原文網址：https://goo.gl/0yyGS3
It's an unseasonably warm late February day in Boston when Isaiah Thomas
strolls into the gym at Cambridge,MA's Ringe and Latin School rocking a
full Nike Tech Fleece sweatsuit and a pair of Air Max 90s. After showing off
the cover of a local Boston magazine he was featured on recently, Isaiah and
his agency rep joke, "We're leveling up today!" before he begins to change
into his Celtics road uniform and matching green-and-black Kobe A.D. sneakers.
在波士頓一個不合時節溫暖的二月底，當Isaiah Thomas緩緩走進體育館，穿著Nike的
科技保暖排汗衣和一雙九零年代的Air Max。在炫耀完那個最近出版封面是自己照片的
地方雜誌後，Isaiah和他的團隊打鬧著說：「我們今天會升級！」在他開始換上賽爾提
克隊服和相襯的綠黑相間Kobe A.D.運動鞋之前。
As he's changing, a small crowd trickles in. First, a few members of the
school's faculty. Then, Officer Michael Daniliuk of the Cambridge PD enters,
hoping to get a minute to thank Isaiah for the charitable efforts he and his
wife Kayla made after a massive December fire displaced 125 East Cambridge
residents.
當他在換衣服的時候，人群慢慢進入了體育館。一開始是一些學校教師會的成員，然後
劍橋警察部門的Michael Daniliuk警官加入並希望能夠有機會感謝Isaiah和他的妻子
Kayla的慈善幫助，在十二月的大火讓東劍橋一百二十五戶居民無家可歸的時候。
Isaiah's face lights up as SLAM photographer Atiba Jefferson tells him stories
about working with Kobe Bryant. Meanwhile, students start to pop in to try and
sneak a pic for Snapchat. As the swarm grows, Thomas remains unfazed-nowadays,
crowds hoping to get a glimps of him are the nom.
Isaiah的臉為之一亮當SLAM的攝影師告訴他有關他和Kobe一起工作的故事，同時學生開始
想要偷偷拍照傳Snapchat，當人潮越來越多，Thomas保持平常的樣子－如今希望能夠看他
一眼的群眾對他來說相當平常。
He is a full-blown superstar. And he's earned it. He came into the NBA in
2011 waiting to become one of the best, and he's done just that.
他是一個成熟的超級明星，而且這他自己爭取來的。他在2011年進入NBA後等待成為頂尖
的機會，而他剛剛完成這件事。
"My job is to make people eat their words," he says after the shoot. "I'm a
guy who likes to speak things into existence. Whatever I say, I feel like I
can accomplish because I put work in. I'm not where I want to be. I'm headed
in the right direction, but I feel like I have so much more to show the
world."
「我的工作是讓人們吞下他們說過的話，」他在投籃後這樣說。「我是一個喜歡把所說
的變成現實的人，不論我說什麼，我覺得我能夠做到因為我努力去做，我還不在我嚮往
的地方，我正朝著正確的方向，但我感覺我還有很多事想告訴這個世界。」
Playing in his second full season with the Celtics, the 28-year-old is showing
the world plenty. He is averaging 29.1 ppg, third in the league behind only
Russel Westbrook and James Harden-and he's etching his name into Boston lore
right next to Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Kevin McHale and more. He set a new Cs
record by scoring at least 20 points in 43 straight games and his 16 35-point
games are the most in a Celtics season since Bird was running around on the
old Garden's parquet. He also became just the sixth Celtic to score at least
2000 points in a season.
這是他在賽爾提克的第二個完整賽季，28歲的他向世界傳達了很多事。他每場平均29.1
分，在聯盟只排在Russel Westbrook and James Harden之後－他也把他的名字刻進了
波士頓的地方傳奇裏，就在Larry Bird，Paul Pierce，Kevin McHale和一些人的旁邊。
他創下賽爾提克連續四十三場至少二十分的新紀錄，並且他單季16次35分的比賽也是從
Bird在場上奔跑以來賽爾提克隊史最多的，他也是賽爾提克第六個單季至少2000分的
球員。
On February 5, IT saw up close just how much the players mean to Celtics fans
when Pierce, now wrapping up his career with the Clippers, played his final
game in Boston. The Truth memorably ended the game by coming off the bench
and hitting a three-pointer-with Zeke playing some relaxed D-as the crowd went
wild.
