Iverson, Nuggets pan for NBA gold AI，金块展开淘金之旅。 Goal of perfect match is to bring a basketball title to Denver 这对天作之合的终点——直到带一座金盃回丹佛。 http://tinyurl.com/2xojo7 By Chris Tomasson, Rocky Mountain News April 19, 2007 If Allen Iverson ever needs to be reminded why he's in Denver, a shiny, half- foot-tall hint sits in his locker stall. 假如 Iverson 需要什麽东西来提醒，他来到丹佛的目的是什麽？一个闪闪发光， 高半尺的暗示就摆在他休息室的置物栏里。 It's a miniature replica of the Larry O'Brien Trophy, handed annually to the NBA champion. 那就是 Larry O'Brien Trophy 每年特地依照原尺寸缩小比例，手工打造的NBA 冠军盃复制品。 "It's motivation," Iverson said. "I got it when I first got here." 「这是我的动力来源，」 Iverson 说：「它是我刚来到这里时收到的礼物。」 That would be Dec. 19, when the Nuggets pulled off the biggest deal of the NBA season. Iverson, figuring he wasn't going to contend for a title any time soon in Philadelphia, didn't mind being dealt and has considered the Nuggets the perfect landing spot. 那时候是12月19日，金块队刚完成本季最大交易案。当 Iverson 了解，短期之 内自己已经无法在费城为他的总冠军奋战，他不介意成为交易筹码，并认为金块 是最完美的降落点。 The feeling is mutual. Those on the Nuggets had heard the stories about Iverson's antics in Philadelphia, but they now wonder if this wily veteran is really the same guy. AI与金块球团有共同的感受。原本丹佛的球员早就已经听过 Iverson 在费城所 欣起的喧然大波，但是现在，他们怀疑 Iverson 跟现在这位经验老到的球员， 真的是同一个人吗？ Now, about that championship. Iverson, whose 76ers fell in the Finals to the Lakers in 2001, knows that's why he was summoned to Denver. 一切都是为了总冠军。2001年， Iverson 所带领的费城七六人败给湖人，他了 解来到丹佛的意义。 "I feel like that's why I was brought here, to help us become a better team, to have an impact on this team," the 6-foot guard said. "It's just been a great ride so far. But, to end the story, what better way to do it than to win a championship? That's what my mind is set on." 这名矮小的後卫说：「我感觉这就是我来这里的原因：帮助球队更上一层、带来 冲击性的影响。到目前为止，这是一段美好的旅程，但是故事的结局没，有任何 事能比赢得一座总冠军来的完美，这就是我的抱负。」 It won't be easy in his first Nuggets playoff go-round, with his sixth-seeded team in the Western Conference opening against No. 3 San Antonio, the NBA's hottest team after the All-Star break. 这是他到金块的第一个季後赛，要完成他的梦想并不是那麽简单。位居西区第六 种子，第一轮就得碰到马刺队，这支明星赛後最火热的球队。 But Iverson, 31, has two years remaining on his contract and has said he wants to re-sign with the Nuggets after that. 但是三十一岁的 Iverson 还有二年合约在身，他表示希望能在合约到期之後，继续 留在金块队。 "I've had fun," Iverson said. "It's been exciting, just being on a team where I can play my game." Iverson说：「我很快乐，在这里打球很兴奋，我可以打出自己的比赛。」 For years, many believed Iverson's game mostly was hoisting shots. In 10-plus seasons with the 76ers, he averaged 28.1 points, winning four scoring titles. 多年来人们相信， Iverson 的比赛内容还不就是投篮、再投篮。十多年的七六人 时代，他平均可以拿下28.1分，并四次拿下得分王。 But Iverson, who said he wasn't surrounded by much talent with the 76ers and was unfairly pigeonholed, has become content in Denver to step aside and let forward Carmelo Anthony be the big scorer. Iverson 表示，他在七六人时并没有一堆才华洋溢球员，被归类为这样的球员并 不公平，於是来到丹佛之後，他甘愿成为球队第二人，让前锋 Carmelo Anthony 继续担任球队主攻手的角色。 After averaging 31.2 points in 15 Philadelphia games, Iverson averaged 24.8 in 50 Denver games for a seasonal mark of 26.3. 季初他为七六人打了十五场比赛，平均攻下31.2分；在金块的五十场比赛，平均 攻下24.8分，最後整季平均为26.3分。 "A.I. gets a bad rap for being selfish," Hornets coach Byron Scott said of Iverson, whose Nuggets have won 11 straight games when he gets 10 or more assists. "But he wants to win. That's the bottom line. . . . He felt he had to score more (in Philadelphia), but now he's got a group of guys around him." 当 Iverson 助攻十次或以上的时候，金块队战绩已经十一连胜。黄蜂队教练 Byron Scott 谈到 Iverson 时表示：「 A.I. 因为自私球风受到严厉批评，但是 他想要胜利，这是他的底线。在七六人，他觉得必须要得更多分才能赢球，但现在 他有很多优秀的队友。」 Iverson, though, arrived in Denver with plenty of baggage. His time with the 76ers was marred by squabbles with coaches. He didn't always show up on time, and his rant about "practice" remains a favorite highlight on sports stations. Iverson 因此带着一大堆行李在丹佛登陆。他在七六人的时光，因为与教练的争执 染上污点。他并不是每次练球都会准时报到；他怒气冲冲地告诉记者「我们竟然坐 在这里谈论练习」的片段，仍然是体育新闻喜欢拨出的精采画面。 But the only thing bordering on negative for Iverson in his Nuggets tenure has been a $25,000 NBA fine for being critical of referee Steve Javie. Iverson then apologized on three consecutive days. 