By Dan Woike | The Athletic, 2026-06-11 20:40:29
NBA总决赛历史上最伟大的逆转，并不仅仅取决于一次漏掉的卡位——那给阿努诺比 (OG Anunoby) 留出了一条直线冲刺的通道，让他补进了杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 投失的绝杀球。它也不仅仅取决于达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 决定直接冲击篮筐，而不是把球拉出来消耗时间并等待对手犯规。它同样不完全依赖于卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 在最后一防中伸出长臂，破坏了那次可能完成绝杀的传球。
对于纽约尼克斯队来说，所有这些瞬间都不可或缺，他们完成了29分的大逆转，让自己距离总冠军仅一步之遥。但这些瞬间并不是孤立存在的——逆转从来不是这样发生的。它们是由多个气流锋面同时碰撞而引发的风暴。
这是一种势头的混合交织，就像一艘巨型邮轮在缓慢地掉头。这是信心在攻防两端的传递。这是球馆里弥漫的狂热喧嚣，是信念从痴人说梦变为现实的过程。
借助事后的复盘（以及比赛录像），我们可以回顾激发这次反扑的关键时刻，圣安东尼奥马刺队本可以熄灭火焰的瞬间，以及尼克斯队的逆袭之路真正变得清晰可行的时刻。
防守搅拌机
第三节11分19秒，马刺 76-49 领先
尼克斯在第三节的第二次进攻展现了马刺防守端的一些裂痕，并为他们随后的逆转夺胜提供了一份蓝图。在马刺投丢一个空位三分后（这一趋势贯穿了整个下半场），尼克斯落位打了一个高位的布伦森-唐斯挡拆。当马刺展现出包夹之势时，布伦森变向并攻击防守失位的维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)。布伦森突入油漆区，吸引了底角的协防，随后轻松传球给处于大空位的乔什·哈特 (Josh Hart)，后者迅速将球转移给阿努诺比，迎着文班亚马迟到的扑防投进了一记轻松的三分球。
这是尼克斯一次极佳的进攻配合，布伦森通过运球创造出优势，迫使马刺陷入了全面的防守轮转混乱中。这种回合为尼克斯随后的进攻方式奠定了基础，它帮助阿努诺比找到了节奏，并在心理上给他们带来了鼓舞，让他们在下半场先发制人（此外，通过运球单打文班亚马得分，随后又迎着他的扑防投篮命中，也极大地提振了士气）。
犯规
第三节9分27秒，马刺 81-52 领先
如果我们尽可能宽容地来看，第三节初文班亚马对唐斯的肘击不过是一个尴尬的瞬间。当你拥有文班亚马那样的身高时，你难免会肘击到很多人的脸，因为甚至连对方中锋的脸都刚好在你的肘部高度。这只是自然发生的，而且这绝对谈不上有什么恶意。
除非文班亚马此前就有过“前科”。他在第三战中从脑后推搡布伦森却未被吹罚的犯规，最终成为了第三战和第四战之间最具争议和决定性的回合之一。联盟决定不将那个动作升级为恶意犯规，这无疑煽动了现场观众对上半场裁判判罚的情绪，而这最终极大地消耗了尼克斯的精力——他们 spent 了太多时间去抱怨，而没有花足够的精力去扑防外线射手。
这一次判罚以及随后的升级一级恶意犯规，对球迷和球员来说都像是一种宣泄。一次有利于他们的重大判罚，让他们能够不再纠结于哨声，重新全身心地投入到比赛中。
对马刺来说，这个时间点也极其糟糕。他们刚刚通过连续的跳投连得5分。而在这次恶意犯规之后，他们在第三节剩下的时间里仅仅投中了两个运动战进球。
甜点位
第三节3分13秒，马刺 81-68 领先
在这个系列赛中，感觉布伦森的表现似乎比他的实际数据要好，因为马刺在很大程度上将他限制成了一个低效的高产量得分手，让他始终无法打得舒服。但在现场观看时，感觉布伦森在第三节初——也就是文班亚马被吹罚高肘犯规一分钟后——的那次投篮，让他回到了自己的舒适区。在这场比赛的这个时间点之前，布伦森仅仅投中了一记跳投——这得归功于马刺对这位NBA中距离大师施加的防守压力和身体对抗。
但在第四战中，他不仅投丢了中距离，甚至根本得不到出手机会。他在第一节和第二节刚开始时都得到了干净的出手机会，但仅此而已——直到这次进攻。
之前球已经开始听话了——他投中了一个三分和一个神奇的抛投——但这次进攻才是经典的布伦森。他向右侧运球，顶开迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper)（这本身就是一次惊人的力量展现），通过横移步创造出空间，然后稳稳命中了一记18英尺的中距离投篮。
他看起来找回了自我，这一幕无疑给他的队友和现场观众注入了强大的信心。
连续失误
第三节1分15秒，马刺 90-72 领先
周三晚上马刺建立领先优势时，他们对球权的处理格外小心。在客场作战时，珍惜球权通常是取胜的秘诀。而在季后赛中，这基本上是必须做到的。马刺在上半场仅有两次失误，然而到了下半场，他们的局势却彻底崩盘。
这有点像“先有鸡还是先有蛋”的问题。是失误先发生从而给尼克斯提供了逆转的机会？还是尼克斯的反扑给马刺施加了压力，导致他们最终崩溃？
看起来压力确实在第三节末击垮了他们，当时福克斯连续出现两次非迫使性失误，这清楚地表明，当时的局势已经开始让他们感到棘手。
