Changes Await Spurs

[baseball624 (juicy)]

Late Thursday night, in a cramped Staples
Center locker room, Manu Ginobili talked about pain,
 Bruce Bowen mused on missed opportunities
 and R. C. Buford rifled through boxes of stale pepperoni pizza.

禮拜四晚間，在狹小的Staples Center休息室裡，
Ginobili說到傷痛，Bowen正在沉思那錯過的機會，
Buford則在不新鮮的義大利臘味香腸口味pizza盒子旁…
(rifle through好難翻…)





The Spurs breathed in an atmosphere of defeat
 that was as unappetizing as Buford’s lukewarm snack.
 Buford, the Spurs’ unassuming general manager,
 forced a half-grin as he filled his hands.
 He needed something to tide him over for the long
 flight back to San Antonio.

馬刺呼吸到了失敗的氛圍，跟Buford微溫的點心一樣令人
沒有食慾。Buford，低調的總經理雙手合掌並且露出苦笑。
他需要一些東西讓他能克服痛苦，回到聖安東尼奧。





They all felt a little empty. The Los Angeles Lakers —
 younger, quicker, maybe hungrier
 — needed only five games to eliminate the Spurs,
 the defending N.B.A. champions,
 from the Western Conference finals.

他們都覺得有一些空虛，湖人隊-年輕、快速、也許較有企圖心-
只花了五場比賽就在西區冠軍賽淘汰以防守著稱的NBA冠軍馬刺。





The Spurs have won a league-high four titles since 1999, but have
 never repeated as champions. A sympathetic reporter tried
 to console Ginobili by pointing to the Spurs’
 knack for winning every other year (2003, 2005, 2007),
 suggesting they were due for another title next June.


從1999年以來，馬刺贏了最多的四次NBA總冠軍，但從來
沒有連霸過。一個記者試著安慰Ginobili說馬刺只要隔一年就會拿一次冠
軍(2003.2005.2007球季)，也就是說明年的六月會拿到冠軍的。






“If you can assure me that I’m going to win it next year,
 then I’ll be kind of happy,” Ginobili said.
 “But it’s not that easy.”


“如果你可以確信我明年能贏，那也會是一種快樂”，Ginobili說”但沒那麼簡單”





The Spurs can be sure of two things. They will remain
 a force in the West because of their All-Star threesome of Tim Duncan,
 Tony Parker and Ginobili.
 And they will fall short again without substantial changes in
the supporting cast, which wilted as June approached.


有兩件事對馬刺而言是確定的事情，當六月凋零時，
有明星賽三巨頭，Duncan、Parker、Ginobili
，他們仍然會是西區非常強勁的隊伍，不會有太大的改變。





Even before the series ended, team officials knew this summer would
 be a busy one. Four key players are free agents,
 all in their 30s — Fabricio Oberto,
 Robert Horry, Michael Finley and Kurt Thomas.


即使在系列賽結束之前，球隊高層知道這將會是繁忙的一個夏天，
四個超過三十歲的球員都將變成自由球員
，Fabricio Oberto, Robert Horry, Michael Finley and Kurt Thomas.。






Horry did not play in the series finale, and his storied career as one
 of the game’s clutch players might be over. Horry,
who has won seven championship rings (three with the Lakers,
 two each with Houston and the Spurs),
 turns 38 in August. He was 0 for 9 in the conference finals.


Horry沒能打到系後賽的結尾，他傳奇的生涯會讓許多球員難以超越(三年在湖人，
兩年在火箭與馬刺。)，八月將滿38歲了。他在西區冠軍賽投九中零。





The 35-year-old Finley, who helped the Spurs win the title in 2007,
 also had his shooting touch desert him in the
 conference finals. Finley, who
started ahead of Ginobili, averaged only 5.8 points in the series.


