By Sam Amick | The Athletic, 2026-06-07 09:30:15
《The Athletic》正在为您图文直播马刺对阵尼克斯的2026年NBA总决赛第三场对决。
纽约——艾萨克·牛顿爵士 (Sir Isaac Newton) 大概会想对这届NBA总决赛评述几句。
当然，是以一种“事后剖析”的方式。
既然这位著名的博学家在340年前告诉我们“每一个作用力都有一个大小相等、方向相反的反作用力”，而这支似乎也同样很久没有尝过夺冠滋味的传奇纽约尼克斯队，如今在总决赛中大比分2-0领先圣安东尼奥马刺，那么是时候探讨一下，如果这支坚韧的队伍最终完成伟业、震惊篮球界，这将意味着什么了。
由此产生的反作用力，将以多种形式呈现，且绝对是史诗级的。
鉴于长达53年的冠军荒（这将是尼克斯队史第三冠），美国最大城市街头届时将释放出的混乱与纯粹的狂喜是毋庸置疑的。正如我们在前两场比赛中所看到的，当尼克斯球迷涌入圣安东尼奥的霜冻银行中心 (Frost Bank Center)，仿佛那里是他们自己的主场一样，这支球迷群体人数众多，且自身就极具统治力。这非常像他们最喜爱的球队——那支在这段历史性且意想不到的征程中，已经取得季后赛13连胜的球队。
但我们今天更具体的焦点，是尼克斯阵中最具争议的天才球员：卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 的名誉之战。在所有带着证明自己意图进入今年季后赛的球员中，唐斯或许高居榜首。
距离那笔将他从明尼苏达送来这里的惊天交易过去还不到两年。当时，他帮助森林狼20年来首次杀入西部决赛，而得到的“奖励”却是在一笔三方交易中被送往纽约，而朱利叶斯·兰德尔 (Julius Randle) 实质上接替了他原来的工作。更重要的是，就我们讨论的主题而言，仅仅在九个月前，扬尼斯·阿德托昆博 (Giannis Antetokounmpo) 效力尼克斯的意向，让唐斯的饭碗变得更加不稳固。
虽然密尔沃基和纽约之间的谈判从未取得实质性进展，但没人能责怪唐斯会担心历史是否会重演——毕竟在上赛季，尼克斯就像此前的森林狼一样，25年来首次杀入分区决赛。尤其是考虑到，尼克斯在同一时间决定不与他提前续约。
时间快进到1月中旬，当时尼克斯在13场比赛中输掉了9场，唐斯显然在首年执教的主教练迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 的体系下挣扎，关于这位30岁、六届全明星球员是否是这支尼克斯合适内线人选的质疑依然存在。但在过去的七周里，唐斯用坚韧、无私、不惜一切代价的攻防两端表现，改变了长期围绕着他的风评，推动着这支尼克斯走向伟大的边缘。可以肯定的是，整个联盟关于阿德托昆博加盟尼克斯的传闻，也因此平息了下来。
在此期间，唐斯在季后赛中场均贡献17.3分、10.8个篮板和5.6次助攻，正负值领跑全队。显然，他理应获得那些多年来不愿给予他尊重的同行们（从吉米·巴特勒 (Jimmy Butler) 开始的一众球员）的尊重。在本系列赛的前两场比赛中，他对马刺大个子维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 的防守，足以重塑外界对他的看法。而这一令人瞩目的表现，恰逢兰德尔在马刺次轮淘汰森林狼的系列赛中极力限制文班却无能为力之后，这无疑让唐斯心里更加受用。（相反，森林狼球星安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards) 此时此刻在思考这些“如果”时，又会作何感想呢？）
听布朗在第二场比赛后谈论唐斯，就能明白他们的关系已经取得了长足的进步。本赛季早些时候，他们之间那种建设性的紧张关系并不是什么秘密，但布朗详细讲述了这一过程，这显然让尼克斯处于一个更健康、更具威胁的位置。布朗说话往往有些啰嗦，但对于任何好奇他们是如何完成这一疯狂壮举的人来说，这段话都值得一“听”。
“我来的时候带着一个很好的计划，”当被问及唐斯的蜕变时，布朗说道，“也许计划行不通。谁来做出调整：他还是我？我。我来调整。（但）调整还不够。偶尔，我们想法不一致。我们沟通，不断沟通。我再次调整。情况好了一点。他感觉不错。我们沟通，我们沟通——也许我们又退后了几步，因为他不赞成我的做法，这也没关系。
“作为教练，我的工作是让我们攻防两端的任何战术体系都适合我们所有的球员。如果你是一名伟大的球员，我就必须做出更多的调整，或者我必须比你付出更多。我们最终达到了一个让他感到舒服、让我感到舒服、杰伦·布朗森 (Jalen Brunson) 感到舒服、OG·阿奴诺比 (OG Anunoby) 感到舒服、米卡尔·布里奇斯 (Mikal Bridges) 也感到舒服的境地。对我来说，这就是常规赛的意义所在。常规赛就是为了找到适合自己的方式，以便为每年的这个时候做好准备……所以，当我们来到这里时，我们遇到的任何困难，在常规赛中都已经克服过了，我们自然知道该如何应对。”
