By Sam Amick | The Athletic, 2026-05-31 12:15:18
俄克拉荷马城——萨姆·普雷斯蒂 (Sam Presti) 早就知道这可能会发生。
作为这支俄克拉荷马雷霆队的缔造者，他原本正在打造一个王朝。在重建的那些年里，谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 一直保持着极大的耐心，并一路率队夺得了2025年的NBA总冠军。
但维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)横空出世。这支圣安东尼奥马刺队横空出世。在这个诞生了特殊宿敌关系的赛季里，两队从12月到5月底一共交手了*12!*次。而在周六晚上马刺以111-103赢下抢七大战后，整个NBA的格局被彻底改变了。
这在本质上是因为文班亚马以超乎预期的速度晋升为超级巨星，同时他身边也得到了马刺对手们——尤其是雷霆——最不愿看到的强力帮手。把时间拨回到2025年2月，当时达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 强行推动交易，从萨克拉门托国王队加盟马刺，其明确意图就是成为那名经验丰富的明星搭档，帮助文班亚马这位年轻的天才更上一层楼。
尽管这违背了NBA近80年历史中的所有历史规律，但这种可能性微乎其微的事情确实发生了。文班亚马迎来了蜕变。在萨克拉门托苦苦挣扎多年后选择离开的福克斯，为球队注入了强队的底蕴，加速了马刺的崛起进程。而如果年轻球员们能够打出来——从斯蒂芬·卡斯尔到迪兰·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)、朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 以及凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 等人——那么雷霆可能会发现，自己正面临着一种足以缩短其统治周期的巨大威胁。
如今，这一幕已成现实。
看着文班亚马在拿到总决赛门票后对马刺的伟大赞不绝口，人们不禁会想，这是否会成为联盟的新格局。他年仅22岁，而他所在的马刺队刚刚登上了NBA最宏大的舞台，并且看起来在未来的许多年里都有能力保持这样的竞争力。在这轮系列赛中因脚踝伤势而难以发挥出最佳状态的福克斯，选择了一个完美的时机来证明自己（抢七大战中贡献15分、5次助攻和3次抢断）。就在上个赛季，马刺还只赢了34场比赛，文班亚马的第二赛季也因为血栓问题而被迫提前结束，这曾促使他去思考更长远的人生。然而仅仅一个赛季后，他们就以一种堪称史上最瞩目重建的方式，极大地缩短了马刺的崛起时间线。
“赢得奥布莱恩杯是童年的梦想，”文班亚马在赛后谈到即将面对纽约尼克斯的总决赛挑战时说道，“能够真正有机会去争夺它，有一个切实的夺冠机会——去实现梦想，你知道，这就是一个机会。这是一生仅有一次的机会，你永远不知道下一次会在什么时候到来。
“但对个人而言，当我们夺冠的那一天，那将是梦想成真、令人惊叹的一天。这很难用言语来表达。这几乎就像是我生命的意义。”
剧情的转折点在于，马刺如今已经如此强大，这可能会迫使雷霆重新考虑未来的建队方式，甚至可能需要采取极端措施来应对他们刚刚遭受的这一记重击。
花点时间来消化一下文班亚马在抢七大战后分享的观点。他最终得到了22分、7个篮板和仅有1次盖帽，但——就像福克斯的情况一样——这是你见过的最具欺骗性的数据单。
他让雷霆大个子切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren)在场上形同虚设。这位宿敌显然对这组特定的对位感到恐惧，并交出了一份在未来几个月甚至几年里都会让他感到折磨的数据：在近33分钟的出场时间里，2投1中仅得4分、4个篮板、2次盖帽和2次失误。没有比这更好的例子能证明文班亚马已经展现出的独特影响力了，而这种表现上的巨大反差无疑将引发关于雷霆该如何应对的讨论。
“（在这轮系列赛中）我发掘了内心的潜能，”文班亚马说，“那就是不屈不挠。我早就知道自己有这一面，但在这种级别的对抗中展现出来（感觉完全不同）。我的意思是，这是目前世界上水平最高的篮球对决。疯狂的是——也许我真的疯了——但我想再经历15、20次这样的历练。希望这不会让我上瘾。不过，也许我已经上瘾了。”
这就是雷霆以及联盟其他球队现在必须担心的地方。在常规赛中，俄克拉荷马城在五次交手中输给了这支马刺队四次，其中最令人难忘的失利发生在NBA杯半决赛中，那场比赛释放了关于潜在阶级格局的强烈信号。接着，在这轮系列赛中，他们又在七场比赛中输掉了四场，使得自12月首次交锋以来，圣安东尼奥对雷霆的总战绩达到了8胜4负。
在试图预测未来几年谁将统治西部时，这是一个相当有说服力的样本量。即便雷霆可以声称伤病问题在这轮系列赛中起到了关键作用。
全明星后卫杰伦·威廉姆斯 (Jalen Williams)和新星阿杰伊·米切尔 (Ajay Mitchell)在系列赛的大部分时间里缺阵，这让蝉联MVP的吉尔杰斯-亚历山大失去了往常所依赖的支持。更不用说霍姆格伦的挣扎让这一切雪上加霜。
如果说这预示着什么，那就是即便雷霆不做出任何实质性的改变，这组对决也即将成为载入史册的经典。就像凯尔特人对湖人、活塞对公牛、骑士对勇士那样。那是殿堂级的篮球大戏。
当吉尔杰斯-亚历山大和雷霆主帅马克·戴格诺特 (Mark Daigneault)被要求总结他们赛季的结束时，他们迅速向马刺致敬，同时确保不找任何借口。尽管如此，吉尔杰斯-亚历山大还是提到了一个事实：普雷斯蒂绝不是一个会固步自封的人。他会分析，他会创新，他会纠错。如果说他在马刺度过的早年岁月（这段经历最终助推了他在雷霆的崛起）中从传奇教头格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich)和著名马刺高管R.C. 布福德 (R.C. Buford)身上学到了什么，那就是这一点。
吉尔杰斯-亚历山大在抢七大战中面对文班亚马和圣安东尼奥马刺队砍下了35分，但雷霆全队发现他们整个赛季都在苦苦寻找攻克马刺的方法。(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
