By Pedro Orthez | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-06-12 02:42:03
当作家从头到尾、按顺序讲述一个故事时，这被称为线性叙事或顺叙。更正式地，它被称为 ab ovo 叙事（拉丁语，意为“从蛋开始”），这个词源自贺拉斯的 《诗艺》，意指故事从事件的最源头开始，并按顺序展开。
相反，从结尾开始并倒叙回去被称为倒叙叙事或简称为倒叙。一个著名的例子是电影 《记忆碎片》。
但当一个故事特意从结局或某个戏剧性时刻开篇，然后再解释事件是如何发展至此时，这通常被称为从极端状况开始 (in extremis) 或使用闪回 (analepsis)（一种倒叙结构）。
昨天，因为要工作，我没能看比赛直播。我的计划是回家，躲进自己的小世界里，从头到尾完整地看完。不幸的是，一个朋友在半场时给我发了比分。我很生气，让他不要再发任何剧透，但与此同时，感觉又很棒。在关键的第四场（Game 4）中，我们的马刺在麦迪逊广场花园（MSG）半场领先了27分。我们正走在回圣安东尼奥的路上，有机会夺回主场优势。
回到家后，我决定从第三节开始看起。我觉得自己不需要去重温前两节来理解我们是如何建立起如此巨大的领先优势的——这本可以载入NBA史册——因此我绕过了这个从极端状况开始的起点……
我想你们应该都知道结局了，这里不需要剧透。但真正的问题不再是结果，而是我们是如何走到这一步的。在仅仅24分钟前，你还牢牢地站在历史正确的一边，怎么会在短短两节之后，就站在了历史错误的一边？
老实说，昨晚我的失望，甚至可以说是愤怒，简直排山倒海。我几乎无法入睡。所以我决定完整地重看一遍比赛，这一次，采用线性叙事的视角。
不过，在开始这场“验尸”之前，我需要分享一下在开球前几个小时我和一个朋友的对话。我试着向他解释，预测篮球比赛的结果有多么困难，但有时确实可以预见塑造这些结果的客观条件。我指出，如果杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 能够想办法让卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 更多地参与进来，唐斯应该会迎来一场反弹之战。唐斯几乎可以像尼克斯队中其他任何球员一样在弧顶组织进攻，而且他顶级的弧顶三分投射能力让他成为了真正的三重威胁。然而，我也注意到布伦森在系列赛中表现得相当固执，在人堆中频繁运球试图造犯规，这导致了失误和低下的投篮效率。我挑出的最危险的尼克斯球员是 OG·阿奴诺比 (OG Anunoby)。最后，我表达了对维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 的担忧：他此前上场时间过长，很可能在下半场体力不支。我担心这可能会决定比赛结果，尽管我当时仍然预测马刺会赢3分。
事实证明，唐斯因为两次极快的犯规早早退出了战局。年轻的马刺队早早利用了这一点，展翅高飞。迈克·布朗 (Mike Brown) 几乎把所有武器都砸向了文班亚马，包括米切尔·罗宾逊 (Mitchell Robinson)（字面意义上的肉搏）、阿列尔·胡克波尔蒂 (Ariel Hukporti)，甚至杰里米·索汉 (Jeremy Sochan)，但这一切都无法阻止马刺上半场的猛烈攻势。
从第一节末到第三节结束，马刺的领先优势一直保持在15到19分之间，最高时曾达到29分。在整个时间段内，文班亚马在总共36分钟的时间里打了32分钟。我稍后会再谈到这一点。
前三节的进程与本次季后赛的其他比赛大同小异。任何人都可以推搡、拉扯和拉拽文班亚马，而几乎不会受到惩罚。马刺在一段时间前就接受了这一现实，并决定对唐斯采取同样的待遇。原因很简单：如果裁判对这种动作吹罚有利于唐斯的哨子，他们就必须对文班做出同样的吹罚。
作为一名篮球迷，我真的对NBA的裁判工作感到越来越失望。一方面，像卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Dončić)、谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 以及在某种程度上的布伦森这样的球员，极度依赖表演来骗取有利于他们的哨子。另一方面，那些公然的身体对抗和粗野动作削弱了唐斯和文班的影响力，进而损害了比赛的质量、流畅度和公平性。能够投三分、抢篮板、运球和传球的机动型大个子为现代NBA带来了真正独特的东西，而像沙克 (Shaq) 和查尔斯·巴克利 (Charles Barkley) 这样的演播室名嘴似乎无法欣赏这一点，这显然是出于嫉妒。
文班亚马在整个季后赛期间一直遭受着这种待遇。我们也逐渐明白，文班正因为他所感受到的持续不公而感到困扰。在疲劳和压力之下，他多次越界：对纳兹·里德 (Naz Reid) 的二级恶意犯规、对布伦森的推搡，以及在这场比赛早期嘲讽罗宾逊。这种模式显而易见，一个疲惫且沮丧的文班亚马很难控制住自己的情绪。教练组和管理层肯定已经注意到了这一点。
这次季后赛之旅的另一个重要教训关乎文班亚马的体能。一个身高7英尺5英寸的球员，在赛季初期连打超过28到30分钟都感到吃力，现在却能坚持35分钟甚至更久，这确实令人瞩目。这完全要归功于文班和他的训练团队。在总决赛征程之前取得这样的身体进步是极其非凡的。然而，同样显而易见的是，在攻防两端都消耗巨大能量的文班，在进入第四节时往往已经精疲力竭。我们知道他需要早早确立统治力：如果马刺想要强势开局，就需要他的空中接力、突破和低位要位。马刺在总决赛前四场比赛的开局阶段确实都通过这种方式取得了领先。但文班也需要留有体能储备，以便在关键时刻收割比赛，正如第二场比赛所展现出的那样令人痛心。
这就引出了我对昨晚失利的核心不满：对文班亚马出场时间的管理。简直难以想象，在领先优势从未缩小到个位数的情况下，教练组竟然让文班在前三节上场了32分钟。声称卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet) 无法上场是对他的侮辱。难道科内特比胡克波尔蒂还不能打吗？比索汉还不能打吗？那哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes) 呢？马刺一度领先29分，而他居然连一分钟的上场时间都没有得到？