在二月五號，IT親眼看到球員在賽克提克迷心中的重要意義，當Pierce在快艇結束生涯，
在波士頓完成最後一場比賽，真理從板凳上場，在觀眾情緒高漲的情況下，Zeke也稍稍
放鬆了防守，他用一個充滿紀念性的三分結束比賽。
"I was glad I could be part of that moment and see how they embraced him,"
Thomas says. "The night before I was out to eat with Jamel Crawford and Paul
came into the same restaurant and sat down with us. He was telling me, 'If
you win here, there's no better feeling in the world because of these fans.'
The next day, seeing how they embraced him, that was an unbelievable moment.
And for him to hit the last shot and go out like that, you dream of things
like that."
「我很高興能夠參與這一刻，並看人們如何擁抱他，」Thomas說。「在今夜之前，我曾
經和Jamel Crawford一起吃飯，而碰巧遇到Pierce到同一個餐廳，他就和我們同桌吃飯，
他告訴我說，『如果你在這裏獲勝，世界上沒有比這個更好的感覺，因為有這些球迷。』
隔天，看球迷如何與他道別，那是一個不可思議的時刻，像他完成最後一擊並且以這種
方式走出球場，這會是你夢寐以求的。
Thomas' ascension to icon status with the Celtics was far from a sure thing
when he arrived. Isaiah himself was initially unsure how the move would work
out, especially after being traded first from Sacramento and then Phoenix
less than a year into his contract. After getting the call that he was being
sent out of PHX, Thomas was feeling down about playing for his third team in
two years. But the people around him-both basketball legends and current
players-knew this would be a career-changing move.
Thomas漸漸成為賽爾提克的代表人物，而這件事在他剛到的時候，大家幾乎沒想過，連
Isaiah自己一開始都不確定這個決定是否可行，特別在他最初被沙加緬度交易，接著是
在鳳凰城不到一年的合約，當他接到他被送出鳳凰城的電話後，Thomas對於兩年內要到
第三支球隊打球感到沮喪，但他身邊的人們－包括傳奇球星和現役球員－都知道這是一
個改變他正個生涯的決定。
"I remember he was very down after the trade, and I talked to him an hour or
two hours after and I was just talking and telling him how exciting and life-
changing this would be for him," says Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who has been
close with IT4 since his days at Washington. "I just thought the way he played
the game and the situation the Celtics were in at the time, it was a city and
a franchise that would love him and love the way that he plays. I thought it
was perfect."
「我只記得他在交易後非常沮喪，而我在一兩個小時之後和他談過，我只是告訴他這個
改變會為他帶來刺激還有不同的生活。」名人堂的Isaih Thomas說，在IT4在華盛頓的
期間他們開始變熟。「我只是思考他的打球方式還有賽爾提克目前的情況，這是一個城
市也是一個隊伍將會愛上他還有他打球的方式，我覺得很完美。」
And sure, in hindsight the situation seems perfect now, but not even his
closest friends expected things to take off this fast.
確實，當初的預測現在看來相當準確，但是就連他最親近的朋友都沒有預期事情會發展
的這麼快速。
"To be very honest, the first thing I told him was, You can make an All-Star
team over there," says his best friend and fellow Seattle-area native Jamal
Crawford. "I didn't expect 30 points a night. I didn't expect it this fast
and for him to be in the MVP conversation. I didn't expect all that. I did
expect him to be an All-Star. The next level, I did not see it coming this
fast."
「老實說，我當初告訴他的第一件事情是，他可以在那邊組成一支全明星隊伍。」他最
好的朋友也是西雅圖當地人的Jamal Crawford說，「我並沒有預期一個晚上得30分，我
沒有想過這麼快發生還有他出現在MVP的話題裏，我沒有想到這些，我有預期他會變成
全明星，但是之後的下一個階段，我沒想過會來的這麼快。」
Crawford and Thomas have a relationship that dates back to Isaiah's teenage
years. When IT was playing prep ball at South Kent (CT) School, Crawford was
playing for Knicks, and Thomas would frequently stay at Crawford's White
Plains, NY, apartment on weekends. For as long as he can remember, all Thomas
wanted to do was be an NBA player-and it was those weekends hanging out with
Jamal when he learned what it took to be a professional baller off the court.
