By Zach Harper | The Athletic, 2026-06-16 09:15:24
在2026年NBA总决赛第五场开打前，有几件事显得格外引人瞩目。显然，最重磅的莫过于纽约尼克斯正处于夺得53年来首个总冠军的边缘。另一个看点则是维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 和年轻的圣安东尼奥马刺将如何应对1-3落后的险境。但最引人入胜的剧情之一，莫过于这轮系列赛实际上是多么的势均力敌，以及局势是多么容易走向完全不同的方向。
曾几何时，尼克斯看起来几乎要横扫马刺，但马刺却在第三场比赛的最后时刻艰难逆转，拼下了一场胜利。马刺其实也差点赢下前两场比赛，但都在下半场以不同的方式崩盘。事实上，他们几乎在每场比赛中都遭遇了崩盘，但最终还是设法赢下了一场。马刺及其球迷反复纠结的“如果……会怎样？”，就隐藏在那些不同的变数之中：
“前两场打完，马刺本可以2-0领先。”
“马刺本可以3-1领先。”
“打完四场，这轮系列赛本可以、也应该打成2-2平。”
看着一支球队在每场比赛中都取得两位数的领先，尤其是在开局阶段，这简直不可思议。马刺每次都先声夺人，对尼克斯倾尽全力。他们完美地执行了战术计划。然而，尼克斯展现出了他们极强的抗击打能力。
尼克斯总是能顶住狂风暴雨，并逼迫马刺去面对自身的年轻与缺乏经验。在每一个充满压力的窒息时刻，马刺就像是在波涛汹涌的大海中苦苦挣扎，而尼克斯却似乎把这片狂暴的海域当成了温水浴。这在很大程度上解释了为什么这轮系列赛存在如此多的可能性和概率，但最终却只走向了一个稳定且注定的结局。
这是我们见过的最势均力敌的NBA总决赛之一，尤其是考虑到它仅仅打了五场比赛。在这五场比赛中，两队的总得分差仅为12分，而且我得提醒你，第一场比赛的分差就达到了10分。马刺和尼克斯奉献了一场不可思议的表演，两位数逆转的戏剧性，加上第二场到第五场连续四场惊心动魄的决战时刻，营造出了我们在NBA总决赛中见过的最令人窒息的紧张气氛。
- 1993年总决赛结束时，两队的总得分完全相同。芝加哥公牛在六场比赛中击败了菲尼克斯太阳。
- 在1982年总决赛中，费城76人在系列赛总得分上比洛杉矶湖人多出1分。但湖人在六场比赛中夺得了总冠军。
- 1969年总决赛中，湖人总得分比波士顿凯尔特人多出3分，但凯尔特人在抢七大战中胜出。1948年的巴尔的摩子弹在夺冠之路上总得分比费城勇士多出3分，最终在六场内夺冠。
- 史诗般的2016年总决赛最终总得分差仅为4分，克利夫兰骑士在历史性的1-3落后大逆转中，通过抢七击败了金州勇士。
- 1994年的尼克斯（对阵休斯敦火箭）和2013年的马刺（对阵迈阿密热火）都在总得分上比对手多出5分，但最终都输掉了系列赛。
历史上共有16次NBA总决赛的总得分差在12分或以内，但其中只有两轮系列赛是在五场内解决战斗的。另一轮就发生在短短两年前，凯尔特人在五场比赛中以12分的总分差击败了达拉斯独行侠。然而，凯尔特人在那轮系列赛中只有两场比赛是以个位数优势获胜（均为7分）。而独行侠在第四场大胜38分，使得双方的净胜分差保持在较低水平。
2026年的总决赛包含了两次4分险胜、两次1分险胜，戏剧性拉满。当文班亚马说他只需要正常发挥，马刺就会没问题时，他说的基本是实话；如果他能表现得稍微好一点、更稳定一些，结果可能就会大不相同。而二年级明星后卫斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 如果能表现得更沉稳一些，也本可以为圣安东尼奥改变很多事情。达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 同样本可以扭转乾坤。但这些都没有发生。
尽管此前从未打进过总决赛，且在今年季后赛中也没经历过太多势均力敌的较量，但杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 深知这些比赛会打得多么艰难和胶着。多年来在季后赛起伏中的摸爬滚打，让尼克斯做好了准备。而他们也确实需要将这些经验发挥到极致，因为尽管马刺显得十分稚嫩，但他们的天赋逼得尼克斯必须保持韧性，并耐心等待经验发挥主导作用。多年来在季后赛遭遇的挫折，让尼克斯为这一刻做好了充分的准备，而马刺则仍在摸索如何构建胜利。
我们刚刚见证了有史以来最伟大的“短平快”NBA总决赛之一。是的，马刺本可以3-1领先。
是的，打完四场本可以是2-2平。
是的，这本可以是尼克斯的一场横扫。
但这确实是一轮只打了五场、却有着抢七强度的系列赛。这些能给马刺带来一丝慰藉吗？绝不可能。他们在最关键的时刻被对手压制。在NBA总决赛的失利中是否存在“精神胜利”？不应该存在。但失利的痛苦应当转化为前进的动力，从而在这些宝贵的教训中获得成长。
马刺表示他们已经吸取了教训，但我们必须等待数月之久，才能知道他们是否能将这些教训付诸实践。与此同时，尼克斯已经积累了夺冠的诀窍与经验，并树立了创造更多夺冠机会的信心。他们已经铸就了抵御强敌猛攻的铠甲。下一次当他们再次站在NBA总决赛的舞台上时，也许他们不会再让比赛打得如此胶着了。
又或者，他们只是单纯喜欢这种戏剧性的张力。
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：Don't let 4-1 result fool you: Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals among the closest ever
Don’t let 4-1 result fool you: Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals among the closest ever
Going into Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, a few things felt particularly noteworthy. Obviously, the biggest one was the New York Knicks being on the brink of winning their first championship in 53 years. Another was how Victor Wembanyama and the young San Antonio Spurs might handle a precarious 3-1 deficit. But one of the more fascinating storylines was just how close the series was and how easily we could have been in different situations.
