，完成了一记失去身体平衡的中距离后仰投篮。
“我认为你会因为过度担心他的防守而失去侵略性，”全场23投7中、贡献24分和12次助攻的吉尔杰斯-亚历山大说道，“而那正是他们真正掌控比赛局势的时候。”
仅仅用数据来衡量文班亚马的影响力，并不能完全体现他的进化。他对控球手来说是个巨大的威慑，迫使对手不断犹豫，从而将进攻时间消耗殆尽。录像中的文班亚马，远没有那个在篮筐上空遮天蔽日的庞然大物来得可怕。
“当你与这些球员交手时，这更像是一种后天习得的技能。你需要在实战中不断学习，”戴格诺特说，“我们在对付其他伟大球员时也经历过这个过程，你必须培养出一种直觉。你可以纸上谈兵说得再多，但你必须亲自去感受那种防守节奏。”
戴格诺特觉得常规赛的交手让他们积累了一些熟悉感，但这两支球队已经有将近四个月没有交手了，而这段时间在文班亚马的成长轨迹中犹如一个世纪般漫长。他正在疯狂吸取经验。敌意——他扣篮时的力量，以及他面对这个特定对手时流露出的情绪——正是他的动力源泉。
任何能让文班亚马看起来像个凡人的防守，都是由卡鲁索做出的。当卡鲁索下手切球并顶防文班亚马的下半身时，后者有时会显得有些笨拙。但卡鲁索成功限制了文班亚马惊人的臂展优势，迫使他无法在舒服的位置接球，并让其他防守球员能够干扰马刺队的传球路线。
以身体对抗著称的雷霆队，在同样强硬的马刺队面前碰了壁。圣安东尼奥的控球手们非常强壮，文班亚马在距离篮筐10英尺（约3米）以内的区域更是势不可挡。然而，卡鲁索所能撕开的那些防守裂缝，往往能决定像今天这样势均力敌的比赛。
这位大个子的身影显得愈发高大。绝对统治力压倒了经验，文班亚马用41分和24个篮板的统治级表现，让卡鲁索职业生涯的代表作沦为了背景板。尽管如此，卡鲁索依然捍卫了自己的名声。
雷霆队历史级的防守和他们拥有MVP级核心的进攻战车，在今年季后赛中原本保持全胜且毫发无损，如今却被刺痛并显得有些慌乱。马刺队拥有一个在场上巡逻并阻碍雷霆队战术的“解药”。这是一个极其严峻的威胁，以至于浪费了卡鲁索今晚如此高级别的演出，让人感觉像是一个巨大的失误。
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：Alex Caruso took on an impossible challenge for the Thunder. He almost succeeded
Alex Caruso took on an impossible challenge for the Thunder. He almost succeeded
The Athletic has live coverage of Spurs vs. Thunder in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA playoffs Western Conference finals.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Hours after Victor Wembanyama stunned the building, the sounds of the once-deafening Paycom Center were finally comprehensible. Janitors murmured across the lower bowl as they rigorously swept the crumbs left from the pandemonium. The streaks of the sneakers that played an iconic Western Conference finals Game 1 were prominent on the hardwood. So, too, was the spot: Where Wembanyama unabashedly launched from to earn the San Antonio Spurs a second overtime and a 122-115 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Five paces from the scorer’s table, 28 feet from the rim. It feels impossibly distant.
If it weren’t apparent whenever Wembanyama steers All-NBA ballhandlers from making routine decisions, it clicks when you stand there on the court: There is no way to prepare for such an enigmatic, unpredictable force on either end of the floor, no accurate simulation for a star still developing. There is only reacting in real time. Doing.
Alex Caruso understood that. For much of Monday night, OKC’s hopes hinged on him knowing the wrinkles a defense must be willing to concede, the advantages an offense must steal and the proper decision-making necessary to freeze a 7-foot-4 pillar.
The 6-foot-5 Caruso, in one of the most emphatic role player performances in recent memory, was everything the Thunder needed. He was David to Wembanyama’s Goliath until his work was undone.
“Sad it went to waste,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said of Caruso’s 31-point game. “He played his butt off tonight.”
Nine seasons in, stretches of the 32-year-old’s regular season are spent in bubble wrap. Every spasm or tweak is met with caution. Abysmal shooting slumps, even in a year in which Caruso shot 29.3 percent from 3, are written off. Because Caruso is merely incubating. He’s a cog in a machine built with many parts, an irreplaceable veteran and a steady disruptor until the playoffs roll around. That’s when his true form is summoned. The postseason beckons a different agent of chaos. Springtime, and its stakes, enhance his value.
“I think that’s probably why I play better this time of year, because winning is of the utmost importance and it carries a lot more weight in the playoffs than it does during the season,” Caruso said. “It’s one of those things where you’re just trying to make whatever the play is and trying to win the game.”
