https://reurl.cc/65LyXM
Michael Porter Jr. lay on a bed in a patient room, staring up at the
ceiling, left alone with his doubts and fears.
Not again, he thought. Not again.
He felt as if he were in a dream. A terrible, agonizing nightmare. And he
felt intense déjà vu. For good reason: He had indeed been in this exact
room, in this exact bed, inside this exact Dallas medical facility—not once,
but twice before.
MPJ躺在病床上带着疑虑跟恐惧盯着天花板 “别再一次”他心想 “别再一次”
他感觉像是在做一场梦,一个恐怖、痛苦的恶梦.而他强烈的觉得似曾相识,这是有根据的
:他曾经在同样的房间,同样的床,同样的达拉斯医疗诊所—不只一次是两次
On this afternoon in December 2021, the then 23-year-old had just awakened
from an unthinkable third back surgery in five years. The first surgery
occurred during his freshman year at Missouri in 2017, in which he played
just 53 minutes in three games; the second occurred before the start of his
rookie year with the Denver Nuggets in 2018, causing him to miss the entire
season. He had barely played basketball for two years. Now he was facing a
prolonged absence again. The game he so brilliantly dominated felt like it
had been stolen from him, and all he could do was helplessly wonder why.
“Why?” he asked, lying on that bed a year and a half ago. “Why is this
happening to me again?”
在2021年12月下午,当时23岁的他刚从五年来难以想像的第三次背部手术醒来,第一次发生
在2017年Missouri大学的新秀赛季,当时才上了3场比赛打了53分钟,第二次发生在2018年金
块队新秀赛季之前,导致他缺席了整个赛季,几乎两年没打过篮球. 现在又要面临长期缺席
的问题,在场上统治比赛的表现感觉像是要被偷走了,他所能做的仅是无助的想知道为什么
“为什么?”一年半前躺在病床上时他问著“为什么这种事又发生在我身上?”
It was an incomprehensible fate to grasp for someone who was once ranked as
the no. 1 recruit in the country. Back then, the 6-foot-10 forward was
praised as the future of basketball, a surefire top pick in the 2018 NBA
draft. Known for his astounding athleticism and wingspan, he could shoot or
dunk over anyone. Leaping was almost like breathing: unconscious, effortless,
easy. Basketball had always come so easy to him.
And now he faced the most difficult part of his young career: wondering if it
was truly over just as it was taking off. It had taken every fiber of his
being just to recover from his previous two surgeries and then miraculously
play well enough with the Nuggets to earn a five-year, $207 million max
extension in 2021.
对于一位曾经是全美第一人来说,这是一个难以理解的命运,当时这位208公分的前锋被誉
为篮球的未来,是18年NBA选秀不用怀疑的状元,以惊人的运动能力以及臂展闻名,他可以在
任何人面前投篮跟灌篮,飞跃几乎跟呼吸一样:无意识、不费力、轻松，篮球对他来说是很
简单的.
现在他在生涯起步面临着最困难的部分:想知道是否于生涯正在起飞时就已经结束了,他用
尽所有精力才从前两次手术恢复,并且奇蹟式的打得很好,足够从金块队争取到一张5年最
多可以领2亿700万的延长合约
But after his third surgery later that year, a similar microdiscectomy
procedure to the one he had previously undergone two times, he couldn’t
fathom how hard it would be to attempt yet another comeback. If, that is, it
was even physically possible—especially for someone whose game relied so
heavily on athleticism. He was devastated. “For a lot of guys, that’s
career-ending, one of those surgeries,” Porter Jr. says. “This is after two
of them.
“I thought I had kind of gotten over everything, and now I have to get a
third one? I don’t know if anyone’s ever played—especially at my young age
—after three back surgeries.
“I was just over it,” he says.
在那年第三次的手术,一个跟他前两次相似的手术,他无法知道再次复出会有多困难,如果
这手术会对身体上造成影响—尤其是在比赛中非常依赖运动能力的人. 他感到身心俱疲
“对很多人来说这手术是生涯的终结的其中一种”MPJ说“但这手术是我其中的第三次”
“我以为我已经克服了这一切,现在我又要做第三次? 我不知道是否有人经历三次手术后还
有打球,特别是跟我年纪一样时”MPJ说“我释怀了”
The surgeries posed a unique and difficult challenge due to the intricate
nature of the back and the fact that they involved different nerves in his
body. When a nerve gets pinched, compressed, or irritated, it can cause
distress to a number of areas around the body, including the leg, as was the
case for Porter Jr.
It’s a tricky surgery because of how delicate nerves are. If anything in the
surrounding area compresses or irritates a nerve, it can significantly impact
or even completely shut off power to whatever function that nerve serves. In
severe cases, one could lose the ability to use a particular extremity.
Due to the complex nature of his injury, Porter Jr. required extensive rehab
not just for his back, but also for his left leg, including his quad, his
hamstring, and his glute.
