By Devon Birdsong / Pounding The Rock, 2026-10-30 00:00:00
“他们要把文班换回来吗？”
这是一个绝佳的问题，也是我自己心中的疑问。
从某种意义上说，这是本赛季至今关于这支开局磕磕绊绊的马刺队的核心问题。
由于天才新秀迪伦·哈珀 (Dylan Harper) 的崛起，首发阵容被迫重组，目前看起来配合生疏，得分也是断断续续。
而替补席则几乎迷失了方向——失去了上赛季大部分时间带领他们的那位新秀的稳定掌控，显得无所适从。
把一切凝聚在一起的那个人，多少在意料之中，正是文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)。几乎每场比赛的大部分时间，胜负都系于他的在场，以及他偶尔下场时那种“反重力”般的影响。
但是，套用卡通频道《杰克武士》某一集的话说，即便是神也需要休息，而文班纵有天纵之才，也终究不是神。
在缺兵少将的犹他爵士拼尽全力争夺每一分的比赛中，还剩九分钟时，米奇·约翰逊 (Mitch Johnson) 决定让文班短暂喘口气。
这看起来合情合理。文班缓口气，然后马上回到场上，对吧？对吧？
文班走向场边时，马刺仅以六分优势苦苦支撑，马刺推特上弥漫着（可以理解的）焦虑情绪。
马刺在上半场大部分时间处于落后，好不容易才反超比分，但这份领先脆弱不堪，记分牌似乎铁了心要背弃对银黑军团的誓言。事实上，我都开始怀疑它的忠诚了。
每次文班下场，空气中都弥漫着背叛的味道，而马刺的第二阵容（尤其是卢克·科内特 (Luke Kornet)）首当其冲，承受着爵士与场边大屏幕那桩“邪恶契约”的冲击。
爵士第三节投篮命中率接近60%，而且看起来火力还在升温。
似乎怎么投怎么有。内线成了旋转门。篮筐则积极地阻挠着马刺一次次伸短臂试图转化得分。场面越来越戏剧化，甚至可以说是灾难性的。
如果有人觉得这氛围更像季后赛，而不是10月末一个周三晚上82场常规赛中的第5场，那也情有可原。
我不羞于承认，自己也有点被卷入其中了。
当你是一支球队的铁杆球迷时，会发生一种奇特而难以言喻的融合。这不算纯粹的共情，而是一种认同感，跨越了场上职业球员与沙发上平民百姓之间的鸿沟。
你能感受到他们喜悦的回响和痛苦的阴影。他们的胜利让你对自己的生活也充满希望，而他们的失利则可能适得其反。
这很傻，很奇怪，却又充满了人性的美好。
而且不知怎的，它让形形色色的个体之间产生了一种宛如炼金术般的心灵相通——一种群体的联结，将你卷入情感与羁绊的漩涡之中。
这几乎令人无法抗拒，这大概就是为什么当文班跑下场、科内特登场时，我发现自己大声哀叹，尽管我对“大玉米杯”一直颇有好感。
平心而论，科内特本赛季一直笼罩在他2025-26赛季的阴影之下，带着那种（不幸地）定义了马刺在总决赛中内线劣势的打法。
我不确定这是季后赛后遗症、信心危机，还是某种挥之不去的小伤病，但西部决赛时的那个科内特至今未见踪影，而且，正如一位马刺球迷指出的那样，在他有限的出场时间里，马刺一直在疯狂失分。
不到一分钟，比分就被追平了。
德文·瓦塞尔 (Devin Vassell)（整晚手感冰凉）和斯蒂芬·卡斯尔 (Stephon Castle) 在进攻端竭力稳住局面，与一支明显嗅到血腥味的爵士队周旋。
比赛还剩六分半钟时，威尔·哈迪请求暂停。
终于有死球了！米奇可以不用浪费自己宝贵的暂停就能把文班换上场了。
而他毫不犹豫地用凯尔登·约翰逊 (Keldon Johnson) 换下了朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie)——马刺最好的三分射手。
什么？？全场一片困惑。文班呢？领先优势呢？
“他们要把文班换回来吗？”我女儿从沙发那头问道。
她其实只认识三个球员：德文（我的名字）、福克斯（一种她喜欢的动物）和文班，不过她今晚已经放下了涂色本，正爬过来靠在我的膝盖上，问题一个接一个。
“放心，他们马上就换文班上场了。”
十秒后，圣安东尼奥的主教练叫了自己的暂停。
