在桃花源里翻外电 感觉真好 XD 106:88 farmar生涯新高 来源: http://0rz.tw/033GZ February 28th, 2008 The Evolution of the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant: How a Leader Was Born By David Neiman One of the first feature pieces I ever wrote for the Washington Post was about Kobe Bryant. It was November 2002, the Lakers were coming off their third straight NBA title, and No. 8 – as he was then – was starting to emerge from the shadow of Shaquille O’Neal. 在我一开始帮华盛顿邮报写专栏的时候, 我写的就是Kobe. 那是大概2002年11月的事了, 湖人刚刚庆祝完他们的三连霸. 那个8号的小子(对.. 他那个时候是8号)也开始从大鲨鱼的影子下冒出头来. As part of the story, I asked Phil Jackson to compare Kobe with Michael Jordan. The fact that I posed the question gives you a sense of how I – and many other people – perceived Bryant at the time. 为了写那个专栏, 我访问了禅师, 我要求他拿Kobe来跟那个人比比. 你光看我提出的要求, 就大概能知道我(还有很多其他人)那个时候对Kobe的想法. Phil, as one might have expected, offered what I saw as a politic response: “A lot of people throw . . . Michael’s cape on Kobe, and it’s not fair to either one of those players,” said Jackson. “Yet they both have this competitive standard that everybody can recognize, a competitive level they carry themselves with on the court.” 禅师还是老样子, 给了很有禅机的回应: "很多人喜欢把那个人的外套硬挂在Kobe身上, 这对他们2个都不公平." "可是就像大家都看得出来的一样, 他们2个都有那股斗心, 那股在场上不服输的斗志" The comparisons might not have been fair. Still, in 2002, people were constantly making them, and to a large degree — and I was not the only one who held this viewpoint — Kobe was the cause. 虽然那个比较并不公平. 可是, 在2002年, 大家都很喜欢挑这个话题说. 而且大家有这种看法的很大一部分的原因就是Kobe. As I wrote back then (and I promise to stop quoting myself after this): 下面这段是我那个时候写的(我保证, 这段之後我就不会节录自己的文章了): Since leaping from high school to the NBA, he has been routinely hyped and rejected as the second coming of Michael Jordan. For much of that time, Bryant has not only tried to live up to the comparison, but perhaps, encouraged it. 打他刚从高中跳级进入NBA之後, Kobe就不断的被拿去跟那个人比较, 也不断的 被否定. 很长一段时间, Kobe不但试着去符合别人的比较, 甚至还很欢迎这种看法. The fact is that whether by coincidence or conscious effort, the similarities between Bryant and Jordan’s mannerisms are unmistakable. The steady, loping strides as Bryant drives the ball upcourt, tongue wagging; the backward strut, head nodding, after he buries a jump shot; even the timbre and rhythm of his speech when he addresses the media are all vintage Jordan. And with Bryant’s new bulk, the physical similarity between the two — they are the same height and virtually the same weight — is impossible to ignore. 不知道是凑巧还是故意的, Kobe跟那个人的感觉相似度实在让人难忘. Kobe伸着舌头. 带球过场那稳定圆滑的步伐. 球进了之後点着头, 往後退的样子. 甚至是对外接受 访问的时候都让人看得到浓浓的那个人影子. 在Kobe增重之後, 一样的身高, 也有着几乎一样的体重. 他们连体格上都相似得让人无法忽视. At age 24, Kobe was remarkably like Jordan — and somehow, not him, akin to a musical prodigy, capable of playing any sonata the seasoned concert pianist could, yet somehow, lacking the intangible quality that distinguished the genius from the flawless imitator. Kobe那个时候24, 那个人的影子似乎永远跟着他, 可是, Kobe不是他. 