[外電] Billups and Hamilton: A perfect match ('08/02/17)

[kerrys (台北不是我的家)]

    原文出處：
              http://0rz.tw/d63Ds

--

Chauncey Billups came to Detroit as a journeyman guard just looking for a
chance to start. Richard Hamilton hit town as a young, unheralded replacement
for the team's popular, well-established All-Star.
    槍蜥當年加入底特律時只是一個尋求機會重新開始的浪人後衛。而RIP當時還是一個默
默無名的年輕人，只是為了取代離隊的牛排屋 - 原本活塞最受歡迎，已享有盛名的全明星
球員 - 而加入球隊。

After a few days of training camp together in the fall of 2002, they felt their
careers were about to take off. They quickly developed an on-court chemistry
and off-court friendship that would lift the Pistons, and themselves, to
dizzying heights.
    在'02年秋天的訓練營相處一段時日後，他們認為自己的職業生涯就要起飛了。他們很
快就培養出場上的默契及場下的情誼，而這一切將把活塞的戰績和他們本身的戰功提升到
令人目瞪口呆的頂點。

Some 5 1/2 years later, they are the gold standard by which other backcourts
are measured. Along with Rasheed Wallace, an injury replacement for Kevin
Garnett, they'll represent the franchise on the Eastern Conference All-Star
team for the third consecutive season tonight.
    大約五年半過去了，他們現在是說是其他球隊的後場組合的標竿。今晚，連同替補因
傷不克出賽的Kevin Garnett先發的溪蛙，他們將連續三年代表東區全明星隊上場比賽。

"When we came here, we set some lofty goals to try to win a championship and be
looked at as the best backcourt in the world, in the league," Billups said. "
We've won a championship and I feel like we're the best backcourt. That's not
being cocky or arrogant. You can do the homework and I feel like we're the best
as a tandem. It makes it special for us three years in a row to have been
picked together."
    "當我們加入活塞時，我們設定了一些崇高的目標去試圖贏得一座總冠軍並希望被視為
世界上、聯盟中最棒的後場組合，"槍蜥說。"我們已經贏得一座總冠軍而我也認為我們是
最棒的後場組合。那並不是驕傲或自大。能達到自己設定的目標，我覺得我們合作是所向
無敵。對我們來說，連續三年一起入選真的是別具意義的事。"

Billups and Hamilton were perhaps the only people in the world who saw this
coming. Even president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who acquired them
in that fateful 2002 offseason, couldn't have predicted they would form the
franchise's most potent backcourt since he and Isiah Thomas were paired up.
    槍蜥和RIP或許是世界上唯二預見到這些事情即將發生的人。就連在命中注定的'02年
暑假將他們納入球隊的總管老喬也沒料想到，他們將會成為自笑笑湯和自己以來，球隊最
強而有力的後場拍檔。

Billups had bounced around five organizations in his first five seasons. When
he became a free agent that summer after two seasons in Minnesota, he was just
hoping some team would give him a chance to be their floor leader.
    槍蜥在他職業生涯前五個球季如同人球般輾轉流連於五支球隊之間。結束在明尼蘇達
的兩個球季後，那個夏天他成為自由球員。他只希望有支球隊願意給他一個機會，讓他成
為他們場上的指揮官。

Luckily for Billups, Dumars and then-coach Rick Carlisle felt Billups was the
best point guard on the market and made a strong push when the free agency
period began. Carlisle was scheduled to go to Europe for a clinic during the
second day of free agency, so Pistons owner Bill Davidson arranged to have a
private plane take Carlisle to Billups' home in Denver. He met with Billups for
a few hours, then left for the clinic in the middle of that afternoon.
    槍蜥很幸運，老喬和當時的總教練Rick Carlisle認為槍蜥事市場上最佳的控衛並且在
自由球員市場展開後馬上強力爭取他的加入。因為Carlisle計畫在自由球員市場展開後第
二天前往歐洲看病，所以活塞老闆Bill Davidson安排私人飛機送Carlisle到槍蜥位於丹佛
的家去登門拜訪。他和槍蜥談了幾個小時後在那個下午離開去看病。

