Road test for Nuggets' newfound swagger 客场连战考验全新的金块。 'Tough games' make up five-game journey east 东征之旅，五场硬仗。 http://tinyurl.com/397wls By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News March 19, 2007 A previous J.R. Smith prediction led to nobody calling him Nostradamus. 先前J.R. Smith预言金块下半季胜败之後，没有人会认为他是个预言家。 When asked how he believed the Nuggets would fare during the second half of the season, Smith said with all seriousness, "41-0." With 18 games left, the Nuggets are 11-12. 当时Smith被问到金块队下半季的战绩将会如何？他一脸正经的说：「四十一胜， 零败。」现在本季只剩18场比赛了，经过了23场，金块队的战绩是11胜12败。 The shooting guard again is shooting from the lip as the Nuggets (33-31) head East for a five-game trip. But the way they're playing, perhaps it should not be dismissed when Smith said, "We've got to win at least four of them." 正当金块队准备迎向五场东征之旅，这名得分後卫再一次地开了他的金口，说出他 的预言。以金块队现在的比赛内容来看，这次他说「我们至少会赢得四场比赛」的 时候，你不能认为Smith只是打打嘴炮而已。 The Nuggets have won four straight heading into tonight's game against New Jersey at Continental Airlines Arena. A win would enable them to tie their longest streak of the season. 今晚，金块队将带着四连胜来到篮网队主场Continental Airlines Arena踢馆，再 拿下一胜，他们就可以追平本季最长的连胜。 With the manner the Nuggets took apart the Lakers on Thursday and Phoenix on Saturday at the Pepsi Center, some believe the Allen Iverson-Carmelo Anthony experiment finally is starting to percolate. The Nuggets outscored the Lakers by 27 in the second half of a 113-86 win and led by as many as 40 in dissecting the Suns 131-107. 以金块队礼拜二以及礼拜六在主场分别痛击湖人与太阳的形势来看，有些人相信 Allen Iverson与Carmelo Anthony的搭配终於慢慢看见成效。上礼拜金块在下半场比 湖人多得27分，最後以113比86拿下胜利；接着面对太阳一度领先40分，最终也以131 比107大胜。 "This does a lot for our confidence," said Iverson, who had 44 points and a season-high 15 assists against Phoenix, his best game since the Nuggets acquired him Dec. 19. "When you win four games in a row, you get a certain swagger about your game." 面对太阳之战是Iverson自12月19日来到丹佛之後的代表作，他攻下44分并传出本季 最高的15次助攻。Iverson说：「这波四连胜让我们信心大增，对以後的比赛也更能 提起精神去面对。」 The Nuggets will try to strut through their toughest trip of the season. After facing the Nets (31-36), they run into four of the East's current top-five playoff seeds in Chicago (39-29) on Thursday, Toronto (36-31) on Friday, Cleveland (41-25) on Sunday and Detroit (42-23) on Monday. 金块队将会努力，在经过这个本季最严苛的客场比赛之後，可以昂首阔步的回家。 面对篮网队（31胜36败）之後，他们将会遭遇四名东区前五种子的球队：礼拜四公牛 （39胜29败），礼拜五暴龙（36胜31败），礼拜天骑士（41胜25败），以及礼拜一 活塞（42胜23败）。 "Almost all of them are playoff teams," said Nuggets coach George Karl, who made good on a pregame promise and gave his players Sunday and Monday off from practice after they beat Phoenix. "Tough games. . . . I like it. I think we've put ourselves in a place of confidence. It's time to go out there and be serious about NBA basketball. Too many times . . . we haven't felt good about seriousness." 金块击败太阳之後，Karl实践他的诺言。他赛前告诉球员，如果他们能打一场漂亮的 胜仗，礼拜天与礼拜一练习就可以取消。Karl表示：「这些队伍大部分都是季後赛种 子球队，我喜欢这些挑战。我认为我们已经让自己有足够信心来面对这些比赛。也该 是时候好好比赛；以严肃的态度来面对比赛。很多时候，我们并没有用严谨的心态来 打球。」 That changed last week. The Nuggets began the week by halting a 20-game losing streak in Sacramento. 而这个心态的改变，是从上礼拜开始：金块队终止在国王主场的20连败。 The Nuggets survived against lowly Portland. Then they walloped the Lakers and the Suns after not having beaten a team that currently has a winning record since Jan. 20 at Houston. 然後他们渡过翻船的危机，惊险的战胜战绩不佳的拓荒者；接着痛击湖人与太阳，终 止自1月20日在休士顿主场击败火箭之後，便没有赢过胜率超过五成球队的纪录。 "What you've seen the last four games is what everybody has been looking for since (Iverson) came to the team, since we made the trade," said Anthony, whose Nuggets are 19-22 since the acquisition of Iverson and 9-9 when he and Iverson play together. "I think everybody was looking for that. Finally, it's starting to jell." 