联盟消息人士长期以来一直坚称，俄克拉荷马城不会参与将在今年夏天主导舆论的扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo)争夺战，但这种令人震惊的结局足以重新引发这一讨论。当最终目标未能实现时，没有任何方案是不可逾越的。长期以来，也有传言称雷霆对克利夫兰大个子埃文·莫布里 (Evan Mobley)感兴趣，但骑士队总经理科比·奥尔特曼 (Koby Altman)在赛季结束的新闻发布会上坚称，莫布里哪儿也不会去。
对俄克拉荷马城来说，答案不会一蹴而就。正如马刺大个子卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet)在赛后充满诗意地谈到他在比赛末段对以赛亚·哈尔滕施泰因 (Isaiah Hartenstein)的封盖（这次封盖帮助他们拯救了赛季）时所说，那些所谓的“潜在王朝”在过去曾无数次胎死腹中。
“我曾在波士顿处于那样的位置，（在那里）每个人都喜欢捧你，认为你们将是不可阻挡的，”30岁的科内特说道，他曾在2024年随凯尔特人夺冠，随后那支球队便分崩离析，“他们是一支令人难以置信的球队，但是……通往夺冠的道路充满了失败，而且过程要比想象中艰难得多。”
这轮系列赛完美地诠释了这一点。在第一场比赛中，文班亚马大开杀戒，马刺通过双加时艰难取胜，抢占了先机。从那之后的每一场比赛都显得至关重要，局势犹如跷跷板般起伏不定。然而，马刺的信心正是通过一路上经历的所有比赛建立起来的。
“我们把‘我们能击败他们’的想法深深植根于脑海中，”贡献了20分、6个篮板且正负值达到+16的四年级小前锋尚帕尼说道，“当我们专注起来时，没有哪支球队比我们更强。我依然坚信这是事实，这也是我们的信条，是我们赖以生存并为之奋斗的信念。无论年轻与否，无论经验丰富与否，我们就是这样一路走来的。”
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：The Spurs caught up to the Thunder — and reshaped the NBA's future
The Spurs caught up to the Thunder — and reshaped the NBA’s future
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sam Presti knew this might happen.
The architect of this Oklahoma City Thunder team had a dynasty in the making, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having remained so patient during the rebuilding years en route to the 2025 NBA title.
But Victor Wembanyama happened. These San Antonio Spurs happened. And after this season, in which a special rivalry was born, with these two teams facing off 12! times from December through the end of May, the NBA landscape was dramatically changed in this 111-103 Spurs win in Game 7 win Saturday night.
This, at its core, was about Wembanyama ascending into superstardom quicker than expected, while also getting the kind of help around him that the Spurs’ foes — Oklahoma City chief among them — hoped would never come. Hit the rewind button to February 2025, when De’Aaron Fox forced his way from the Sacramento Kings to the Spurs with the expressed intent of becoming the veteran co-star who helped this young phenom, Wembanyama, get to the next level.
There was always a remote chance this could happen, even if it went against every historical marker in the near-80-year history of the NBA. Wembanyama would elevate. Fox, who had suffered in Sacramento for so many years before deciding to hit the eject button, would add a level of legitimacy that sped up the Spurs’ process. And if the young players hit — from Stephon Castle to Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie, Keldon Johnson on down the line — then the Thunder might find themselves with the kind of threat that could shorten their runway to relevance.
Now here we are.