By the end of the weekend, the Pistons' pitch won Billups over.
    在那個週末結束時，活塞的誠意打動了槍蜥。

"Joe and I both liked him a lot," said Carlisle, who is now an ESPN studio
analyst. "Joe saw a lot of himself in Chauncey. We both felt he was an
undervalued player."
    "老喬和我都很喜歡他，"現在是ESPN電台球評的Carlisle說。"老喬在槍蜥身上看到許
多自己的影子。我們都認為他被低估了。"

The original plan was for Billups to join forces with Jerry Stackhouse, who led
the team to the second round of the playoffs the previous season. But
Stackhouse planned to opt out of his contract after the 2002-03 season and the
Pistons were unsure if he was worth a large, long-term investment.
    原本計畫槍蜥加入後會和前一個球季季後賽曾帶領球隊力闖第二輪的牛排屋並肩作戰
。但牛排屋計畫在'02-'03年球季後跳脫合約，而活塞無法確定他是否是值得球隊砸大錢簽
長約的良駒。

When Washington Wizards president Michael Jordan proposed a trade to Dumars
that September with Stackhouse and Hamilton as the centerpieces, the Pistons
rolled the dice once again.
    當華盛頓巫師總管Michael Jordan向老喬提議在九月進行一筆以牛排屋和RIP為主菜的
交易時，活塞選擇了再賭一把。

"I had very little input on it," Carlisle said. "I'll never forget, I was
driving back from Jerry Stackhouse's golf outing on a Monday afternoon and Joe
called me on my cell and said, 'We've got a good chance to trade Stack for
Richard Hamilton. What do you think?' I told him I thought he was a terrific
young player.
    "我不是很有信心，"Carlisle說。"我永遠不會忘記那個星期一下午，我剛參加完牛排
屋主辦的高爾夫聚會，在回程的路上老喬打我的手機說道，'我們有一個絕佳機會可以用牛
排屋換到RIP。你覺得怎麼樣？'我告訴他我認為他是一個很不錯的年輕球員。"

"The next day, the deal was done. That's as fast as I've ever seen a trade
consummated. Usually, it takes weeks or months to get a trade like that done."
    "隔天，這筆交易就成定局了。那是有史以來我看過最快成真的交易。通常，一筆交易
在完成都得談上幾個星期甚至是幾個月。"

By the following season, Billups and Hamilton were ready to carry the Pistons
to the pinnacle of NBA success with Larry Brown as their coach. They've been to
three more conference finals and another Finals since then and they're on track
for another long playoff run this season. The Pistons headed into the All-Star
break with a 10-game winning streak and a 39-13 record, second only to Boston.
    在接下來的球季，槍蜥和RIP已經準備好和他們的教練Larry Brown一起將活塞帶往NBA
的最頂端。除了一次順利奪冠外，他們還有三次至少打進分區冠軍賽以及另一次不幸在總
冠軍賽鎩羽而歸，而本季他們正走在前往另一次漫長季後賽的路上。活塞挾著10連勝以及
僅次於超賽的39勝13敗佳績進入全明星週末。

"They've been teammates for six years and that says a lot," Brown's former top
assistant and current Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "When you run in
the backcourt with the same guy for that period of time, you're going to know
him inside-out and he's going to know you inside-out. There's nothing those two
guys haven't been through. They're battle-tested and they've won a title
together. They've been in so many big games, so many close games, that it
doesn't really affect them at all. It doesn't even faze them."
    "他們成為隊友已經六年而那說明了很多事情，"Brown之前的頭號助理，現為亞特蘭大
老鷹教練的Mike Woodson說。"在那麼長的時間內都和同一個人合作，你會從裡到外了解他
，他也會從裡到外了解你。那兩個傢伙沒有什麼事情沒有一起經歷過。他們歷經千錘百鍊
而且還一起拿過一次總冠軍。他們已經一起面對過許多關鍵比賽以及與對手實力相近的比
賽，但那並未對他們產生什麼影響，甚至不曾造成他們的困擾。"