There was a point at which the Knicks looked like they were on the verge of sweeping the Spurs, only for San Antonio to find a way to eke out a win during the final moments of Game 3. The Spurs also nearly won the first two games, collapsing in the second half of both in different ways. In fact, they collapsed in every game but managed to win one. The “what if?” that the Spurs and their fans will kick around lies in the different machinations:
“The Spurs could have been up 2-0 after the first two.”
“The Spurs could have been up 3-1.”
“This series could have and should have been 2-2 after four.”
To watch a team go up double digits in every game, especially so early, was incredible. The Spurs would come out of the gates and put their best effort toward the Knicks. They executed their game plans perfectly. Then the Knicks showed they can take a punch.
The Knicks always weathered the storm and forced the Spurs to face their own youth and inexperience. Every pressure-packed moment featured the Spurs fighting waves in the ocean while the Knicks seemed to treat the unruly sea like a warm bath. It’s a big part of why this series had so many possibilities and probabilities, but only one consistent and destined outcome.
This was one of the closest NBA Finals we’ve ever seen, especially when you factor in that it only lasted five games. A total of 12 points separated these two teams over those five games, and I’ll remind you that 10 points decided the first game. The Spurs and Knicks put on an incredible show, and the drama of the double-digit comeback wins, along with four furious finishes in Games 2-5, fueled some of the highest tension we’ve seen in an NBA Finals.
- The 1993 finals finished with an even number of total points for each team. The Chicago Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns in six games.
- In the 1982 finals, the Philadelphia 76ers outscored the Los Angeles Lakers by one total point in the series. But the Lakers won the championship in six games.
- The Lakers outscored the Boston Celtics by three points in the 1969 finals, but the Celtics won in seven games. The 1948 Baltimore Bullets outscored the Philadelphia Warriors by three points on their way to winning the title in six games.
- The epic 2016 finals finished within four total points, as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in seven games in their historic 3-1 comeback.
- The Knicks in 1994 (against the Houston Rockets) and the Spurs in 2013 (against the Miami Heat) both outscored their opponents by five total points but lost the series.
Sixteen NBA Finals have been decided by 12 or fewer total points, but only two of those series were won in five games. The other one happened just two years ago, with the Celtics taking down the Dallas Mavericks in five by a total of 12 points. However, the Celtics had only two single-digit wins in that series, both by seven points. The Mavericks’ 38-point win in Game 4 kept the net point differential low.
The 2026 finals featured two four-point wins, two one-point wins and high drama. When Wembanyama said he just had to play normal and the Spurs would be good, he was mostly telling the truth; slightly better, more consistent efforts from him could have changed the results. More steadiness from Stephon Castle, the second-year star guard, could have also changed so much for San Antonio. De’Aaron Fox could have turned the tide. But that didn’t happen.
Despite never being in the finals and not being in many close games this postseason, Jalen Brunson knew how tight these games could and would be. Years of going through the ebbs and flows of playoff games had the Knicks ready. And they needed every drop of that experience, because as green as the Spurs were, their talent demanded that the Knicks be resilient and wait for that experience to take control. Years of postseason frustration prepared the Knicks for this very moment, and the Spurs are still figuring out how to build.
We just witnessed one of the greatest short NBA Finals we’ve ever seen. Yes, this could have been 3-1 for the Spurs.
Yes, this could have been 2-2 after four.
Yes, this could have been a Knicks sweep.
But this was a true seven-game series played in just five. Will any of this be solace for the Spurs? Absolutely not. They were dominated when it counted the most. Do moral victories exist in NBA Finals losses? They shouldn’t. But the fuel from the loss should be used to drive improvement and grow from these teachable moments.
The Spurs said they’ve learned from it, be’ll have to wait months to know if they can apply those lessons. Meanwhile, the Knicks have created championship know-how and the confidence to create more title-winning opportunities. They’ve built up armor to withstand big attacks. And next time they find themselves in the NBA Finals, maybe they won’t allow it to be nearly as close.
Or maybe they just like the drama.
By Zach Harper, via The Athletic