By John Hollinger | The Athletic, 2026-06-12 12:45:53
《The Athletic》正在为您带来2026年NBA总决赛第五场马刺对阵尼克斯的实时报道。
纽约——没有人想离开。
周三晚上在麦迪逊广场花园（MSG），最让我记忆犹新的不是纽约尼克斯队本身的逆转，甚至也不是OG·阿奴诺比 (OG Anunoby) 的补篮绝杀，而是在尼克斯惊天逆转29分、以107-106击败圣安东尼奥马刺队夺得总决赛第四场胜利后，全场瞬间爆发出的那种集体狂欢。
在情感宣泄的瞬间，麦迪逊广场花园仿佛化身为两万个在夏威夷北海岸驾驭完美管浪的凯利·斯雷特 (Kelly Slater)，在燃尽这股狂喜浪潮的最后一丝激情之前，谁也不愿从浪尖上退下来。
从球馆里最大牌的名流，到最顶层看台（那位置远得按地理位置算可能都到新泽西了）的普通观众，大家都留了下来，尽情沉浸其中。没人打算离开，管它是不是工作日的前夜，管它时间有多晚。泰勒·斯威夫特 (Taylor Swift) 在终场哨响很久后依然在座位上翩翩起舞；场边席的其他球迷和名人也与场上的尼克斯球员及工作人员融为一体，化作一片欢乐的海洋；而坐在我媒体席附近顶层看台的普通打工人更是迟迟不愿离去，直到将近午夜——也就是比赛结束45分钟后，他们才在检票员的礼貌劝导下开始退场。
比赛结束将近一个小时后，在400看台区的男厕所排队通道里，球迷们依然在齐声高喊着“OG！OG！”。
“你能同时感受到每个人身上散发出的无尽喜悦，”尼克斯内线卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 说道，“那一瞬间，所有人爆发出的集体狂欢——听到终场哨声响起，看着球没进，我想我们都感受到了一些特别的情感。”
“麦迪逊广场花园已经很久没有过这样的时刻了，所以真心要向我们的球迷致敬。”
如果尼克斯能在接下来的三场比赛中赢下一场并夺得总冠军，那么第四场的这场大逆转将载入史册，成为联盟历史上最重要、最令人难忘的比赛之一——而阿奴诺比的补篮也将成为一个“当时你身在何处？”的经典瞬间，足以与雷·阿伦 (Ray Allen) 的绝平三分、迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan) 的最后一投、~~阿德巴约 (Bam Adebayo) 的83分之夜、~~科比·布莱恩特 (Kobe Bryant) 的81分神迹以及科怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 的抢七四弹筐绝杀并驾齐驱。
因此，在纽约人至少还能再沉浸于狂喜中一天的同时，让我们来聊聊这背后的深意。纽约人之所以对这次季后赛之旅展现出如此毫无保留的狂喜，原因之一在于，鉴于球迷此前对冠军级别球队的认知，这一切显得太出乎意料了。
这支尼克斯队——以及过去五年里与他们类似的几支球队——可能会促使我们调整对“争冠球队”的固有认知。
首先，阿奴诺比——通常被认为是纽约的第三号球星，而且就在两周前我还称他为“隐形人OG”——极有可能赢得总决赛MVP（FMVP）。这是他应得的，他在这个系列赛中表现惊艳，并在最关键的时刻发挥了最大的作用。
但另一方面，这里有一个令人惊叹的数据：在系列赛中至少出场20分钟的18名球员中，前场篮板率最低的是……阿奴诺比。在第四场比赛的最后两秒之前，他的这项数据还是零。
他一向是一名球权占有率相对较低的球员，如果他赢得总决赛MVP，这在过去四十年的NBA历史上将是非常罕见的。
阿奴诺比将成为自1989年底特律活塞队的乔·杜马斯 (Joe Dumars) 以来，第二位从未入选过全明星却夺得FMVP的球员，也是历史上的第四位。如果他未来也未能入选全明星，他将成为自1981年波士顿凯尔特人队的塞德里克·“玉米面包”·麦克斯维尔 (Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell) 以来，首位职业生涯从未入选过全明星的总决赛MVP。
这就引出了我对尼克斯的第二个观点，也适用于近年来几支同样登上巅峰或无限接近巅峰的类似球队。
正如我在系列赛开始时所指出的，纽约并没有一个统治级的核心（Alpha）球员来拖着球队走向伟大。虽然他们最好的球员（唐斯、杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 和阿奴诺比）都非常优秀，但他们中没有一个人入选过年度最佳阵容一阵。事实上，本赛季没有一名尼克斯球员获得过哪怕一张MVP选票……甚至连第五顺位的选票都没有。
纽约的强大在常规赛中也没有表现得特别明显。虽然从技术层面上看，尼克斯达到了我设定的夺冠历史最低门槛——分区前三种子且常规赛至少拿到52胜——但他们也只是以53胜勉强过线。
这也不是个案。2025年，拿到50胜、排名东部第四的印第安纳步行者队，距离夺冠也仅仅只差一条跟腱。
看看其他近期的冠军：2023年的丹佛掘金队仅赢了53场，2022年的金州勇士队也是如此，而且两队在总决赛中面对的对手常规赛胜场都在51场或以下。2021年的密尔沃基雄鹿队折算下来也只有52.3胜（由于疫情，那个常规赛缩水至72场）。
自2019年以来，我们还没有见过总决赛双方常规赛胜场都至少达到54场的对决，而这在过去只是争冠球队的及格线。事实上，如果尼克斯本周最终夺冠，过去六届冠军中将只有两支在常规赛中拿到54胜或以上。
