Belief in the Clippers grows as they display staying power in playoffs
http://tinyurl.com/k3zh974
季后赛里当快艇们展现出强大的续航力时, 他们心中的信念也同步茁壮
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.
老河流整季都像唸经般的天天重复一句话, 无论他面临了球队无法稳定打出好表现的问
题, 还是板凳今天打不出效率, 抑或是队中的球星受伤了, 他都还是会说这四个字
"I like this team," Rivers said.
"悟空, 救我"....当然不是, 他总说:"我爱快艇"
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, 自从这系列赛3-1领先火箭后, 快艇已然成为NBA炙手可热的队伍
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篮球火力排行上, 快艇夺冠机率已经攀升到了最高的40.7%, 甚至连魔术强生
都相信经过了长期奋战后的快艇, 将会再拿下一场胜利然后进军队史首次分区冠军赛
"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 …
魔术表示: 我从没想过我会这样说, 但我真的认为这支快艇能赢下总冠军, 所有争冠需
要的条件他们几乎每项都具备!
"The Clippers have outside shooting, Blake [Griffin] is dominating, the best
leader and coach in Chris Paul & Doc Rivers and great team defense!"
他们有外围投射, 有Griffin的宰制力, 最棒的领袖CP3, 最好的总教练老河流, 以及相
当出色的团队防守!
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.
快艇连下两场后虽然看来这系列赛快艇赢定了, 但这样说还是有些过早, 毕竟3-1落后下
也还是有八支队伍咸鱼翻身过
Of course, 219 have not. Series, Clippers?
但翻不了身的咸鱼, 可是有219尾啊~ 何况我们现在聊的是快艇耶, 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."
对此老河流表示, "那样的想法真是蠢, 没收功就不能那样说话, 对我们来说就是得继续
专注在火箭上, 没赢下这系列赛之前未来什么的都不准去想!
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.
对火箭来说, 统计数据上唯一一个好消息让他们或许能撑到第六战的, 就是本季他们从
没有三连败过, 二连败后的第三战, 他们7连胜~
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.
这系列赛啊, 一言以蔽之, 就是得第三节者得胜利; 快艇赢的三场, 第三节比数分别是
37-27, 35-19, 43-25, 火箭赢的第二战其第三节比数是火箭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.
快艇以前从没在次轮3-1领先过, 但他们有过两次只差一场胜利就打进分区冠军赛的纪
录, 最近的一次是2006对战太阳
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.
当时的快艇, 船长是Elton Brand, 率队前往Phoenix打生死第七战, 却被太阳的三分雨
45-0狠狠击败, 最后以20分饮恨 (下面是当时的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.
这是快艇加入NBA后首次有机会能称霸的第一步, 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."
曾是快艇后卫现在是快艇助理教练的外星人Cassell表示, "我们不能只是昙花一现, 要
能持续的成功才是赞!"
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跟他的硬汉兄弟们已经展现出跌破专家眼镜的强大续航力, 快艇目前已经破队史
纪录的连续四年打进季后赛, 现在只要再赢一场, 就可以再创一次队史纪录!
"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说:"这当然是个成就, 但还不是我们梦想中的终点"
Said Paul: "It's about us, not about the Clippers' franchise [history] and
all that."
CP3也说:"队史纪录跟其他的什么, 都不重要, 重要的是我们自己, 只为我们自己去赢!"
The Clippers weren't always a trendy pick to go deep in the playoffs. All you
have to do is go back three weeks.
快艇以前从来都不是季后赛众所瞩目能走得最远的队伍, 这一切都得从三周前讲起 (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.
当时老河流有一个团队做首轮预测, 47个专家中居然有46个预测马刺会胜出
付钱的老板谜之音: 干! 真是白养了这些人
The Clippers, of course, prevailed in seven games. It was a victory forged in
the belief of those who mattered — the players.
当然我们知道, 最后抢七大战中快艇胜出, 这真的是一场靠着快艇所有球员们坚定不移
的争冠信念所镕铸出来, 一场伟大的胜利!
"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."
老河流说:"信念啊, 这东西摸不到看不著, 但真的你就得去相信自己, 并知行合一, 我
想我的球员们都有这样做, 并这样持续了整年, 真的!
They're apparently no longer the only ones who feel that way.
显然的, 不久后大家也都会有跟老河流同样的感觉~