如果尼克斯真的为这轮NBA总决赛画上圆满的句号，那么仍然需要与唐斯进行讨论，以确保长期留住他。他目前的合同还剩下一个保障赛季，在2027-28赛季拥有价值6100万美元的球员选项，并且有资格获得一份巨额提前续约合同（四年总计2.72亿美元）。
当今NBA的现实意味着尼克斯需要考虑第二土豪线的限制，并希望在薪资总额上保持足够的谨慎，以免损害阵容深度。但考虑到唐斯在这里所做的一切，这一次谈判的基调应该会对他有利得多。在这方面，他配得上极大的赞誉。
作为最后的免责声明，任何认为现在讨论尼克斯夺冠还为时过早的人都应该考虑这一点：自1984年以来，在七局四胜制的系列赛中，客场拿下前两场比赛的球队战绩为27胜4负。如果他们最终以某种方式搞砸了，我的社交媒体私信大概会被冲爆，但这是我愿意承担的风险。
亚当·肖华力挺65场规则
在所有因尼克斯而起的喧嚣中，这件事并未引起太多关注，但NBA总裁亚当·肖华 (Adam Silver) 在周四接受一小群记者采访时，透露了他对负荷管理争论的反直觉且基于数据的看法。
在前一天的年度总决赛前新闻发布会上，肖华已经重申了他对备受争议的65场规则的支持，断言他认为该规则正在发挥作用，并明确表示短期内不会取消。球员工会（NBPA）在3月下旬曾呼吁“废除或改革”该规则，当时显而易见的是，多位高知名度球员将被判定失去评选常规赛奖项的资格。
但肖华在丹佛高地社区中心（Denver Heights Community Center，联盟举办“NBA关怀行动”的地点）一个更为非正式的场合中，分享了他对球员参赛政策更具细节的看法，这可能会让那些坚信球员急需减轻工作负荷的人感到惊讶。
“事实上，今年我们明星球员的参赛率显著上升，”肖华开始说道，“排除伤病因素，以所谓的负荷管理或单场缺席为焦点，我们今年减少了30%。……（球员们）不想让球迷失望。”
正如肖华进一步详细阐述的那样，联盟的内部数据表明，延长休息时间可能是问题的一部分，而不是解决方案。
“关于所谓的负荷管理，我认为我们看到的唯一伤病增加的情况，并不是在赛季末球员打完更多比赛的时候，”肖华继续说道，“我们看到的唯一增加是在全明星周末之后。……无论这只是相关性，还是最终被证实存在因果关系，这都可能是因为（球员）在休息的那些天里没有获得适当的负荷训练。
“我认为这是一个（人工智能）可以帮助我们的领域。（AI）已广泛应用于所有医学研究中，你可以汇总海量数据以更清晰地观察趋势。”
然而，他没有讨论的部分——也是那些认为联盟应该缩减赛程甚至缩短比赛时间的人所关注的焦点——是当今NBA的“空间与节奏”要素正将球员置于比以往任何时候都更危险的境地。金州勇士队主教练史蒂夫·科尔 (Steve Kerr) 在这个问题上的呼声比任何人都高，他主张常规赛赛程减少10场，同时对近期频发的下肢伤病表示担忧。
“节奏的差异是巨大的，”科尔在11月时说道，“在整个联盟中，现在每个人都明白，如果你能在退防前击败对手并打出快攻转换，得分就会变得更容易。但当所有人都在这么做时，比赛节奏就会快得多。然后，每个人都必须防守到25英尺开外，因为人人都能投3分。”
但从肖华和协助他追踪这一问题的专家们的口吻来看，他们显然不这么认为。
杰伦·布伦森与关于（矮个）控卫的伟大辩论
说到可能会改变外界看法的尼克斯球员，布伦森正在打破长期以来在联盟中备受争议的矮个控卫壁垒。拉斯维加斯王牌队主教练（前马刺助理教练）贝基·哈蒙 (Becky Hammon) 在2023年12月担任ESPN分析师期间曾正面提出这一问题，并在最近再次重申：拥有一名高个控卫是否是冠军球队的先决条件（伊塞亚·托马斯 (Isiah Thomas) 和斯蒂芬·库里 (Steph Curry) 等球员是罕见的例外）。
“不，他太矮了，”这位身高5英尺6英寸、在辉煌的球员生涯中未能夺冠的名人堂成员哈蒙，当年在谈到身高6英尺2英寸的布伦森时曾留下了这句名言。
非常具有戏剧性的是，布伦森率领的尼克斯赢下了本届总决赛的前两场比赛，而哈蒙在圣安东尼奥银星队退役的球衣——你猜怎么着——正从霜冻银行中心球馆的上空注视着他。
贝基·哈蒙在圣安东尼奥银星队的退役球衣悬挂在霜冻银行球馆上空。(Chris Covatta / NBAE via Getty Images)
即使大比分2-0领先，对马刺来说最可怕的是，布伦森其实还没有发挥出最佳水平。他在第一场比赛第四节砍下13分的表现堪称传奇，但布伦森的整体表现——31投12中，伴随4次失误且仅有2次助攻——以他的高标准来看是不合格的。在第二场比赛的大部分时间里，他的表现甚至更糟，全场25投仅7中，有4次失误，正负值为-10。公平地说，他最终还是找到了成为“关键先生”的方法。布伦森在比赛还剩39秒时的19英尺跳投将比分扳为104平，并在还剩10秒时抢断了文班亚马的失误，随后在被犯规后两罚一中，最终锁定了胜局。
