By Joe Vardon, James L. Edwards III, Fred Katz, Jared Weiss, John Hollinger and Sam Amick | The Athletic, 2026-06-06 03:31:27
圣安东尼奥——维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 首次触碰NBA总决赛至高荣耀的机会随着皮球砸在篮筐后沿弹开而化为泡影，而纽约尼克斯现在距离他们自1973年以来的首个总冠军仅差两场胜利。
文班亚马周五晚上代表圣安东尼奥马刺砍下29分，但在终场哨响前错失了一记跳投，马刺最终以104-105憾负第二场比赛。卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 斩获21分和13个篮板，领跑纽约。
尼克斯将在麦迪逊广场花园主办第三和第四场比赛，他们目前已经取得了季后赛13连胜——这是NBA季后赛历史上第二长的连胜纪录。你能相信季后赛连胜纪录最长的两支球队都是由迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 执教的吗？
唯一一支赢得更多连胜的球队——2017年的金州勇士（曾取得15连胜）在当年夺得了总冠军。布朗当时是助理教练，但由于史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr) 缺席，他不得不代理执教了11场比赛。
如果布朗麾下的尼克斯横扫马刺，他们当然会追平那支勇士队，更重要的是，将打破球队漫长的冠军荒。
“我没那么聪明。你必须有优秀的球员带你前进，”布朗说道。
在总决赛中取得2-0领先的球队，在系列赛历史上的战绩为32胜5负。布朗正显得一天比一天聪明。
纽约在比赛还剩6分钟时领先14分，却险些痛失好局（如果文班亚马的那记投篮投进了，我们今天对布朗教练的评价就会完全不同了）。在比赛还剩约6分钟时，尼克斯的OG·阿奴诺比 (OG Anunoby) 顶着文班亚马完成隔扣，帮助球队取得97-83的领先。然而，这次扣篮并没有击垮马刺，反而起到了警醒作用。圣安东尼奥随后连得14分，将比分扳平。
文班亚马在上半场表现挣扎，但在最后两节状态回暖，他一定会想让最后的10秒钟重来。他在比赛还剩9.5秒时出现失误，随后错失了一记本可以绝杀比赛的20英尺中投。
文班亚马的最后一次投篮机会是由杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson)（得到20分）“创造”的，他在两罚一中后投失了第二球。布伦森全场25投仅7中，但尼克斯依然赢得了比赛。唐斯在上半场更具统治力，但在下半场受到犯规麻烦的困扰，而米卡尔·布里奇斯 (Mikal Bridges) 在下半场表现稳健，最终拿下20分。阿奴诺比贡献了17分。
第三场比赛将于周一晚上8:30在麦迪逊广场花园进行。这将是自1999年以来在该场馆举行的首场总决赛，而且只要唐纳德·J·特朗普总统 (President Donald J. Trump) 的行程不变，这也将是首场有现任美国总统到场观战的总决赛。
在周五的比赛之前，马刺在失利后的战绩为5胜1负，而这一次的失利尤为刺痛。他们在第二节一度领先多达12分，但半场结束时却以52-56落后。文班亚马在上半场仅出手4次得到7分（罚球3中3），而唐斯（17分、7个篮板）在半场结束时就几乎拿到了两双。
文班亚马全场21投11中，贡献9个篮板和4次盖帽。达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 为马刺贡献20分，新秀迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 替补出场砍下15分。
签约沙梅特为尼克斯带来丰厚回报
兰德里·沙梅特 (Landry Shamet) 可能是本赛季NBA最棒的自由球员签约。
不，我是认真的。听我解释。
沙梅特在训练营开始时签下的是一份无保障合同，并与马尔科姆·布罗格登 (Malcolm Brogdon) 和马特·赖安 (Matt Ryan) 竞争一个大名单席位。今年，他遭遇了两个赛季以来的第二次肩膀受伤，缺席了大量时间。尼克斯本可以轻易裁掉他，就像他们上赛季本可以做的那样。自对阵费城76人的第三场比赛以来，他在过去八场比赛中第六次得分上双。