就像可以模仿任何有经验的钢琴演奏家的新进音乐家, 虽然相似, 不过天才和 完美模仿者之间那种摸不到说不出的差距, 你还是可以感觉得出来. At the same time, there seemed to be no “real” Kobe Bryant. He said all the right things in ads for shoes and Sprite, yet even in one-on-one interviews, one never got the sense of him, of a voice and personality that made you feel, “Ah, now I’m speaking to Kobe Bryant.” It felt more like you were talking to someone “playing” the next Jordan. Something was missing, and there was little to suggest that it would ever be found. 同时, Kobe也让人看不到真正的他. 他在球鞋和雪碧广告说的话听起来都 是自己的心里话. 可是, 就算在一对一的专访里, 你也没办法找到"阿. 原来这就是Kobe"的任何脉络. 就像你在访问的是正在扮演那个人接班人角色 的感觉. 你感觉不到他的存在, 而且好像我们一辈子也没机会找得到. Six years later, things are radically different. 6年後, 一切都不一样了. THE BEGINNING 一切的开始 To me, Kobe’s evolution from star mimic to true superstar was catalyzed, strangely enough, by his arrest on rape charges in Colorado prior to the start of the 2003 season. 对我来说, Kobe从模仿的家伙到真正球星的进化, 正是在他2003年球季 刚刚开始, 在科罗拉多因为疑似强暴而被逮捕之後, 才真正开始的. The distasteful nature of that event notwithstanding, it had the effect of obliterating the contrived, plastic, clean-cut image of Kobe that existed at the time. Every major sponsor either dropped or suspended their deals with him. Overnight, he went from NBA poster child to persona non grata, a basketball savant assailed by the public on all sides for his conduct off the court. 先不论那件事有多麽肥皂, 它还是把那个时候乾净, 跟假人一样的Kobe形象扯 下来的原因. 他每个主要的赞助商不是抽掉了赞助, 就是暂时停止活动. 一夜之间, 他从NBA天之骄子, 被贬成了爹不疼妈不爱路人还要吐口水的罪人. The notion of being the next Michael Jordan — and granted, I’m speculating here — was likely far from the forefront of his mind. 他那个时候心里的想法(对, 我是用猜的), 我想最不重要的就是能不能 跟那个人相提并论了. In a 2003 column entitled, “Is Bryant’s best behind him with the burden he carries?” USA Today columnist Jon Saraceno wrote: 2003年, 有篇叫"Bryant会不会被这件事毁掉"的报导是这样说的: This season will test Bryant like no year, or defender, has. The mounting anxiety on him will make every night feel like a seventh game. Maybe Bryant thinks resuming his occupation will be good therapy, but I wonder what will happen before, during and after games. 这季对Kobe的挑战会是他面对过的敌人里面最难缠的, 没有任何球季还是对手 可以相提并论. 心里面不断累积的焦虑让他每场球打起来都感觉像是系列赛第7战. 也许Kobe认为继续打球就是最好的良药. 可是我关心的, 是他场上下的全部时间. I imagine that even posh four-star hotels can feel like prisons to a celebrity under siege. Bryant may never serve a day behind bars, but that doesn’t mean he won’t understand what Alcatraz was like, even if his solitary confinement includes room service and a cluster of bodyguards. 我想就算舒服的4星饭店对正在被围攻的明星来说都像监狱一样. Kobe没有坐过 一天的牢, 可是, 我想就算他的牢饭是旅馆送上门的好吃料理, 也没人会怀疑 他过的是恶魔岛(在旧金山, 以前有名的监狱, 现在是景点)般的生活. And can you imagine the catcalls from fans on the road in places such as Sacramento, Philadelphia, Boston, Dallas and, of course, Denver? 而且, 你能想像在国王76人波士顿小牛当然还有丹佛客场球迷说的话会有多 难听吗? “Playing the game of basketball is not difficult for me,” he said. “Going through what we’ve been going through is difficult.” 他说:"打篮球不难, 难的是我们现在过的生活" The column concluded with this sentiment: 这篇文章是这样结尾的: Regardless of the outcome, I can’t help but wonder if this young man, whose life once seemed so idyllic, can ever be the same player or person. 不管最後判决怎麽样, 我都不知道这个曾经是天之骄子的年轻人, 以後还可不可以 跟什麽事都没发生过一样的打球甚至是过生活. I don’t know. 