Dirk Nowitzki's shooting struggles deepen by Tim MacMahon http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/mavericks/post/_/id/4684507/ DALLAS -- For much of the fourth quarter, this Interstate 35 showdown seemed like a flashback to the last season's Western Conference finals. 在大部分的第四节， 这场35跨州公路大战让人彷佛回到了上季的西区冠军赛。 The young Oklahoma City Thunder let another double-digit lead disintegrate against a renovated version of the veteran Dallas Mavericks squad that dismissed Kevin Durant & Co. in five games en route to the franchise's long-awaited first championship parade. 面对改版的老牛队，年轻的雷霆队再次败掉了二位数的领先。 上季，这只充满老将的球队终於结束了他们对冠军游行的漫长等待， 并在夺冠之路上以五场解决了KD等人的雷霆队。 But there were a couple of key clutch ingredients missing, preventing the Mavs from closing out what would have been an excruciatingly painful reminder of the West favorite's conference finals failure. 但在这场比赛中少了一些关键成分， 让小牛无法让雷霆重温上季西区冠军赛失败的痛苦回忆。 Grizzled, gray-haired point guard Jason Kidd sat on the Dallas bench in a suit, resting a strained calf that will sideline him at least the rest of the week. Dominant power forward Dirk Nowitzki has disappeared. 灰发斑斑的控卫老基穿着西装坐在板凳上， 小腿拉伤让他至少还要休息一个礼拜。 而那个在场上主宰一切的Dirk也消失了。 Nowitzki technically played in the Mavs' 96-85 loss at the American Airlines Center, a game the Russell Westbrook-led Thunder finished with a 10-1 run after the Mavs rallied from 10 points down to tie the score with 2:14 remaining. 严格来讲，Nowitzki当晚的确有出现在场上。 在比赛剩下2:14秒时，小牛追了十分将比数追平。 但西河带领雷霆队打出一波10-1的攻势，让小牛在AAC主场以85-96输球。 But Dirk doesn't even resemble the dude who has appeared in the last 10 All-Star games and earned the Finals MVP just months ago. 但Dirk那晚并不是那个入选十次全明星的他， 也不是几个月前获选冠军赛MVP的他。 The 7-footer has been bad all season by his Hall of Fame standards. He was worse Wednesday night, scoring only eight points on 2-of-15 shooting. 本季，这位七尺长人的表现并没有达到他名人堂般的标准， 而他在周三晚上打得更糟，投15中2，只得了8分。 "I'm just not in a good rhythm," said Nowitzki, whose scoring average (16.2 points) and field-goal percentage (.430) are the lowest since his lockout-shortened rookie season of 1998-99. "I had some good looks there, I thought, in the second half especially. A couple of them were just in and out. Nowitzki说：「我只是找不到好节奏。」 他的平均得分(16.2)和投篮命中率(.430)都是自98-99的封馆菜鸟球季以来的最低。 「我有一些不错的空档，特别是下半场。有些球只是在篮框涮了一圈又出来。」 "I've just got to keep working, come in at night, like what I always do, lift on off days and get my shots up and just keep on working. Keep working in the right direction." 「我只是要继续努力，上场打球，就像我平常做的那样， 在休假时练习投篮，持续干活。持续朝着对的方向努力。」 It's not an exaggeration to call this the worst shooting performance of Nowitzki's legendary career. It was only the fourth time in franchise history -- and a first for him -- that a Maverick has attempted at least 15 field goal and made two or fewer. 在Nowitzki的传奇生涯中，称周三晚上为最糟的投篮表现并不夸张。 这是第四次在球队史上有小牛球员出手15次以上只进两球或更少--而这是Dirk的第一次。 when he wasn't sitting out to try to get his game and sore right knee right, it can't be considered too shocking. 但对那些看着Nowitzki比赛的人们来说，看着他本季每晚的艰苦奋斗， 以及无法休息让他找到自己的比赛和恢复酸痛的右膝，这样的表现并不让人太为震惊。 