沙梅特的三分球投射是今年NBA季后赛中最顶尖的——我的意思是，这家伙在东部决赛中三分球12投11中。他的火热手感虽然有所降温，但依然延续到了总决赛。在进攻端，沙梅特已经成为了这支本就武器库丰富的球队中又一件利器。
沙梅特也是纽约最出色的持球防守者之一。他利用胸部进行顶防的能力在队内无人能及。他的3D属性是布朗经常依赖的武器，这帮助尼克斯走到了距离他们53年来首个NBA总冠军仅一步之遥的地方。可以肯定的是，尼克斯下赛季不可能再用这么便宜的价格签回沙梅特了。—— 詹姆斯·L·爱德华兹 (James L. Edwards)
纽约强势挺进
尼克斯在第二场比赛中，从多个维度给自己增加了游戏难度。开局落后两位数已经不够看了——对他们来说，这现在只是小儿科。在第二场比赛中让马刺在开局阶段取得12分的领先优势，几乎算不上什么麻烦。
相反，尼克斯给自己提出了挑战：让他们在这场疯狂的季后赛之旅中表现神勇的几位关键球员突然“失去魔力”。但这并没有影响大局。
尽管布伦森全场25投仅7中，并伴有4次失误，且前5次出手中有3次被封盖，加上马刺的后卫们全场施加高压并不断设下陷阱，但尼克斯依然赢了。
他们赢了，哪怕乔什·哈特 (Josh Hart) 表现得异常安静，不仅一分未得，而且在短短18分钟内就领到5次犯规，下半场大部分时间都只能看着超级替补沙梅特顶替他的角色。
他们赢了，哪怕唐斯——此时此刻基本上是季后赛的MVP——再次犯了爱无谓犯规的老毛病，在第三节中段就领到了个人第四次犯规。
他们赢了，凭借一套没有布伦森也没有唐斯的阵容——正是这套组合在首轮对阵亚特兰大时让纽约陷入绝境——在第三节末段打出了至关重要的三分钟，帮助纽约扩大了领先优势。
他们赢了，尽管在第四节被对手打出一波14-0的攻势——这种如雪崩般的攻势通常是尼克斯在今年春天送给其他球队的——让圣安东尼奥扳平了比分，并导演了最后三分钟的戏剧性对决。
这都无所谓，一切都无所谓。因为这支尼克斯队在此时此刻，已经达到了其他任何球队都无法企及的高度。
开始奔走相告吧——下周我们要像1973年那样尽情狂欢。这支球队虽然拥有近年来所有NBA总冠军中最平庸的常规赛履历之一，但现在他们简直是不可战胜的。—— 约翰·霍林格 (John Hollinger)
对布里奇斯的信任收获回报
迈克·布朗冒了一次险，这个险在季后赛前期几乎让他们万劫不复。从第三节末到第四节的很长一段时间里，布朗派上了一套没有布伦森和唐斯的阵容。
唐斯陷入了犯规麻烦。布伦森在休息。在NBA总决赛第二场，一套由何塞·阿尔瓦拉多 (Jose Alvarado) 担任控球后卫的阵容本该缺乏自主创造投篮的机会——尽管任何“本该”发生的事情，在已经取得季后赛13连胜的尼克斯身上都不再会“真正”发生。
如果有人说由阿尔瓦拉多、布里奇斯和另外三名替补组成的阵容无法得分，那他一定没有考虑到一个新的必然规律：布里奇斯现在投篮弹无虚发。他投中中距离，他通过运球创造跳投机会。在季后赛期间，他在非油漆区两分球的命中率接近60%。
他对福克斯的防守，以及在之前系列赛中对詹姆斯·哈登 (James Harden) 和泰雷斯·马克西 (Tyrese Maxey) 的防守，都堪称现象级。这套没有布伦森、没有唐斯但拥有布里奇斯的阵容，实际上比当时拥有文班亚马在场上的马刺得分还要多。这为尼克斯赢下了比赛，现在他们距离53年来的首个总冠军仅差两场胜利。—— 弗雷德·卡茨 (Fred Katz)
失误最终让马刺付出代价
当文班亚马在对布伦森完成全场最关键的一次防守并控制住球后，他做出了一件令人匪夷所思的事。他把球往前传给斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle)，但卡斯尔当时正看着前方，完全没有注意到这个传球。布伦森捡起皮球，文班亚马最终扑倒在他身上，将这位尼克斯球星送上罚球线，从而取得了一分的领先。文班亚马在最后时刻错失了绝杀球，现在马刺已经跌入了他们从未想象过的深渊。
在一切都出错之后，福克斯找到了火花。即便脚踝扭伤，他之前也一直无法投中球。但当卡斯尔也因脚踝受伤倒下时，福克斯别无选择。他必须组织进攻，扮演这支球队整个赛季都在依赖的、负责梳理进攻的老将角色。即便他一瘸一拐地跑过半场，他依然坚持进攻，最终为文班亚马创造了冲击篮筐的空间，带领马刺咬住比分。
但在比赛的前期，有太多次篮板球弹得太远无法触及，或者是让尼克斯投手获得空位三分的机会。这就是整场比赛的缩影，也是马刺每一次有机会缩小分差时的写照。然而，当马刺起势时，尼克斯的臂展和对球的敏锐嗅觉为他们争取到了至关重要的二次进攻机会。纽约渴望在外线出手，而马刺则显得有些犹豫不决。