米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 在对阵尼克斯时的出场时间管理，其讽刺意味简直拉满了。汤姆·锡伯杜 (Tom Thibodeau) 曾为纽约在2023年至2025年间那些“令人失望”的赛季背锅。指控是什么？他用无休止的上场时间和短轮换把球员们彻底用废了。
在这次季后赛中看了足够多米奇·约翰逊的执教后，我深信他需要学会如何更好地管理他的轮换，以免他的当家球星最终受伤。
这场失利完全是教练组的责任，尤其是米奇·约翰逊。我们现在知道，文班无法在打满44分钟的同时，在攻防两端保持同样的强度。我们也知道，一个精疲力竭的文班会失去冷静，而失去冷静正是导致恶意犯规的原因。再多一次恶意犯规，他就将面临禁赛一场的处罚。
在半场领先27分、且连续32分钟以上保持两位数优势的情况下，决定不让文班亚马在第四节前得到实质性的休息，是一个极其巨大的错误。
我用茹斯汀·特里耶 (Justine Triet) 执导的戛纳金棕榈获奖电影来为本文命名，是有原因的。《坠落的审判》（Anatomy of a Fall）开篇便是一个已经死在木屋脚下的男人，并花了两个半小时来探寻同一个问题：我们是如何走到这一步的？法庭从未给出非黑即白的判决。电影让你自己去面对那种模糊性。而昨晚的第四场比赛没有提供这种温和的余地，判决是终极的，记分牌是清晰无误的。但问题是一样的。29分的领先优势。两节比赛。一次坠落。我们是如何走到这一步的？米奇·约翰逊欠我们一个解释。这不是一场审判。我期待看到回应和一些改变。
我依然坚信。
马刺抢七夺冠。
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：Anatomy of a Fall
Anatomy of a Fall
When a writer tells a story from beginning to end, proceeding in order, it is called linear narrative or chronological narrative. More formally, it’s referred to as ab ovo narration (Latin for “from the egg”), a term from Horace’s Ars Poetica, meaning the story begins at the very origin of events and unfolds in sequence.
Conversely, starting from the end and working backward is called reverse chronological narrative or simply reverse chronology. A famous example is the film Memento.
But when a story opens specifically at the ending or a dramatic moment and then explains how events led there, it’s often described as beginning in extremis or using an analepsis (a flashback structure).
Yesterday, I was at work and could not watch the game live. My plan was to head home, retreat into my bubble, and watch it from beginning to end. Unfortunately, a friend texted me the score at half-time. I was annoyed and asked for no further updates, but at the same time, it felt good. Our Spurs were leading by 27 at half-time at the MSG, in the pivotal Game 4. We were on our way back to San Antonio with a chance to restore home-court advantage.
When I got home, I decided to tune in from the start of the 3rd quarter. I didn’t feel I needed to revisit the first two quarters to understand how we’d built such a momentous lead, one that could have written NBA history, and so I bypassed this beginning in extremis…
I suppose you all know the ending anyway, no spoiler needed here. But the real question is no longer the result; it’s how we got there. How do you end up on the wrong side of history in just two quarters when, just 24 minutes earlier, you were firmly on the right side of it?
My disappointment, let’s be honest, my fury, was overwhelming last night. I could barely sleep. So I decided to rewatch the game in full, this time with a linear narrative.