Crawford和Thomas的關係可以追溯到Isaiah的青少年時期。當IT還在學校打球，Crawford
在尼克打球的時候，當時Thomas常常在Crawford位於紐約白原市的公寓度過週末。從他
有印象的時候，Thomas唯一想要的就是成為NBA球員，而也是在與Jamal過週末的時候，
他學會了成為一個專業的球員，在球場外需要做什麼。
"I would be at Jamal's house and see how he interacts with people and how he
goes about his days," Isaiah says now. "I wanted to be an NBA player, so my
whole thing was, I have to do everything I can. When I got older and got into
college and became pro, Jamal taught me how to be a pro, how to be profession-
al, how to come to work every day whether you're playing or not, how to treat
people who can't do anything for you."
「我會在Jamal的家看他如何和人互動，還有他如何度過一天。」Isaiah說，「我想要成
為NBA球員，所以我必須要做所有我能做的，當我長大一些，進入大學成為專家，Jamal
教我如何成為專家，如何變得專業，如何每天訓練，不論我有沒有比賽，如何對待不能
給你任何幫助的人。」
As Crawford tells it, "When he was going to go [to South Kent], his parent
were a little hesitant-he was going across the country for the first time and
living along. I was with the Knicks, so I'm like, Don't worry, I'll make sure
he's good. Every weekend he didn't have school, he would come to my apartment,
stay with me and come to games, and I would go to his. I would be the only one
in the crowd. My wife and I would drive an hour, hour and a half to watch him
play and we'd be some of the only people in the crowd. Since he was 16, we've
talked every single day. I was a groomsman in his wedding, and he was a groom-
sman in mine. That's like my brother. It's deeper than basketball."
當Crawford描述這件事，「當他要去（學校）的時候，他的父母有些猶豫，關於他第一次
要到國家的彼端並且獨自生活。我那時在尼克，所以我跟他們說不用擔心，我會確保他很
好，他週末不用上學的時候會到我的公寓，跟我一起，也來看我比賽，我也會去看他的比
賽，我會是人群中唯一挺他的，我的妻子和我會開一到一個半小時的車去看他比賽，而我
們會是人群中唯一支持他的。從他16歲開始，我們每天都會聊天，我是他婚禮的伴郎，而
他也是我婚禮的伴郎，他像我的兄弟，這是比籃球還深的關係。」
"He's like a big brother to me," Thomas adds of the elder Crawford, who just
turned 37. "Without him, there would be no me."
「對我來說他就像大哥一樣。」關於剛剛37歲的Crawford，「沒有他的話，就沒有現在
的我。」Thomas補上這一句。
The Wednesday night after our photo shoot, the Celtics welcome LeBron James
and the Cavs for a nationally televised game. The Celtics, at 39-22, are right
on the Cav's heels for the No. 1 seed in the East, and this is easily the
biggest game of the year at the Garden thus far. The crowd is a little bigger
than the one at Rindge and Latin, but Isaiah's cool and calm demeanor hasn't
changed during his pre-game rituals.
星期三晚上在我們拍完照片之後，賽爾提克在主場迎接LeBron James和騎士隊，這是一場
全國轉播的比賽。賽爾提克是三十九勝二十二敗，離東區第一的騎士只差一點點的距離，
這明顯是開季以來在花園廣場最盛大的比賽，觀眾比在學校的時候多了一些，但是在賽前
熱身的時候，Isaiah的冷靜態度並沒有改變。
Over the next four quarters, with several members of the Super Bowl-winning
New England Patriots in the crowd, Isaiah flies arounf the court, zig-zagging
through defenders, tormenting whoever is stuck guarding him. When he's on the
bench for a breather, he rarely sits. Tiptoeing the out-of-bounds line with a
towel around his shoulders, Isaiah barks directions at his teammates like a
surrogate coach, always involved with the game. Cavs PG Kyrie Irving and
Thomas trade spectacular plays all game long.