我不知道. I’m not sure Kobe does, either. 我想就连Kobe自己也不知道. Saraceno was right. The Kobe Bryant we knew — or didn’t really know — was gone, and the question was, who would replace him? Saraceno(上面节录文章的作者)说得没错. 那个我们认识(其实不算太认识?)的 Kobe已经不存在了. 重要的是, 现在的他是怎麽样的人? A WINNER IN PURGATORY 浴火重生的赢家 The 2004 season saw the end of the Kobe-Shaq era, and what followed it was a period that, it seems to me, perfectly reflected Kobe Bryant, the player. Ostensibly, he was the new leader of the team, yet it quickly became clear that No. 8 had no real experience leading a team. His impressions of leadership reminded me of his impressions of MJ — he said all of the right things, but you still found yourself thinking that he’d rather be playing with two replicas of himself than four other players. His first season, Los Angeles finished 34-48. The following two, the Lakers exited the playoffs in the first round. 2004年球季为OK连线画下了休止符. 之後的湖人过了跟他们当家之前一样 的日子. Kobe成了这新球队的当家, 很快的, 大家也把他没有带队经验的 情况看得一清二楚. 他对扮演球队领导者这个角色的做法, 就像当初扮演 那个人的情况一样. 他说的都很好听, 可是, 看起来他宁愿跟2个自己同队, 也不想要有4个队友. 他当家的第一个球季, 湖人战绩是34-48. 接下来的 2季, 湖人都在季後赛第一轮被扫地出门. Interestingly enough, as these years were passing — and I have to admit, I hadn’t thought about this until now — Kobe seemed less and less like he was affecting Michael Jordan. All of the physical tics seemed to vanish. 有趣的是, 经过了那些年之後(我承认, 直到现在我才注意到), 他越来越不像 那个人的影子了. 那些外观上的相似度也不见了. Instead, as Los Angeles turned in multiple subpar seasons, Bryant began to cultivate a profound disdain for losing possibly unmatched by any basketball player in the world, past or present — with the exception, ironically, of Michael Jordan — and in time, that disdain transformed into anger. 取而代之的, 是你除了在那个人身上, 再也没看过的, 那种讨厌输的心情. 在湖人交出几个不及格的成绩单之後, 那种心情, 变成了愤怒. In the summer of 2007, that anger boiled over, and Kobe Bryant demanded a trade. Not long after, in a parking lot in Orange County, he unleashed a profanity-laden tirade against teammate Andrew Bynum. 2007年, 愤怒到了沸点, Kobe放话要求被交易. 不久之後的某天, 在某个橙县 的停车场, Kobe脏话连篇的对人抱怨他的队友, Andrew Bynum. My initial response to both acts was disbelief. How could he lash out like this against a franchise that stood by him unhesitatingly through his entire ordeal in Colorado? On the one hand, it seemed like the height of betrayal, and to a degree, it still does. 我刚刚听到这个消息的反应, 除了不相信还是不相信. 他怎麽可以这样回报 那个在科罗拉多时间对他不离不弃的球队? 这简直就是背叛的N次方. Looking at it another way, however, these seem like the first genuine acts — misguided, though they were — of an emerging leader. And what we were hearing, for the very first time, was Kobe Bryant finding his voice. 不过从另一方面来看, 这也是他第一次做回了自己, 这是他第一次以球队领导者 的身分, 做出了抱怨. It was impossible to know that at the time, but in the months that have passed, Kobe Bryant’s actions have proven exactly what kind of player, teammate and employee he truly is. His effort has been unparalleled — he is currently playing with a dislocated finger, and will be for the duration of the season, yet he continues to be unstoppable at both ends of the floor. While he was wrong about Bynum and his teammates — before his injury, Bynum was playing phenomenally, and the quality of Los Angeles’ bench has been one of the stunning stories of the 2007-08 season — one could convincingly argue that Kobe’s trade demand and tirade were what shook up the Lakers franchise. 