By Steven Louis Goldstein | The Athletic, 2026-06-19 11:00:56
维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 的首次季后赛之旅，在大片般的震撼与成长小说的磨砺之间交替。尽管他所在的圣安东尼奥马刺队在 NBA 总决赛中不敌天命所归的纽约尼克斯队，但他让全世界为之着迷，一场接一场、一轮接一轮地牢牢吸引着观众的目光。
这位“外星人”在这项运动中书写了一段迅速且充满故事的崛起篇章。他是 2023 年的状元秀，随后用一个稳健的年度最佳新秀赛季兑现了这份期待。他的第二个赛季因右肩突然出现血栓而戛然而止。去年夏天，他曾在少林寺修行。而在他刚刚结束的第三个赛季，他正式加冕为联盟首位全票当选的最佳防守球员。
今年春天，22 岁的文班亚马发起了他的首次季后赛冲击。他无疑给人留下了深刻印象。也许当未来的文班亚马手握一把戒指时，2026 年的季后赛会显得平淡无奇。但就目前而言，这些高光时刻可能会成为刺痛人心的提醒，诉说着本可能实现的成就。现在，让我们来回味一下刚刚发生的一切。
首轮：文班亚马的登场礼
他的季后赛征程始于对阵波特兰开拓者队。尽管在第二场比赛中一次令人震惊的摔倒导致他遭遇脑震荡，但文班亚马带着决心重新归来，马刺队以 4-1 赢得系列赛。
瞬间 No. 1：纵贯全场的登场介绍
一场精彩的晚会需要鸡尾酒时间。既然我们能沉醉于法兰西 94（英尺），又何必浅尝法兰西 75 呢？文班亚马在他季后赛的第一个单节比赛中，用一个摘篮板后背后运球、转身如入漩涡并滑翔攻框的动作画上了句号。先摇晃，再融合。
他在这场胜利中砍下 35 分，创下了球队季后赛首秀的得分纪录。蒂姆·邓肯和大卫·罗宾逊当时都在场。
瞬间 No. 2：扇飞到看台的盖帽
回到圣安东尼奥，带着 3-1 的领先优势，马刺队淘汰开拓者队似乎已成定局。但文班亚马在比赛末段对德尼·阿夫迪亚的那记大帽，是一次特别的、降维打击般的羞辱。那个球飞越篮板，直冲大平原而去。它可能还在某个轨道上悬浮着，与“Event Horizon”和 Bobby Shmurda 的帽子 待在一起。
次轮：从被逐出场到欣喜若狂
在下一阶段，等待他们的是一个艰巨得多的任务。安东尼·爱德华兹和明尼苏达森林狼队是连续两年的分区决赛队伍。文班亚马在第四场比赛中因一次二级恶意犯规被驱逐，上演了他生涯的首次“反派”转变。在系列赛打成 2-2 平后，他和马刺队纠正了航向，最终以六场胜利告捷。
瞬间 No. 3：“太空大灌篮”式伸展
作为同胞和防守端的巨塔，鲁迪·戈贝尔已成为文班亚马长期的导师之一。多年的教导该如何回报？那就是把这位导师晃开后，用乐一通战队的弹力手臂在他头上完成扣篮。坏朋友，好节目。
瞬间 No. 4：“嘉年华”盖帽盛宴
既然主场体育馆装饰着绚丽的“嘉年华”配色，文班亚马还能做什么呢？这位新科最佳防守球员举办了一场历史性的盖帽盛宴。他的 12 次封盖创下了联盟季后赛单场历史新高。这既显威严，又带愤怒。
森林狼队那晚最终赢了，但这位马刺球星为这轮系列赛奠定了基调，并最终交出了场均荒谬的 4.2 次盖帽。而明尼苏达最终被放逐到了“涂鸦桥”的另一边。
分区决赛：泪水中的坚韧
这注定会走到这一步。文班亚马毫不掩饰他对卫冕冠军俄克拉荷马城雷霆队的蔑视。随后的七场大战让他的马刺队成为了西部新的主宰。
瞬间 No. 5：雷霆一击
隔扣背靠背 MVP 很酷。隔扣一位宿敌也很酷。将两者合二为一？那简直是锦上添花。文班亚马在第一场比赛中冲破谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大和切特·霍姆格伦的防守，瓦解了雷霆队。“喧闹之城”瞬间变得寂静。而且，与常理相悖，时间会证明在比赛后期还有一个更残暴的高光时刻。
瞬间 No. 6：永恒的经典
文班亚马奉献了一场足以载入史册的加时（以及双加时）表现。他在第一场比赛的返场表演渗透进了主流文化，在篮球世界的各个维度中引发难以置信的分享热潮。受到启发的肯德里克·帕金斯回看了他与僧侣们的夏令营。外星人表情符号在群聊中以史无前例的速度刷屏。
追平比分的急停三分球让人想起斯蒂芬·库里 —— 轨迹几乎相同，只不过这位射手伸展得像连在一起的奶酪棒。而那次挽救比赛的封盖则令人联想到法国印象派，仿佛博物馆的玻璃都无法容纳这般壮丽。总计 41 分，24 个篮板，以及一个必须身临其境才能体会的惊世之作。
瞬间 No. 7：43 英尺的超远三分
这应该归入“对这家伙来说看上去很容易，但实际上非常难”的档案。这份档案在整个分区决赛期间需要被清空好几次。文班亚马在第四场比赛中场结束时的半场压哨三分，让解说员迈克·蒂里科发出了一声彻底的尖叫。
瞬间 No. 8：情感的宣泄
尽管在场上才华横溢，但联盟中部分现任超级巨星在哨响后带着一种特定的冷漠。球员们培养并守护着他们的“气场”。定义生涯的时刻即使不被重复，也会被重新用于营造形象。相比之下，文班亚马在第七场比赛结束时的真切狂喜是惊人的。他率领球队在客场、在压力下征服了卫冕冠军。
他首次杀入 NBA 总决赛，然后尽情释放了所有情绪。我们都希望能重温那种感觉。
NBA 总决赛：脚踏实地
今年的季后赛最终由尼克斯队主宰，他们以一种超乎想象的方式，终结了长达 53 年的冠军荒。他们独一无二的征程将被浪漫传颂至世界末日。但我们不会因为知道结局就撕毁这本书的其余部分。文班亚马仍然得到了闪耀的机会。
