By Jeph Duarte | Pounding The Rock (PtR), 2026-06-14 11:00:00
昨晚，霜冻银行中心球馆内百感交集。据估计，总决赛第五场售出的门票中，有大约44%被纽约尼克斯队球迷买下。因此，当终场哨声响起、冠军诞生时，尼克斯队的球迷们就在现场，用欢呼声陪伴球队完成了颁奖仪式。
在新闻发布厅里，马刺主教练米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 和马刺队员们轮流回答提问。就在片刻前，他们刚刚接受了残酷的现实——他们的2025-2026赛季已经没有明天了。
“普遍的想法是，我只想让他们去体会所有的情绪。我自己也是如此，”约翰逊表示，“无论他们感受到什么，那都是真实的。这就是竞争力的来源。这就是让你变得更好的动力。这就是促使你在无人关注的漫长黑暗岁月中继续提升自我的力量。我们今年取得了巨大的进步。但我们现在还有很多不足。这会成为我们继续变强的更大动力。”
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 整个赛季以来都毫不掩饰自己的情绪，这一次他也同样没有隐藏自己的沮丧。然而，在失利的阴影中，已经渗透出他对未来的希望与积极态度。
“我认为，与以往的任何经历相比，这是我人生中最大的一课，也是最深刻的学习时刻，”他在赛后新闻发布会上表示，“我无法确切地告诉你这一课具体是什么，但我们肯定会从中吸取教训。我正在收获比以往人生中任何时候都多的成长。”
球迷们曾见证过文班亚马面对重大失利时的反应。他年轻时法国队输给美国队的视频（这也是他与切特·霍姆格伦 (Chet Holmgren) 之间“恩怨”的起点）；2024年奥运会输给美国队；而现在，则是他首次闯入NBA总决赛。文班正面临着暂时的心痛，但从长远来看，他将从这段经历中收获巨大的回报。
“我不认为我们能在一次季后赛之旅、一个赛季，以及我个人的18个月里学到更多、积累更多经验了，”他分享道，“这段历程很艰难，但也充满了教训。”
德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell) 是马刺阵中效力时间第二长的球员，他向那些与球队风雨同舟的球迷们表达了敬意。
“首先对球迷们说，非常感谢你们对我们的支持，特别是在我来到这里的六年旅程中，从我们最初只拿到20胜，到如今打进总决赛，”瓦塞尔说道，“他们一直无比忠诚。我只想对他们说声谢谢。没有他们，没有他们的呐喊和在背后的支持，我们不会走到今天这一步，不会站上这个舞台。谢谢他们。”
迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 表示，他会记住“那种化学反应，大家是如何融合在一起的。以及为了让我们站上这个舞台，每个人所做出的牺牲。”
朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 则给大家留了一句话：“明年我们会再回来的。”
在这次总决赛中，马刺有太多可以作为基石的积极因素。这些教训将在今年夏天转化为成长的养分，他们希望这能带给他们更清醒的认知和更充分的准备，从而开启下个赛季。
“我认为通过总决赛的这些比赛，它证明了每一次球权都至关重要，每一个细节都决定成败，”瓦塞尔表示，“在常规赛中，你可能会犯一些错误，但依然能全身而退。显然在总决赛中，一切都会被无限放大，一个失误就可能让你输掉一场比赛。我觉得我们犯了几个错误，让我们付出了好几场比赛的代价。”
迪伦·哈珀作为NBA总决赛历史上单场砍下20+分最年轻的球员，在结束了自己的新秀赛季后分享道：“这意义重大。有太多可以成长和学习的地方了。归根结底，这只是我的第一年。如果没有积极的心态，你就无法继续前进。显然我们输了，我也很想赢下比赛，但归根结底，我们必须重新振作起来。”
“在学到的众多事情中，有一点是容错率非常低，”文班亚马表示，“我们统治比赛的阶段是绝对的。在系列赛的大部分时间里，我们都占据着绝对统治地位。但我们的失误和犯错受到的惩罚太严重了，我们不能再有这样起伏不定的表现。”
或许米奇·约翰逊说得最好：“我希望他们能从这次经历中汲取和我们从成功中汲取的同样的东西。我希望这能让他们比以往任何时候都更加饥渴，我希望这能让他们比以往任何时候都更有动力，也希望这能让他们更加——是的，就是继续在方方面面提升自己。”
在接下来的几天和几周里，人们会针对这支年轻、缺乏经验的球队的崩盘议论纷纷。但显而易见的是，马刺是如何通过实时调整做出回应的。每次失利后，他们都能重新调整状态。最终，他们淘汰了过去两年都打进西部决赛的明尼苏达森林狼队 (Minnesota Timberwolves)。他们还在系列赛中淘汰了2025年冠军俄克拉荷马城雷霆队 (OKC Thunder)，并在俄克拉荷马城赢下了抢七大战。
遗憾的是，在这次总决赛中，尼克斯队比马刺队更好地掩盖了自己的失误。从杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 在第一和第二场比赛中的挣扎，到卡尔-安东尼·唐斯 (Karl-Anthony Towns) 在第五场比赛中的隐身（以及他在整个系列赛中第四节的挣扎），尼克斯队距离看着马刺队捧起拉里·奥布莱恩杯，其实也只差一两个失误、一两次判罚或一两个投篮不中。命运的简单捉弄，让纽约赢下了自1973年以来的首个总冠军，而那一年，圣安东尼奥买下了达拉斯矮树丛队 (Dallas Chaparrals)，创立了马刺队。
在过去的53个赛季中，马刺队经历过起起落落，但与其他球队相比，他们经历的辉煌要多得多。格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 与蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 的携手，谱写了体育史上最伟大的佳话之一。随着托尼·帕克 (Tony Parker) 和马努·吉诺比利 (Manu Ginobili) 的加入，以及在邓肯19个赛季职业生涯中不断更迭的配角阵容，马刺队成为了典范俱乐部，在三个不同的十年里夺得了五座NBA总冠军奖杯。
毫无疑问，这支现代马刺队是特别的，就像他们的前辈一样，他们不会轻易退场。他们正在以惊人的速度成长。拥有着最具篮球天赋的奇才之一作为建队基石，马刺队注定将在未来的岁月里统治赛场。
毫无疑问，这次总决赛只是一个开始。他们这个赛季也许还没有准备好，但当他们准备好的那一天——所有人都要小心了。
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：Open Thread: Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson “We weren’t ready to win an NBA Championship”
Open Thread: Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson “We weren’t ready to win an NBA Championship”
Lots of emotions flowed through Frost Bank Center last night. An estimated 44% of tickets purchased for Game 5 were done so by New York Knicks fans, so when the final buzzer reigned in a champion, their fans were there to cheer them through the trophy presentation.