哦。我猜那只是个失误。不理想，但应该没造成什么损失。
结果根本没人被换上场？我仿佛能听到弗罗斯特银行中心球迷看台上传来的错愕声。
为了靠在我膝头的五岁女儿，我不得不把脏话咽回肚子里，但我内心早已怒火中烧。
而我女儿，以那种我们总是低估孩子的敏锐感知着大人的情绪，欢快地安慰我。
“没事的，我看到德文了。”她一边说，一边轻拍我的腿以示安慰。
仿佛接到了指令一般，瓦塞尔迎着防守命中了一记20英尺跳投。
早该来了，我心想。但其实瓦塞尔这一节大部分时间手感已经回暖，只是我没注意到。
“看吧！”她兴高采烈地说，展现出福音书中所推崇的那种孩童般的纯信。
我们俩谁都没想到，她最喜欢的三个球员即将带我们踏上一段魔毯之旅，脱离险境，驶向胜利。
瓦塞尔又接文班的传球命中两球，加上凯尔登的一次补篮和福克斯一记压哨不中，刚好足以把马刺拖入加时。
而在加时赛中，瓦塞尔和伙伴们延续了势头，马刺除两分之外的所有得分，都由德文、福克斯和文班直接得分或助攻完成。
锦上添花的是福克斯在最后不到一分钟时的抢断快攻暴扣。这与他在总决赛中那个被无限回放的犹豫失误形成了鲜明对照，我对此深有感触。
“我跟你说过会没事的。”
“你说得对。看来我该多听听你的。”
“是啊，你就该这样。”
我记得比利·乔伊有首歌，唱的是女人在人生的每个阶段都是女人，大概这意思吧。
对此我毫无异议。想进天国，我得有大量孩童般的信心。但要再赢一次总决赛，得有多少信心才行呢？
我想我们终会知道的。
这是新的黎明，这是新的一天，这是妮娜·西蒙的歌。
我想，能赢一场就先享受一场吧。
要点总结
- 我认为科内特和凯尔登本赛季开局如此挣扎、状态起伏不定，与哈珀大量时间留在首发阵容绝非巧合。是的，米奇确实确保替补登场时至少保留一名明星后卫，但这与上赛季哈珀带领第二阵容时的那种稳定性并不相同。希望托拜厄斯·哈里斯 (Tobias Harris) 伤愈复出后，哈珀能有更多时间带领替补（尽管届时首发阵容也得随之调整），因为凯尔登和科内特都曾从他的存在中受益匪浅；如果做不到，我认为至少应该固定让一名后卫与第二阵容搭档，以便他们建立节奏和默契。
- 上赛季科内特是文班唯一的真正替补选择，但在科内特状态不佳的夜晚，圣安东尼奥的决策层或许该考虑给小塔里斯·里德 (Tarris Reed Jr.) 一些机会。当然，在后卫问题得到某种解决之前，替补席可能仍会存在问题。但何不放手一试呢？他也许只是个新秀，但里德活力十足，体格也相当壮实。至少，当对手轻松打穿科内特的防守时，改变一下节奏或许能派上用场。
- 现在还为时尚早，但已有两个小趋势开始显现：1. 马刺确实严控了低级失误，目前他们的场均失误数联盟最少。2. 他们似乎就是造不成犯规站上罚球线，罚球出手数联盟第四少，罚球率联盟第三低。第一点是好事，也证明进攻流畅度的实际观感比实际更糟。但第二点或许印证了空间不足正在严重损害马刺冲击篮筐的能力——而上赛季投篮不顺时，突破正是他们的吃饭本领。三后卫实验目前效果喜忧参半，希望他们要么尽快找到答案，要么做出调整来打开局面。
- 不过，尽管存在这些问题，值得注意的是，马刺的内线得分仍高居联盟第5。这是因为过去两场比赛（以及赛季大部分时间），文班一直在把球狠狠塞进任何胆敢在篮下与他对位者的喉咙里。而当他的外线投篮打开时——就像昨晚那样——他几乎不可阻挡。可怜的贾克森·海斯在经历了两节这样的折磨后，看起来已经不知所措。文班今年似乎真的专注于内线得分了，坦白说，这很可怕。
为你送别——今晚的主题曲：
妮娜·西蒙的 Feeling Good
由生成式 AI 翻译，翻译内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
查看原文：What we learned from the Spurs win over the Jazz
What we learned from the Spurs win over the Jazz
“Are they going to put Wemby back in?”