情况并非一直如此，即便在近期的历史中也是。从2007年到2020年的14支冠军球队，按82场常规赛折算，胜场全部至少达到57场。他们的大多数总决赛对手也是如此。
纽约的夺冠也将是对“季后赛对阵预测”的又一次沉重打击。疫情过后的NBA，季后赛的走势远没有以前那么按部就班。我设定的历史基准是每年春天会出现3.5次下克上（“下克上”指没有主场优势的球队赢下系列赛），但最近这个数字很难再低于这个标准了。
尼克斯的夺冠将使今年再次成为一个出现5次下克上的年份（总决赛尼克斯击败马刺；西决马刺击败俄克拉荷马雷霆；次轮克利夫兰骑士击败底特律；明尼苏达森林狼击败丹佛；首轮费城76人击败波士顿），并巩固这一趋势。
在2025年，下克上发生了6次，如果泰瑞斯·哈利伯顿 (Tyrese Haliburton) 身体健康的话，甚至可能会是7次。从2020年到2025年的六年间共发生了31次下克上，我们现在平均每年要见证5次以上。2020年的迈阿密热火队、2023年的达拉斯独行侠队以及2024年的热火队，都在没有任何一轮系列赛拥有主场优势的情况下杀入了总决赛（尽管2020年的热火在技术层面上因为复赛园区而没有真正的主场优势）。
同样，过去并非如此。疫情前的六年里仅出现了20次下克上，低于我设定的3.5次基准。1997年的季后赛甚至出现了零次下克上；从那时到2015年之间的其他几个赛季，也仅有两次。
这些季后赛的冷门导致总决赛中双方都是1号种子的情况比以往少得多；这一趋势在疫情前就已经开始显现。自……2016年以来，我们还没有见过两支头号种子在总决赛会师！再往前，则是2008年。今年的总决赛同样没有任何一支1号种子，这已经是过去六年里第三次出现这种情况了（俄克拉荷马和底特律可能正在开普勒-22b星球的某个平行宇宙总决赛中相遇呢）。
如果你还没明白我的意思，那我就直说了：围绕一个超级巨星打造常规赛统治级球队的模式，其夺冠胜算似乎远不如从前。相反，这种夺冠红利正流向那些悄悄隐藏在积分榜中游、随时准备打破对阵格局的球队，比如步行者和尼克斯。
虽然围绕“半神级”超级巨星建队的球队总是拥有机会——2025年的雷霆队就是一个显而易见的近期例子，而2026年的马刺队依然可能如此——但尼克斯的成功表明，另一种机制正在起作用。
这种机制——同样适用于2025年的步行者、2024年的凯尔特人，甚至是2023年由尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokić) 领衔的掘金——就是NBA正在变得越来越像一个“短板决定上限”（weak link）的联盟。超级巨星永远都很重要，但在防守端几乎无限换防、进攻端极其高效地寻找错位单打的体系下，“一个MVP带四个野球场玩家”的阵容构建方式会迅速触及天花板。
对位至关重要，根据对手在每一轮抛出的难题而采取不同对位方式的能力同样重要。拥有一个“最不差的短板”，其重要性完全可以等同于、甚至超越拥有最顶级的超级巨星。
再回头看看前四场比赛。马刺拥有场上最好的球员（即便他在最关键的时刻并不总是能打出符合身价的表现）和一群才华横溢的后卫，但尼克斯的超能力在于他们的五名首发球员人人都能做出贡献。他们拥有不同体型和技术特点的组合，这让他们能够以不同的方式进行对位。
有时候，最弱的一环是乔什·哈特 (Josh Hart)（在第四场最后一分钟的尴尬表现被阿奴诺比的神奇救赎后，他擦了擦额头的冷汗）；有时候是米卡尔·布里奇斯 (Mikal Bridges)（我们在第四场第四节没怎么看到他上场）；有时候则是像第四场功臣何塞·阿尔瓦拉多 (Jose Alvarado) 或分区决赛神射手兰德里·沙梅特 (Landry Shamet) 这样的替补球员。
然而，凭借阿奴诺比和布里奇斯这样的大型前锋、两名值得信赖的内线（除了罚球时），以及布伦森和唐斯这一小一大的核心得分手，尼克斯可以向对手施加更多的战术变化，也能承受对手更猛烈的反击。
相比之下，马刺队的六人核心轮换阵容中，只有两名球员身高超过6英尺5英寸（约1.96米）。在第四场比赛的最后一次防守中，由于缺乏像阿奴诺比这样的锋线，马刺派上了四名后卫，当布伦森将维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 吸引出禁区时，篮下门户大开，直接成就了阿奴诺比的神奇绝杀。
是的，这只是一个系列赛中某一场比赛的一个瞬间，而整个系列赛的胜负往往就在毫厘之间，因此我不想孤立地对此做过多的推演。但这是我们已经目睹了六年的趋势，而且毫无减弱的迹象。对于管理层而言，“一支冠军球队应该是什么样子的？”是一个至关重要的问题，而现在的答案已经与2019年截然不同。尼克斯，只是最新的一个例证。
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：Miracle Knicks underscore the changing nature of NBA title contention
Miracle Knicks underscore the changing nature of NBA title contention
The Athletic has live coverage of Spurs vs. Knicks in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
NEW YORK — Nobody wanted to leave.