虽然那个时候一点也感觉不出来, 可是在几个月後, 我们终於真正的了解 到Kobe到底是一个什麽样的球员, 什麽样的队友, 什麽样的员工. 他做出 的贡献没人比的上, 就算现在抱着那个错位的手指打球(而且还要一直这样 打完球季), 不论在攻守两端, 都没人挡的住他. 虽然他对bynum还有其他 队友的看法是错的(受伤前Bynum打的超霸, 湖人板凳也是07-08球季受瞩目 的黑马之一), 可是不可否认的, Kobe的要求打醒了湖人. A LEADER IS BORN 一个领导者的诞生 The popular take in early MVP conversations is that Kobe deserves it. I agree, but not for the reasons cited by columnists like the Los Angeles Times Bill Plaschke. To Plaschke, Bryant is finally making his teammates better, and thus, should get the award: 最近大家都说Kobe是MVP大热门. 我同意, 可是跟其他专栏作家的原因不一样. 像LA Times的Bill Plaschke, 他认为Kobe这季终於让队友变得更好, 所以, 他应该是MVP: He doesn’t scream at his teammates so much anymore. He doesn’t ignore them during moments of frustration anymore. 他已经不像以前一样, 老是对队友大吼了. 他也不再因为失望而无视他们. He has helped turn Sasha Vujacic into a weapon, and Farmar into a pest, and, man, considering he once wanted the guy traded, he has been huge in the development of Andrew Bynum. 他让公主成了有力的武器, 让Farmar无所不在, 虽然当初他要求交易Bynum, 可是他也是让Bynum成长的原因之一. In Plaschke’s column, Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson agrees: 在Plaschke的专栏里, 湖人的禅师同意: “You can see the emphasis in Kobe’s game to get other people involved and to make the rest of his teammates better,” Jackson said. "你看得出来, Kobe现在多努力的想让队友进入状况, 让他们变的更有力" Earlier in the year, I argued that the entire notion of “making one’ s teammates better,” at least as far as it’s commonly meant, is nonsense, the NBA equivalent to giving an NFL quarterback too much of the credit or blame for winning or losing. Yes, Kobe’s teammates are better, but it’s not because he’s suddenly passing them the ball where he wasn’t before. A season ago, he gave them the ball plenty. 今年前段的时候, 我曾经说过, 那所谓的"让队友更好"根本就是无稽之谈. 就像NFL说不论输赢都是四分卫的原因. 对, Kobe的队友是比以前好了, 可是 那不是因为他突然开始愿意传球. 上季他就给过队友多到翻的机会了. They’re better because for the first time, they’re matching his effort. 他们变得更好, 是因为第一次, 他们愿意追上Kobe的努力. They’re better because Sasha Vujacic is making open threes where he missed them all last year. They’re better because Jordan Farmar isn’ t a rookie, is stronger, and has a much better sense of the pro game. They’re better because Derek Fisher is giving Los Angeles and Kobe trustworthy veteran leadership. They’re better because Lamar Odom is healthy and thriving, now that he’s free of the pressure of being the second scoring option. They’re better because Andrew Bynum is a freak of nature. And they’re better because, in what I refer to as the Immaculate Transaction, they somehow picked up Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies for nothing. 他们变好了, 是因为公主不再是上季那个大空档百投不进的家伙. 他们变好了, 是因为Farmar不再菜, 变得强壮了点, 也对比赛有了比较多的认识. 他们变好了, 是因为渔夫给了湖人和Kobe一个可以信任的老球皮. 他们变好了, 是因为老二终於比较健康, 而且不再有当老二的压力. 他们变好了, 是因为Bynum是个天生的怪物. 