在四節的時間裏，有一些超級杯新英格蘭愛國者的隊員在觀眾之中，Isaiah滿場奔跑，
閃電般的切過防守者，讓他們痛苦的呆站在原地，當他在板凳喘口氣的時候，他很少坐下
，在邊線外墊著腳尖、毛巾掛在脖子上，Isaiah像代理教練對著隊友吼著方向，他總是身
在比賽之中，Kyrie Irving和Thomas的精彩表現在整場比賽互相往來。
When the camera pans to the crowd before the start of the fourth quarter, the
jumbotron shows young Celtic fans pointing to their weist, eagerly awaiting
the fourth quarter heriocs that IT has become known for. Everyone in the
building knows what time it is-except for Iman Shumpert, who goes under a
screen and leaves Thomas wide open for a go-ahead three with under a minute
left.
在第四節開始前，攝影機對向觀眾，大螢幕上顯示一群年輕的賽爾提克粉指著他們的手腕
，熱切的等待第四節的英雄表現，那正是IT廣為人知的。每個在球館裏的人都知道現在的
狀況－除了Iman Shumpert，他被一個卡位擋住並且讓Thomas有一個大空擋，在比賽剩下
不到一分鐘的時候投進了一個超前三分。
"I embrace fourth quaters," Thomas says. "My teammates and the staff look for
me to make plays and be that guy in the fouth, so I try to take adventage. At
the same time, when I'm in the gym by myself, that's what I'm working for. To
be in those moments and to be looked to as the guy when the game is on the
line to take and make the game-winning shot."
「我擁抱第四節，」Thomas說。「在第四節的時候，我的隊友還有球團看向我要我製造攻
勢並且成為執行的人，所以我嘗試把握機會。同時，當我一個人在健身房的時候，這是我
訓練的目標，為了能出現在關鍵時刻並且成為眾望所歸的人，當比賽只差一點點就能拿下
的時候，能夠投進致勝的投籃。
The Celtics withstand a monster 28-point, 13-rebound, 10-assist performance
from LeBron to win 103-99. Thomas finishes with 31 points, 5 assists, 2 boards
and 1 block. After the game, when a reporter suggests that the Cavs held him
in check for most of the game, Thomas quickly interrupts him: "Nobody holds me
in check."
賽爾提克抵擋LeBron的28分，13籃板10助攻怪物般的表現，以103-99贏球。Thomas得到
31分5助攻2籃板還有1個阻攻，在賽後，當一個記者報導推測騎士在大部分時間限制他的
表現，Thomas很快的打斷他表示，「沒有人限制住我。」
The reporter tries again. "I average 30 points for a season," Thomas says.
記者有嘗試再說一次。「我一季的平均得分是三十分，」Thomas說。
Up close, it's stunning to think a player of Isaih's size and stature could
average 30 a night in a league of mammoth-sized men. Much like Allen Iverson
before him, Isaiah gets bumped when he tried to go over a screen, knocked to
the ground when he goes to the basket and bullied in the post when he goes up
against bigger opponents. But just like his friend Floyd Mayweather Jr, no
matter how hard he gets hit, he keeps coming.
再靠近看，想到球員像Isaiah的身材和身高在聯盟許多高大的人之中，還能平均一個晚
上拿30分，是相當讓人震驚的。很像在他之前的Allen Iverson，當Isaiah想要繞過卡位
的時候會被頂開，當他上籃會被撞倒在地，當他在油漆區對抗高大的對手時會被霸凌。但
就像他的朋友Floyd Mayweather Jr，不論他受到如何強烈的打擊，他還是會一直挑戰。
It's a huge reason why legends of the game have lauded him. While tons of
ex-players in the media blast many of today's stars, Thomas seems to be
universally loved and respected by ballers of all ages. Over the past two
years, IT has gotten the chance to meet and talk with Allen Iverson and
Michael Jordan, both of whom are admitted fans. At All-Star Weekend in Toronto
two years ago, IT got a chance to sit down with Iverson, the start of a close
relationship.
這是一個重要的理由說明為什麼聯盟的傳奇球星都稱讚他。當無數以前的球員在媒體上
抨擊現今的球星，Thomas好像被每個年齡層的球員喜愛與尊重。在過去兩年間，IT有機
會和MJ還有AI交談見面及交談，他們兩個都是他的球迷，兩年前在多倫多的全明星週末
，IT得到坐在Iverson旁邊的機會，這是他們深厚交情的開始。
"He said he was a real big fan of mine," Thomas says. "It didn't seem real.
