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Generally, Chris Finch despises the notion of a basketball team “
flipping a switch” for important games or portions of the season.
一般而言，Chris Finch 非常鄙視籃球隊在重要比賽或球季特定階段才「切
換模式（開關）」這種觀念。
Coaches tend to believe you develop habits throughout the course
of the campaign that carry you through high-leverage moments.
教練們通常認為，你必須在整個賽季的過程中養成習慣，才能支撐你度過高
壓的關鍵時刻。
But Minnesota didn’t necessarily do that this season. The Wolves
are a 49-win, No. 6 seed in the Western Conference playoffs for
the second consecutive season. The difference this time around is
there was no 17-4 sprint to the finish to inspire confidence
heading into the postseason, nor the league’s fourth-best net
rating touted in 2025.
不過，灰狼隊這季的情況不太一樣。他們確實連續兩年拿 49 勝、以西區第
六種子打進季後賽，差別在於，這次季末少了那種 17 勝 4 敗的爆發力來拉
抬球隊士氣，也沒有像 2025 年那樣，數據擺在那邊說自己是聯盟前段班。
Everything on the record suggests the Wolves are … well, average.
一切都顯示灰狼隊表現得……嗯，很平庸。
They’re 13th in offensive rating, eighth in defense and 10th in
net rating. That’s not the recipe for a championship contender.
他們本季進攻效率排名第 13、防守效率排名第 8、淨效率值排名第 10。這
並不是奪冠熱門的標準配方。
But was the product Minnesota put on the floor over the course of
the 82-game regular season indicative of the team’s true ceiling?
Fresh off consecutive Western Conference finals appearances,
Anthony Edwards noted at points in the regular season, and again
this week, that it occasionally felt as though the Timberwolves
were simply trying to get to the playoffs.
但是，在 82 場例行賽中所展現出的內容，是否能真實代表這支球隊的上限
？剛經歷過連續兩次西區決賽的 Anthony Edwards，在例行賽期間以及本週
都曾指出，有時候感覺球隊只是在試圖磨進季後賽。
“But we’re here now, and all the other excuses are out the
window,” Edwards said. “So, it’s time.”
「但我們現在已經站在這裡，其他的藉口都該煙消雲散了，」Anthony Edwards
說道。「所以，是時候了。」
Time for the Timberwolves to reveal themselves — are they true
playoff risers or a team that simply wasn’t at the level they
aspired to compete at back in September?
現在是灰狼隊揭曉真面目的時刻。真正的季後賽強隊，或是實力根本未達去
年九月所渴望競爭水平的球隊？
“I’ve said it all year. We know the team we can be and who we
have been. It’s about whether we can maintain that,” Finch said.
“You don’t ever really want to be a flip-the-switch team, but
we do have a switch to flip and we have to flip it now. When we do
that, everybody kind of becomes the best version of themselves
and that brings out that continuity and connection that we need.”
「我整年都在講，我們很清楚自己的潛力，也知道我們能打出什麼樣子，關
鍵就是能不能維持住，」Finch 說。「我們不想當那種非得切換模式的球隊
，但既然我們有這個開關，現在就得把它打開。當大家進入那個狀態時，每
個人都能發揮出最好的水準，這正是我們所需要的團隊默契。」
So, a switch indeed exists?
所以，那個「開關」真的存在嗎？
“We’ll see,” Finch said with a chuckle. “We’ll see.”
「等著瞧吧，」Chris Finch 笑著說。「我們走著瞧。」
Perhaps it’s what Minnesota flipped down the backstretch last
season in a desperate, and eventually successful, attempt to dodge
the play-in tournament. The Wolves then parlayed that closing run
into a pair of impressive series victories.
或許這就是上個賽季在最後衝刺階段，為了拚命躲過附加賽而開啟的東西，
且最終取得了成功。當時灰狼隊將那股氣勢延續到了季後賽，贏下了兩輪令
人印象深刻的系列賽。
There’s an argument to be made Minnesota is simply better suited
for playoff basketball. Donte DiVincenzo noted the playoffs are
physical, and the Wolves are a physical team.
有一種說法認為，這支球隊根本就是更適合季後賽風格。Donte DiVincenzo
指出，季後賽講求對抗，而灰狼隊正是一支強悍的隊伍。
“Sometimes in the regular season, the whistles are a little bit
earlier than it is in the playoffs,” DiVincenzo said. “So, just
being able to be physical at a full 94 feet (in the postseason),
being able to switch things, being able to just be ourselves.”
「有時候在例行賽，裁判響哨的速度比季後賽快得多，」Donte DiVincenzo
說。「所以，（在季後賽）能夠在全場 94 英尺的範圍內施加身體對抗，能
夠進行換防，能夠做回我們自己。」
The idea of themselves, anyway.
總之，這是他們理想中的那個樣子。
Minnesota’s 2024 Western Conference semifinals victory over
Denver remains fresh in the minds of fans, especially this week
ahead of the playoff rematch. In that series, the Timberwolves’
used their harassing defense to rattle and, ultimately, wear down
Denver.
