原文网址：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.
在波士顿一个不合时节温暖的二月底，当Isaiah Thomas缓缓走进体育馆，穿着Nike的
科技保暖排汗衣和一双九零年代的Air Max。在炫耀完那个最近出版封面是自己照片的
地方杂志后，Isaiah和他的团队打闹著说：“我们今天会升级！”在他开始换上赛尔提
克队服和相衬的绿黑相间Kobe A.D.运动鞋之前。
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.
当他在换衣服的时候，人群慢慢进入了体育馆。一开始是一些学校教师会的成员，然后
剑桥警察部门的Michael Daniliuk警官加入并希望能够有机会感谢Isaiah和他的妻子
Kayla的慈善帮助，在十二月的大火让东剑桥一百二十五户居民无家可归的时候。
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的脸为之一亮当SLAM的摄影师告诉他有关他和Kobe一起工作的故事，同时学生开始
想要偷偷拍照传Snapchat，当人潮越来越多，Thomas保持平常的样子－如今希望能够看他
一眼的群众对他来说相当平常。
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.
他是一个成熟的超级明星，而且这他自己争取来的。他在2011年进入NBA后等待成为顶尖
的机会，而他刚刚完成这件事。
"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."
“我的工作是让人们吞下他们说过的话，”他在投篮后这样说。“我是一个喜欢把所说
的变成现实的人，不论我说什么，我觉得我能够做到因为我努力去做，我还不在我向往
的地方，我正朝着正确的方向，但我感觉我还有很多事想告诉这个世界。”
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.
这是他在赛尔提克的第二个完整赛季，28岁的他向世界传达了很多事。他每场平均29.1
分，在联盟只排在Russel Westbrook and James Harden之后－他也把他的名字刻进了
波士顿的地方传奇里，就在Larry Bird，Paul Pierce，Kevin McHale和一些人的旁边。
他创下赛尔提克连续四十三场至少二十分的新纪录，并且他单季16次35分的比赛也是从
Bird在场上奔跑以来赛尔提克队史最多的，他也是赛尔提克第六个单季至少2000分的
球员。
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.
在二月五号，IT亲眼看到球员在赛克提克迷心中的重要意义，当Pierce在快艇结束生涯，
在波士顿完成最后一场比赛，真理从板凳上场，在观众情绪高涨的情况下，Zeke也稍稍
放松了防守，他用一个充满纪念性的三分结束比赛。
"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."
“我很高兴能够参与这一刻，并看人们如何拥抱他，”Thomas说。“在今夜之前，我曾
经和Jamel Crawford一起吃饭，而碰巧遇到Pierce到同一个餐厅，他就和我们同桌吃饭，
他告诉我说，‘如果你在这里获胜，世界上没有比这个更好的感觉，因为有这些球迷。’
隔天，看球迷如何与他道别，那是一个不可思议的时刻，像他完成最后一击并且以这种
方式走出球场，这会是你梦寐以求的。
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渐渐成为赛尔提克的代表人物，而这件事在他刚到的时候，大家几乎没想过，连
Isaiah自己一开始都不确定这个决定是否可行，特别在他最初被沙加缅度交易，接着是
在凤凰城不到一年的合约，当他接到他被送出凤凰城的电话后，Thomas对于两年内要到
第三支球队打球感到沮丧，但他身边的人们－包括传奇球星和现役球员－都知道这是一
个改变他正个生涯的决定。
"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."
“我只记得他在交易后非常沮丧，而我在一两个小时之后和他谈过，我只是告诉他这个
改变会为他带来刺激还有不同的生活。”名人堂的Isaih Thomas说，在IT4在华盛顿的
期间他们开始变熟。“我只是思考他的打球方式还有赛尔提克目前的情况，这是一个城
市也是一个队伍将会爱上他还有他打球的方式，我觉得很完美。”
And sure, in hindsight the situation seems perfect now, but not even his
closest friends expected things to take off this fast.
确实，当初的预测现在看来相当准确，但是就连他最亲近的朋友都没有预期事情会发展
的这么快速。
"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."
“老实说，我当初告诉他的第一件事情是，他可以在那边组成一支全明星队伍。”他最
好的朋友也是西雅图当地人的Jamal Crawford说，“我并没有预期一个晚上得30分，我
没有想过这么快发生还有他出现在MVP的话题里，我没有想到这些，我有预期他会变成
全明星，但是之后的下一个阶段，我没想过会来的这么快。”
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的关系可以追溯到Isaiah的青少年时期。当IT还在学校打球，Crawford
在尼克打球的时候，当时Thomas常常在Crawford位于纽约白原市的公寓度过周末。从他
有印象的时候，Thomas唯一想要的就是成为NBA球员，而也是在与Jamal过周末的时候，
他学会了成为一个专业的球员，在球场外需要做什么。
"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."
“我会在Jamal的家看他如何和人互动，还有他如何度过一天。”Isaiah说，“我想要成
为NBA球员，所以我必须要做所有我能做的，当我长大一些，进入大学成为专家，Jamal
教我如何成为专家，如何变得专业，如何每天训练，不论我有没有比赛，如何对待不能
给你任何帮助的人。”
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."
当Crawford描述这件事，“当他要去（学校）的时候，他的父母有些犹豫，关于他第一次
要到国家的彼端并且独自生活。我那时在尼克，所以我跟他们说不用担心，我会确保他很
好，他周末不用上学的时候会到我的公寓，跟我一起，也来看我比赛，我也会去看他的比
赛，我会是人群中唯一挺他的，我的妻子和我会开一到一个半小时的车去看他比赛，而我
们会是人群中唯一支持他的。从他16岁开始，我们每天都会聊天，我是他婚礼的伴郎，而
他也是我婚礼的伴郎，他像我的兄弟，这是比篮球还深的关系。”
"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."