当阿奴诺比在第四节中段过掉文班亚马，然后等文班亚马追到身后时高高跃起完成暴扣，很明显尼克斯是一支执行力更好的球队。他们知道如何通过突破底线来过掉文班亚马，因为他们知道当文班亚马试图扮演“协防扫荡者”进行补防时，可以利用他的惯性来对付他。马刺的逆袭堪称英勇，但他们最终还是被自己的失误所葬送。—— 杰拉德·魏斯 (Jared Weiss)
马刺与历史作斗争
马刺现在陷入了巨大的麻烦之中。这一点显而易见。
但如果你想更具事实依据地了解为什么会这样，那我们不妨深入研究一下由Basketball-Reference.com的专业人士提供的一些历史数据。自1984年以来，在七局四胜制的季后赛系列赛中，在主场输掉前两场比赛的球队战绩仅为4胜27负。而且在（这一时期的）NBA总决赛中，还从未有球队在落后情况下逆转夺冠。
这当然完全说得通。在自家主场陷入0-2落后的情感打击，随后还必须在客场为渺茫的逆转希望做准备，这实在太难承受了。如果你像我一样感到好奇，以下是那些成功完成逆转的球队：
2021年：洛杉矶快船 击败 达拉斯独行侠（首轮）
2017年：波士顿凯尔特人 击败 芝加哥公牛（首轮）
2005年：达拉斯独行侠 击败 休斯顿火箭（首轮）
1994年：休斯顿火箭 击败 菲尼克斯太阳（次轮） —— 萨姆·阿米克 (Sam Amick)
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：Knicks storm through San Antonio to take Game 2, head home with NBA Finals lead
Knicks storm through San Antonio to take Game 2, head home with NBA Finals lead
SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama’s first chance for true NBA Finals glory clanged off the back of the rim, and the New York Knicks are now just two wins away from their first championship since 1973.
Wembanyama, who scored 29 points for the San Antonio Spurs, missed a jumper before time expired as San Antonio lost Game 2, 105-104, on Friday night. Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with 21 points and 13 rebounds.
The Knicks, who will host Games 3 and 4 at Madison Square Garden, have now won 13 consecutive playoff games — the second-longest winning streak in NBA playoff history. Would you believe the two teams with the longest playoff winning streaks were both coached by Mike Brown?
The only team to win more — the 2017 Golden State Warriors, who won 15 straight — took the title that year. Brown was an assistant coach, but had to step in for Steve Kerr for 11 games.
If Brown’s Knicks sweep the Spurs, they would, of course, tie that Warriors team and, more importantly, snap the franchise’s lengthy championship drought.