由于背部的复杂性以及涉及了身体不同的神经,这些手术导致独特且困难的挑战. 当神经
受到挤压、推挤、刺激的时候可能会导致全身多个地方疼痛,包含腿部就像MPJ的情况一样
这是很棘手的手术,因为神经很脆弱,如果周围有任何东西刺激到神经,神经会明显影响或
完全关闭神经作用的部位,在严重的情况下,可能会无法使用身体某个部位
由于伤势的复杂性,MPJ不只需要对背部大量复健,甚至股四头肌、腿部、臀部
Lisa, his mother, walked into the patient room that December day and prayed
over him alongside Nicodemus Christopher, Porter Jr.’s close friend,
performance coach, and manager. After the surgery, they helped him into a
wheelchair and steered him out of the facility.
In the coming months, Porter Jr. wasn’t allowed to drive. He couldn’t
perform basic movements such as bending down and tying his shoes. If he
dropped a pen, he couldn’t reach down and retrieve it. He couldn’t even sit
up on his own at first. He had to relearn dozens of mundane movements he once
took for granted. “It wasn’t even about getting back to those athletic
moves,” Christopher says. “It was learning to operate in life again.”
他的妈妈Lisa在12月走进病房,跟MPJ的好友兼体能教练兼经纪人Nicodemus Christopher
一起为为MPJ祈祷,手术后他们协助MPJ坐上轮椅离开医院.
在往后的几个月MPJ不被允许开车,甚至弯腰绑鞋带这简单动作都办不到,如果地上掉了笔
他也无法伸手去捡,刚开始坐着甚至无法站起来,他不得不去重新学习几十个习以为常的基
本动作.
“这甚至不是要恢复那些体能活动”Christopher说“是要学习重回日常生活”
Bridging the distance between where Porter Jr. was and where he yearned to be
—playing at the highest level of basketball, sprinting, cutting, jumping at
full speed—seemed inconceivable.
Emotionally, coping with his third procedure weighed on him. “There was a
lot of sad feelings and there was a lot of really, honestly, depression and
anxiety,” Porter Jr. says, “not knowing if you’re able to fulfill what you
thought for your life.”
缩短MPJ现在的能力与他渴望的—最高水准的篮球全速—冲刺、切入、跳跃的距离似乎是
不太可能的.
精神上他面对着第三次手术的压力“有很多难过的感觉,真的很多,如沮丧、焦虑”MPJ说
“不知道是否能够实践你所想的人生”
When Porter Jr. was lying alone with his thoughts, there was another voice
inside him. It urged him to keep going. To not give in. That driven,
resilient part of him told him that he wasn’t going to quit, no matter how
arduous rehab would be. Day after day, he worked and worked, pushing himself
further.
Now, about a year and a half after that December day, Porter Jr. has emerged
triumphantly as a starter for a Nuggets team playing in the NBA Finals for
the first time in franchise history. The Nuggets will play the Miami Heat in
Game 1 on Thursday.
当MPJ独自躺在床上沉思时,内心深处有另一个声音,驱使他继续前进,不屈服. 他内心坚强
的部分告诉他,他不会放弃的,不论复健过程有多艰钜. 日复一日,努力再努力把自己推向
高峰
在12月手术那天过了约一年半,MPJ赢得金块队第一次的冠军战中的先发位置,金块队将在
G1面对热火
Porter Jr. isn’t his team’s best player, as people might have envisioned
when he came out of high school, but he might be the team’s biggest X factor
in pursuit of a ring. He’s played magnificently throughout the playoffs,
averaging 14.6 points and eight rebounds per game, and he’s flourishing on
the perimeter, shooting 40.8 percent on nearly seven 3-point attempts per
game.
But his impact has been felt far beyond scoring. He’s been a relentless
rebounder, grabbing double-digit boards in seven games. He’s also been an
improved defender and shot blocker, taking pride in his assignments. Instead
of dwelling on aspects of his game he felt he had lost due to his injuries,
such as his athleticism, Porter Jr. focused on what he could gain and how he
could add to his arsenal.
MPJ不是队中最好的球员,如大家从他高中毕业预料的,但是他可能是队上追逐冠军的最大
X因子,他在季后赛表现出色,场均14.6分8篮板,而他在外线表现出色,将近7次的3分出手达
到40.8%的命中率
但他的影响力远超出了得分,他是个不屈不挠的篮板手,在7场比赛中抓下双位数篮板,他也
在改善他的防守跟火锅,为自己的任务感到自豪. MPJ没有专注在因为伤势而失去的东西:
例如运动能力,反而专注于在他的武器库可能获得、增加什么
As a result, he’s morphed into a more all-around player, making selfless
plays that contribute to winning basketball. It helps, too, that he is
playing with one of the most dominant centers ever: two-time MVP Nikola
Jokic. “Being able to play with Nikola has been awesome for me,” Porter Jr.
says, adding that Jokic embodies the selflessness that the Nuggets have
embraced. “You have to be kind of like that if you want everyone, the whole
team, to be like that.”
Denver coach Michael Malone praised Porter Jr. after the Game 1 win over the
Lakers for his hustle in diving for a loose ball late in the fourth quarter,
leading to a two-handed Aaron Gordon dunk. “It’s a game-winning type of
play,” Malone said.
“He came up to me during the Phoenix series [in Round 2] and says, ‘Listen,
man, if you want to get Bruce [Brown] in at the end of the game, whatever you
think is gonna help us win the game. I just want to win.’”