马刺刚刚投中了一个起势的球——德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 的一记三分——并且防守成功，在第三节末得到了重新将领先优势扩大到20分的机会。然而，当他们把球带过中场时，福克斯试图在斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 和文班亚马之间送出一记传球，但那球看起来简直像是直接传给场边回放显示器的。在随后的进攻回合中，阿努诺比飙中三分，紧接着，福克斯又把球运到了自己的脚上，直接出了界。
全场观众欢呼雀跃——尼克斯在进入第四节时仅落后15分，而不是20分甚至更多。
空接
第四节8分55秒，马刺 95-78 领先
在本赛季季后赛针对文班亚马的批评中，缺乏招牌得分手段这一点尤为引人关注，特别是对于那些年纪足够大、还记得卡里姆·阿卜杜勒-贾巴尔 (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) 将球高举过防守者头顶并抖腕出手的球迷来说。天勾是无法阻挡的，他是这种投篮的大师，除非他自己没有做好动作，否则球绝不会投丢。
迄今为止，文班亚马武器库中最接近招牌手段的就是空接。他拥有一双极佳的大手，其接球范围之大，让兰迪·莫斯 (Randy Moss) 看起来都像断臂的维纳斯。而且他的敏捷性——这也是他与阿卜杜勒-贾巴尔共同拥有的天赋——让文班亚马能够在狭小的空间内扭转身体跑出空位，并在篮筐上方（非常非常高的上方）完成终结。
马刺当时看起来正准备执行一次招牌战术，文班亚马反跑空切绕过唐斯并来到低位。卡斯尔的传球虽然不完美，但也足够到位。但文班亚马没能调整好身体正对篮筐，他有些尴尬地试图用左手将球挑进。他没能完成扣篮，而是有些笨拙地把球抛过了篮筐。尼克斯拿到了篮板——并且因为成功防住了这个通常无法阻挡的进攻而士气大振。
换防对决
第四节2分23秒，马刺 104-100 领先
当你在比赛尾声的胶着时刻置身于球馆中，这就是让所有人热血沸腾的瞬间。布伦森运着球，文班亚马挡在他和篮筐之间。当两队最出色的球员展开正面对决时，现场营造出的狂热氛围总是特别的，但考虑到布伦森比他的防守者矮了16英寸（约40厘米），这真是一场大卫对决加斯顿（法国版的歌利亚？）的较量。
俗话常说，伟大的进攻总能击败伟大的防守，但文班亚马赢得了这场对决的第一阶段。他挡在布伦森身前并迫使其传球，但哈特迅速将球回传。在文班亚马来得及重新完全投入防守之前，布伦森迎着文班亚马伸展的长臂，完成了一次闪电般的出手。
这是本场比赛最关键的一投……直到那个终结比赛的更伟大的进球出现。
制胜一击
第四节剩下6秒，马刺 106-105 领先
好吧，如果没有阿努诺比的制胜补篮，这次逆转确实无法彻底完成。实际上，在布伦森试图顶着双人包夹在31英尺外快速出手三分之前，他已经连续投丢了两个球。
但在阿努诺比冲抢篮板并补进那一球（这球大概能确保他这辈子在纽约任何地方都能随时订到餐厅位置）之前，他是想要球的。因为马刺选择不防守发球人，而是先让福克斯去防守唐斯，随后去包夹布伦森，这使得阿努诺比处于无人防守的状态。
在发出球后，阿努诺比看到两名马刺防守球员扑向了布伦森。阿努诺比高举双手，示意回传。在另一个平行宇宙里，球传回到了他的手中，他得到了用一个空位三分成为英雄的机会（当时他已经9投7中）。但传球并没有来，布伦森选择自己尝试投出制胜球。
在整个NBA中，许多球员——甚至是优秀的球员——在没有得到传球后都会放弃这个回合。相反，就在布伦森准备出手的那一刻，阿努诺比放下双臂，全速冲向篮筐。他从正在卡位唐斯的卡斯尔以及在弱侧盯着篮筐的哈珀之间穿过。
这是阿努诺比整场比赛唯一的进攻篮板——这是一个他从未放弃的回合，即便这个回合是以他处于大空位却被忽视开始的。
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：Inside the Knicks' incredible Game 4 comeback: 7 plays that swung the NBA Finals
Inside the Knicks’ incredible Game 4 comeback: 7 plays that swung the NBA Finals
The greatest comeback in NBA Finals history didn’t hinge on a blown boxout, a straight-line runway for OG Anunoby to tip in Jalen Brunson’s missed game-winner. It didn’t come down solely to De’Aaron Fox’s decision to try and race to the rim instead of pulling the ball back out to burn clock and wait for a foul. And it didn’t rest on Karl-Anthony Towns getting a paw up to deflect a potentially game-winning pass on the final play.