瞬间 No. 9：攻防两端的极致强调
尽管这不是他想要的结局，但文班亚马确实以他那令人耳目一新的双向野心对待总决赛。第一场比赛中的这记盖帽来自他在转换进攻中冲刺，然后背身应对约什·哈特。砸板反弹的球格外上镜，而紧接着的追身三分赢得了观众的巨大欢呼。这充满未来感，即使最终只是昙花一现。
瞬间 No. 10：空接着陆
圣安东尼奥在总决赛的唯一一场胜利中，文班亚马在第四节开始时那次外星人般的空中接力成为了头条。麦迪逊广场花园的舞台灯光让这个回合看起来像是詹姆斯·卡梅隆电影中摩天大楼的核心场景。整场冠军争夺战确实像一部电影——充满了转折与心碎。我们都坐在座位边缘，然后又争论着这个结局到底意味着什么。那么……一部续集肯定在筹备中，对吧？您可以在 Fubo 上观看体育赛事直播（立即免费观看！）。
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点击查看原文：The 10 moments that made Victor Wembanyama must-see TV during the NBA playoffs
The 10 moments that made Victor Wembanyama must-see TV during the NBA playoffs
Victor Wembanyama’s maiden postseason alternated between blockbuster and bildungsroman. He kept the world hooked, game to game and series to series, even though his San Antonio Spurs stumbled against the New York Knicks’ team of destiny in the NBA Finals.
“The Alien” has authored a swift, eventful rise through the sport. He was the No. 1 draft pick in 2023, then matched that hype with an assured Rookie of the Year campaign. The promise of his second season was suddenly curtailed by a blood clot in his right shoulder. He spent last summer training at a Shaolin monastery. And in his just-finished third season, he was minted as the league’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year.
This spring, Wembanyama mounted his first playoff bid at 22 years old. He certainly left an impression. Maybe the 2026 playoffs will seem quaint as Future Wembanyama clutches his fistful of rings. For all we know, the highlights will be a stinging reminder of what could have been. Right now, let’s appreciate what just happened.
First round: Wembanyama’s welcome
His saga started against the Portland Trail Blazers. Though a shocking fall left him with a concussion in Game 2, Wembanyama emerged with resolve and the Spurs won the series 4-1.
Moment No. 1: The coast-to-coast introduction
A good soirée demands a cocktail hour. Why sip the French 75 when we can indulge in the French 94 (Feet)? Wembanyama punctuated his first playoff quarter by grabbing a rebound, handling the ball behind his back, spinning into a vortex and gliding toward the rim. Shaken, then stirred.
He finished this win with 35 points, which set the franchise record for a postseason debut. Tim Duncan and David Robinson were both in the building.
