By Devon Henderson | The Athletic, 2026-05-31 04:03:25
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 所做的一切，不过是为自己赢得了再打四场比赛的权利。
终场哨响时，并没有总冠军戒指戴在他的手上。现场有一座奖杯，但那并不是那座至高无上的奥布莱恩杯。有一座系列赛MVP奖杯属于他，但也不是那座万众瞩目的总决赛MVP奖杯。
但从他脸上的泪水来看，文班亚马似乎完全没去想这些。
他脸上因狂喜而泛起红晕，无比激动地拥抱着圣安东尼奥马刺队的队友们，这绝不是一个“见过大风大浪”的球员会有的表现。
因为他确实没经历过，仅仅是挺进NBA总决赛，就已经足够让他梦想成真。
“意识到童年的梦想终于有一部分要成真了，”文班亚马站在领奖台上，手捧魔术师约翰逊西部决赛MVP奖杯说道，“尽管我依然渴望再拿下一座（总冠军奖杯），但现在的这种感觉——我无法用言语形容。它太震撼、太强烈了。”
在马刺以111-103击败卫冕冠军俄克拉荷马雷霆队的那一瞬间，喷涌而出的情绪显然将文班彻底淹没。他把头埋进球衣里，先是弯下腰，随后又直起身。接着，他将自己7英尺4英寸（2.24米）的庞大身躯靠在队友斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 身上，伏在这位控球后卫的胸前痛哭失声。
在这场决定性的抢七大战中，文班亚马砍下22分并抢下7个篮板。整个系列赛，他场均轰下27.3分和10.9个篮板。作为本赛季常规赛MVP的候选人之一，他无疑是这轮系列赛中表现最出色的球员，成功带领圣安东尼奥马刺自2014年以来首次杀入NBA总决赛。
但在这一刻，他想和队友们共同分享。
他兴奋地挥舞着双拳，随后再次与卡斯尔、老将中锋比斯马克·比永博 (Bismack Biyombo)、凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 以及其他几位队友紧紧搂在一起。朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 得到了他一个热烈的拥抱，紧接着，助理教练肖恩·斯威尼 (Sean Sweeney) 也被他一把拉过来紧紧抱住。
“他们甚至不知道我有多爱他们，”文班亚马说道，“他们真的太不可思议了。今晚每个人都挺身而出。……我爱这帮兄弟。”
还要再赢下四场比赛。随着“外星人”在NBA的历史版图上不断攀升，还有一座分量更重的奖杯等待着他去夺取。但别忘了，他也是那个在本赛季早些时候，因一场艰难的常规赛失利而痛哭的文班亚马。
这也是那个终于击败了切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren) 的文班亚马——两人自青少年时期起就是人尽皆知的宿敌。这同样是那个在12月季中锦标赛（NBA Cup）击败雷霆后暗讽对手打法“不道德”的文班亚马，当时他表示很高兴能参与到如此美丽的事物中——纯粹且符合篮球道德的比赛。
这也是那个在首战开始前，不得不眼睁睁看着谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 在自己面前领走常规赛MVP奖杯（这位法国新星同样是候选人）的文班亚马。他的回应是在一场双加时鏖战中，轰下历史级的41分和24个篮板，并在决胜时刻凭借一己之力打出12-7的高潮击溃雷霆。赛后，这位天之骄子也毫不掩饰地承认，是的，他渴望赢得一座迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan) 奖杯（即常规赛MVP奖杯）。
所以，这一切对他而言意义非凡，而他也毫无保留地宣泄了出来。
纽约尼克斯队正静候马刺，两队将重演1999年总决赛的经典对决。仅仅四天后，总决赛首战就将鸣哨开球，文班亚马此刻肆意宣泄的激情也终将平复。届时，他将重新校准目光，凝视那座等待他去征服的最后一座巅峰。
“我知道我的情绪可能会变得有些平复甚至麻木，”文班亚马在赛后接受NBC采访时表示，“因为对胜利的极度渴望会让我保持冷酷。”
他深知，任务还远未完成。
但在今晚，在终场哨响的那一刻，他允许自己尽情流泪。
这一次，他没有选择压抑。
山姆·阿米克 (Sam Amick) 对本文亦有贡献。
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 overcome with emotion as Spurs clinch NBA Finals berth
Victor Wembanyama overcome with emotion as Spurs clinch NBA Finals berth
All Victor Wembanyama did was earn the right to play four more games.
There wasn’t a ring to hand him at the end of the game. There was a trophy, but it wasn’t the trophy. There was a series MVP trophy for him, but not that series MVP trophy.
Judging by the tears on his face, Wembanyama didn’t seem to know it.
The elation reddening his face and the fervor with which he hugged his San Antonio Spurs teammates didn’t suggest a player who has “been here before.”
Because he hasn’t, and just making the NBA Finals was enough of a dream come true.
“Realizing that some part of a childhood dream is going to come true,” Wembanyama said on stage while holding the Magic Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP Trophy. “Even though I’m still hungry for one more, this feeling is — I can’t explain it. It’s so powerful.”
The emotion tearing from Wemby’s body the second the Spurs defeated the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 visibly overwhelmed him. He dipped his head into his jersey, doubled over and back again. He collapsed his 7-foot-4 frame into teammate Stephon Castle and cried into his point guard’s chest.
Wembanyama scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a decisive Game 7 victory. He averaged 27.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in the series. He was a league MVP finalist this season and the best player in this series, leading San Antonio to its first NBA Finals since 2014.
But this moment was for his teammates.
He pumped his fists, then collapsed again into a group hug with Castle, veteran center Bismack Biyombo, Keldon Johnson and several other teammates. Julian Champagnie was enveloped in a passionate embrace. Assistant coach Sean Sweeney was snatched up right after.
“They don’t even know how much I love them,” Wembanyama said. “They’re just incredible. Everybody stepped up tonight. … I love these guys.”
There are four more games to win. As the Alien continues ascending the NBA hierarchy, there is a bigger trophy to earn. But this is the same Wembanyama who cried after a tough regular-season loss earlier this season.
This is the same Wembanyama who finally bested Chet Holmgren, a rival he has shared a very public feud with since they were teenagers. This is also the same Wembanyama who sent veiled shots at the Thunder’s legitimacy after beating them in the NBA Cup in December, saying he was glad to be part of something so beautiful – pure and ethical basketball.
And this was the same Wembanyama who had to watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander accept an MVP award that the Frenchman was up for, right in front of him, before Game 1. He responded by posting a historic 41-point, 24-rebound performance and outscoring the Thunder by himself, 12-7, in the closing moments of a double-overtime victory. The same player who openly admitted afterward that, yes, he wants to win one of those Michael Jordan trophies.
So, this mattered to him, and he showed it in spades.
The New York Knicks await the Spurs for a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals. In just four days, Game 1 of the NBA Finals will tip off, and the unbridled emotion Wembanyama showed will fade. Again, he’ll stare at the final peak left to conquer.
“I know my emotions are probably going to be a little bit numb,” Wembanyama told NBC’s crew after the game, “because of the will to win.”
He knows the job isn’t finished yet.
But for this night, he allowed himself to shed tears at the buzzer.
And he wasn’t going to subdue them.
Sam Amick contributed to this story.
By Devon Henderson, via The Athletic