This is the sixth time this season Nowitzki has scored 12 or fewer points. To put that in perspective, Dirk had a dozen points during Dallas' OT-forcing 17-2 run in the final five minutes of Game 4 in last season's West finals, a Mavs win that basically crushed the Thunder's spirit in the series. 这是本季第六次Nowitzki得分在12分以下。 而在去年西区冠军赛的第四战，Dirk在最後五分钟得了不少分， 帮助小牛打出一波17-2的攻势，将比赛逼进延长并获得胜利， 粉碎了雷霆在系列战中的斗志。 Coach Rick Carlisle and owner Mark Cuban continue to express ultimate confidence in Nowitzki, pointing out that he struggled to regain his rhythm immediately after returning from a nine-game absence due to a sprained knee last season. However, Nowitzki hasn't struggled like this for such an extended stretch since he was a homesick rookie wondering whether he was cut out for the NBA or better off heading back to Germany. 卡帅和库班持续表示对Dirk的无比信心， 指出要从上季的脚踝扭伤当中马上找回节奏是困难的， 那次的受伤让他缺席了九场比赛。 然而，自菜鸟球季以来，Nowitzki从未状况低迷这麽久， 当初那个想家的菜鸟想着不知能不能在NBA中生存， 还是乾脆早早回德国打球算了。 Nevertheless, nobody in the Mavs franchise seems too concerned. The good news is that Nowitzki's right knee isn't swelling and feels better than before his personal training camp last week. 不过，在小牛阵没有人太过担心这件事。 好消息是，Nowitzki的右膝不再肿胀， 并且感觉比上周的个人训练营之前好。 "The rest is just hard work," said Nowitzki, who is showing up at the Mavs' practice court for nightly workouts with longtime mentor Holger Geschwindner. 「剩下要做的就是好好努力。」 昨晚在练习场和心灵导师Holger进行例行练球的Dirk说。 "Every series of slumps, one of them's gotta be the worst," Cuban said. "One of them's gotta be bad, so that's what this is. I'm not worried about it at all. He's frustrated. His shot's not going. It's probably in his head some, but Holger just got to town.They'll work together. I'm not worried about it even a little bit." 「每次的低潮总会有最糟的时候。」库班说。 「总会有一场不好，事情就是这样。我一点都不担心。 也许Dirk很挫折，觉得自己没法进球，但Holger刚赶到这儿， 他们会开始一起练习。我一点都不担心。」 Nowitzki, who averaged 32.2 points in the West finals and had his two best scoring games of this season against the Thunder, acknowledged he's trying to rebuild his confidence in his knee and game as he goes. It's especially alarming to see him unable to beat Oklahoma City's Kendrick Perkins off the dribble, no matter how much weight the slimmed-down big dropped during the lockout. Nowitzki承认他正试着重建对比赛和自己膝盖的信心。 上一季对雷霆的系列赛他每场平均可以攻下32.2分， 而本季两场对雷霆的比赛也是他得分表现最好的比赛。 不管他在封馆期间瘦了多少，看到Dirk运球过不了Perkins都是个警讯。 The Mavs (14-9) have managed to stay in the thick of the West playoff picture despite Dirk's woes. Dallas is an even deeper team than last season, as evidenced by the Mavs' 3-1 record during his layoff compared to his 2-7 record when he sat last season. They'll keep running their offense through the big German and count on him to get right when it really counts. 尽管Dirk的状况不佳，小牛(本季14胜9负)仍身处西区季後赛的拼图中。 达拉斯的板凳深度比上季更深，这点可从本季Dirk休战时3胜1负的战绩看出。 上季他高挂免战牌时，球队只有2胜7负的战绩。 小牛的进攻会继续透过这位高大的德国人运转，并在关键时刻仰赖他挺身而出。 "When he gets it rolling, hey, we're going to be tough to beat," closing sidekick Jason Terry said. 「当他开始进球时，我们将是只难以击败的球队」。Dirk亲近的战友Terry说。 At this point, the Mavs just have to hope that happens by the time the playoffs begin or the West will be won by someone else. 目前，小牛只希望在这个时刻在季後赛开始时来临，否则西区冠军将拱手他人。 -- 首次翻译请多指教，谢谢！ -- --

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