It was an excellent question, and one that I had myself.
It was, in a way, the question of the season so far when it comes to a Spurs team that has scuffled quite a bit coming out of the gate.
The starting unit, forced into a new configuration by the ascension of the prodigious Dylan Harper, has looked disjointed and seems to do its scoring in fits and starts.
The bench, on the other hand, seems almost lost — unmoored without the steady hand of the rookie who led it for most of last season.
The one player holding everything together has been, somewhat predictably, Wembanyama, and the better part of almost every game has seemed to hinge on his presence and the antigravity of his occasional absence.
But, to paraphrase an episode of Cartoon Network’s Samurai Jack, even the gods must rest, and for all his gifts, Wemby is not a god.
With nine minutes left in a game that the shorthanded Utah Jazz had spent clawing for every point, Mitch Johnson had made the call to give Wemby a quick breather.
That seemed reasonable. Wemby would catch his breath and then jump right back in, right? Right?
The Spurs were clinging to a six point lead when Wemby headed for the sideline, and Spurs Twitter was awash with (understandable) anxiety.
The Spurs had trailed for most of the first half and had finally clawed their way to a lead, but it was a tenuous bargain with a scoreboard that seemed determined to forsake its oath to the Silver and Black. In fact, I was beginning to doubt its fealty altogether.
With every Wemby exit, betrayal was in the air, and San Antonio’s 2nd unit (and Luke Kornet in particular) were bearing the brunt of the Jazz’s unholy pact with the jumbotron.
Utah had shot nearly 60% from the field in the 3rd quarter, and it felt like they were heating up again.
Everything seemed to be going in. The post was a turnstile. The rim was actively thwarting San Antonio’s short-armed stabs at conversion. It was getting dramatic. Catastrophic, even.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the atmosphere more closely resembled that of a postseason contest rather than game 5 of 82, on a Wednesday night in late October.
I’m not ashamed to say that I got caught up in it a little myself.
When you’re an avid fan of a sports team, there’s this bizarre and inexplicable fusion that occurs. It’s not quite empathy per se, but an identification that spans the gap between the professionals on the court and the plebeians on the couch.
You get to feel an echo of their joy and the spectre of their pain. Their wins make you hopeful for your own, but their losses can do the inverse.
It’s silly, and strange, and wonderfully human.
And somehow, it allows for a communion between disparate individuals that feels like alchemy — a group connection that pulls you into a maelstrom of emotion and connection.
It’s damn near irresistible, which is probably why I found myself loudly bemoaning the appearance of Kornet as Wemby trotted off, in spite of my long-standing fondness for The Big Elote.
And to be fair, Kornet’s been a shadow of his 2025-26 self, carrying with him the play that (unfortunately) defined San Antonio’s big-man deficit in the NBA Finals.
I’m not sure it’s a playoff hangover, or a crisis of confidence, or a small nagging injury of some sort, but the Kornet of the Western Conference Finals has yet to be seen, and, as a fellow Spurs fan pointed out, the Spurs have been hemorrhaging points during his limited stints.
Within a minute, the game was tied again.
Devin Vassell (who had been cold most of the night) and Stephon Castle were doing their best to keep things from getting ugly on the offensive end, keeping pace with a Jazz team that clearly smelled blood.
With six-and-a-half minutes left in the game, Will Hardy called a timeout.
Finally, a break! Mitch could substitute Wemby in without using a valuable timeout of his own.
And without hesitation, he subbed Keldon Johnson in for Julian Champagnie, the Spurs’ best three-point shooter.
What?? The confusion was widespread. What about Wemby? What about the lead?
“Are they going to put Wemby back in?” my daughter inquired from her end of the couch.
She really only recognizes three players: Devin (my name), Fox (a favorite animal), and Wemby, but having retired from her coloring book for the evening, she was now peppering me with questions as she crawled over to lean against my knees.