“对我来说他就像大哥一样。”关于刚刚37岁的Crawford，“没有他的话，就没有现在
的我。”Thomas补上这一句。
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.
星期三晚上在我们拍完照片之后，赛尔提克在主场迎接LeBron James和骑士队，这是一场
全国转播的比赛。赛尔提克是三十九胜二十二败，离东区第一的骑士只差一点点的距离，
这明显是开季以来在花园广场最盛大的比赛，观众比在学校的时候多了一些，但是在赛前
热身的时候，Isaiah的冷静态度并没有改变。
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.
在四节的时间里，有一些超级杯新英格兰爱国者的队员在观众之中，Isaiah满场奔跑，
闪电般的切过防守者，让他们痛苦的呆站在原地，当他在板凳喘口气的时候，他很少坐下
，在边线外垫着脚尖、毛巾挂在脖子上，Isaiah像代理教练对着队友吼著方向，他总是身
在比赛之中，Kyrie Irving和Thomas的精彩表现在整场比赛互相往来。
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.
在第四节开始前，摄影机对向观众，大萤幕上显示一群年轻的赛尔提克粉指着他们的手腕
，热切的等待第四节的英雄表现，那正是IT广为人知的。每个在球馆里的人都知道现在的
状况－除了Iman Shumpert，他被一个卡位挡住并且让Thomas有一个大空挡，在比赛剩下
不到一分钟的时候投进了一个超前三分。
"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."
“我拥抱第四节，”Thomas说。“在第四节的时候，我的队友还有球团看向我要我制造攻
势并且成为执行的人，所以我尝试把握机会。同时，当我一个人在健身房的时候，这是我
训练的目标，为了能出现在关键时刻并且成为众望所归的人，当比赛只差一点点就能拿下
的时候，能够投进致胜的投篮。
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."
赛尔提克抵挡LeBron的28分，13篮板10助攻怪物般的表现，以103-99赢球。Thomas得到
31分5助攻2篮板还有1个阻攻，在赛后，当一个记者报导推测骑士在大部分时间限制他的
表现，Thomas很快的打断他表示，“没有人限制住我。”
The reporter tries again. "I average 30 points for a season," Thomas says.
记者有尝试再说一次。“我一季的平均得分是三十分，”Thomas说。
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，想到球员像Isaiah的身材和身高在联盟许多高大的人之中，还能平均一个晚
上拿30分，是相当让人震惊的。很像在他之前的Allen Iverson，当Isaiah想要绕过卡位
的时候会被顶开，当他上篮会被撞倒在地，当他在油漆区对抗高大的对手时会被霸凌。但
就像他的朋友Floyd Mayweather Jr，不论他受到如何强烈的打击，他还是会一直挑战。
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.
这是一个重要的理由说明为什么联盟的传奇球星都称赞他。当无数以前的球员在媒体上
抨击现今的球星，Thomas好像被每个年龄层的球员喜爱与尊重。在过去两年间，IT有机
会和MJ还有AI交谈见面及交谈，他们两个都是他的球迷，两年前在多伦多的全明星周末
，IT得到坐在Iverson旁边的机会，这是他们深厚交情的开始。
"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.'
“他说他真的是我的忠实球迷，”Thomas说，“这感觉不太真实。常有人说他们是我的
球迷，但是AI是模仿我的动作，说他有看我的每一场比赛，并且说我们像是同一个模子
刻出来的。我们交换了电话，然后我们的交情逐渐变好，他会在比赛后传讯息给我像是
‘嘿，那让我想起了自己。’
"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."
“他是一个改变所有事的人，从我坐在他旁边开始。换算成同量级，他完全可以说是顶尖
的球员，而我想要追随他的脚步，能坐在Allen Iverson旁边然后听他告诉我‘你是一个
真正的杀手，就跟我一样。’没有人可以再跟我多说什么了，他告诉我，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.
接着是在纽奥良的全明星周末，MJ和IT在Instagram上传了一张合照，GOAT留下了一些
称赞的言论。
"[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真的跟我说，‘持续专注在你正在做的，然后再对上黄蜂的时候给自己一个晚上的
假。’”Thomas说，“这代表一切，得到一个有史以来最顶尖的球员的关注。”
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.
对于Isaiah的喜爱不只限于传奇球星，同时期的球员也相当尊重他，甚至LeBron这季也
称他为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."
“我想他被大家喜爱，首先，是因为他的身材，”Crawford说，“一般像他身材的人都被
踢出NBA－他们甚至没有投篮的机会。他的身材和他的心理素质，我想大家有目共睹，
Isaiah确实在比赛中是一个学习者，他做他该做的事情，他知道谁比他早进联盟，不论
他们是否是球星，他会尊重他们并向他们表达敬意。”
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结束今天短暂的摄影活动之前，学校的男子篮球队和女子篮球队进到体育馆和
Isaiah拍照并且和这个地方英雄打成一片。在那个时候，男篮校队正带着十九连胜的战
绩进入季后赛，他们的总教练希望IT能向这个队伍说几句话。
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."
在被挑战一对一的比赛之后，Thomas真的体会到从高中到大学的改变，情况变得艰辛。他
留给他们一个建议：“发挥每个机会的最大价值。”
Speak it into existence, indeed.
说到做到，毫无疑问。
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
IT真的有风格有态度，有点帅气。