灰狼隊在 2024 年西區準決賽擊敗金塊隊的往事依然讓球迷記憶猶新，尤其
在本週季後賽再次交手前。在那次系列賽中，灰狼隊利用侵略性的防守來動
搖並最終磨垮了金塊隊。
But that was Minnesota’s identity that season, a year in which
the Wolves sported the league’s top defensive rating. They haven’
t been that team for awhile. Whether the capability to slow the
NBA’s best offense four times in a seven-game set still exists
will be revealed this week.
但那是灰狼隊該賽季運作的主軸，當時球隊擁有全聯盟第一的防守效率。他
們已經好一陣子不是那樣的球隊了。能否在七場系列賽中四次拖慢這支聯盟
最強進攻球隊，答案將在本週揭曉。
If the Wolves have simply procrastinated on bringing their best
defensive effort all season, test day is Saturday. Time to put pen
to paper.
如果說灰狼隊整季都在防守上沒拿出全力，那週六就是見真章的時候。別再
混了，是時候把實力展現出來。
“We don’t have a choice. And when our group doesn’t have a
choice, usually it shows up,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. “
So, once again, it’s all in our hands. It’s all in our power. We
’re facing a great opponent, and we know that if we don’t come
out hungry, we don’t have a chance.”
「我們別無選擇。而當我們這群人沒有退路時，通常就會有所發揮，」中鋒
Rudy Gobert 說。「所以，這一切再次掌握在我們手中，主動權在我們。面
對強大的對手，如果沒有一開始就展現求勝意志，我們就毫無勝算。」
On paper, this is a mismatch. Denver was better than Minnesota
this season. Nikola Jokic is the best player in basketball. When
their starting five was healthy — as they will be to open the
series — the Nuggets were elite this season.
從帳面實力來看，這是一場不對稱的對決。金塊隊本季表現優於灰狼隊。
Nikola Jokic 是當今籃壇最強的球員。當金塊隊的先發五人健康時，他們本
季是菁英等級。
Minnesota’s promise is more conceptual, based largely on past
success. The Wolves went 9-10 over their final 19 games. Edwards
and Jaden McDaniels missed games down the stretch due to injury.
灰狼隊主要建立在過去的成功之上。最後 19 場比賽中僅取得 9 勝 10 敗。
Anthony Edwards 和 Jaden McDaniels 季末也因傷缺席了部分場次。
But the hope for the Timberwolves is some rest last week, leading
into an intense week of practice, was enough to restore the form
needed to run through a tenacious Western Conference playoff
bracket.
但對於球員來說，寄望上週的休息以及後續一週密集訓練，足以讓他們找回
所需的狀態，以衝出強敵環伺的西區季後賽籤表。
“I just think we know who we are as a team, and who we can be and
the potential we can play at. It’s really on us to do it,”
Wolves forward Julius Randle said. “I think everybody feels good
about themselves individually, and collectively as a group, we
feel good as well. It was good, everybody kind of found their
groove and got what they needed as the season ended. Now, we’re
putting it all together and it’s exciting to go out there and
battle.”
「我們心裡都有數，我們是什麼樣的球隊，能打出什麼樣的表現。現在關鍵
就在自己身上，得看我們怎麼去兌現了。」前鋒 Julius Randle 說。「不管
是個人還是團隊，現在大家感覺都很好。賽季尾聲大家陸續找回了狀態，也
調整到位了。現在是時候把一切整合起來，準備上場戰鬥，這種感覺真的很
棒。」
If the proverbial switch is flipped and the Wolves upset Denver,
there will be little reason to doubt this team going forward,
whether in these playoffs or seasons to come. Plug your nose and
cover your eyes as the Timberwolves meander their way through the
regular season, then sit back and enjoy the show when it truly
matters.
如果那個傳說中的「開關」被開啟，且爆冷擊敗金塊隊，那麼無論在今年季
後賽還是未來的賽季中，都沒有理由再懷疑這支球隊。以後看他們打例行賽
荒腔走板的樣子，你就選擇眼不見為淨就好，等到真正關鍵時刻，再坐下來
欣賞他們的表演。
But should Minnesota stumble in Round 1, and look like the
less-than-elite squad it was all year in the process, it’ll be
more than fair to wonder if there was ever a switch to flip at
all. Or if this team simply suffers from an electrical shortage.
但若是在首輪止步，過程還打得完全不像支強隊，那大家肯定會問：那個開
關真的存在嗎？還是這支球隊其實早就斷電了？
“It’s a new season, got a fresh start,” Wolves forward Naz Reid
said. “We’ve got to come into the playoffs with a fresh
mindset, understanding that the one goal, one mindset, and that’s
to win.”
「季後賽是新的戰場，一切重新來過，」Naz Reid 表示。「我們必須換個心
態去面對，記住我們來到這的目的只有一個，想法也只有一個，就是拿下勝
利。」
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- Ant傷勢復原狀況，有無100%回到競爭狀態。
- 不像過去幾季，今年團隊顯然沒有及時在例行賽後段調整到位，
至少帳面上成績告訴外界如此。
那現在必須像打開開關一樣，狀態要在兩週內瞬間跳升。
或許球隊經過幾季季後賽洗禮，可能相對從容，但容錯空間也很小。
- 灰狼隊必須要再次證明，他們是為季後賽而生。
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