“I’m not that smart. You got to have good players that carry you,” Brown said.
Teams that go up 2-0 in the finals are 32-5 all-time in those series. Brown is looking smarter by the day.
New York led by 14 with six minutes left and nearly blew it (had Wembanyama’s shot fallen, we’d be talking differently about coach Brown today). The Knicks’ OG Anunoby dunked on Wembanyama with about six minutes left for a 97-83 lead. Rather than sink the Spurs, the dunk served as a wake-up call. San Antonio scored the next 14 points to tie the score.
Wembanyama, who struggled mightily in the first half but recovered for a much better final two quarters, will want the last 10 seconds back. He turned it over with 9.5 seconds left and then missed a 20-footer that would’ve won it.
Wembanyama’s last shot attempt was set up by Jalen Brunson (20 points), who made the first of two free throws but missed the second. Brunson went 7-for-25 from the field, and the Knicks won anyway. Towns was more dominant in the first half and was hampered by foul trouble in the second, but Mikal Bridges was solid after halftime and finished with 20 points. Anunoby added 17 points.
Game 3 is at 8:30 p.m. Monday at Madison Square Garden. It will be the first finals game there since 1999 and, as long as President Donald J. Trump’s schedule holds, the first finals game with a sitting U.S. president in attendance.
The Spurs were 5-1 after a loss heading into Friday’s affair, and this one stung. They were up by as many as 12 in the second quarter, but went to the locker room trailing 56-52. Wembanyama took just four shots for seven points (with three made free throws) in the first half, while Towns (17 points, seven boards) had nearly posted a double-double by halftime.
Wembanyama finished 11-of-21 shooting with nine rebounds and four blocks. De’Aaron Fox added 20 points for the Spurs and rookie Dylan Harper scored 15 points off the bench.
Shamet signing pays for Knicks
Landry Shamet might be the best free-agent signing in the NBA this season.
No, seriously. Hear me out.
Shamet started training camp on a non-guaranteed deal and was fighting for a roster spot with Malcolm Brogdon and Matt Ryan. He suffered a second shoulder injury in as many seasons this year and missed a lot of time. The Knicks could have easily cut him, just as they could have last season. He has scored double-digit points for the sixth time in eight games, dating to Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Shamet’s 3-point shooting has been some of the best these NBA playoffs have seen — I mean, the guy hit 11 of 12 3s in the Eastern Conference finals. His hot shooting, while not as sizzling, has continued into the NBA Finals. Offensively, Shamet has just become another tool on a team that already has a ton of them.
Shamet is also one of New York’s best on-ball defenders. He uses his chest as well as anyone on the team. His 3-and-D skill set is something Brown relies on often, and it’s helped put the Knicks on the doorstep of their first NBA championship in 53 years. It’s safe to say that the Knicks won’t be getting Shamet back as cheaply next season. — James L. Edwards
New York powers through
The Knicks ramped up the degree of difficulty on themselves in Game 2, in several dimensions. Falling behind by double digits early wasn’t enough — that’s child’s play for them by now. Spotting the Spurs an early dozen-point advantage in Game 2 was barely a nuisance.
Instead, the Knicks challenged themselves by having several key players from their unconscious playoff run suddenly turn into pumpkins. And it didn’t matter.
The Knicks won despite Brunson shooting 7-of-25 with four turnovers, with three of his first five shot attempts being blocked and the Spurs’ guards dialing up the pressure and springing traps all game.
They won even with Josh Hart being uncommonly quiet, not only going scoreless but also finishing with five fouls in just 18 minutes and spending most of the second half watching super-sub Shamet fill his role.
They won even with Towns — basically the MVP of the playoffs at this point — succumbing to his penchant for unnecessary fouls and picking up a fourth in the middle of the third quarter.
They won with a no-Brunson, no-Towns lineup — the same mixture that helped put New York on the ropes in the first round against Atlanta — playing a massive three-minute stretch at the end of the third quarter that saw New York extend the lead.