Moment No. 2: The swat into the stands
Back in San Antonio and with a 3-1 lead, the Spurs’ elimination of the Blazers felt like a foregone conclusion. But Wembanyama’s late swat on Deni Avdija was a special, cosmic humiliation. That ball soared beyond the backboard and out to the Great Plains. It might still be suspended in orbit, somewhere with “Event Horizon” and Bobby Shmurda’s fitted.
Second round: From ejection to elation
A far tougher task awaited at the next stage. Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves were conference finalists in consecutive years. Wembanyama had his inaugural heel turn as a flagrant 2 foul got him tossed from Game 4. After a 2-2 series split, he and the Spurs corrected course and triumphed in six.
Moment No. 3: The ‘Space Jam’ extension
A fellow countryman and defensive mountain, Rudy Gobert has become one of Wembanyama’s enduring mentors. How can years of stewardship be repaid? By taking said steward off the dribble and dunking on him with the Tune Squad elastic arm. Bad friend, great television.
Moment No. 4: The ‘Fiesta’ block party
With the glorious “Fiesta” colorway decorating his home gym, what else was Wembanyama to do? The new DPOY threw a block party of historic proportions. His 12 stuffs became the league’s new all-time high for a single playoff game. It was majestic and indignant.
The Wolves managed to win that night, but the star Spur established himself for the series en route to a ridiculous 4.2 blocks per game. And Minnesota was eventually vanquished to the other side of “Graffiti Bridge.”
Conference finals: Toughness in tears
It was always meant to come to this. Wembanyama didn’t care to hide his disdain for the Oklahoma City Thunder, defending NBA champions. The ensuing seven-game showdown gave his Spurs new reign of the West.
Moment No. 5: The Thunder strike
Jamming on the back-to-back MVP is cool. Jamming on an archenemy is also cool. Putting the two together? Now we’re cooking with gas. Wembanyama split Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren to disarm the Thunder in Game 1. “Loud City” got awfully quiet. And, against sound reason, time would reveal an even nastier highlight down the stretch.
Moment No. 6: The all-timer
Wembanyama conjured an overtime (and double-overtime) performance for the ages. His Game 1 encore set seeped into monoculture, shared in disbelief across the basketball pocket dimensions. An inspired Kendrick Perkins looked into summer camp with the monks. Alien emoji were blasted through group chats at never-before-seen rates*.*
The game-tying pull-up trey evoked Stephen Curry — an almost identical tracing, except this shooter was stretched out like conjoined string cheese sticks. And the game-saving rejection evoked French impressionism, as if museum glass could contain such grandeur. The total came to 41 points, 24 boards and one had-to-be-there stunner.
Moment No. 7: The 43-footer
File it under “things that are really hard to do but look kind of easy for this dude.” The file needed to be cleared out a few times throughout these conference finals. Wembanyama’s half-court halftime buzzer-beater in Game 4 drew a full-on squeal from announcer Mike Tirico.
Moment No. 8: The catharsis
While undeniably brilliant in action, a segment of the league’s incumbent superstar class carries a certain emotionlessness after the whistle. Players cultivate and protect their “aura.” Career-defining moments get repurposed, if not repeated. In contrast, Wembanyama’s visceral exultation at the end of Game 7 was striking. He led a conquest that dethroned the champs, on the road and under pressure.
He reached his first NBA Finals, and he let it all out. We all want that feeling back.
NBA Finals: Down to earth
These playoffs were ultimately owned by the Knicks, who closed the portal on a 53-year championship drought in unimaginable fashion. Their one-of-a-kind run will be romanticized until the end of days. But we won’t just shred the rest of this book because we know its ending. And Wembanyama still had his chance to shine.
Moment No. 9: The end-to-end emphasis
Though it wasn’t the finish that he wanted, Wembanyama did approach the finals with his refreshing two-pronged ambition. This Game 1 block came as he sprinted in transition and turned his back to Josh Hart. The ricochet off the glass was extra telegenic, and the immediate follow-up 3 earned a great crowd pop. It was futuristic, if eventually fleeting.
Moment No. 10: The lob landing
San Antonio’s lone finals win was headlined by Wembanyama’s extraterrestrial-like alley-oop at the start of the fourth quarter. Madison Square Garden stage lighting made this sequence look like a James Cameron skyscraper centerpiece. The whole title fight was cinematic, indeed — replete with twists and heartbreaks. We were all at the edges of our seats, then debated what the ending really meant.So … a sequel must be in development, right?You can stream live sports on Fubo (Stream Free Now!).
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By Steven Louis Goldstein, via The Athletic