You know, people say they're fans of you, but he was, like, emulating my moves
and telling me that he watches all of my games and that I'm cut from the same
cloth. We exchanged numbers and we've gotten closer. He'll text me after games
and be like, 'Man, that reminded me of myself.'
「他說他真的是我的忠實球迷，」Thomas說，「這感覺不太真實。常有人說他們是我的
球迷，但是AI是模仿我的動作，說他有看我的每一場比賽，並且說我們像是同一個模子
刻出來的。我們交換了電話，然後我們的交情逐漸變好，他會在比賽後傳訊息給我像是
『嘿，那讓我想起了自己。』
"He was one guy who, when I got to sit with him, changed everything, because
he's arguably the best pound-for-pound player to play, and I want to be right
behind him. To sit down with Allen Iverson and for him to tell me, 'You're a
real killa, just like me,' nobody can tell me anything anymore. He gave me
the OK to be me."
「他是一個改變所有事的人，從我坐在他旁邊開始。換算成同量級，他完全可以說是頂尖
的球員，而我想要追隨他的腳步，能坐在Allen Iverson旁邊然後聽他告訴我『你是一個
真正的殺手，就跟我一樣。』沒有人可以再跟我多說什麼了，他告訴我，我做自己是很
OK的。」
Then at this year's All-Star Weekend in New Orleans, MJ and IT flicked it up
for Instagram, and the GOAT passed along a few compliments.
接著是在紐奧良的全明星週末，MJ和IT在Instagram上傳了一張合照，GOAT留下了一些
稱讚的言論。
"[Jordan] actually told me, 'Keep doing your thing, and tke the night off when
you play the Hornets,'" Thomas says. "That means everything. For the best
player to ever play the game to watch what I'm doing, it says a lot."
「MJ真的跟我說，『持續專注在你正在做的，然後再對上黃蜂的時候給自己一個晚上的
假。』」Thomas說，「這代表一切，得到一個有史以來最頂尖的球員的關注。」
The love for Isaiah isn't limited to legends, either. His peers respect his
game immensely. Even LeBron called him a "clear-cut star" this season.
對於Isaiah的喜愛不只限於傳奇球星，同時期的球員也相當尊重他，甚至LeBron這季也
稱他為clear-cut star。
"I think he's embraced, first of all, because of his size," Crawdford says.
"Guys his size usually get weeded out in the NBA in general-they don't really
get a fair shot. His size and his heart, I think everyone sees that. Isaiah
is a true student of the game. He woeks on his craft. He knows the guys who
came before him, whether they were a star or not, and he respects those guys
and pays homage to them. I think the OGs of the game really take to that
because a lot of guys don't always pay respect like that."
「我想他被大家喜愛，首先，是因為他的身材，」Crawford說，「一般像他身材的人都被
踢出NBA－他們甚至沒有投籃的機會。他的身材和他的心理素質，我想大家有目共睹，
Isaiah確實在比賽中是一個學習者，他做他該做的事情，他知道誰比他早進聯盟，不論
他們是否是球星，他會尊重他們並向他們表達敬意。」
Before Thomas dis for the day back at our school, the Rindge and Latin boys
and girls basketball teams come into the gym to take photos with Isaiah and
crack jokes with the local hero. At the time, the boy varsity team is riding
a 19-game winning streak into the playoffs, and their head coach asks IT to
say a few words to the team.
在Thomas結束今天短暫的攝影活動之前，學校的男子籃球隊和女子籃球隊進到體育館和
Isaiah拍照並且和這個地方英雄打成一片。在那個時候，男籃校隊正帶著十九連勝的戰
績進入季後賽，他們的總教練希望IT能向這個隊伍說幾句話。
After being challenged to one-on-one games, Thomas gets real about the tough
transition from high school to college. He leaves them with a word of advice:
"Make the most of every opportunity."
在被挑戰一對一的比賽之後，Thomas真的體會到從高中到大學的改變，情況變得艱辛。他
留給他們一個建議：「發揮每個機會的最大價值。」
Speak it into existence, indeed.
說到做到，毫無疑問。
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
IT真的有風格有態度，有點帥氣。