And they won despite surrendering a 14-0 fourth-quarter run — the type of avalanche the Knicks have typically sprung on other teams this spring — that allowed San Antonio to tie the game and set up the dramatic final three minutes.
It didn’t matter; none of it mattered. Because this Knicks team, in this moment, has simply gone to a place where no other team can match them.
Start spreading the news — next week we’re gonna party like it’s 1973. This team, despite one of the most modest regular-season resumes of any recent NBA champion, is simply untouchable right now. — John Hollinger
Faith in Bridges pays off
Mike Brown took a risk, one that nearly doomed them earlier in the playoffs. For a significant stretch from the end of the third quarter into the fourth, Brown went with a lineup that didn’t include Brunson or Towns.
Towns was in foul trouble. Brunson was resting. A lineup with Jose Alvarado at point guard in Game 2 of the NBA Finals should have lacked shot creation — though whatever should happen no longer actually happens to these Knicks, victors of 13 consecutive playoff games.
If one said that a unit with Alvarado, Bridges and three other bench players could not score, one would not be accounting for a new inevitability: Bridges no longer misses shots. He nailed midrangers. He facilitated jumpers off the dribble. He has been shooting just under 60 percent on non-paint 2s during the playoffs.
His defense on Fox, and in previous series on James Harden and Tyrese Maxey, has been stellar. The Brunson-less, Towns-less lineup with Bridges actually outscored the Spurs, who had Wembanyama on the court during that time. It won the Knicks the game, and now they sit only two wins away from their first title in 53 years. — Fred Katz
Mistakes cost Spurs in the end
As Wembanyama corralled the ball following his biggest stop of the game on Brunson, he did something unthinkable. He kicked it ahead to Stephon Castle, but Castle was looking ahead, completely oblivious to the pass. Brunson picked up the ball and Wembanyama ended up on top of him, sending the Knicks star to the line to take a one-point lead. Wembanyama missed the shot to win it at the end, and now the Spurs have fallen into a hole they never imagined.
After everything that went wrong, Fox found the spark. Ankle sprained and everything, he hasn’t been able to hit a shot. But when Castle went down with his own ankle injury, Fox didn’t have a choice. He had to run the offense, be the vet this team has relied on to get it organized all season. And even as he hobbled down the court, he kept attacking, finally freeing up Wembanyama to get to the rim and bring the Spurs back.
But there were so many times earlier in the game when another rebound bounced out of reach, another 3 from a Knicks shooter wide open. This was the story of the game, of every chance the Spurs had to close the gap. But the Knicks’ length and nose for the ball gave them crucial extra opportunities when the Spurs were building momentum. New York was eager to take the deep shots while the Spurs were reluctant to do so.
When Anunoby drove around Wembanyama halfway through the fourth quarter and then waited for Wembanyama to get behind him so he could explode up for a dunk, it was clear the Knicks are a better-executing team. They know how to get past Wembanyama by driving the baseline, knowing they can use his momentum against him when he is trying to play free safety. The Spurs’ comeback was valiant, but they were buried by their mistakes in the end. — Jared Weiss
Spurs battle history
The Spurs are in big-time trouble here. That much is obvious.
But if you’d like to have a more evidence-based sense of why that’s the case, then let’s dive into some of the historical data that comes courtesy of the fine folks at Basketball-Reference.com. Since 1984, teams that have lost the first two games of a seven-game playoff series on their home floor have gone 4-27. And none have ever come back to win (during that span) in the NBA Finals.
This makes all sorts of sense, of course. The emotional blow of going down 2-0 in your house, only to then have to gear up for an unlikely comeback in enemy territory, is a whole lot to handle. If you’re curious, like I was, here are the teams that managed to pull it off.
2021: LA Clippers over Dallas Mavericks (first round)
2017: Boston Celtics over Chicago Bulls (first round)
2005: Dallas Mavericks over Houston Rockets (first round)
1994: Houston Rockets over Phoenix Suns (second round) — Sam Amick
By Joe Vardon, James L. Edwards III, Fred Katz, Jared Weiss, John Hollinger and Sam Amick, via The Athletic