结果他变成了一个更全面的球员,做出无私的表现为赢球做出贡献. 这也对跟着有史以来
最有统治力之一的两届MVP中锋Jokic有所帮助. “对我来说能够跟Jokic打球真的很棒”
并提到Jokic拥有的无私“如果你想要所有人,整队如此无私,你必须像Jokic这样”
Malone在第一场战胜湖人队后,对MPJ于第四节努力拯救一个快要失去的球,引领Gordon双
手灌篮表示称赞“这是一种"赢球"的打法”Malone说著“MPJ在与太阳对决时跟我说‘如
果你想让Brown收官,无论你觉得可以帮球队赢球的方式.我只想赢’”
He has learned to thrive within his role, sacrificing for the greater good of
his team. It wasn’t always easy. For most of his life, he was a go-to
scorer, but he has learned how to complement the stars around him, including
Jokic, Gordon, and Jamal Murray. “It’s letting go of ego,” Porter Jr.
says, “but that’s our whole team. Our whole team is about that. A lot of
guys are sacrificing.”
Porter Jr. finally feels he’s in the right place. When he’s playing, he
feels he’s back in his element. The pressure to perform well has dissipated
and been replaced with sheer joy to be on the floor at all. To have a chance
to win a ring on the biggest stage of basketball.
他学会了在他自己的角色中成长,为团队最大利益牺牲,这不是那么容易的. 在他大部分的
人生中他是个绝对的得分手,但是他已经学习到如何跟围绕着他的明星球员们互补“就是
放下自我中心的想法”MPJ说“但这就是我们整队,整队都是这样子,很多队友都有牺牲”
MPJ终于觉得他在一个对的环境,当他在比赛时觉得回到了自己的状态,要表现出色的压力
已经消散,取而代之的是在场上时单纯的喜悦,有机会赢得篮球中最高殿堂的冠军
“I’m still not fully pain free,” he says. The brace, also known as an
ankle foot orthosis, or AFO, was specifically designed for older people in
recovery from strokes or other nerve damage. Porter Jr. is wearing it while
chasing after some of the best athletes in the world. He believes he is the
first NBA player to wear such a brace.
It isn’t easy to play with, as it severely restricts his natural movement,
making the way he’s able to defend quick forwards even more impressive. But
it helps stabilize him, preventing injury and essentially allowing him to
have more normal flexion and extension of his foot. If he didn’t have it, he
’d literally trip over himself because he wouldn’t be able to pull his foot
up when running.
He used to dread putting on the brace when he first started wearing it. It
wasn’t just because it limited his freedom on the court, but also because it
reminded him of what he had lost. But now, before each game, he thanks God
that such an apparatus exists, because without it: “My career would’ve been
over.”
“我还没有摆脱痛楚”MPJ说著. 这支架也称为脚踝矫正器,专为中风康复中的老人或神经
身经损伤的人设计,MPJ穿着它追逐著全世界最好的球员,他相信他是第一位配戴它的NBA球
员,穿着它很难打球,它严重限制着我的动作,尤其是防守敏捷的锋线更让我印象深刻,但是
有助于我稳定住脚踝,防止受伤让我的脚能够弯曲或伸展.如果没有穿着,MPJ会因为跑步时
无法抬腿而自己跌到
他起初很怕戴上支架,不只是因为会限制他在场上的行动,也因为这会使他想起他失去的东
西,但现在每场赛前他感激上帝有这样的仪器存在,因为没有它“我的生涯就结束了”
He’s felt that sense of gratitude during the Nuggets’ playoff run. During
Game 2 against the Lakers in Denver, Murray hit a 3 to put the Nuggets up
nine late in the fourth quarter. Then, the next time down, Porter Jr. took a
handoff from Jokic, nailing a momentum-shifting 3 of his own to widen the
lead to 12 and forcing the Lakers to call a timeout.
The home crowd roared. Porter Jr. lost himself in the noise, joy coursing
through his bones. He let out a smile.
His parents, Lisa and Michael Porter Sr., and Christopher, who were sitting
in the stands, exchanged glances. They hadn’t seen Porter Jr. smile like
that in a long, long time. Some nights.
在金块季后赛中他感受到了感激之情,在与湖人队G2的比赛中,用3分球扩大领先到12分迫
使湖人队叫了暂停,主场观众一片欢呼,MPJ迷失在欢呼声中,喜悦流淌着他的骨头,合不拢
嘴的笑,他的父母以及Christopher,坐在观众席互换了眼神,他们已经好久没有看到MPJ笑
得那么灿烂
心得:大概翻了一半而已,后面开始从第一次背伤聊起,其中大学时遇到全国转播,热身时
突然发现左脚有问题,还是决定上场在第一个暂停被换下场(爸爸是球队助教),甚至躺在床
上数周无法动弹等等问题,真的感觉MPJ很努力,虽然在防守端受限于支架跟身体,还是想办
法防守,甚至在冠军赛进攻端3分失灵,第四战转而攻击禁区,都试着帮助球队. 希望MPJ能够
早日摆脱支架,回复健康了!