By Marilyn Dubinski | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-05-31 20:12:55
进入季后赛时，卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 被公认为NBA中最顶尖的替补中锋之一，甚至可以说是最强替补中锋。两年前，他曾在波士顿作为克里斯塔普斯·波尔津吉斯 (Kristaps Porzingis) 的替补夺得过总冠军，而今年作为维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 的替补，他似乎也准备好再次复制这一壮举。他整季的表现都非常出色，在常规赛初期文班因小腿拉伤缺席12场比赛，以及之后零星缺阵时，他帮助马刺队稳住了阵脚。
季后赛开始后，随着文班的出场时间增加，科内特的上场时间有所下降。除了在首轮对阵开拓者队的第三场比赛中，在文班因脑震荡缺阵时临危受命担任首发中锋并表现出色之外，他的效率相比常规赛似乎有所下滑。但这真的属实吗？还是说，这仅仅是因为文班的表现实在太耀眼（在很大程度上，他在今年季后赛中所谓的“拉胯”表现，在常规赛中都算得上是平均水平），以至于当他下场时，球队表现的下滑是不可避免的，从而在对比中显得科内特有些相形见绌？
科内特是一个幽默且有些“呆萌”的家伙，在这支年轻球队应对随着季后赛深入而不断累积的巨大压力时，他帮助更衣室营造了轻松的氛围。同时，他也是队中少数拥有季后赛和夺冠经验的老将之一。然而，由于马刺队在文班下场时的挣扎表现（尤其是在西部决赛中），科内特受到了一些非议，尽管他绝非唯一一个在面对卫冕冠军时表现挣扎的替补球员。
但随后，一切在瞬息之间发生了改变。在俄克拉荷马城进行的抢七大战中，距离比赛结束还有不到7分钟，两队争夺着总决赛的入场券，马刺队仅以97-91艰难维持着微弱的领先优势。在这场比赛中，马刺大部分时间都处于领先，并且已经数次顶住了对手的反扑，但他们必须预料到卫冕冠军会发起最后的殊死一搏。而当文班领到个人第5次犯规不得不下场休息时，雷霆队的这波反扑似乎真的要来了。
整个系列赛都让马刺队头疼不已的以赛亚·哈尔滕施泰因 (Isaiah Hartenstein) 预判并断掉了迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 传给科内特的球，随即发动反击。当时看起来似乎没有马刺球员能追上他，尤其是凯森·华莱士 (Cason Wallace) 还在一旁并线奔跑，准备卡位阻挡任何追防者。然而，就在哈尔滕施泰因起跳准备扣篮时，科内特从身后飞扑而来，将这次扣篮死死地钉在篮板上，即便哈尔滕施泰因试图用辅助手将他推开。马刺队抢到了篮板球，随后斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 在另一端命中急停跳投，完成了这次价值4分的分差转换。这不仅将可能缩水至4分的微弱优势重新拉开到8分，也瞬间浇灭了整个球馆的喧嚣。
卢克送出封盖
斯蒂芬转换得分！
@ NBAonNBC pic.twitter.com/M89xcZIspF
— 圣安东尼奥马刺 (@ spurs) 2026年5月31日
卢——克！
— 圣安东尼奥马刺 (@ spurs) 2026年5月31日
在这个一切围绕着球星（以及如何在没有球星时生存）的系列赛中，备受非议的科内特最终奉献了可以说是整个系列赛最关键的一次攻防。文班很快重新上场帮助球队终结了雷霆，但那一次防守完美缩影了科内特本赛季对马刺的价值：靠得住，且随时准备挺身而出。这记盖帽超越了他在奥兰多的那记制胜封盖——还伴随着令人捧腹的庆祝姿势——成为了他本赛季最精彩的防守表现。而取决于马刺在总决赛中的表现，这甚至可能作为队史最顶级的盖帽之一（更不用说最精彩的攻防瞬间之一）载入马刺史册。（虽然我不太想做这个对比，但这确实让我想起了科怀·莱昂纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 对拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克 (Russell Westbrook) 的那记追身大帽，那是在2014年同样对阵俄克拉荷马城雷霆的西决中，帮助马刺锁定胜局的系列经典画面之一。）
比赛期间和赛后，科内特的队友们都对他赞叹不已，并为他感到由衷的高兴。“我太激动了。我真为他感到骄傲，太开心了，”文班亚马在赛后告诉记者，“这就是‘制胜回合’的定义。谁更渴望胜利，谁就能做到。”在那个瞬间，科内特比任何人都更渴望胜利。在许多人认为他经历了一个糟糕的系列赛之后，这成了他的自我救赎（但话说回来，他似乎更像是整个替补席挣扎表现的替罪羊，同时也在一定程度上成为了文班过于优秀的“受害者”）。
当然，科内特并不是昨晚唯一完成救赎的替补球员。年度最佳第六人凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 在第四节的同一时间段内，拿下了他全场11分中的9分，帮助球队顶住了华莱士投进的4记三分球。我们也不能忘记达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox)，他在系列赛前两场均因伤缺阵，并且一直在与高位踝关节扭伤作斗争，但昨晚他也打出了一场精彩的比赛。
总的来说，这场抢七大战感觉就是一场“救赎之战”。这是对这支球队自2018年以来所历经的风雨的救赎，是对重建期的救赎，是对总经理布赖恩·莱特 (Brian Wright) 的救赎，也是对长久以来期盼再次体验这种狂喜的球迷群体的救赎。但在昨晚所有的救赎故事中，科内特的这一幕最让人难以忘怀。
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：Luke Kornet’s chase-down block solidifies his place in Spurs playoff lore
Luke Kornet’s chase-down block solidifies his place in Spurs playoff lore
Coming into the playoffs, Luke Kornet was considered one of, if not the top backup center in the NBA. He’d already won a championship backing up Kristaps Porzingis in Boston two years ago and seemed primed to do it again backing up Victor Wembanyama. He was great all year, helping the Spurs thrive when Wemby missed 12 games early in the season with a calf strain and a few more here and there throughout the regular season.