In the press room, Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson and members of the Spurs took turns answering questions just moments after the reality set in that there was no tomorrow to the 2025-2026 season.
‘The general sentiment is just I want them to feel all the emotions. I feel that, too,“ stated Johnson. ”Whatever they feel, that’s real. That’s what is competitiveness. That’s what makes you better. That’s what pushes you to continue to improve in the dark, long hours when nobody is around. We improved a whole lot this year. We still have a lot now. More motivation to continue to get better.“
Victor Wembanyama, who has been open about his emotions throughout the season, did not hold back his frustration. But already permeating through the loss is his hope and positivity for what is to come.
“I think that compared to anything before, this is the biggest lesson of my life, the biggest learning moment,” he stated in his postgame conference. “I can’t tell you exactly what the lesson is, but we’re learning from that, for sure. I’m learning more than any other time in my life before.”
Fans have seen Wembanyama’s reaction to big losses. The video of France losing to Team USA (and the genesis of the “feud” between him and Chet Holmgren) when he was a youngster. The 2024 Olympic loss to Team USA. And now his first foray into the NBA Finals. Wemby is facing temporary heartache, but has long-term gains to reap from the experience.
“I don’t think we could have learned more and gained more experience in one Playoff run and in one season, and
personally in 18 months,“ he shared. ”It’s been hard and full of lessons.“
Devin Vassell, the second longest tenured member of the Spurs roster, gave a shout to the fans who’ve been with the team through thick and thin.
“First off to the fans, just thank you guys so much for supporting us, especially in my journey being here six years, from where we started from the 20 wins we were at to being in the Finals,” Vassell said. “They’ve been loyal. I just
want to say thank you to them. Without them and the noise, having our backs, we’re not in this situation, we’re not in this position. Thank you to them.“
Dylan Harper said he’d remember “The chemistry, how everyone blended. Really the sacrifices we all made to be in the position we were in.”
And Julian Champagnie had a message for everyone: “We’ll be back again next year.”
There were so many positives in these Finals for the Spurs to build upon. The lessons will take shape over the summer and their hope is it will carry them into next season with more awareness and better preparation.
“I think with these games in the Finals, it just shows that every possession matters and every little detail matters,” stated Vassell. “You can mess up some stuff in the regular season and still kind of get away with it. Obviously in the Finals, with everything being amplified, one mistake can cost you a game. I think we had a couple that cost us multiple.”
Dylan Harper, after completing his rookie season as the youngest player in NBA Finals history to score 20+ points in a game shared, “It meant a lot. Whole lot to grow on. Whole lot to learn on. At the end of the day, this is my first year. Can’t keep moving forward if you don’t got a positive attitude. Obviously we lost and I wanted to win that, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to bounce back.”
‘I learned one of many things, the margin of error is very thin,“ Wembanyam stated. ”Our domination stints are absolute. We absolutely dominated for most of the series. But our errors, our mistakes, are punished so hard that we can’t have ups and downs like this.“
Perhaps Mitch Johnson said it best. “I hope they take the same thing that we’ve taken from our success. I hope it leads to them be hungrier than they’ve ever been, and I hope it leads them to be more motivated than they’ve ever been, and hopefully that leads them to be more — yeah, just to continue to improve in every facet.”
In the coming days and weeks, much will be said about the collapse of the young, inexperienced team. But what will be made clear was how the Spurs responded with real time adjustments. After each loss, they were able to reset. In the end, they knocked out the Minnesota Timberwolves who’d been to the Western Conference Finals for the last two years. They also knocked out the 2025 Champion OKC Thunder in their series, taking Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
In these Finals, unfortunately, the Knicks were able to cover their mistakes better than the Spurs. From Brunson’s struggles in Games 1 and 2, to Karl-Anthony Towns disappearance in Game 5 (as well as his fourth quarter struggles throughout the series), the Knicks were the same one or two mistakes, one or two calls, one or two missed shots away from watching the Spurs hoist the Larry O’Brien. Simple twists of fate have given New York their first title since 1973, the year the San Antonio bought the Dallas Chaparrals and created the Spurs.
Over the last 53 seasons, the Spurs have had ups and downs, more ups compared to other franchises. The pairing of Gregg Popovich with Tim Duncan created one of sports greatest love stories. With the addition of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili and supporting casts throughout Duncan’s nineteen seasons, the Spurs became a model franchise winning five NBA titles in three different decades.
Make no mistake, this modern-day Spurs team is special, and like their predecessor, they are not going away. They are developing at a rapid rate. And boasting one of the most gifted basketball minds as their cornerstone, the Spurs are poised to dominate for years to come.
Make no mistake, this Finals was just the beginning. They may have not been ready this season, but when they are — watch out.
By Jeph Duarte, via Pounding The Rock