“Yeah, they’re gonna put Wemby in real soon.”
Ten seconds later San Antonio’s skipper called a timeout of his own.
Oh. I guess it was just a mistake. Not ideal, but not costly, I guess.
No substitution at all? I could hear the consternation as if I were within the confines of a fan section at the Frost Bank Center.
I had to bottle up any profanity for the sake of the five-year-old lounging against my knees, but I was silently livid.
And my daughter, attuned to adult emotion in that way that we don’t give children enough credit for, cheerily reassured me.
“It’s okay, I see Devin,” she said as she patted my leg consolingly.
Almost as if on cue, Vassell sunk a 20-footer in the face of the defense.
About time, I thought to myself. But Vassell had been shooting better for most of the quarter, even if I had failed to notice.
“See!” she said elatedly, displaying the kind of childlike credulity that gospels allude to.
Little did either of us know that her three favorite players were about to take us on a magic carpet ride out of danger and into the win column.
Vassell hit two more shots on passes from Wemby, which proved (along with a tip-in from Keldon and a buzzer-beating miss from Fox) to be just enough to get the Spurs to overtime.
And it was there that Vassell and Co. picked up right where they left off, with all but two of San Antonio’s points scored or assisted on by Devin, Fox, and Wemby.
The icing on the cake was a steal and a racing dunk from Fox with less than a minute left. Its parallel as an opposite to his endlessly replayed hesitation in the Finals wasn’t lost on me.
“I told you it would be okay.”
“You were right. I guess I should listen to you more.”
“Yeah, you should.”
I think Billy Joel has a song about women always being women at every phase of life, or something like that.
No argument here, though. I’ve got a lot of childlike believing to do if I want to enter the kingdom of heaven. How much do I have to have for another Finals win, though?
I guess we’ll find out.
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a Nina Simone song.
I think I’ll take the win while I can.
Takeaways
- I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both Kornet and Keldon have had such a rough/inconsistent start to the season, with Harper spending so much time with the starters. Yes, Mitch has made sure to keep at least one of the star guards on when the bench takes their turn, but that’s not the same thing as the consistency that the 2nd unit experienced with Harper running it. Hopefully, Harper will get more time with the bench once Tobias Harris returns from injury (though the starting unit will then have to adapt to that), as both Keldon and Kornet benefited greatly from his presence; if not, I think it would be ideal to at least use one of the guards consistently with the 2nd unit, so that they can build a rhythm and rapport.
- Last year Kornet was the only real option as a backup for Wemby, but the San Antonio braintrust might want to consider giving Tarris Reed some run on nights that Kornet doesn’t seem to have it. Of course, it’s possible that the bench will continue having issues until the guard issue is somewhat resolved. But hey, why not give it the old college try? He might be a rookie, but Reed has a serious motor, and some considerable heft. If nothing else, the change of pace might come in handy when a team is making easy work of Kornet’s defensive efforts.
- It’s early yet, but two things are beginning to stick out as minor trends: 1. The Spurs have really cracked down on sloppy mistakes, as they’re leading the league in fewest turnovers per game right now. 2. They just can’t seem to get to the line, as they’re the 4th-lowest team in free-throw attempts and have the 3rd-lowest free-throw rate. The first thing is really good, and evidence that the offensive flow feels a bit worse than it is. But the second thing might serve as proof that the lack of spacing is really hurting San Antonio’s ability to drive to the hoop, something that served as a meal ticket last season when shots weren’t falling. The three-guard experiment is a bit of a mixed bag so far, so let’s hope they either figure it out soon or make a change to loosen things up.
- However, in spite of those issues, it’s important to note that the Spurs are still 5th in the NBA in points scored in the paint. That’s because, for the past two games (and most of the season), Wemby has been shoving the ball down the throats of anyone bold enough to meet him around the rim. And when his outside shot is on, as it was last night, he’s nigh unstoppable. Poor Jaxson Hayes looked like he didn’t know whether he was coming or going after two quarters of that. It seems like Wemby’s really dedicated himself to interior scoring this year, and frankly, it’s terrifying.
Playing You Out – The Theme Song of the Evening:
Feeling Good by Nina Simone
By Devon Birdsong / Pounding The Rock
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