Belief in the Clippers grows as they display staying power in playoffs
http://tinyurl.com/k3zh974
季後賽裡當快艇們展現出強大的續航力時, 他們心中的信念也同步茁壯
Doc Rivers has repeated it all season like a mantra. Whenever he's faced
questions about his team's inconsistent play or ineffective bench or injured
stars, the Clippers coach often responded with the same four words.
老河流整季都像唸經般的天天重複一句話, 無論他面臨了球隊無法穩定打出好表現的問
題, 還是板凳今天打不出效率, 抑或是隊中的球星受傷了, 他都還是會說這四個字
"I like this team," Rivers said.
"悟空, 救我"....當然不是, 他總說:"我愛快艇"
His belief is catching on. The Clippers have become the NBA's playoff
darlings after seizing a 3-1 lead over the Houston Rockets in the
best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals that resume with Game 5 on
Tuesday at Toyota Center.
他的信念就是去理解, 自從這系列賽3-1領先火箭後, 快艇已然成為NBA炙手可熱的隊伍
ESPN's Basketball Power Index has given the Clippers a 40.7% chance to win
the championship, the highest percentage among the eight remaining playoff
teams. Even Lakers legend Magic Johnson believes in a longtime rival that is
one victory from advancing to the conference finals for the first time in
franchise history.
目前ESPN籃球火力排行上, 快艇奪冠機率已經攀升到了最高的40.7%, 甚至連魔術強生
都相信經過了長期奮戰後的快艇, 將會再拿下一場勝利然後進軍隊史首次分區冠軍賽
"I never thought I would say this," Johnson tweeted Monday, "but I think the
Clippers can win the NBA championship. They have a little bit of everything …
魔術表示: 我從沒想過我會這樣說, 但我真的認為這支快艇能贏下總冠軍, 所有爭冠需
要的條件他們幾乎每項都具備!
"The Clippers have outside shooting, Blake [Griffin] is dominating, the best
leader and coach in Chris Paul & Doc Rivers and great team defense!"
他們有外圍投射, 有Griffin的宰制力, 最棒的領袖CP3, 最好的總教練老河流, 以及相
當出色的團隊防守!
It's a bit premature to say this series is over even if it feels like it
after two consecutive Clippers blowouts. Of all the NBA teams to face a 3-1
deficit in a playoff series, eight have come back to win.
快艇連下兩場後雖然看來這系列賽快艇贏定了, 但這樣說還是有些過早, 畢竟3-1落後下
也還是有八支隊伍鹹魚翻身過
Of course, 219 have not. Series, Clippers?
但翻不了身的鹹魚, 可是有219尾啊~ 何況我們現在聊的是快艇耶, 大佬~
"That's a silly thought," Rivers said Monday of thinking ahead to the
conference finals. "We haven't done it. For us, we've got to stay focused.
We've got to win a series, and that hasn't happened yet."
對此老河流表示, "那樣的想法真是蠢, 沒收功就不能那樣說話, 對我們來說就是得繼續
專注在火箭上, 沒贏下這系列賽之前未來什麼的都不准去想!
There's one statistical nugget that favors the Rockets at least sending the
series back to Staples Center for Game 6: Houston has not lost three
consecutive games all season, going 7-0 after back-to-back losses.
對火箭來說, 統計數據上唯一一個好消息讓他們或許能撐到第六戰的, 就是本季他們從
沒有三連敗過, 二連敗後的第三戰, 他們7連勝~
The best predictor of success in the series has been the third quarter. The
Clippers outscored Houston in that quarter by margins of 37-27 in Game 1,
35-19 in Game 3 and 43-25 in Game 4 on the way to double-digit victories. In
the Rockets' Game 2 triumph, they outscored the Clippers, 27-20, in the third
quarter.
這系列賽啊, 一言以蔽之, 就是得第三節者得勝利; 快艇贏的三場, 第三節比數分別是
37-27, 35-19, 43-25, 火箭贏的第二戰其第三節比數是火箭27-20
The Clippers had never held a 3-1 lead in the conference semifinals before
this series, but they have been one victory from advancing to the conference
finals twice, most recently against the Phoenix Suns in 2006.
快艇以前從沒在次輪3-1領先過, 但他們有過兩次只差一場勝利就打進分區冠軍賽的紀
錄, 最近的一次是2006對戰太陽
Then the Clippers, led by Elton Brand, went to Phoenix for Game 7 and were
outscored, 45-0, in three-pointers at US Airways Center during a 20-point
loss.
當時的快艇, 船長是Elton Brand, 率隊前往Phoenix打生死第七戰, 卻被太陽的三分雨
45-0狠狠擊敗, 最後以20分飲恨 (下面是當時的box)
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200605220PHO.html
There was talk of it being a first step toward contender status before the
Clippers quickly retreated into NBA irrelevancy, until Paul joined Griffin
and DeAndre Jordan in December 2011.
這是快艇加入NBA後首次有機會能稱霸的第一步, CP3 + Griffin + DAJ三王!
"We cannot be a one-shot wonder," then-Clippers guard and current assistant
coach Sam Cassell said after the Suns series. "We cannot be Milli Vanilli. We
have to be the Jacksons."
曾是快艇後衛現在是快艇助理教練的外星人Cassell表示, "我們不能只是曇花一現, 要
能持續的成功才是讚!"
Blake & the Gang has displayed the staying power none of its predecessors
could manage, making a franchise-record four consecutive playoff appearances.
Now it's on the verge of another franchise first.
Griffin跟他的硬漢兄弟們已經展現出跌破專家眼鏡的強大續航力, 快艇目前已經破隊史
紀錄的連續四年打進季後賽, 現在只要再贏一場, 就可以再創一次隊史紀錄!
"It's an accomplishment," Griffin said Sunday of the possibility of reaching
the conference finals, "but it's not our final place where we want to be."
Griffin說:"這當然是個成就, 但還不是我們夢想中的終點"
Said Paul: "It's about us, not about the Clippers' franchise [history] and
all that."
CP3也說:"隊史紀錄跟其他的什麼, 都不重要, 重要的是我們自己, 只為我們自己去贏!"
The Clippers weren't always a trendy pick to go deep in the playoffs. All you
have to do is go back three weeks.
快艇以前從來都不是季後賽眾所矚目能走得最遠的隊伍, 這一切都得從三周前講起 (菸)
Rivers had a team employee distribute predictions before the start of the
Clippers' first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs showing that 46 of
47 prognosticators had picked the Spurs to win.
當時老河流有一個團隊做首輪預測, 47個專家中居然有46個預測馬刺會勝出
付錢的老闆謎之音: 幹! 真是白養了這些人
The Clippers, of course, prevailed in seven games. It was a victory forged in
the belief of those who mattered — the players.
當然我們知道, 最後搶七大戰中快艇勝出, 這真的是一場靠著快艇所有球員們堅定不移
的爭冠信念所鎔鑄出來, 一場偉大的勝利!
"It's an intangible thing," Rivers said. "You've got to believe. You really
do. And I think our guys do. They've done it all year. They really have."
老河流說:"信念啊, 這東西摸不到看不著, 但真的你就得去相信自己, 並知行合一, 我
想我的球員們都有這樣做, 並這樣持續了整年, 真的!
They're apparently no longer the only ones who feel that way.
顯然的, 不久後大家也都會有跟老河流同樣的感覺~