[外電] Timberwolves face elimination: 'Play like no tomorrow'

看板Timberwolves (明尼蘇達灰狼)作者jinshenn (Don't panic)時間1月前 (2025/05/28 23:58)推噓5(5推 0噓 5→)

留言10則, 4人參與討論串1/1

https://tinyurl.com/c8j4wedp The Timberwolves are in the NBA Western Conference finals for the second time in as many seasons, but this series was framed as polar opposite to 2024. 灰狼隊連續兩個賽季闖進西區冠軍賽，但這次呈現面貌與2024年截然不同。 They were well-rested, coming off their second-round near-sweep of the Golden State Warriors. Last season, the Wolves had to grind through a seven-game slugfest against the Denver Nuggets in the second round. 在第二輪接近橫掃勇士隊，他們得到了充分休息。相反地，上個賽季則是在第二輪與金塊隊經歷了七場鏖戰。 And yet, after a 128-126 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 on Monday, the Wolves find themselves in the same position: down 3-1 and preparing for a must-win Game 5 to keep their season — and their hopes for a first trip to the NBA Finals in their 36-year history — alive. 然而，在第四戰中以128-126敗給雷霆隊後，灰狼隊發現自己又處於同樣的情境：以1-3落後，並準備迎接沒有退路的第五戰，以延續本賽季，以及36年隊史首次晉級總決賽的希望。 It’s both win or go home, and win and go home, if the Wolves force the series back to Minnesota for a Game 6 on Wednesday. 如果灰狼隊能將戰線帶回明尼蘇達主場的第六戰，那麼既是「贏球否則回家」，也是「贏球才能回家」。 “We’re just trying to get another home game and trying to play in front of our home crowd again,” Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “Everybody has counted us out all year. We’ve been through a lot. We’re together as a locker room. We don’t care what the media is going to say.” 「我們只想著再爭取一個主場比賽，並再次在主場球迷面前打球。」Donte DiVincenzo 表示。「一年來，外界都看衰我們。我們經歷了很多。球隊休息室裡團結一致，並不在乎媒體怎麼說。」 Last season, playing in their first conference finals since 2004 and down 3-1 to the Dallas Mavericks, the Wolves were handed their biggest loss of the series, 124-103 at Target Center in Game 5. They found themselves down early against Dallas, as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving dropped 36 apiece and helped Dallas spring out to a 35-19 lead by the end of the first. Oklahoma City, the top seed in the West after setting an NBA record (+12.9) for point differential, won the first two games of this series at home. 上個賽季，灰狼隊自2004年以來首次闖入西區冠軍賽，面對達拉斯獨行俠隊以1-3落後，在第五戰在主場以124-103慘敗，這是該系列賽的最大分差失利。他們早早陷入落後，當時 Luka Doncic 和 Kyrie Irving 各拿下36分，幫助達拉斯在第一節結束取得35-19領先。這次雷霆隊作為西區頭號種子，贏得了本系列賽的前兩戰主場比賽。 “At home, they start super well, so we’ve just got to [slow] their little run at the beginning,” said Wolves guard Jaden McDaniels. “We’ve got to play tougher, playing stronger and just hold them to one shot.” 「他們在主場開局非常好，所以必須在開局時就限制他們的攻勢。」Jaden McDaniels 說。「我們必須打得更強硬、更堅韌，並控制對手二波進攻機會。」 Only 13 teams in 296 playoff series in NBA history have come back from 3-1 deficits — most recently, the Denver Nuggets, who accomplished the feat twice in 2020. Oklahoma City let a 3-1 lead slip to the Warriors in 2016’s Western Conference Finals. 在NBA史上296個季後系列賽中，只有13支球隊曾從1-3的劣勢中逆轉，最近一次是金塊隊，他們在2020年兩次完成這項壯舉。雷霆隊也曾在2016年西區冠軍賽，將3-1的領先優勢拱手讓給了勇士隊。 The Wolves face the added challenge of staging a series comeback against the team with the NBA’s best regular-season record (68-14, compared to the Wolves’ 49-33), led by the league’s MVP, guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 灰狼隊面臨的額外挑戰，他們必須面對本季例行賽戰績最佳球隊下完成系列賽逆轉。 “They finished first in the NBA for a reason,” DiVincenzo said of a Thunder team that hasn’t lost three games in a row this season. “They get to where they want to get to. They get to the free-throw line at crucial moments. We have to weather that storm and do our best to not put them on the free-throw line.” 「他們能拿下聯盟第一有其原因。」DiVincenzo 談到雷霆隊本賽季從未三連敗時說道。「他們能打出他們想要的進攻。在關鍵時刻獲得罰球機會。我們必須度過這場風暴，並盡力避免讓他們站上罰球線。」 After dropping a season-low 14 points in the Wolves’ 141-103 Game 3 win, Gilgeous-Alexander scored a playoff career-high 40 on Monday, shooting 13-for-30 from the field and 12-for-14 from the free-throw line. 灰狼隊第三戰以141-103獲勝，SGA僅得到本賽季新低的14分之後，他週一攻下季後賽生涯新高的40分，投籃30投13中，罰球14罰12中。 “[Game 3], he was seeing like three or four bodies,” McDaniels said. “I feel like this game, he only seen like the man guarding him and the main gap person.” 「(第三戰)他面對著三、四個人的包夾。」 McDaniels 說。「我覺得這場比賽，我覺得這場比賽，他眼前只有防守他的人和主要協防的人。」 On Monday, the Wolves’ bench had to outscore their starters, 64-62, to keep the game close. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Minnesota with 23 points off the bench, while DiVincenzo scored 21. The Thunder forced 23 turnovers — seven in the first quarter — and kept Anthony Edwards (5-for-13 for 16 points) and Julius Randle (1-for-7 for 5 points) quiet for the Wolves. 週一，灰狼隊板凳群的貢獻，讓比賽保有贏球機會。Nickeil Alexander-Walker 以23分領跑，而 DiVincenzo 則拿下21分。雷霆隊迫使灰狼隊出現23次失誤，其中第一節就發生7次，並壓制 Anthony Edwards (13投 5中得到16分) 和 Julius Randle (7投1中得到5分)表現。 “We’ve gone through these periods before,” coach Chris Finch said Tuesday. “We know we’ve got to stretch the floor, create more depth in transition, get those guys to the bottom of the floor for a variety of reasons, so it should be a pretty easy adjustment. 「我們以前也經歷過這些時期。」教練 Chris Finch 週二表示。「我們知道必須拉開空間，在轉換進攻中創造更多層次，讓球員出於各種原因來到底線和籃下，這應該是一個相當容易的調整。」 “Just got to put the effort in.” 「只要付出努力就行了。」 Alexander-Walker recalled Finch calling the team out after a February loss to the league’s worst team, the Utah Jazz, after which Minnesota went 17-4 to finish the regular season. NAW回憶起二月輸給聯盟戰績最差的爵士隊後，Finch 訓斥球隊，後續球隊以 17勝4敗結束例行賽。 But this time, the Wolves only have a single game to prove that their wake-up call was well received. 但這一次，灰狼隊只剩下最後一場比賽來證明他們已經確實被「點醒」。 “Every time we’ve had a come-to-terms talk with each other, we’ ve always responded well,” Alexander-Walker said. “We have a resilient group. 「在每次進行過坦誠的談話後，我們都反應良好。」NAW說道。「我們是一支堅韌的團隊。」 “We’ve got to play like there’s no tomorrow because there isn’ t. It’s not about how much we can score. It’s about: Can we get the stops? Can we rebound? Can we find a way to make winning plays relentlessly and consistently?” 「我們必須全力以赴，因為已沒有退路。關鍵不在於我們的進攻能力，而是能否成功阻擋對手？能否掌握籃板球？能否持續穩定地創造贏球的機會？」 --- 沒有明天的比賽，續命之戰，但未來不知道，只能緊握住當下機會。不管怎樣，小市場球隊成功沒有捷徑，不斷累積經驗，一步步建立贏球文化。持續保持下去。 -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc), 來自: 1.164.249.178 (臺灣) ※ 文章網址: https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Timberwolves/M.1748447930.A.7A1.html