New York, New York: Julius Erving, the Nets-Knicks Feud, and America’s
Bicentennial
紐約往事：記美國革命200週年時代的紐約J博士、籃網-尼克恩仇錄
Posted on September 17, 2013 by Curtis Harris
1976 was an awkward time for the United States of America.
1976年對美國而言，誠可謂是多事之秋。
The previous few years had seen the military massacre college students at
home and abandon an unpopular, costly war abroad. A president had resigned,
narrowly escaping impeachment. And as James Brown eloquently stated in his
song, “Funky President (People It’s Bad),” times were bad, people:
過去的幾年中，既發生了國內軍隊屠殺大學生的慘案，又不得不放棄耗費巨資，那不受歡
迎的海外戰爭。總統辭職，勉強躲過彈劾。正如James Brown在歌曲“Funky President（
People It's Bad）”中雄辯有力的陳述一樣，世風日下，人心不古：
Stock market going up, Jobs going down
And ain’t no funky jobs to be found
Taxes keep going up, I changed from a glass
Now I drink from a paper cup, It’s getting bad
Amidst all the social tumult, the United States also prepared for the
bicentennial of its revolutionary birth. It was a much needed shot of
enthusiasm to reinvigorate the triumphant American spirit which was on a
prolonged vacation after such harrowing gut checks.
在社會動盪不安的情況下，美國仍在為革命二百週年的慶典做準備。美國精神在很長一段
時間內已被人遺忘，重振美國精神，則是一項需要極大熱情的浩大工程。
Once the capital of the United States, New York City reflected this strange
dichotomy of enthusiasm and desperation. Crime and poverty were rising for
the five boroughs, but so were the magnificent Twin Towers of the World Trade
Center. The social grime that created miserable hardship also was giving
birth to the vibrant expressions of disco and hip-hop.
昔日的合眾國之都，紐約很好的體現了當時那種既熱情又絕望的兩面性氛圍。紐約下轄的
五個自治區，犯罪率和貧困率如世貿中心宏偉的雙子樓般不斷上升。社會的污垢給生活帶
來了悲催苦難，同時也給充滿活力的disco、嘻哈音樂的誕生提供了溫床。
The dichotomy even extended to basketball. The New York Knickerbockers were
falling off the turnip truck, while the New York Nets were riding high.
這種兩面性甚至延伸到籃球領域。紐約尼克隊正慢慢的走下神壇，同城籃網則快速崛起。
Net Success, Knick Failure 籃網崛起-尼克隕落
The Knicks by 1976 were an exemplary case of crumbling American
infrastructure. The venerable franchise had been around since 1946 but its
fall from grace in the mid-1970s was precipitous. After winning two titles in
1970 and 1973 – while also appearing in another Finals in ’72 and the
Eastern Conference Finals in ’69, ’71, and ’74 – the 1975 Knicks won just
40 games, barely sneaking into the playoffs.
1976的尼克隊是當時支離破碎美國社會一個典型的縮影。這支1946年建隊的元老級球隊，
在1970年代中期急速的走下神壇。在贏得1970年和1973年的兩個總冠軍後

好文!!!