但基础数据让你觉得他即将迎来一场爆发。在本系列赛至今，布伦森的整体命中率仅为33.9%，三分命中率仅为23.5%，场均助攻数与失误数持平（场均4次）。而整个赛季都被我们许多人认为只有微弱机会走到这一步的尼克斯，现在依然处于完成这项不可能完成任务的绝佳位置。
例如：伟大的约翰·霍林格 (John Hollinger) 在3月初将他们列为“第四档”争冠球队：他称这一档为“危险分子”，其中还包括克利夫兰和明尼苏达。而就在那之前不久，我写了一篇文章，在我认为有某种机会夺冠的八支球队中，我将他们排在第八位。
除了那间更衣室里的人，几乎没有人预料到这一幕。
“凡事都需要时间，”在第二场比赛后，像布朗一样经常在发言中重复要点的布伦森说道，“我们知道我们必须每天都变得更好——每一天。在我们现在生活的世界里，每个人都想要立竿见影的效果。所以从我们的角度来看，关键在于每天都要进步，不断磨练，不断积累，每天进步百分之一。
“当你退步时，你该如何提高？关键永远在于：‘你该如何提高？你该如何提高？’我认为，拥有这种心态、专注度和方法，能让我们依然保持作为比赛学习者的姿态，甚至在胜利中寻找学习的方法。我认为我们需要继续这样做。”
如果他们做到了，哥谭市将会陷入一片狂欢的混乱之中。
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：What we're hearing about Karl-Anthony Towns' NBA Finals play impacting Knicks, Giannis
What we’re hearing about Karl-Anthony Towns’ NBA Finals play impacting Knicks, Giannis
The Athletic has live coverage of Spurs vs. Knicks in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
NEW YORK — Sir Isaac Newton would like a word about these NBA Finals.
In a postmortem sort of way, of course.
Since the famed polymath taught us 340 years ago how “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” and this storied New York Knicks franchise that hasn’t won it all in about that long finds itself up 2-0 against San Antonio, it’s time to explore what it might mean if this gritty group shocks the basketball world by finishing the job.
The reaction, in many forms, would be quite epic.
The chaos and sheer bliss that would be unleashed on the streets of the United States’ biggest city are a given, what with the 53-year drought between titles and all (it would be the Knicks’ third ever). As we saw in those first two games, when Knicks fans descended on San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center as if it was their own, this fanbase rolls deep and can be quite dominant in its own right. Much like their favorite team — the one that has now won 13 consecutive playoff games during this historic, and unexpected, run.
But today’s more specific focus is the reputational stakes for the Knicks’ most divisive talent: Karl-Anthony Towns. Of all the players who entered this postseason with something to prove, Towns might have topped the list.