The one thing I will remember most about being in Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night is not the New York Knicks’ comeback itself, or even the tip-in by OG Anunoby, but the communal joy in the immediate aftermath of the Knicks’ stunning 29-point rally to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Emotionally, MSG became 20,000 Kelly Slaters riding a perfect barrel on the North Shore, and they weren’t bailing on that wave of euphoria until they got every last carve of the ride.
From the biggest celebrity in the building to the most remote nosebleeds in what might technically have been New Jersey, they stayed and soaked it all in. Nobody was leaving, the late hour on a school night be damned. Not Taylor Swift, who was dancing in her in seat well after the buzzer went off, not the other courtside fans and celebs who melded into a sea of Knicks players and staffers on the floor and certainly not the working Joes in the nosebleeds near my media seats, who had to be politely told by ushers near midnight, 45 minutes after the game ended, that they needed to leave.
Nearly an hour after the game ended, fans were still chanting “OG! OG!’ in a line for the men’s restroom in the 400 section.
“You could feel the abundance of joy from everyone at one time,” Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns said. “The collective joy that came out of everybody for that one moment, to hear the buzzer going off and not to see the ball go in the basket, I think we all felt something, like that emotion that was special.
“It’s something that MSG hasn’t had, that kind of moment, in a long time, so shoutout to our fans for real.”
If the Knicks win one of their next three games and claim the championship, then the Game 4 comeback becomes etched in history as one of the most significant and memorable games in league annals — with Anunoby’s tip-in a “Where were you when … ?” moment on par with the Ray Allen shot, Michael Jordan’s walk-off, Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game, Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game and Kawhi Leonard’s four-bouncer.
So while New Yorkers revel in ecstasy for at least one more day, let’s talk a little about what it signifies. One reason New Yorkers are reacting to this playoff run with such unbridled joy is that it seems so unexpected, given fans’ prior beliefs about what championship-caliber teams look like.
These Knicks — along with a few of their brethren from the past half-decade — might cause us to adjust our assumptions about title contention.
For starters, there’s the distinct possibility that Anunoby — generally considered New York’s third-best player, and one whom I said was “OG Anonymous” as recently as two weeks ago — could win NBA Finals MVP. Deservedly, he’s had an amazing series and made his greatest impact in the highest-leverage moments.
On the other hand, here’s an amazing stat: Of the 18 players who have played at least 20 minutes in this series, the lowest offensive rebound rate belongs to … Anunoby. It was zero until the final two seconds of Game 4.
He’s a relatively low-usage player, and his winning finals MVP would be quite unusual over the last four decades of the NBA.
Anunoby would be the second zero-time All-Star to win since the Detroit Pistons’ Joe Dumars in 1989 and only the fourth ever. If he doesn’t get selected in the future, he would be the first never-All-Star to be finals MVP since the Boston Celtics’ Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell in 1981.
Which takes us to my second point about the Knicks, and about several teams like them in recent years who have either climbed to the top of the mountain or come tantalizingly close.
As I noted when the series started, New York doesn’t have a dominant alpha player dragging it to greatness. While its best players (Towns, Jalen Brunson and Anunoby) are very good, none of them have made first team All-NBA. In fact, no Knicks player received a single vote for MVP this season … not even for fifth place.
New York’s strength also didn’t manifest too heavily in the regular season. While the Knicks technically meet my minimum historical bar for a champion — a top-3 seed with at least 52 regular-season wins — they barely clear the hurdle at 53.
