[外電] 越來越多人下賭注的火箭

看板Rockets (休士頓火箭)作者barkleyc (嘎抓 \⊙▽⊙/)時間18年前 (2008/03/03 05:04)推噓6(6推 0噓 3→)

留言9則, 7人參與討論串1/1

翻譯自：http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5584907.html March 1, 2008, 11:02PM Stakes raised for Rockets 越來越多的威脅等著火箭 Nuggets start stretch of games against league's better teams 火箭開始挑戰聯盟較強的隊伍，從金塊開始。 By FRAN BLINEBURY Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle On the cusp of tying the franchise record for consecutive wins, this is where the heavy lifting starts for the Rockets. 當火箭寫下超屌的連勝紀錄時，同時也為嚴苛的挑戰揭開序幕。 After 14 victories in a row and surviving the staggering loss of All-Star center Yao Ming to a stress fracture in his left foot, the race has only just begun. 在痛失姚明卻還能接連把對手幹掉締造十四連勝之後，季後賽的競賽才正要開始。 In other words, now comes the hard part. 換句話說，日子要開始不好過了！ With the Denver Nuggets in town tonight, the Rockets will launch into a stretch of the schedule that is treacherous and pivotal to their postseason hopes. Nine of their next 12 games are against teams seeded into the playoffs. 隨著今天晚上對金塊的比賽，火箭將要面對一連串機車的賽程，那對他們挑戰季後賽的希望非常關鍵。接下來的12場比賽有9場會面對到可望打進季後賽的隊伍。 "I look forward to it," Tracy McGrady. "I really do. We've been playing some Eastern Conference teams that we really should beat before the ball even goes up. 「我對這很期待阿，」T-mac說。「真的！我們之前和東區打了很多場，那些都是我們本來就應該贏的。」 "Now we have a team that's a few games behind us, and this is going to be a test for us. Because I'm sure they're going to come in here and they're going to give us their best shot. I really want to see how good we really are when we face a team like that." 「現在要對上只落後我們幾場比賽的隊伍，這對我們將是個考驗。因為我相信他們正要來到這兒好好射我們一番。我真的想看看現在我們球隊對上這種強隊時到底有多棒。」 The Nuggets, in ninth place in the West, are three games behind the seventh-seeded Rockets, who just completed only the second undefeated month in franchise history. The teams split the first two meetings, and the winner of this one will have a leg up in a possible tiebreaker scenario at the finish. In Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony, Denver has the highest-scoring 1-2 punch in the NBA. 金塊現在是西區第九，落後給第七的火箭三場比賽，而火箭最近剛完成隊史第二次單月全勝。前兩次交手兩隊戰成平手，今天的勝隊將可以在最後戰績並列時取得優先晉級的資格。金塊擁有NBA裡最會得分的二人組：AI＋melo。 "Around the league, they're probably saying our streak ends (tonight) against Denver," Rafer Alston said. "It's a team that we're trying to fend off. Right now, they're where we were a week ago — in ninth and trying to climb back into the race. They are a dangerous team." 「看看這聯盟，一堆人說我們的連勝可能會在今晚結束在金塊手上，」Alston說。「我們正試著避開發生這種事，他們現在就像一個禮拜前的我們，排名西區第九而且試著殺進西區前八。他們真是支危險的球隊。」 It only gets tougher 只會越來越艱難 But the Nuggets are only the first obstacle in what might look like a high-hurdles race over the next three weeks. By the time they play in Phoenix on March 22, the Rockets will have faced five of the six teams ahead of them in the West — Dallas, New Orleans (twice), L.A. Lakers, Phoenix — in addition to No. 8 seed Golden State and Boston, the team with the best record in the NBA. 不過金塊只是未來三週火箭連勝的第一個障礙物，在3/22 對太陽之前，火箭將會面對西區前六的其中五隊：小牛、黃蜂（兩次）、湖人、太陽，另外還得對上目前的第八種子勇士，以及目前聯盟戰績最佳的賽爾提克。 "It's going to be tough," Alston said. "Those are some good teams. We know we've got to eventually run into those teams that are slotted one through five. We've got to go through San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas. We've got to take it one game at a time." 「真的會變的很難打，」Alston說。「那些都是強隊，我們知道終究得面對這些強隊：馬刺、太陽、小牛。我們只好一場一場幹掉他們囉。」 And the Rockets have to do it at a time when the bull's-eye on their backs keeps growing with the length of their winning streak. 當連勝不斷持續下去時，火箭的背後就像貼了一個慢慢變大的靶心似的成為各隊的目標。這時候就更必須把這些比賽一場一場拿下來。 "Absolutely, it gets bigger," McGrady said. "A lot of teams are looking for us. Especially when we're about to start playing Western Conference teams and we are going to get everybody's best shot." 「顯然地，我們背後這靶心越來越大了，」T-mac說。「一堆球隊都想幹掉我們。尤其當我們開始面對西區各隊時，我們就像是要被每個人的最佳一擊給射中。」 The challenge is to keep doing the things that have been successful — defense, rebounding, scoring in transition, balance — while not putting too much emphasis on any one game or one opponent as a yardstick. 現在的挑戰就是保持之前連勝所做的事--防守、籃板、得分、平衡。然而也不要太強調任何一場比賽或任何一隻隊伍作為衡量的標準。 Talking points "That's not a discussion we have amongst ourselves," Shane Battier said. "We don't say, 'OK guys, let's go out and show everybody that we can play against playoff teams.' All we can control is our preparation and readiness. 「我們自己從來沒討論過這個，」Shane Battier說。「我們不會去說，『好，讓我們去證明可以幹掉季後賽強隊給大家看！』。我們能控制的就是賽前的準備。」 "You know what? Einstein's theory of relativity is not being discussed in the locker room. The politics of Afghanistan is not being discussed. The migrating patterns of the Norwegian cockatoo? Not being discussed. It's a lighter fare." 「你知道嗎？我們不會在更衣室討論愛因斯坦的相對論，阿富汗的政治也不關我們鳥事，那挪威鸚鵡的遷徙呢？當然也不會被討論。在更衣室裡是很輕鬆的。」 The race is on Yet the Rockets, like everyone else in the tightly packed Western Conference race, are not oblivious to the rising stakes of every game. 就像其他在競爭激烈的西區隊伍，火箭對於每場比賽越來越多的威脅並沒有不以為意。 "We move on to a team that's right next to us in the playoff race," coach Rick Adelman said. "That's what it's going to be all about. We know the type of team that Denver is. They have two All-Stars. They're a high-scoring team. They can take it at you. It's another challenge for us. 「我們要面對一隻季後賽排名就在我們後面的隊伍，」 Adelman說。「就是這樣阿，我們知道金塊是支什麼樣的球隊，他們有兩個全明星，他們是很會得分的隊伍，他們可以幹掉你。對我們來說，這又是另一個挑戰。」 "I think any time you play one of the better teams in your conference and you've moved yourself to where we are, sure, it's always going to have more meaning to it." 「我想，每次面對到同區的強隊時，你也必須把自己置身於其中，當然，這總是會變的很有意義。」 fran.blinebury@chron.com -- 每次Battier的回答都蠻有特色的....挪威鸚鵡的遷徙....這啥例子阿XD -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 220.133.25.171