How Boston's Paul Pierce became the unquestionable Truth 真理如何焠炼 Posted: Wednesday April 29, 2009 http://0rz.tw/aZ1s1 这篇外电写在塞尔提克主场对公牛第五场的比赛赛後 内容蛮有意思的，作者从PP大学时期就已经开始关注他到现在了 对PP在球场上的个性相当了解，值得一看 --------------------------------------------- Buck O'Neil would talk all the time about how he saw the past while looking at the present. For instance, O'Neil would see Ken Griffey swing the bat and immediately think about the sweet left-handed swings of another time -- Billy Williams', for instance, or Ted Williams' or the swing of an old Negro League player like Turkey Stearnes. He would watch Roy Halladay pitch with all that intensity, and in his mind he would see Bob Feller or Satchel Paige or Bob Gibson. And he often said: "You'll do the same thing when you get old like me." Buck O'Neil看到眼前的东西总是会想起过去。譬如说，当O'Neil看到Ken Griffey挥动球 棒，就会立即想到从前那些左撇子的优美挥棒——比如Billy Williams、Ted Williams， 又或是联盟的黑人老将Turkey Stearnes ，当他看到Roy Halladay强而有力的投球 ，他的脑海会立刻浮现Bob Feller、Satchel Paige或是Bob Gibson的身影。 一如他经常说的：「当你到我这个年纪了，你也会这样的。」 Well, it must be happening. I must be getting old. Because when watching Boston's Paul Pierce make big shot after big shot against Chicago in Tuesday night's first-round Eastern Conference playoff game, I did not see the superstar Pierce has become -- last year's NBA Finals MVP, the man wearing the headband who has scored more than 18,000 points in his NBA career, the heart of the defending champion Boston Celtics, the man they call "The Truth." 嗯，的确如此，我一定是老了。因为在看到周二晚上东部季後赛首轮对阵芝加哥的比赛 中，Paul Pierce又一次命中那些关键球的时候，我看到的彷佛不是那个已经成为 超级巨星、去年的总决赛MVP、那个生涯得分超过18000分的头带男，还是卫冕冠军波士顿 塞尔提克的个中精神，那个被称作「真理」的男人。 No, I saw the young college player I knew more than a decade ago at Kansas. Paul Pierce was unlike any college basketball player I ever saw. He could do anything. And he could do nothing. And he usually did both in the same game, often in the same half, occasionally on the same possession. 不，我看到的是十几年前我在堪萨斯就认识的那个大学球员──Paul Pierce和我看到的其 他任何大学球员都不一样。有时他无所不能。有时他又什麽都不能。他经常会在一场比赛里 出现两种状态，更多时候是在同一个半场，偶尔是在同一次球权。 "Paul!" then-Kansas coach Roy Williams would yell from the sideline. "Do something!" Williams never had to be more specific than that. There was never any question with Pierce about him doing the wrong thing on the court -- he always had the most remarkable instincts for the game. With Pierce it was always one of two questions: 1. Wow, why doesn't he play that way all the time? 2. Wow, where did Paul Pierce go? 「Paul！」时任堪萨斯总教练Roy Williams经常会站在边线大喊：「你咬做点什麽！」除此 之外，Williams没有什麽要做的了。关於Pierce是否在场上做了错误的选择这样的问题根本 就不存在——他对比赛有着最敏锐的嗅觉。 关於Pierce的问题只可能是以下的二选一： 1、Wow，他为什麽不一直这样打？ 2、Wow，Paul Pierce去哪里了？ 　　(→很好，所以PP直到现在还是这付德性，一点也没有改变的头带男！)_ "I don't get bored with it," he said back then. But that was how it looked much of the time, like he was bored. He was gifted beyond reason; Pierce, even back then, wasn't just good enough to score and rebound and pass and dunk and block shots into the third row. He was good enough to make it all look beautiful. He had a little bit of Jordan, a tablespoon of Malone, a pinch of George Gervin, a dash of Alex English. He could take over in a half-dozen ways. 「我从不厌烦。」那时的PP会这麽说，虽然多数时候他看起来都是非常厌烦。他的天赋异禀 不需任何理由。即使在当时，Pierce的优秀也不仅仅限於得分、篮板、传球、扣篮、把对 方的球煽到观众席第三排去，他的优秀在於他能让这一切都显得非常美妙。他是一点Jordan ，一匙Malone，一撮George Gervin, 一抹Alex English的合体。他有好几种接管比赛的方 法。 　　(→关於此类PP什麽都会的形容，有志一同的是Ainge也是这麽认为的。) But he needed something to challenge him, something to stimulate him. He was like the ever-present kids in most of our lives, the ones who make good grades in those school classes that interest them, not so much in those classes that do not. I was that kid in school, too. 但是他需要一些让他兴奋的挑战，一些刺激他的东西。