三十五歲的Finley，幫助馬刺在2007年拿到冠軍，在西區冠軍賽擔任在Ginobili
之前的先發得分後衛，他的手感也不好，系列戰平均只有5.8分。





If the Spurs opt for a youth movement, Thomas and several
 others could be gone. Oberto is 33,
 and Brent Barry is 36. Bowen remains a defensive force —
 he made Kobe Bryant work hard for his points all series —
 but he turns 37 in two weeks.


如果馬刺想要年輕化，那Thomas和許多球員就要離開，Oberto33歲，Barry36歲，
Bowen的防守依然很好，他讓Kobe在季後賽很難得分-但他在兩個禮拜就要37歲了。






The Spurs had a tough first round against the Phoenix Suns,
followed by an exhausting seven-game
 series against the New Orleans Hornets. They were
 slow to get to loose balls and short on
 offensive options. The age issue is unavoidable.


馬刺第一輪遇到太陽，七場對黃蜂疲累的比賽，他們開始變慢，
容易掉球，也缺乏進攻的選擇。這是無可避免得議題。







The Spurs have already talked about adding younger players in the
 off-season. They also envision roles for two recent draftees,
 Tiago Splitter and Ian Mahinmi.


馬刺已經決定季後賽結束後要加入年輕的球員，已經展望兩個選秀會
的年輕球員，Tiago Splitter 和 Ian Mahinmi.。





“Whatever’s going to happen is going to happen,” Bowen said.


“不管將要發生甚麼”Bowen說





“It is risky to draw hard conclusions from this season,
 given how competitive the Western Conference was.
 But there is a sense that a shift is under way,
with the young Lakers, the Hornets and the Utah Jazz supplanting the
 Spurs, the Suns and the Dallas Mavericks as the top powers.


這是個很難做出結論的球季，西區的競爭很激烈，但卻有一股氣，漸漸的在移動，
年輕的湖人、黃蜂、爵士可能會取代馬刺、太陽、小牛、這些強權。





The Suns and the Mavericks fizzled in the first round and have far
 bigger problems than the Spurs. The Spurs might still be playing if
 Ginobili — arguably their best player this season —
 had not been playing with an ankle injury.


太陽跟小年第一輪就遇到了比馬刺嚴重的問題，只要Ginobil可以，
馬刺仍然是可打的-他們這季打得最好的球員，腳踝受傷原本不該再打的。





He scored 30 points in a Game 3 victory, but averaged 8 points
 in the four losses.


他第三場拿了三十分，但四場輸的球賽，他平均只拿下八分。





“We got the feeling that we had an opportunity this year
 to win it, and if you let it go away, it hurts,” Ginobili said.
 “So we’re all disappointed.”


“我們覺得我們今年有機會可以贏的”，如果你錯過了，那會很傷，
Ginobili說”所以我們很失望”





The key faces are not going anywhere. Duncan and Coach
 Gregg Popovich are signed through 2012, Parker through 2011,
Ginobili and Bowen through 2010. There is time for another
championship run or two,
 and perhaps a chance to accomplish the one feat that has
eluded the Spurs — a repeat championship.
重點人物不會去哪裡，Duncan跟Pop都被簽約到2012年，
Parker到2011年，Ginobili跟Bowen到2010年，還有機會再拿一
兩次冠軍，或許可以完成連霸。





Their first title defense, in 2000, was derailed by an injury to
 Duncan, and ended with a first-round loss to the Suns.
 They stumbled in 2004 when the Lakers’
 Derek Fisher hit a seemingly impossible
 buzzer-beater in Game 5 of the conference semifinals. Their 2006 run
 came down to a handful of controversial plays, and an overtime loss to
 Dallas in Game 7 of the conference semifinals.


最重要的防守，在2000年，因為Duncan受傷，
在第一輪敗給太陽，2004年Fisher不可思議的四強賽第五戰最後
一擊再度讓馬刺錯過，2006年，四強賽對上小牛，第七戰在延長賽落敗。





“We’re getting closer and closer, as far as the rounds go,”
 Bowen said with a smile.