What makes them different as people and players makes them perfectly suited for
each other. Billups is a natural born leader, tough and powerful yet steady and
calm. He's always under control while the hyperactive Hamilton skitters around
the court like a toddler who just ate a oversized candy bar. He's in constant
motion, stopping only to fire up the sweetest mid-range shot the league has to
offer.
    是什麼讓這兩個不管是人格特質或是打球風格都南轅北轍的人配合得天衣無縫呢？槍
蜥是一個天生的領導者，堅毅而有力，但不失穩健與冷靜。當有過動傾向的RIP在場上四處
亂竄，活像是個嗑了太多藥而嗨過頭的搖頭族時，槍蜥總能保持一貫的冷靜態度。RIP會一
直跑動，只在有絕佳中距離出手機會時才會停下來。

"My poise and demeanor and all of that kind of meshes with him being so
relentless," Billups said. "He's just so all over the place and I think I bring
him to the right level all the time. And I think him being so up and wired, and
ready to go so much and so aggressive, it brings me to a point where I need to
be. This has been perfect."
    "雖然我的行為舉止和他大不相同，"槍蜥說。"他會滿場跑而我認為自己總能引領他到
最正確的地方。我認為他總是很興奮，隨時準備要上場拼鬥，能夠讓過於冷調的我也嗨起
來。我們兩個配合可說是相輔相成。"

Perhaps the only thing that's not outstanding about them is their statistics.
Hamilton is averaging 18.3 points, nothing unusual for a starting shooting
guard. Billups is averaging 17.3 points and 7.1 assists.
    或許他們倆唯一不夠出色的就是個人攻守數據吧。RIP每場比賽平均拿下18.3分，這對
一個先發得分後衛來說是個再普通不過的數字。槍蜥則是平均攻得17.3分，送出7.1次助攻
。

Hamilton has never averaged more than 20.1 points a game for an entire season;
Billups' career-best is 18.5. But the Pistons are not built to feature a
particular player. They'd easily score five more points a game on a mediocre
club.
    RIP單季平均得分不曾高於20.1分；槍蜥生涯最佳成績則是18.5分。但活塞的成功並不
是來自於單一球員的傑出表現。如果他們在一支中等球隊，平均再多個五分應該是輕而易
舉。

"One thing I always say about Chauncey and Rip, they both believe their
legacies will be more defined by winning than by statistics and All-Star
appearances," Carlisle said. "Lets face it. Either one could have a much more
significant statistical impact on another team but neither one wants to do that
."
    "關於槍蜥和RIP我時常說，他們都相信自己在歷史上的定義多半是由球隊獲得的勝利
多寡而決定，而非個人攻守數據或入選全明星的次數，"Carlisle說。"面對現實吧。他們
倆都可以在其他球隊拿出更漂亮的個人成績單，但他們倆都不願這麼做。"

The only question about Billups and Hamilton is whether they'll have the same
amount of staying power as Dumars and Thomas. Billups just signed a five-year
contract while Hamilton is signed through the 2009-10 season, though he can opt
out prior to that season. But like no one could have imagined how dynamic they
would be together, it's hard now to imagine them being apart.
    關於槍蜥和RIP唯一的疑問是他們能否和老喬及笑笑湯一樣，成為球隊長期的金字招牌
。槍蜥只簽下一紙為期五年的合約而RIP的合約將持續到'09-'10年為止，儘管他可能在那
個球季之前就選擇跳脫合約。不過就像沒有人能料想到他們合作會激出如此驚人的火花，
我們也難以預測他們分開之後會是怎樣。

"I hope for their sake and the sake of the Pistons they retire as Pistons,"
Carlisle said. "Joe and Isiah were really the quintessential backcourt of the
mid-'80s and early '90s. Chauncey and Rip have the same profile in the new
millennium. They're the perfect match."
    "不管以他們本身或以球隊的角度想，我都希望他們能在活塞退休，"Carlisle說。"老
喬和笑笑湯真的是'80年代中期和'90年代初期後場組合的經典代表。槍蜥和RIP則是新世紀
的代表人物。他們倆是絕佳拍檔。"

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