他就像我们生活中随处可见的孩子 ，他们总是在自己感兴趣的课程上拿高分，而在没有什麽兴趣的课程上却不尽如人意。我 上学的时候就是那样。 　　(→难怪PP和KG很合呀！一个喜欢骂，一个喜欢被骂 XDDDDDDDDDDDDDD) "I love Paul," Williams said all the time. "And Paul drives me crazy too." Watching Pierce on Tuesday, I remembered a game against Iowa State during Pierce's junior year. I had gone to write a column about him, and in the first half he played 15 minutes and did not score a point. He was so non-existent, so ghostlike, that the photographer actually wandered over at halftime and asked, "What do I shoot?" "Wait," I said. 「我爱Paul！」Williams总是这麽说，「Paul总是让我疯狂！」 在看Pierce周二的比赛时，我想起了他大三时对阵爱荷华州立（Iowa State）的一场比赛。 那时候我正要写一篇关於他的专栏，上半场他15分钟未得一分，形如梦游，没有存在感。中 场休息时照相师扭扭捏捏走到我的面前，问我他能拍些什麽。 「等。」我说。 And in the second half -- perhaps inspired by a stern halftime speech from Williams and news his mother was in the stands -- he scored 16, grabbed five rebounds, made brilliant passes and played suffocating defense. Kansas won by 17. The photographer smiled. He got his shot. It was, in memory, the absolutely perfect Paul Pierce game. 随後的下半场——可能使受到中场Williams严厉讲话或是得知他母亲也在现场观战的激励— —他得到了16分，摘了5个篮板，送出妙传，打出了令人窒息的防守。最终堪萨斯以17分的 优势取胜。照相师笑了，他拍到了合适的图片。在我的记忆里，那就是一场完美的Paul Pierce式的比赛。 That's how it was his entire college career. At the end of his sophomore year, Pierce was named third-team All-Big 12. Think about that for a minute -- Paul Pierce, who has become the ultimate NBA soldier, the guy who has carried the Boston Celtics this year, the most dangerous last-minute player in the game, was picked behind Nate Erdmann and Cory Carr and Dedric Willoughby and his own teammate Raef LaFrentz. The third-team pick embarrassed him, and Pierce showed his rage on the court, dominating the Big 12 Tournament and winning the MVP Award. 那就是PP全部大学生涯的缩影，在他大二那年的尾声，他入选12大联盟三队。请你好好想想 ——Paul Pierce，这位最终成为NBA一员的孩子，这个肩负着波士顿塞尔提克荣耀的队长， 联盟关键时刻最可怕的杀手，在Nate Erdmann、Cory Carr、Dedric Willoughby和他的队友 Raef LaFrentz之後被NBA选中的球员。而仅仅是入选三队让PP觉得很尴尬。 随後，Pierce在场上发泄了他的不满，他统治了12大联盟锦标赛并赢得MVP奖盃。 Then, a year later, he was not selected as one of the 10 best small forwards in the country by Street & Smith's. He neatly cut out the chart, taped it to his locker and would stare at it for motivation. Sometimes, it worked. Often, it didn't. "I do think something happens inside of me," he said then. "I think I play my best when I'm under pressure." 一年之後，他没能入选Street & Smith's评出的全美10佳小前锋。他把那表格整整齐齐地裁 下来，贴到了更衣室的柜子上用来激励自己。有时候，这招有效。但是大部分时间，还是没 有什麽作用。 「我觉得我已经发生了一些变化，」那时的PP说，「我觉得我在压力之下能打得最好。」 There were many doubts about Pierce as an NBA player. There was never a question about his game -- or there should not have been any questions about his game. He was one of those few players who had a true NBA game while in college.* 关於Pierce能否成为一名NBA球员还有很多疑问，但是他的比赛使无可置疑的——或许他的 比赛就不应该有疑问。他是为数不多的在大学时代就打出NBA级别比赛的孩子。* *You hear that phrase all the time -- "He has an NBA game," -- but I think it's a lot rarer than most people think. There are many great college basketball players, but only a handful of them have what you would call an NBA game -- the physical strength to play at a high level all the time, the unique talent to go to a spot and make a shot even if the defender knows it, the next level that you need to reach for the final minutes of the fourth quarter and the playoffs. *你经常会听到这样的说法——他打出了一场NBA级别的比赛，但是我觉得那比大多数人所认 为的还要更罕见。有很多的伟大的大学球员，但是其中只有一小部分的比赛你能真正 称之为NBA级别——长时间保持高度身体对抗，独特的空手走位和在比赛最後的关键时刻 即使防守者知道你要出手你也能把球投进去的天赋和处理关键球能力，以及应付季後赛 的能力。 I remember when Kansas reached the NCAA championship game in 2003, the Jayhawks had a couple of excellent players -- Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich -- and it was clear both would play in the NBA, and the feeling was that one or both would be very good NBA players. But then, in the championship game, we all watched Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony do whatever he wanted. And seeing them all on the same floor at the same time, it was clear: THAT GUY had an NBA game. 