It has been less than two years since the stunning trade that brought him here from Minnesota, when his reward for helping the Timberwolves reach the West finals for the first time in two decades was to get sent to New York in the three-team deal in which Julius Randle, in essence, took his old job. More importantly, for the purposes of this discussion, it has only been nine months since Giannis Antetokounmpo’s interest in playing for the Knicks created even more job insecurity for Towns.
While talks between Milwaukee and New York never gained traction, no one could blame Towns for wondering if history might repeat itself after the Knicks, much like the Timberwolves before them, reached the conference finals for the first time in 25 years last season. Especially considering the Knicks decided not to give him a contract extension around that same time.
Fast forward to mid-January, when the Knicks lost nine games in 13 tries and Towns was clearly struggling to thrive in first-year coach Mike Brown’s system, and the questions remained about whether the 30-year-old, six-time All-Star was the right big man for this Knicks post. But Towns has spent these past seven weeks changing the narrative that surrounded him for so long, playing with the kind of tough, selfless and whatever-it-takes, two-way style that has pushed these Knicks to the brink of something special. And the league-wide chatter about Antetokounmpo coming the Knicks’ way, it’s safe to say, has certainly died down as a result.
Along the way, with Towns leading the Knicks in playoff plus-minus while averaging 17.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the playoffs, it has become quite evident that he deserves the kind of respect that some of his peers have been loath to give over the years (from Jimmy Butler on down the line). His defense against Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama in this series’ first two games should be enough to reshape how he’s viewed. That this revelatory showing comes after Randle struggled so mightily to contain Wemby in the Spurs’ second-round win over Minnesota, meanwhile, surely makes it all that much sweeter for Towns. (Conversely, what might Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards be thinking as he ponders the what-if of it all right about now?)
To hear Brown discuss Towns after Game 2 was to realize how far their relationship has come. The creative tension between them was no secret earlier this season, but Brown offered a blow-by-blow account of a process that has clearly put the Knicks in a much healthier, and more dangerous, place. Brown has a tendency to be a little long-winded, but this is worth the “listen” for anyone who is curious how they’re managing to pull this craziness off.
“I came in with a great plan,” Brown said when asked about Towns’ evolution. “Maybe the plan doesn’t work. Who adjusts: Him or me? Me. I adjust. (But) the adjustment’s not enough. Every once in a while, we’re not on the same page. We talk about it. We talk about it. I adjust again. A little bit better. He’s feeling good. We talk about it. We talk — maybe we take a couple of steps backwards because what I did, he doesn’t like, which is fine.
“It’s my job as a coach to fit whatever scheme we have on both sides of the floor to all of our players. And if you’re a great player, I’ve got to make a little bit more adjustments, or I’ve got to give a little bit more than you do. We finally got to a point where he was comfortable, (where) I was comfortable, Jalen (Brunson) was comfortable, OG (Anunoby) was comfortable, Mikal (Bridges) was comfortable. And to me, that’s what the regular season is about. The regular season is about finding your way so you can prepare for this time of the year … So, when we get here, anything we run into, we’ve already conquered during the regular season, and we’ll know how to handle it.”
If the Knicks do, in fact, tie the bow on this NBA Finals package, there will still be a discussion to be had with Towns about securing his services for the long-term. He has one guaranteed season left on his current deal, with a player option worth $61 million for the 2027-28 campaign, and is eligible for a massive extension (four years and a combined $272 million).
The reality of today’s NBA means there are second-apron concerns for the Knicks to take into consideration, and a desire to be prudent enough with the payroll so as not to compromise roster depth. But the tone of those talks, given everything Towns has done here, should be far more flattering toward him this time around. He deserves immense credit for that much.
As a final disclaimer here, anyone who deems this Knicks title talk premature should consider this: Since 1984, teams that took the first two games of a seven-game series on the road are 27-4. RIP to my social media mentions if they should somehow manage to blow it, but it’s a risk I was willing to take.
Adam Silver defends 65-game rule
This flew under the radar amid all the Knicks-inspired noise, but NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed his counterintuitive, data-based view of the load management debate while speaking with a small group of reporters on Thursday.
Silver had already reiterated his support for the controversial 65-game rule during his annual pre-finals press conference the day before, stating flatly that he thinks it’s working while making it clear that it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The National Basketball Players Association called for the rule to be “abolished or reformed” in late March, when it became clear that a number of high-profile players would be ruled ineligible to receive regular season awards.