“我們越來越近”周而復始的”Bowen面帶微笑的說”





Other than the Lakers — who are making their fifth finals
 appearance in nine years — no other franchise can match
the Spurs’ sustained success this decade.
 The only gap is their inability to repeat.


除了湖人外-九年內打進五次總冠軍賽-沒有其他球隊可以
跟馬刺在這十年內的成就匹敵，但他們就是沒辦法連霸。





Popovich called the three-peats by the Lakers and
the Chicago Bulls “pretty impressive stuff,
” but said he never made it a goal.


Pop說到湖人跟公牛的三連霸”令人印象深刻的事件”但他卻未達成





“I have never mentioned it one time,” he said.
“Maybe that’s my problem.”

“我從來沒提到”他說”或許那是我的問題”





While the Lakers, the N.B.A.’s pre-eminent glamour team,
 go for their fourth
title this decade, the boringly efficient Spurs will
 retreat to the shadows and plot their next makeover.


湖人，先前NBA輝煌的球隊，為了十年內的第四座總冠軍奮戰，
馬刺則退了下來為明年的補強作計畫。





The dynasty may be aging, but there is still one major item
 on the bucket list.


這王朝也許老了，但他仍是單子上最重要的一個物件。



--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 218.161.60.31
推 iris0108:恩 推 不過小牛都打成小年囉
推 PhilJackson:小年? 故意的嗎?
推 hwc7641:我想應該是手誤啦! XD
推 Alfred:but said he never made it a goal.是說Pop從未把連霸當成
→ Alfred:是一個目標（他自己說的），所他接下來才開玩笑說是他的錯
推 soaringfish:Oberto合約還要走兩年吧......
推 rahim1211:KT和Barry不要走
推 demongreg:K   B    不要走
推 koflll:總覺得好像一定會犧牲一個人必須得走，但是都好捨不得 ~"~
推 BrentBarry:這麼老了也走不動....<(￣ c￣)y▂ξ
推 Biscuits2003:我是馬刺高層的話...不會跟三個老將續約，會去挖EB吧
推 uxormania:是不是說Buford洗劫大家吃剩的比薩XD
推 rahim1211:名牌我不敢肖想啦,馬刺也沒那個錢
推 zenithal:來吧Oden 重組雙塔 反正開拓者人馬充足 xd
推 dogville:挖Brand其實可以啦 只要開密約不要被抓到...XD
推 zenithal:狗大是指 快艇一哥嗎？
推 uxormania:推一個黑玫瑰！
推 dogville:是啊 Brand回來後快艇補個控衛 又是一支勁旅了
推 bryant780113:小年?
推 cominlin:加油阿!!!
→ baseball624:sorry 手誤
※ 編輯: baseball624     來自: 218.161.93.113       (06/08 21:00)
推 csyang:若這麼相信"宿命論",那乾脆每個偶數年就擺爛,然後等抽狀元!
推 CseSquall:推樓上 不過沒這麼做 就代表我們還是想要連霸的XD
推 dogville:呃 真的這樣搞個兩三次 應該可以好幾連霸吧 XD
推 cdjemmy:來個兩次應該就夠連霸的本錢了吧 XD
→ jealousguy:逆向思考 故意擺爛抽狀元 真的比較有機會連霸 XD
→ jealousguy:找個TD的接班人 就給它擺爛下去 選狀元 比老是簽老人好
推 oldcat:這樣似乎太暗黑了吧...當初選TD是主將群受傷一堆
推 tbpcvgg:這也賭太大了~.~"
推 demongreg:這樣對得起買票進場的球迷嗎......
推 dogville:以上是想連霸想到瘋了的球迷
推 jiuan1027:這幾年的經驗已經告訴我們墊底不是一定有狀元可以抽....
推 oldcat:要搞暗黑也不是說不行 但這樣買票的球迷很虧
→ oldcat:再者 近幾年 有那個墊底的抽到狀元了?? XD
推 Mydick:Rifle Through不就是用來福槍的望遠鏡瞄準嗎?