我记得堪萨斯2003年打进NCAA决赛。堪萨斯有两名优秀的球员——Nick Collison和Kirk Hinrich——很明显他们两个都将会进NBA，而且感觉两个人应该都会成为很不错的NBA球员 。但是，在总决赛中，我们看到的是雪城大学的Carmelo Anthony予予予求的表演。当他们 三个同时在场的时候，我们很明显的感觉到：那个家伙（Carmelo Anthony）才打出了一场 NBA级别的比赛。 The questions about Pierce and the NBA were the same ones that hounded him in college: Could he play at that high level night after night? Did he even want to play at that high level night after night? He showed so little emotion. He constantly had to play little games to inspire himself. What would it be like for him when it was Cleveland one night, Orlando the next, Atlanta two days later? Where would he find that inspiration? 困扰PP和整个NBA的问题和PP在大学时遇到的问题是一样的：他能坚持每天晚上打出那 样的高水准比赛吗？他是否愿意每天晚上都打出那样的高水准比赛？ 他真的太闷骚了，他经常会用一些糟糕的比赛来激励自己，如果第一天晚上对上骑士， 下一场对上魔术，三天後轮到老鹰......究竟他要到哪里去寻找(更多)激励呢？ 　　　(→如果真要挑剔PP的领导能力，需要激励大概是他被诟病的一点 　　他的篮球技术很成熟，抗压力也很好，就是打球太自由随性了 不然他关键一击得逞的不少，失手的也很多 如果不能把责备当激励，如果神经不大条一点，他大概已经死於舆论 　　他真的是个不错的球员，只是不够好，没有办法光靠自己就让球队获胜。) That's why Pierce was the 10th pick in the 1998 NBA draft, behind, among others, Robert "Tractor" Traylor, his teammate LaFrentz again, and the unforgettable No. 1 overall pick Michael Olowokandi.* 这也是为什麽PP在1998年NBA选秀中滑落到第10顺位，在他之前的，有Robert Traylor，他的队友LaFrentz和永生难忘的状元Michael Olowokandi。* *In one of the few prescient moments of my sportswriting career, I thought this was absolutely ridiculous. I wrote a rant on draft day in 1998 about the NBA geniuses who allowed Pierce to drop to No. 10. In it, I mentioned that Olowokandi was "Nigerian for Benoit Benjamin." *在我具有先见之明的体育写作生涯里，我始终认为这太荒谬了！当天我就写了一篇慷慨 激昂的文章来「赞美」那些让PP掉到第10位的「天才」们。在那片文章里，我还把 Olowokandi比作了Nigerian for Benoit Benjamin. And so, it's so much fun to see what Pierce has become. He has become a warrior. Tuesday's game was perfect. This has been such a fun series between the Celtics and Bulls -- big shots, tough defense, overtimes, intensity. Pierce was not especially visible for much of the game. He's a very different player now. He's obviously still a great athlete, but, at 31, he's not the force of nature he once was. He is more anchored to the ground. He moves with purpose. And when the Celtics needed the jumper to tie, there was Pierce, going to his spot, shooting with a hand in his face, making the shot. 看到PP今天的成就挺有趣的，他已经成为了一名勇士。周二的比赛太完美了，塞尔提克和 公牛的系列赛已然成为经典——关键球、铁血防守、延长赛、比赛强度。 PP在比赛的大部分时候并不显得特别起眼但与众不同，他是一个伟大的球员，虽然他已 经31岁了，没有了昔日的爆发力，打球越来越不开地板，然而他的每个动作都是有意义的。 And in the final moments of overtime, when the Celtics needed points to take the lead, he kept going to his spot, kept shooting those jumpers and kept making them. Everyone knew precisely what he would do. But they could not stop him. That's the kind of player Pierce has become. 延长赛的最後时刻，当塞尔提克需要取得分数领先，PP不断跑到他最熟悉的位置，不断的 出手，然後命中。每个人都很清楚他要做些什麽。但他们就是防不住。这就是Pierce所成为 的那种类型的球员。 When it ended, the sideline reporter asked Pierce if he was at all tired because this was the fourth overtime of the series. He smiled real big and said no, absolutely not, this was fun, he would play overtime every time out. Pierce no longer needs anyone to yell at him to "Do something." He does plenty. 比赛结束後，记者问PP否因为这个系列赛的第四次延长而感到疲倦，他笑了笑回答：「 「不，这很有意思。我愿意多打几次延长赛。」 Pierce再也不需要谁站在场边对他大喊「做些什麽」了，因为他做的够多了。 # ------------------------------------- 好吧！3次OT输给公牛之後再回来看这篇外电，真的有点囧 输球虽败犹荣是藉口 但是Paul Pierce从来没让塞尔提克丢过脸。 THE LIFE THE WAT THE TRUTH GO GO CELTICS ~ --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 220.136.86.241 ※ 编辑: SexyCassell 来自: 220.136.86.241 (05/01 18:40)