But it was the more nuanced part of Silver’s perspective on the player participation policy, shared in a more informal setting at the Denver Heights Community Center where the league’s NBA Cares event took place, that might raise eyebrows among those who believe players are in desperate need of a lighter workload.
“Our star participation was up, actually, significantly this year,” Silver began. “Taking injuries out (of the equation), with so-called load management or one-day absences (being the focus), we’re down 30 percent this year. …(Players) don’t want to disappoint the fans.”
As Silver detailed even further, the league’s internal data suggests that extended rest might be part of the problem rather than the solution.
“On so-called load management, I think that the only place where we see an uptick in injuries is not towards the end of the season when guys have played more games,” Silver continued. “The only place we see upticks is after the All-Star break. … Whether it’s just correlation, or it turns out there’s causation, it may be because (players) are not getting appropriate load during those days they take off.
“I think this is an area where (artificial intelligence) will help us. (AI) is in all medical research, where you can aggregate enormous amounts of data to see better trends.”
Yet the part that he didn’t discuss, and which has been such a focal point for those who believe the league should either shrink its schedule or perhaps even shorten games, is that the pace-and-space element of today’s NBA is putting players in harm’s way more than ever before. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has been as vocal as anyone on the issue, advocating for the regular-season schedule to have 10 fewer games while expressing concern about the recent rash of lower-body injuries.
“The pace difference is dramatic,” Kerr said in November. “Across the league, everybody understands now that it’s just easier to score if you can beat the opponent down the floor and get out and transition. But when everybody’s doing that, the games are much faster-paced. And then everyone has to cover out to 25 feet because everybody can shoot 3s.”
But Silver and the experts he has tracking this issue, from the sound of it, simply don’t see it that way.
Jalen Brunson and the great (small) point guard debate
Speaking of Knicks who might change how they’re perceived, Brunson is breaking through the small-point-guard barrier that has long been a topic of great debate in the Association. The question, one which Las Vegas Aces head coach (and former Spurs assistant) Becky Hammon took head on during her time as an ESPN analyst in Dec. of 2023 and doubled down on recently, is whether having a big point guard is a prerequisite for championship teams (with players such as Isiah Thomas and Steph Curry the rare exceptions).
“Nah, he too small,” Hammon, the 5-foot-6 Hall of Famer who did not win a title in her illustrious playing career, famously said back then of the 6-foot-2 Brunson.
Quite fittingly, Brunson’s Knicks took the first two games of these NBA Finals with Hammon’s retired San Antonio Silver Stars jersey — wait for it — looking down on him from the Frost Bank Center rafters.
Becky Hammon’s San Antonio Silver Stars jersey hangs at Frost Bank Arena. (Chris Covatta / NBAE via Getty Images)
Even with the 2-0 series lead, the scary part for the Spurs is that Brunson hasn’t played all that well just yet. His 13-point fourth quarter in Game 1 was the stuff of legend, but Brunson’s overall performance — 12-of-31 shooting with four turnovers and just two assists — was subpar by his lofty standards. He was even worse for most of Game 2, missing 18 of 25 shots in all with four turnovers and a minus-10 rating. To be fair, he still found a way to be “Captain Clutch” at the end. Brunson’s 19-footer with 39 seconds left tied it at 104-104, and he scooped up the Wembanyama turnover with 10 seconds left that ultimately decided it when he hit one of the two ensuing free throws after he was fouled.
But the counting stats make you think he’s due for a breakout game. Brunson is shooting just 33.9 percent overall and 23.5 percent from 3 so far in this series, averaging as many assists as turnovers (four per game). And the Knicks, who so many of us thought had only a puncher’s chance of being here all season long, are still in pole position to pull off the improbable.
To wit: The great John Hollinger had them as a ‘Tier 4’ title contender in early March: “The Dangerous,” as he called that group which also included Cleveland and Minnesota. I wrote a piece not long before that in which I ranked them eighth among the eight teams that, in my view, had some sort of chance to win it all.
Next to no one outside of that locker room saw that coming.
“Things take time,” said Brunson, who often repeats the key points in his messaging just like Brown, after Game 2. “We knew that we just had to get better every single day — every single day. In the world we live in now, everyone wants things instantly. So from our perspective, it’s all about just getting better every single day, keep chipping away, keep chipping away, being one percent better.
“When you take steps back, how can you improve? It’s always about, ‘How can you improve? How can you improve?’ Having that mentality and focus and approach, I think, allows us to still be students of the game and still find ways to learn, even through wins. And I think we need to continue to do that.”
If they do, Gotham City mayhem will ensue.
By Sam Amick, via The Athletic