This is not an isolated incident, either. The Indiana Pacers, a 50-win and No. 4-seeded team, were one Achilles tendon away from winning the crown in 2025.
Check out other recent champs: The 2023 Denver Nuggets won only 53 games, as did the Golden State Warriors in 2022; both played teams that won 51 or fewer games in the finals. The 2021 Milwaukee Bucks were prorated to just 52.3 wins (that regular season was limited to 72 games because of the pandemic).
We haven’t had a finals in which both teams won at least 54 games since 2019, something that in the past represented a modest floor for contention. In fact, if the Knicks end up winning this week, only two of the last six champions will have won 54 or more regular-season games.
It wasn’t always like that, even in recent history. The 14 champions from 2007 to 2020 all won at least 57 games, prorated for an 82-game season. Most of their finals opponents did, too.
A New York win would also be another blow for the Great Bracket Breakdown. The post-COVID-19 NBA has been much less chalky in the postseason than it used to be. My historical benchmark of 3 1/2 playoff upsets per spring (“upset’ being a team without home-court advantage winning the series) has struggled to hit the under lately.
A Knicks win would make this another five-upset year (New York over San Antonio in the finals; San Antonio over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals; the Cleveland Cavaliers over Detroit in the second round; Minnesota Timberwolves over Denver; Philadelphia 76ers over Boston in Round 1), and cement the trend line.
In 2025, there were six, and Tyrese Haliburton might have made it seven if he’d been able to. The six years from 2020 to 2025 had 31; we’re averaging over five of these a year. The 2020 Miami Heat, 2023 Dallas Mavericks and 2024 Heat made the finals without home-court advantage in any round (although the 2020 Heat technically had no home-court advantage in the NBA bubble).
Again, it wasn’t always like that. The six years pre-COVID-19 produced only 20 upsets, lower than my benchmark of 3 1/2. The 1997 postseason gave us zero;several other seasons between then and 2015 had only two.
Those playoff upsets result in clashes of No. 1 seeds in the finals less often than we used to see; that trend was already underway pre-COVID-19. We haven’t had two top seeds meet since … 2016! Before that, it was in 2008. This year’s finals didn’t have either No. 1 seed, marking the third time in six years that’s happened (Oklahoma City and Detroit are meeting in some other, parallel-universe finals on the planet Kepler-22b).
If you’re not getting where I’m going yet, let me lay it out for you: The model of having a dominant regular season built around an alpha star seems to have much less championship equity than it used to. That equity is instead flowing to bracket-breaking squads innocently hiding in the middle of the standings, like the Pacers and Knicks.
While teams built around a demigod-tier superstar always have a chance — the 2025 Thunder are one obvious recent example, and the 2026 Spurs could still be — the Knicks’ success underscores that something else is at work.
That mechanism, one that also worked for the Pacers in 2025, the Celtics in 2024 and even the Nikola Jokić-driven Nuggets in 2023, is that the NBA is becoming more of a “weak link” league. Superstars will always matter, but in a structure where defenses switch nearly everything and offenses go matchup hunting with ruthless efficiency, an MVP-and-four-guys-from-the-Y roster construction hits a ceiling fast.
Matchups matter, and so does being able to match up different ways each round depending on what the opponent throws at you. Having the least-bad weakest link can and does matter as much as, or even more than, having the best superstar.
Look again at the first four games. The Spurs have the best player on the court (even if he hasn’t always played like it in the highest-leverage moments) and a talented group of guards, but the Knicks’ superpower is that all five starters give them something. They have a mix of sizes and skill sets that lets them match up different ways.
Sometimes the weakest link is Josh Hart (wiping his brow after his final minute in Game 4 was erased by Anunoby’s heroics); sometimes it’s Mikal Bridges (whom we didn’t see much of in the fourth quarter in Game 4); and sometimes it’s a sub like Game 4 hero Jose Alvarado or conference finals ace marksman Landry Shamet.
However, with big forwards like Anunoby and Bridges, two centers they trust (except for foul shots) and go-to guys both big and small in Brunson and Towns, the Knicks can throw more things at opponents and handle more body blows coming back at them.
Compare that to the Spurs, who have a six-player circle of trust that only includes two players taller than 6 foot 5. When — lacking an Anunoby of their own — San Antonio played four guards on the Knicks’ last play of Game 4, and Brunson drew Wembanyama away from the hoop, the board was open for Anunoby’s heroics.
Yes, it was only one moment in one game in a series that has turned on razor-thin margins, so I’m leery of extrapolating too much from it in a vacuum. But this is a trend we’ve seen for six years now, and it shows no sign of abating. The question “What does a championship team look like?” — an important one if you work in a front office — has a very different answer now than it did in 2019. The Knicks are just the latest example.
By John Hollinger, via The Athletic