他们变好了, 是因为在那个完美的交易里, 他们用杂鱼向灰熊换来了耶稣. Kobe’s teammates are playing better, and because of that, he has more confidence in them, and looks for them more often. In turn, Kobe ’s growing confidence emboldens his teammates to play even better. It ’s a two-way street. If you don’t believe me, watch what Kobe does on a night when no one else can find their shot (which is now unlikely, given the Lakers’ multitude of weapons). I guarantee you that the man who makes his teammates better would still shoot 40 times. Kobe的队友打的不再像杂鱼, 也因为这个原因, 他对他们更有信心, 也更 常找空档给他们. 而Kobe对他们的信心, 也让他们打的更好. 有来就有往. 如果你不相信我, 找个Kobe队友百投不进的比赛(现在很少见了, 湖人武器 现在这麽广), 我保证那个让队友更好的家伙还是会出手40次. If you want to credit Kobe Bryant with something, credit him with putting his reputation on the line to light the proverbial inferno under the entire Lakers franchise. Credit him for continuing to push everyone, from players to coaches to management to ownership, to demand nothing less than what he demands of himself — every last ounce of effort in the pursuit of a championship. 如果你要赞美Kobe, 至少称赞他有那个把自己的形象付之一炬也要打醒 湖人球团的勇气. 称赞他不断的以对自己的要求来要求大家, 要求他的 队友, 他的教练, 甚至是管理部门, 要求他们为了冠军而努力. And that, to me, is what ultimately makes him worthy of an MVP award. It’s also a clear indication that Kobe Bryant, a leader in his own right, has arrived. 这, 对我来说, 就是他应该是MVP的原因. 这也是Kobe的时代来临的明显证明. IN RETROSPECT Thinking back to that 2002 feature I wrote, I think that I — just like Phil Jackson suggested — had unfair expectations of Kobe Bryant. Yes, he did seem like more of a Jordan emulator than the superstar he has involved into; then again, he was 24 years old. Most 24 year-olds, whether or not they have superhuman athletic or intellectual or musical abilites, have an underwhelming sense of who they are. We, as sportswriters and fans, are applying the same grossly critical eye to LeBron James now. In a decade, we’ll all look back and laugh. 回想2002我写的那个文章, 我想我, 就像禅师说的, 对Kobe有不公平的期待. 是, 他那个时候的确比起现在的球星样, 更像那个人的影子. 不过, 他那个 时候才24. 大部分24岁的孩子, 不管他们有没有超人般的运动能力/智力/ 音乐能力, 都不能很明确的了解自己. 我们这些体育记者和球迷, 现在也 用一样恶心的批评眼光看着LBJ. 10年後, 我们回想现在会笑死. To me, Kobe Bryant circa 2008 is transforming into every bit the player and leader that Michael Jordan was, and I think this season will bear that out. 2008时期的Kobe已经不管身为球员或是领导者, 都进化成不输给那个人的家伙. 我相信这球季会是见证人. Who is the best of all-time? Does it matter, really? In his prime, MJ left you in awe every time he stepped onto the floor. Kobe is the same way now. 谁才是天下第一人? 说真的, 重要吗???? 在那个人的巅峰时期, 每次他上场 都能让你带着惊讶回家. Kobe现在也一样. A jazz musician once told me that he began his career imitating a hero because, “It’s better to sound like somebody than nobody.” 曾经有个爵士乐手跟我说, 他之所以以模仿起家是因为"像个有名的人总比 让人记不得好." In time, of course, that musician — like Kobe Bryant — became a somebody as well. 那个乐手, 後来也跟Kobe一样, 成了大家记得名字之一. David Neiman is a freelance sportswriter who has worked for the Washington Post, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, Lakers Magazine, and other award-winning publications. He is also the president of Athlete Interactive, a web development company for professional athletes. (这边介绍作者, 不翻了) --

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