[外電] Ghosts of '04 title drag down this team (上)

[kerrys (台北不是我的家)]

    原文出處：
              http://0rz.tw/ad2Kk

--

"It's crazy how thin a line it is from being one of the best teams in the
league, to people looking at you like, 'Damn, they're done.' "
                           -- Chauncey Billups after the Pistons' Game 6 defeat
    從聯盟最佳隊伍之一到被人們看作，'碼的，他們又被做掉了。'"這天堂到地獄的距離
竟只有一線之隔，這真是太詭異了。
                                                -- 在活塞輸掉第六場比賽後，槍蜥

But, damn, they are. When the door opened to the Pistons' locker room Saturday
night, a crowd of reporters surged in. And silently, invisibly, a shadow
wiggled out. It went down the tunnel, up the stairs, out the door and into the
soggy night air, gone forever, gone for good.
    但，碼的，他們確實如此。當星期六晚上通往活塞球員休息室的門被打開後，記者們
一窩蜂地擠了進去。而無聲無息地，有個黑影閃了出去。它越過通道，上了樓梯，打開門
並遁入夜晚沉悶的空氣中，永遠而漂亮地消失了。

So long, swagger. Detroit is just another team now. A good team but not the
best, or even second-best. Since 2004, the year the Pistons won the
championship, they have acted like kings in exile, entitled to the throne as
soon as its evil occupiers were exposed. In many ways, this sense of
entitlement has been their strength.
    永別了，冠軍隊的決心。底特律現在是另一支球隊了。一支好球隊，但不是最好，甚
至也不是第二好的球隊。自活塞贏得總冠軍的'04年後，他們就像是被放逐的國王們，一旦
邪惡的侵占者出現他們就被摘下了桂冠。在許多方面，這種曾經登上王位的感覺變成了他
們的優勢所在。

Now, it's their weakness.
    而現在，那成了他們的弱點所在。

Now, as Chauncey Billups sat by a locker in a sleeveless black undershirt, arms
folded across his chest, he claimed to still have "the better team." But
without the shadow, his words lacked depth.
    現在，當槍蜥穿著一件黑色的無袖汗衫坐在櫃子旁邊，手臂環抱在胸前，他堅稱活塞
仍是"一支水準以上的球隊。"但沒有了那種心，他的話感覺就是少了點什麼。

Now, as Rasheed Wallace stood near the exit, he didn't speak -- no guarantees,
no bravado. At this point, without the shadow, it would just seem pathetic.
    現在，當溪蛙站在出口旁，他不會說話 -- 沒有誇口式的溪蛙保證，也不會再張牙舞
爪地虛張聲勢。在這時候，沒有了那種心，連人來瘋的溪蛙似乎也變得有點沉寂。

Now, even Tayshaun Prince, pulling on his shirt, couldn't overcome it. He
actually got mad -- and he never gets mad. But without the shadow, you just
looked at him and shrugged.
    現在，甚至正在穿內衣的小王子也沒辦法克服。他真的怒了 -- 而他從未發火。但沒
有了那種心，你只能看著他然後聳聳肩。

"Weren't the Pistons supposed to control close games down the stretch?" he was
asked.
    他被問道，"難道活塞不是被認為可以控制比分接近的球賽直到結束嗎？"

"Who came up with that?" Prince snapped. "Who came up with it? Y'all did."
    "那是誰說的？"小王子毫不考慮地回答。"那是誰說的？根本是你們自己捏造的吧？"

We all did? But you were the ones who --
    都是我們憑空想像的？但你們過去是啊 --

"We're not gonna deny it. We're a good fourth-quarter team. We're a great
fourth-quarter team."
    "我們不會反駁。我們是一支優異的第四節球隊。我們是一支傑出的第四節球隊。"

But you just lost four straight -- in the fourth quarter or overtime.
    但你們連續四場比賽 -- 都敗在第四節或是延長賽。

"As soon as we lose a game or a series, all of a sudden you're throwing it back
in our face."
    "只要我們輸掉一場比賽或一個系列賽，你們馬上就讓我們滿臉豆花。"

So, wait, the media gave you too much credit?
    是這樣，等，是我們媒體太高估你們囉？

"No, they did not. We were great in fourth quarters ... but now that we lose a
game, you're throwing it in my face."
    "不，他們沒有。我們在一些比賽第四節中表現出色...但現在我們輸了一場比賽，你
就馬上讓我們難堪。"