金块队从Iverson交易之後战绩是19胜22败；Anthony与Iverson搭档之後战绩是9胜9败。 Melo表示：「自交易以来，这四场比赛的表现就是大家一直期盼的金块队。每个人都期 待这样的表现，这个交易的效应也终於慢慢成形。」 Anthony and Iverson combined for 73 points against Phoenix, the most this season for the duo. Perhaps the only fear was the Nuggets making the Suns, in line to be their first-round playoff opponent, mad. 击败太阳这场比赛里，Anthony与Iverson的杀手组合攻下73分，是本季最高。也许他们 唯一应该担忧的事情，就是会激怒太阳这支季後赛第一轮假想敌。 As for making the playoffs, there were some minor worries early this month. But the seventh-seeded Nuggets have moved three games ahead of No. 8 Golden State and four in front of the No. 9 Los Angeles Clippers. 本月初他们还有点担心是不是可以打进季後赛，但现在位居第七种子的金块把跟第八名 勇士之间胜差拉到三场，与第九名快艇的胜差来到四场。 "This road trip is very important for us," said forward Linas Kleiza, who, with the Nuggets playing 13 of their final 18 away from the Pepsi Center, isn't satisfied with their cushion. "We're playing a lot of tough teams, a lot of good teams, playoff teams. It's going to be tough. It's not easy to go on the road and win. But we have to." 金块队接下来的18场比赛将会有13场客场，前锋Linas Kleiza对於他们目前第七种子的 位置并不满意。他说：「这次客场征战对我们来说非常重要，我们将会面对很多难缠的 对手，他们是优秀的球队，是季後赛种子球队。所以这些比赛将会很艰辛，特别是想要 在他们主场取胜并不容易，不过我们一定要赢。」 According to a soothsayer named Smith, they have to win four. 而如果要达成一名叫做Smith的预言家所做的预言，他们必须赢四场。 SMITH'S HOMECOMING: Smith grew up in the shadow of Continental Airlines Arena and attended St. Benedict's Prep in Newark. His father, Earl, estimates he will have 1,000 supporters on hand tonight. "It'll feel like a Denver home game," Earl Smith said. Through his charity, the J.R. Smith Youth Foundation, Smith bought about 300 tickets for disadvantaged youths. He has chartered two buses, which will carry 100 of the youngsters to the game. And 14 of the kids will be on the court when the Nuggets enter, offering high-fives. Earl Smith said about 700 other supporters were steered to the Nets to buy tickets. "I can't wait for it," J.R. Smith said of returning home. Smith, in his third season, hopes it will turn out better than his two previous visits, both with the Hornets. Two years ago, he didn't play and last season, he got in for three minutes of mop-up duty, scoring five points. J.R.要回家了。 Smith从小看着Continental Airlines Arena长大，念的是纽阿克城的高中 St. Benedict's Prep。他爸爸Earl Smith估计，到时候会有1000名观众进场帮 J.R.加油。Earl Smith说：「这会让他感觉就是在丹佛打球一样。」 J.R.透过他所创办的慈善机构『The J.R. Smith Youth Foundation』买了300张门票 给这些身心有缺陷的年轻人；另外资助了二辆巴士，载满100位小朋友让他们进场看比 赛。其中的14名小朋友将会在球场上一起和金块队进场、击掌欢呼。 他老爸还说会带领将近700位的球迷来到篮网主场帮他加油。 J.R. Smith说：「我已经等不及了。」 J.R.希望，在他的第三个球季来到纽泽西，可以表现得比前二次好。之前二季Smith 都是为黄蜂披挂上阵。二年前，他只能坐在板凳上；而上个球季他只打了三分钟的垃 圾时间，得到五分。 （中略对战阵容） ‧ Notes: The Nuggets begin a five-game trip and play 13 of their final 18 games on the road. . . . Anthony fell out of the NBA scoring lead Sunday for the first time since games entering Nov. 18. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers is averaging 30 a game. . . . The Nets won the season's previous meeting, 112-102 on Jan. 27 at the Pepsi Center. . . . The Nuggets have lost six straight and 14 of 15 at New Jersey. . . . Jefferson returned March 9 after missing 21 games because of an ankle injury. . . . The Nets have won three of four after losing five straight. 注： ‧金块将展开五场东区作战；季赛最後的18场有13场是客场。 ‧礼拜天Anthony失去得分王的宝座，这是自11月18日球季开打之後的第一次。湖人队 Kobe以平均30分暂时领先。 ‧本季双方上一次交手是在1月27日，当时篮网在丹佛以112比102击败金块。 ‧金块队在纽泽西已经六连败，并且输了15场中的14场比赛。 ‧因脚踝缺阵21场的Jefferson已经在3月9日归队。 ‧篮网五连败之後，已经赢得最近四场比赛中的三场。 --

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