This is why coach Mark Daigneault can turn to Caruso two minutes into a matchup that screamed for his presence. It’s why Caruso played a season-high 32 minutes when 20 minutes was once a spry night, and why he played the bulk of two overtimes with the floor tilted to expose him as he was trusted guarding Wembanyama. If such a thing exists, Caruso is a giant slayer.
Two minutes after he entered the game, well before he drilled eight of his 14 3-point attempts, Caruso swindled Wembanyama with a ball fake, beating a whirling closeout and finishing over his skyscraping reach. He’d penetrated the forcefield.
Caruso obliged San Antonio regarding its game plan. Amid all the 3-pointers the Spurs conceded while being stingy with the Thunder and MVP Gilgeous-Alexander’s paint touches and driving angles, Caruso gladly chucked shot after shot. Wembanyama, tasked with roaming away from the least threatening shooter, closed out late as Caruso drilled his fifth 3-point attempt, clapping and smirking on the trip back down the floor.
But that amusement evaporated. Caruso kept shooting and hitting, often enough that it warranted Wembanyama gradually inching closer to him on the perimeter. He tried to weaponize the 22-year-old’s own overzealous tendencies.
“He’s a good player defensively, so he’s trying to make all the plays, and rightfully so. He can make them,” Caruso said of Wembanyama. “So part of that is just being smart about how you attack him. You watch the first couple series that they played, and there’s times where they’re just trying to shoot layups over him, and that’s not how you should play against him, right?
“I’m not gonna give you our game plan, but there’s times to be aggressive, and there’s times to manipulate the defense and get better shots.”
It took this level of detail to survive. Caruso has played with shot blockers of different sizes and stardom. Wembanyama, though, provides the Spurs with a more powerful level. Spurs guard Stephon Castle is a hound, but there’s extra safety in the 7-foot-4 shadow that follows SGA. Wembanyama mirrors opponents’ movements and is lanky enough to mind the back side or the pick-and-roll in one stride. He provides a cushion for late rotations and relief for blunders.
Alex Caruso’s play usually goes up a notch in the playoffs, but guarding Victor Wembanyama requires superhuman effort. (Brett Rojo / Imagn Images)
Wembanyama entered the fourth quarter without a foul. Gilgeous-Alexander attempted 10 shots before the fourth, none of them near the rim. Most of his attempts did not come until late, when actions were drawn up to free him. Ajay Mitchell, who averaged 16 field-goal attempts during his promising showing in the Thunder’s West semifinals series sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers, finished with five shots and four points. The Thunder scored 38 paint points on 43.2 percent shooting.
All-Star Chet Holmgren missed all three of his paint attempts and went just 2 of 7 from the floor in 41 minutes.
The shot that preceded Wembanyama’s long, game-tying 3 in overtime was an off-balance, midrange leaner from Jalen Williams as the big man lurked on the left block and the help was tightening.
“I think you get caught worrying about it too much and you lose aggression,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, who tallied 24 points and 12 assists on 7-of-23 shooting. “That’s when they really get a stranglehold on a game.”
Using data to measure Wembanyama’s impact does not completely account for his evolution. He is daunting to ballhandlers, forcing second guesses that draw out possessions late into the clock. Wembanyama, on film, is an easier foe than the one towering above the cylinder.
“When you play against those players, it’s kind of an acquired thing. You learn it as you go,” Daigneault said. “We’ve gone through that with other great players where you develop a feel. You can talk about it as much as you want, but you gotta develop a feel for it.”
Daigneault felt the season series granted some familiarity, but these teams hadn’t met in nearly four months, an eternity in Wembanyama’s timeline. He is hoarding experiences. Animosity — the force with which he dunks, the emotions he wears against this particular opponent — is his anchor.
Anything that made Wembanyama look mortal was brought forth by Caruso. When he swiped up and dug, defending Wembanyama’s lower body, the latter could look a bit clumsy. But he mitigated Wembanyama’s mighty reach, forcing him away from comfortable catches and allowing other defenders to get involved with entry passes.
The Thunder, branded by physicality, met their match in a Spurs team that dishes it out equally. San Antonio’s ballhandlers are sturdy. Wembanyama is undeterred inside 10 feet. Yet the kind of cracks Caruso was able to open can decide games like this one.
The big man loomed larger. Impact overruled experience, with Wembanyama throwing a 41-point, 24-rebound blanket over Caruso’s career game. Still, he bolstered his legacy.
The Thunder’s historical defense and their offensive juggernaut of an MVP went from undefeated and unscathed in these playoffs to pricked and ruffled. The Spurs have an antidote patrolling the floor and deterring what the Thunder do. It’s a grave enough threat that losing the caliber of performance that Caruso offered feels like a colossal mistake.
By Joel Lorenzi, via The Athletic