He sighed.
    他嘆了口氣。

"We ain't perfect. We can lose, too."
    "我們並不完美。我們還是有輸球的可能性。

And there it is. Finally.
    而那就是最終的結果。

The truth.
    不爭的事實。

--

Don't blame Big Mo
    不要怪罪Big Mo

They're not perfect. They can lose, too. In fact, for a team that wants to
measure itself by championships, the Pistons have now lost three straight times
. Yes, they were gritty and passionate and at times resilient. They also did
something rarely accomplished. They lost four games after winning the first two
in an Eastern Conference finals. That's only happened twice in NBA history --
in 1971 and 1993.
    他們並不完美，他們也有輸球的可能性。事實上，對一支希望以冠軍數來衡量自己的
球隊，活塞已經連續三度挑戰失敗。是的，他們堅韌不拔、熱情澎湃，偶而受到挫折也能
立即克服。他們也追平一個相當高難度的紀錄。他們在東區冠軍賽贏了頭兩場比賽後連續
輸了四場。那在NBA歷史上只發生過兩次 -- '71和'93年。

So for the moment, Detroit is more notable for losing than winning.
    所以這一次，底特律輸球受到更多人的關注，而非大家已經習慣的贏球。

And that has to change.
    這種情況需要改變。

New blood wanted. They were good at pointing fingers, these Pistons. "It's not
us, it's the refs. ... It's not us, it's the coach. ... It's not the other team
playing well, it's us not playing our 'A' game."
    這支球隊需要新血加入。這些活塞球員們很會怪罪別人。"輸球不是我們的錯，是裁判
尺度不公。...輸球不是我們的挫，是教練不懂得隨機應變。...輸球不是因為敵隊表現特
別出色，是我們自己沒有打出應有的水準。"

But that attitude is a poison now. It keeps the Pistons from being coached. It
keeps them from embracing a sense of urgency. Most importantly, it keeps them
in denial for the future. I heard lots of things said in the postgame locker
room Saturday night in Cleveland. But I didn't hear this:
    但現在那個態度變成了毒藥。那讓活塞不受教練指揮。那讓他們忘記渴望勝利的感覺
。而最重要的，那讓他們否認未來的可能性。星期六晚上晚上在克里夫蘭，賽後休息室中
我聽到他們談論很多事情。但我就是沒有聽到：

"We need to look in the mirror. We need to take responsibility to improve. We
have to be better than we are."
    "我們必須照照鏡子好好反省。我們需要負起尋求進步的責任。我們必須變得比現在更
好。"

Instead, I heard Billups say, "Having all six games -- except this one -- close
, close games, and we don't come out on top, that's surprising."
    相反地，我聽到槍蜥說，"所有六場比賽中 -- 除了這一場之外 -- 都是戰況相當接近
的球賽，而最後我們沒能拿下晉級的門票，那真是令人驚訝。"

Surprising? Snow in August is surprising. When you lose four straight, you
can't call it surprise. That's denying culpability.
    令人驚訝？八月下雪才令人驚訝吧？當你連續輸了四場球後，你不能把它視為意外。
那樣做是在規避責任。

Or this from Prince: "The playoffs are about momentum. We won those two games,
then they snatched the momentum out of Game 3 and we never got it back."
    或者聽聽小王子說的："季後賽的輸贏關鍵在於一種氣勢。我們贏了那兩場比賽，之後
他們在第三場比賽逆轉了那股氣而之後我們始終無力回天。"

Momentum? An avalanche is momentum. If you're playing a team that has never
been to the NBA Finals, and you can't stop it once in four games, it's not
momentum. You're not playing well enough.
    氣勢？雪崩時雪球越滾越大才是擋不住的氣勢吧。如果你在和一支從未打進NBA總冠軍
賽的球隊比賽，而你連續四場比賽都無法拿下一勝，這無關於氣勢。而是你的表現不夠好
。"

"Do you think you can come back next year, with this same cast, and expect to
beat Chicago and Cleveland?" Billups was asked.
    "你是不是在想反正明年再用同樣的陣容重新來過就好了，並且期望可以擊敗芝加哥和
克里夫蘭？"槍蜥被問道。

"Yeah," he said. "I feel like we're the better team. And even after this defeat
I still feel the same way. Did we play better than that team for the last six
games? No, we did not."
    "是的，"他說。"我認為我們是一支比較好的球隊。而甚至在被淘汰後我還是這麼想。
我們在過去六場比賽打得比那支球隊好嗎？不，我們沒有。"