但是 Iverson 为金块披上战袍开始，唯一一次的负面消息就是他因为批评裁判 Steve Javie 而被联盟罚款25000美元。 Iverson 之後连续三天为此事道歉。 "My first thought when I think of A.I., all the negative stuff out there, he's the exact opposite," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I think A.I. has great leadership skills and has been a strong teammate in every way." 金块教练老爹表示：「我对 Iverson 的第一印象，就是那些负面的消息，他是 不折不扣叛逆球员；现在我认为 A.I. 有很棒的领袖气质，不管在哪一方面，他 都是很棒的队友。」 During the process before the trade, Karl said some observers believed Iverson would be well served just to get out of Philadelphia, where many negatives had surrounded him. Iverson agrees. Karl表示，在交易尚未定案的这段时间，一些专家相信，也许在 Iverson 离开发生 过很多负面消息的费城之後，他将不再桀骜不驯， Iverson 同意这个看法。 "I made mistakes," he said of his time there. "I did a lot of dumb things. I'm 31 years old (now). I was in Philadelphia 11 years. I did some young, dumb mistakes. I had to grow to be able to get to this point here. I'm a father of four, so I can't set no bad examples for them. 谈起自己在费城的时光，他表示：「我犯了错误，我干了很多蠢事。现在我三十一岁 了，而我在费城待了十一年。我犯过很多不成熟、愚蠢的错误。我必须成长，才能像 现在这样。我是四个孩子的爸了，所以我必须为他们立下良好典范。」 "I'm not the same person I was when I was 21, 22 years old. I'd be foolish if I was doing the same things I was doing then." 「我不再是年少轻狂的二十一、二岁小伙子，我现在如果再犯同样的错误，就太荒谬 了。」 Iverson, though, said he doesn't "regret anything" from his 76ers years and has "learned from all the mistakes." 尽管如此， Iverson 说他对於七六人时光「无怨无悔」并且「从错误中学习成长」。 Now he seems content to dispense his wisdom to the Nuggets' many young players. 现在，他乐於把他成长智慧分享给金块队的年轻球员。 Iverson has become a mentor to Anthony, 22. With Anthony serving a 15-game suspension for fighting when Iverson arrived - and with Iverson missing eight games because of a sprained right ankle shortly after Anthony returned - it took time to mesh. Iverson现在已经成为二十二岁的 Anthony 的良师益友。从 Melo 因为打架风波禁赛 十五场；到 Melo 归队而 Iverson 又因为右脚踝扭伤缺席八场比赛，磨合期的确花了 一段时间。 But it came together during the homestretch of the season. The Nuggets won 10 of their final 11 games. 但是球季末段，他们之间的磨合终於出现效果。金块队在最後十一场比赛里，赢了 十场。 "It took about 14 or 15 games for us to get it right," Anthony said. "It finally came this month. It couldn't have come at a better time." Anthony表示：「我们花了十四或十五场比赛来寻找胜利方程式，这个月终於有了成果， 而这是最佳的时间点。」 Iverson also has taken under his wing Nuggets guard J.R. Smith, 21. Smith, in his third season, has had growing pains, including squabbles with coaches and serving a 10-game suspension for fighting in the Dec. 16 brawl that also cost Anthony. Iverson也带领金块後卫二十一岁的 J.R. Smith 一起飞翔。这是 Smith 的第三个 球季，他一直都在千辛万苦中成长：包括与教练的口角，12月16日，同时损失 Anthony 的群架让他遭到禁赛十场。 "He's talking to me so much about my character and my attitude toward the game, " Smith said. "He's just taught me a lot more than I've ever been taught. How to get steals and how to read the offensive player's mind. Just how to get open shots, and another thing, just root for the team when I'm not in there. Smith表示：「他跟我谈论很多我在比赛中，必须扮演的角色与拥有的态度。他教了 我很多我没学习过的事情。他教我要怎麽从对方手中把球抄过来；要怎麽洞悉进攻 球员的心态；要怎麽跑出控档；还交代我，如果没机会上场，就好好帮球队加油。」 "He's totally different from what people perceive him to be. A lot of people think he's a bad guy. He's not that at all. He's a great teacher and just overall a genuine, great person." 「他跟人们心目中的 Iverson 完全不一样。很多人认为他是坏小子，他一点都不坏， 他是一位好导师，整体来说，他是一位真诚不做作的大好人。」 Put it all together, and the Nuggets look to be in good shape. Vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien said the team has been "heading north" after an adjustment period after the Iverson deal. 把这些成果聚在一起，金块队期盼成为优良的球队。篮球营运副总裁 Mark Warkentien 表示，这支队伍在经过 Iverson 交易案的阵痛期之後，在西北组已经拥有制霸的能力。 The Nuggets have gone north in the standings. Iverson's reputation has gone north. 金块队的战绩没有在西北组称霸， Iverson 的名声也没有在西北组传开。 But what Iverson is concerned with most is trying to get through the rugged West, then claim the NBA title he long has sought. 但是现在 Iverson 真正关心的是，努力闯过强队如林的西区季後赛，然後完成长久 以来的渴望，向世人宣告他可以拿到总冠军。 --

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