All those moments were indispensable for the New York Knicks as they came back from 29 points down to put themselves one win away from a championship. But those moments weren’t solitary — comebacks don’t work that way. They are storms created by multiple fronts colliding all at once.
It’s a mixture of momentum slowly turning like a cruise ship making a U-turn. It’s confidence that transfers from one side of the ball to the other. It’s a buzz in the building, belief transforming from foolishness to reality.
With the power of hindsight (and game film), we can look back on the key moments that sparked this rally, the moments the San Antonio Spurs could have extinguished it and the moments when it became clear that the Knicks’ climb was actually possible.
The blender
SAS leads 76-49 11:19, third quarter
The second Knicks possession of the third quarter showed some cracks in the Spurs’ defense and helped provide them with a blueprint for how they’d come back to win. Following a miss on an open 3 by the Spurs (a trend that would continue throughout the half), the Knicks get into a set with a high Jalen Brunson-Towns pick-and-roll. As the Spurs show a double-team, Brunson reverses and attacks Victor Wembanyama, who is out of position. Brunson gets into the paint, draws help from the corner and makes the easy pass to a wide open Josh Hart who swings it to Anunoby for an easy 3-pointer against Wembanyama’s late closeout.
This was a terrific offensive process from the Knicks, with Brunson finding an advantage off the dribble and forcing the Spurs into a total defensive scramble. It was the kind of play that laid the groundwork for how the Knicks would attack, it helped keep Anunoby in rhythm and gave them a psychological boost to strike first in the second half (also, scoring by attacking Wembanyama off the dribble and later by hitting a shot over his closeout).
The foul
SAS leads 81-52, 9:27 third quarter
If we’re going to be as generous as possible, Wembanyama’s elbow to Karl-Anthony Towns early in the third was nothing more than an awkward moment. When you’re Wembanyama’s size, you’re going to elbow a lot of people in the face when even opposing centers’ faces are at elbow level. It’s just going to happen, and there was nothing close to malicious about this.
Except Wembanyama’s been malicious. His uncalled foul when he shoved Brunson in the back of his head during Game 3 ended up being one of the defining plays between Games 3 and 4. The league’s decision to not upgrade that play to a flagrant certainly fueled the crowd’s reaction to the first half officiating, which turned out to be a huge energy suck for the Knicks, who spent way too much time complaining and not enough time spraying defenders out to shooters.
This play and the ensuing Flagrant 1 felt like catharsis for both the fans and players, a big call going their way that allowed them to stop worrying about whistles and fully reinvest in the game.
The timing for the Spurs, also, was terrible. They’d just scored five straight on back-to-back made jumpers. After the flagrant, they’d make just two more field goals the rest of the third quarter.
The spot
SAS leads 81-68, 3:13 third quarter
It has felt like Brunson has played better in this series than he actually has, with the Spurs largely reducing him to an inefficient high-volume scorer who hasn’t been able to get comfortable. But watching live, it felt like Brunson’s shot early in the third, one minute after Wembanyama got called for the high elbow, was him in his comfort zone. To this point in the game, Brunson had made only one jump shot — a credit to the Spurs defensive pressure and physicality against one of the NBA’s midrange gods.