Before I get to the autopsy, though, I need to share a conversation I had with a friend in the hours before tip-off. I tried to explain how difficult it is to predict outcomes in basketball, but that it is sometimes possible to foresee the conditions that shape them. I pointed out that Karl-Anthony Towns was due for a bounce-back game, if Jalen Brunson could find ways to involve him more. KAT can direct the offense from the top of the key like almost no other player on the Knicks, and his elite three-point shooting makes him a genuine triple threat. However, I also noted that Brunson had been quite stubborn in this series, grinding to draw fouls through heavy dribbling in traffic which had led to turnovers and low shooting efficiency. The player I singled out as the most dangerous Knick was OG Anunoby. And finally, I voiced my concern about Victor: he had logged heavy minutes and would likely run out of gas in the second half. That, I feared, could determine the outcome, though I still expected the Spurs to win, by three.
As it turned out, KAT removed himself from the equation with two very quick fouls. The young Spurs exploited this early and took flight. Mike Brown threw everything at Victor Wembanyama, Mitchell Robinson (literally), Ariel Hukporti, and even Jeremy Sochan but none of it stopped the first-half onslaught.
From the end of the first quarter through to the end of the third, the Spurs’ lead sat between 19 and 15 points, with a peak of 29. During that entire stretch, Victor Wembanyama played 32 of a possible 36 minutes. I’ll come back to that shortly.
The first three quarters unfolded much like the rest of this playoff run. Anyone can push, shove, and grab Victor with relative impunity. The Spurs accepted this reality some time back and decided to apply the same treatment to Karl-Anthony Towns. The reasoning is simple: if refs were to whistle this type of plays in favor of KAT, they would have to do the same for Vic.
As a basketball fan, I am growing genuinely disillusioned with NBA officiating. On one side, you have players like Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and, to some extent, Jalen Brunson, who rely heavily on theatrics to earn calls in their favour. On the other, you have blatant physical intimidation that diminishes KAT and Vic’s impact and, in turn, the quality, flow, and fairness of the game. Mobile bigs who can shoot the three, rebound, dribble, and pass bring something genuinely special to the modern NBA, something that studio personalities like Shaq and Charles Barkley seem incapable of appreciating, apparently out of jealousy.
Victor Wembanyama has been on the receiving end of this treatment throughout the entire playoffs. And we have also come to understand that Vic is troubled by what he perceives as persistent injustice. Under fatigue and pressure, he has repeatedly crossed lines: a Flagrant 2 on Naz Reid, a shove on Brunson, and taunting Mitchell Robinson early in this game. The pattern is clear, a tired and frustrated Victor struggles to keep his emotions in check. The coaching staff and front office have surely taken note.
The other major lesson of this playoff run concerns Victor’s stamina. It is genuinely remarkable that a 7’5 player who was struggling to play more than 28–30 minutes earlier in the season can now sustain 35 and beyond. Full credit to Vic and his training staff. That kind of physical progression ahead of a Finals run is extraordinary. However, it is equally clear that Vic, who deploys enormous energy on both ends of the floor, often arrives at the fourth quarter running on empty. We know he needs to impose himself early: the alley-oops, the drives, the post positioning if the Spurs want to start strong. And the Spurs have indeed managed by leads in the opening of each of their four Finals games in that way. But Vic also needs reserves to close games when it matters, as Game 2 demonstrated all too painfully.
Which brings me to my central grievance with last night’s loss: the management of Victor’s minutes. It is absolutely unimaginable that the coaching staff had Vic on the floor for 32 minutes across the first three quarters while the lead was never below double digits. To claim that Kornet is unplayable is an insult to the man. Is Kornet less playable than Ariel Hukporti? Than Sochan? And what about Harrison Barnes? The Spurs were up 29 at some point and he didn’t see a single minute?
The irony of Mitch Johnson’s minute management against the Knicks is almost too rich. Tom Thibodeau was held responsible for New York’s “disappointing” seasons between 2023 and 2025. The charge? He ran his players into the ground with relentless minutes and short rotations.
Having watched enough of Mitch Johnson in these playoffs, I am convinced he needs to learn how to better manage his rotation, before his star player ends up injured.
This loss falls squarely on the coaching staff, and on Mitch Johnson above all. We now know Vic cannot play 44 minutes and sustain the same intensity on both ends of the floor. We also know that an exhausted Vic is a less composed Vic and that composure is precisely what leads to flagrant fouls. One more, and he faces a one-game suspension.
With a 27-point lead at half-time, and a double-digit advantage held for more than 32 consecutive minutes, the decision to deny Victor Wembanyama meaningful rest before the fourth quarter was a massive mistake.
There’s a reason I titled this piece after Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or-winning film. Anatomy of a Fall opens with a man already dead at the foot of a chalet, and spends two and a half hours asking a single question: how did we get here? The courtroom never delivers a clean verdict. The film trusts you to sit with the ambiguity. Last night’s Game 4 offers no such comfort, the verdict was final, the scoreboard unambiguous. But the question is the same. A 29-point lead. Two quarters. A fall. How did we get here? Mitch Johnson owes us an answer. It is not a trial. I expect a reaction and some changes.
I still believe.
Spurs in 7.
By Pedro Orthez, via Pounding The Rock