"But, Chauncey," someone said, "how do you measure whose team is better if not
by wins and losses?"
    "但，槍蜥，"有人說，"如果不是看輸贏，你如何衡量哪支球隊比較好？"

"Right. ... But nobody can tell me that team is better than ours."
    "對。...但沒有人可以告訴我那支球隊比我們好。"

You see where this leaves us.
    你知道這種心態讓我們嚐到什麼苦果了吧。

--

No longer Cavs-Not
    不再是沒用的騎士

While all this was going on, down the tunnel in Quicken Loans Arena, the halls
were packed with screaming Cleveland fans. LeBron James bolted from the locker
room, his arms draped around his younger teammate, Daniel Gibson, who had 31
points on mostly wide-open three-point shots.
    當這一切發生時，在Quicken Loans體育館的地下通道，尖叫聲不斷的騎士迷擠爆各個
通道。LBJ突然從球員休息室中跑出來，他的手臂環繞在比他還年輕的隊友D.Gibson身上，
他拿下31分，而其中絕大部分都是空檔三分球。

They bounced down the hallway, and James hugged Gibson all the way to the news
conference -- which they did, symbolically, together.
    他們在走廊上蹦蹦跳跳的，而到記者會的整路上LBJ始終緊擁著Gibson -- 他們的一舉
一動很有象徵性，團結一致。

"I get to the gym early, he's there before me," James said of Gibson. "We're
shooting after practice every single day. ... One day we had a sit-around in
the locker room when we were struggling and Daniel said, 'Man, if every guy in
this locker room just plays as hard as I want to play on this basketball court,
we're going to be something special.' And for a rookie to say that ... I just
knew he was going to be something special and tonight it was perfect."
    "我很早就到體育館了，而他甚至還比我早到，"提到Gibson時LBJ說。"我們在每天正
規練習結束後都會留下來加強跳投能力。...有一次我們陷入苦戰時，當我們圍坐在球員休
息室裡Daniel說，'老兄，如果在場的每個人都像我這麼渴望上場打球的話，我們一定可以
能有不一樣的表現。'對於一個能說出這樣的話的新人...我知道他一定會有一番作為而今
晚就是最佳的証明。"

James spoke only of his teammates and hard work and appreciation for getting
through Detroit. He never talked about "no respect." He never said "Y'all said
we couldn't do it." There was a freshness and grace to his approach, and the
Pistons would do well to try to find players who bring some of that to the team
-- rather than a desire to sneer at its critics.
    LBJ只提到他隊友們的努力以及他對於球隊能擊敗底特律的激賞。他從沒說到"不尊重"
他從沒說到"你們全部都說我們一定做不到。"他的方法充滿了生氣和善意，而活塞如果能
找到幾個能帶給球隊這些正面效應的球員也能表現很好 -- 至少也比只會對球評冷嘲熱諷
強得多。

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 210.241.111.125
推 twister527:推~~~
推 freeskyd:淚推
推 LOJ:
推 PistonsChamp:推
推 nuonellyoun:推一個... 一定要重新找回奪冠的心啊 !!
推 wunai:推一個  看完季後賽的感覺是...活塞的隊員們漸漸變得一直抗
→ wunai:議裁判的哨音 卻不像以前一樣把哨音不公轉換成進攻防守的動
→ wunai:力 找回防守和奪冠的心 總冠軍離我們其實沒那麼遠
推 pennymarcus:所以難道是心態問題嗎 XDDD
推 sanjik:大推Mitch這一篇,完全說出我心中的話,裁判的判決當然有爭議
→ sanjik:但是二連勝後四連敗這樣輸球,從自己先檢討是好的
推 loki761124:這篇怎麼這麼中肯....淚推啊...
推 glittering:結論就是要找個夠熱血又能夠影響大家的人　@@"
推 rahim1211:樓上說的不就是班蛙嗎XD
推 loki761124:我幻想找來黃蜂的Chandler一定很讚阿
→ glittering:小錢還是算了吧 那不如留班蛙
→ glittering:要就要CAMBY 不過除非金塊GM腦殘 不然是很難搶到
推 RAYBO:把Mitch Albom請來當球隊的心理醫生好了...
推 TSFM:推
※ 編輯: kerrys          來自: 222.250.38.104       (06/07 00:44)
推 srtlct:推   加油活塞
推 noraihp:槍蜥這樣的態度好像不太好