But in Game 4, it wasn’t just that he was missing his middies, he wasn’t even getting them. He got clean looks to start both the first and second quarters, but that was it — until this play.
The ball had started to fall for him before — he hit a 3 and miracle floater — but this was vintage Brunson. He worked to his right, bumped Dylan Harper (a remarkable show of strength in itself), created space with his sidestep and buried an 18-footer.
He looked like himself, a sight that had to have instilled confidence in his team and the crowd.
The fumbles
SAS leads 90-72, 1:15 in the third
As the Spurs built their lead Wednesday night, they were especially careful with the basketball. Valuing possessions on the road, generally, is a recipe for winning. In the playoffs, it’s basically a must. The Spurs had just two turnovers in the first half before the floor fell out from underneath them in the second half.
It’s a bit of a chicken-or-egg scenario. Did the turnovers happen first and allow the Knicks to come back? Or did the Knicks’ comeback put pressure on the Spurs and they wilted?
It sure seemed like the pressure got to them late in the third when Fox had back-to-back unforced turnovers that made it clear the moment was beginning to be a problem.
The Spurs had just hit a momentum shot — a Devin Vassell 3 — and gotten a stop, a chance to go back up 20 points late in the third. Instead, as they brought the ball across midcourt, Fox tried to split Stephon Castle and Wembanyama with a pass that looked like it was intended for the replay monitor. Anunoby banged a 3 on the next possession, and then, Fox dribbled the ball off his foot and out of bounds.
The crowd roared — the Knicks down just 15 heading into the fourth instead of 20, or possibly even more.
The lob
SAS leads 95-78, 8:55 fourth quarter
Of the criticisms aimed at Wembanyama this postseason, the lack of a go-to shot has been particularly compelling, especially to people old enough to remember Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holding the ball high above defenders and flicking his wrist. The sky-hook was unstoppable, and he was a master of a shot that would only miss if he didn’t execute.
The closest thing Wembanyama has in his bag, to date, is the lob. He’s got excellent hands, a catch radius that makes Randy Moss look like the Venus de Milo. And his agility, a skill he shares with Abdul-Jabbar, allows Wembanyama to contort in spaces to get open and finish above the rim (wayyyy above the rim).
The Spurs looked like they were about to execute a go-to play with Wembanyama cutting backdoor on Towns and getting to the block. The pass from Castle wasn’t perfect, but good enough. But Wembanyama wasn’t able to get his body squared to the basket, and he kind of awkwardly tried to flip the ball in with his left hand. He was unable to dunk it, instead sort of awkwardly flinging it over the rim. The Knicks got the rebound — and a boost from stopping something that’s usually unstoppable.
The switch
SAS leads 104-100, 2:23 fourth quarter
When you’re in the arena late in a close game, these are the moments that get everyone excited. Brunson, dribbling the ball, Wembanyama standing between him and the basket. The buzz that builds when the two best players go at each other is always special, but with Brunson 16 inches shorter than his defender, this was truly a David vs. Gaston (French Goliath?) situation.
The saying generally goes that great offense will always best great defense, but Wembanyama won the first part of the battle. He stayed in front of Brunson and forced the pass, but Hart quickly fed it back. And before Wembanyama could fully re-engage, Brunson delivered a lightning-quick launch over Wembanyama’s outstretched arm.
It was the biggest shot of the game…until the bigger one that ended it.
The winner
SAS leads 106-105, 0:06 fourth quarter
OK, so the comeback doesn’t totally happen without Anunoby’s game-winning tip. Brunson had actually missed two-straight shots before he tried to beat a double-team by shooting quickly from 31 feet.
But before Anunoby crashed the glass and tipped in the shot that will probably ensure he’ll get a table in New York City wherever and wherever he wants for life, he wanted the ball. Because the Spurs elected not to guard the inbounder, using Fox first on Towns and then to double Brunson, Anunoby was left uncovered.
After he inbounded the ball, Anunoby saw two Spurs defenders go to Brunson. Anunoby threw his arms in the air, calling for the return pass. There’s an alternate universe where the ball swings back to him and he gets his chance to be the hero with an open 3 (he was already 7 for 9). The pass didn’t come, Brunson trying for the winner.
Players all over the NBA, good ones too, would’ve quit on the play after that pass didn’t come. Instead, as soon as Brunson goes to release the ball, Anunoby puts his arms down and sprints for the rim. He splits Castle, who was boxing out Towns and Harper, who was watching the rim from the weakside.
It was Anunoby’s only offensive rebound of the game — a play he never quit on, even after it started with him being wide open.
By Dan Woike, via The Athletic