When the playoffs came Kornet’s minutes dropped as Wemby’s rose, and outside of admirably filling in at starting center when a concussed Wemby missed Game 3 against the Trail Blazers in Round 1, he has seemed less productive compared to the regular season. But is that actually true, or is it as simple as Wemby has just been so good (for the most part, a “poor” game from him in these playoffs has been what we would have considered average in the regular season) that a drop-off when he leaves the court is inevitable, making Kornet suffer by comparison?
Kornet is a funny, nerdy dude who has helped bring a lightheartedness to the locker room while the young team navigates immense pressure that just keeps building the further they go in the playoffs, while also being one of the few veterans with playoff and championship experience. However, because of the Spurs struggles with Wemby off the court, especially in the Western Conference Finals, Kornet has become a bit maligned, even though he was far from the only bench player who struggled against the champs.
But then, in one fell swoop, it all changed. The Spurs were holding on to a precarious 97-91 lead with under seven minutes to go in Game 7 in Oklahoma City with the Finals on the line — a game in which they had led most of the way and staved off a few runs already but had to assume one last ditch effort was coming from the defending champions — and it looked like that Thunder run may have been coming when Wemby had to sit after picking up his 5th foul.
Isaiah Hartenstein, who had been a thorn in the Spurs’ side all series, jumped in front of a Dylan Harper pass to Kornet and started heading the other direction. It didn’t seem like a Spur would catch up to him, especially with Cason Wallace running with him to box out any chasers, but as he went up for the dunk, in swooped Kornet from behind to pin the dunk off the glass, even as Hartenstein used an off arm to attempt to stave him off. The Spurs got the rebound, and a Stephon Castle jumper on the other other end completed the four-point swing, turning what could have been a precarious 4-point lead back into an 8-point lead while sucking the life out of the arena.
LUKE BLOCK
— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) May 31, 2026
— San Antonio Spurs (@ spurs) May 31, 2026
In a series that has been all about the stars (and surviving without them), the maligned Kornet ended up with arguably the biggest play of the series. Wemby would soon return to help finish the Thunder off, but that one play epitomized what Kornet has been to the Spurs all season: reliable and ready when called upon. It usurped his game-winning block in Orlando — complete with hilarious pose — as his best play of the season, and depending on what the Spurs do in the Finals, could go down in Spurs lore as one of their top blocks, let a lone plays, among many in franchise history. (I hate to bring up the comparison, but it kind of reminded me of Kawhi Leonard’s chase-down block of Russell Westbrook in part of a series of plays to clinch the Western Conference Finals in 2014 in none other than OKC.)
During and after the game, Kornet’s teammates were in awe and thrilled for him. “I was so stoked. I was so proud of him, so happy,” Wembanyama told reporters after the game. “That is the definition of a winning play. It’s whoever wanted it more.” In that moment, Kornet wanted it more than anyone. It was redemption following what many saw as a rough series from him (but again, it seemed like he was more a scapegoat for the entire bench’s struggles, as well as a bit of a victim of Wemby’s greatness).
Of course, Kornet wasn’t the only bench player to get some redemption last night, as Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson scored 9 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter around the same time to help counter four three-pointers from Wallace. And let’s not forget De’Aaron Fox, who missed both of the first two games and struggled at times with a high angle sprain, having a big game last night as well.
Overall, Game 7 felt was The Redemption Game. It was redemption for all the franchise has been through since 2018, for the rebuild, for general manager Brian Wright, and for a fan base that has been waiting to feel this level of elation again. But of all the redemption to go around from last night, Kornet’s will be remembered the most.
By Marilyn Dubinski, via Pounding The Rock