To see Wembanyama gush about the Spurs’ greatness after punching his ticket to the NBA Finals was to wonder if this might be the new way in the league. He’s only 22 years old with a Spurs team that just reached the NBA’s grandest stage and looks capable of doing this sort of thing for many years to come. Fox, who struggled to be at his best while dealing with a ankle injury in this series, picked a perfect time to make his mark (15 points, five assists and three steals in Game 7). And just one season after winning 34 games, with Wembanyama’s second season cut short because of a blood clot that compelled him to contemplate the bigger picture at hand, they’ve sped up this Spurs timeline in the kind of way that could go down as one of the most remarkable rebuilds we’ve ever seen.
“Winning the Larry O’Brien, it’s a childhood dream,” Wembanyama said afterward of this finals challenge ahead against the New York Knicks. “And having a real shot at it, having a chance — a tangible chance at winning it — realizing a dream, you know, it is a chance. It’s a lifetime chance. You never know when it is going to happen again.
“But the day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s going to be an amazing day of realization of a dream. It’s hard to put into words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life.”
The plot twist, the thing that might force the Thunder to reconsider how they build their roster going forward, is that the Spurs are already so great that extreme measures might be necessary to combat the counterpunch they just endured.
Take a moment to process the perspective that Wembanyama shared after Game 7. He finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and just one block, but — as was the case with Fox — it was as deceiving of a stat line as you’ll ever find.
He made a ghost out of Thunder big man Chet Holmgren, his longtime foe who is clearly terrified of this particular matchup and finished with the kind of line that will haunt him in the months, and possibly years, ahead: four points on 1-of-2 shooting, four rebounds, two blocks and two turnovers in nearly 33 minutes. There was no better indicator of how uniquely impactful Wembanyama is already proving to be, and this severe contrast of performances is sure to spark a conversation about how the Thunder might respond.
“I found resources inside of me (in this series),” Wembanyama said. “Relentlessness. I already knew that, but doing it at this level (was different). I mean, this is the best basketball on the planet that’s being played right now. And the crazy thing is — maybe I’m crazy — but I want to do that 15, 20 more times. Let’s hope it doesn’t become an addiction. Maybe it is already.”
That’s the part that the Thunder, and the other teams in the league, have to worry about now. Oklahoma City lost to these Spurs four times in five tries during the regular season, with the most memorable defeat coming in the NBA Cup semifinal that sent such a powerful message about the potential hierarchy. And then, they fell to them four times in seven games in this series, giving San Antonio an overall mark of 8-4 since that first December meeting.
When it comes to trying to figure out who’s going to dominate the West in the years to come, that’s a substantial sample size to go by. Even if the Thunder can claim that the injury woes played a significant part in this series.
The fact that All-Star guard Jalen Williams and rising talent Ajay Mitchell were gone for the vast majority of the series left Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back MVP, lacking the kind of support he’d been used to. Not to mention the Holmgren struggles compounding it all.
If anything, that means this matchup is about to become one for the ages, even if the Thunder don’t make any material changes. Celtics-Lakers. Pistons-Bulls. Cavs-Warriors. That level of hoops theater.
When Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder coach Mark Daigneault were asked to break down the end of their season, they were quick to give credit to the Spurs while being sure not to reach for excuses. Still, Gilgeous-Alexander referenced the reality that Presti isn’t one to stand still. He analyzes. He innovates. He corrects. If he learned anything from the legendary Gregg Popovich and famed Spurs executive R.C. Buford during his early years with the Spurs that led to his Thunder rise, it was that.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 35 points against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7, but the Thunder as a whole found themselves looking for answers against the Spurs all season. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
League sources have long maintained that Oklahoma City would not take part in the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes that will dominate the summertime conversation, but this sort of stunning finish is enough to re-spark that conversation. Nothing should be off the table when the end goal wasn’t reached. There has long been chatter about the Thunder having interest in Cleveland big man Evan Mobley as well, but Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman insisted in an end-of-season news conference that Mobley wasn’t going anywhere.
The answers won’t come overnight for Oklahoma City. As Spurs big man Luke Kornet shared postgame, when he was waxing poetic about his late-game block on Isaiah Hartenstein that helped save their season, would-be dynasties have died on the vine plenty of times before.
“I was in that position in Boston, (where) everyone likes to kind of anoint you, and think that you’re going to be unstoppable,” said Kornet, the 30-year-old who won a title with the Celtics in 2024 before that team was torn down. “They’re an incredible team, but … the road to even winning a championship is filled with losses, and it’s full (of) things being a lot harder (than you expect).”
This was nothing if not that. There was Wembanyama going nuclear in Game 1, when the Spurs’ double-overtime win gave them the early edge. Every game from there felt consequential, with a teeter-totter feel along the way. The Spurs’ confidence, though, was built in all the games that came along the way.
“We instilled the thought in our minds that we can beat them,” said Champagnie, the fourth-year small forward who had 20 points, six rebounds and a plus-16 mark. “There’s no team that’s better than us when we’re locked in. I still feel like that’s just a true statement, and that’s what we live by, what we’re living and dying by. Young or not, experienced or not. That’s just how we’re moving.”
By Sam Amick, via The Athletic