Emeka Okafor has been a steady performer for the New Orleans Hornets Published: Tuesday, November 09, 2010, 1:08 PM Updated: Tuesday, November 09, 2010, 3:30 PM 原文连结：http://ppt.cc/AMg@ When the unbeaten New Orleans Hornets tip off tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers at the New Orleans Arena, Emeka Okafor will be playing his 264th consecutive NBA game. 未尝败绩的黄蜂队今晚将迎战快艇队，而这也是Okafor第264场连续初出赛。 How about that, Brett Favre? 来，Brett Favre 哩工跨卖ㄟ And what does Okafor say? 我们先来听听Okafor怎麽说好了。 "I'm still learning, '' he said. Okafor说：我仍然在学习中。 This from perhaps the only 6-foot-10, 255-pounder who had a choice coming out of college to become a lottery pick in the David Stern draft or a Rhodes Scholar overseas at Oxford University. 这句话来自於高6尺10寸、体重255磅的老兄嘴里，他曾经面临要投入NBA选秀还是拿奖学 金去牛津大学读书的抉择中。 New Orleans General Manager Dell Demps was happy about Okafor's decision. He calls someone, who spent five seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats and one with the Hornets: "An inside big who is tough, who can defend, who has a presence, and can score.'' GM Demps则是非常高兴他选择加入NBA。然後他在山猫队打了五年之後转到黄蜂队打了一年 。他拥有强壮的体格、强硬的防守、也有不错的跑位意识、还可以参与进攻。 Those sentiments were echoed by Coach Monty Williams. 总教练Monty则看到他细腻的一面。 "I think Emeka has been misunderstood, '' he said. "He's not the kind who'll raise a fist and pump it at the end of a play when something good happens. Everyone's not cut from the same template. You can see there's a fire inside. He's a special piece of this team; he's all ears. He wants to contribute any way he can.'' Monty说：我觉得大家都误会Okafor了。他不是那种在一次漂亮的play後会激动挥拳庆祝 的那种球员。当然不是所有球员都是同一个模子刻出来的。你可以看到他在内线充满斗志 ，他是球队中很重要的支柱，他总是专注於比赛，并渴望着拿出全力在场上做出贡献。 In the Hornets' opener, Okafor experienced which was, for him, an NBA milestone: He didn't have a field-goal attempt. 在今年的开幕战中，Okafor则创下了他职业生涯的特殊纪录：全场没有半次投篮。 A few days later, against the visiting Miami Heat, Okafor was 12-for-13 from the field -- a Hornets' record for field-goal percentage. 不久以後，对上热火Okafor投13中12的成绩，则是黄蜂队史的投篮纪录。 At the moment, Emeka is 28-for-39 from the field, a percentage of .718 -- tops in the NBA. 到目前为止，Okafor投39中28，命中绿.718是目前NBA中的命中率王。 And what does he say? 他是怎麽看待这些成绩？ "Still learning, '' said Okafor, the 2004 Final Four MVP who led Connecticut to an NCAA championship. "For me, the three biggest adjustments were the number of games, the speed of the game and the three-second rule in the lane. '' Okafor说：仍然在学习。这位04年率领Connecticut拿到NCAA冠军并拿到Final Four MVP的 老兄这样说着：对我而言在NBA打球我较难适应的有三点：比赛的总场次、比赛的节奏、 各种油漆区的规则。 Okafor now finds himself "dealing with defensive sets, offensive sets, in improving my free-throw shooting.'' Okafor现在则是致力於进一步处理好进攻和防守的占位，以及罚球命中率。 He's loving it. 他热爱这些。 "I'm playing for a coach who's organized, who's deliberate, who's all business, '' he said. "I feel like I'm at school, learning something different every day -- all the little things that can make you a better player.'' Okafor说：我在为一个组织纪律严明，充满智慧，尽职尽责的教练打球。这种感觉就像 是回到学校一样，这些东西会帮助你成为一个更优秀的球员。 In college, Okafor remembered making use of every moment during the summer to mix classes with working on his jump shot, to reducing the body fat on a 250-pound frame to 5.2 percent. 在大学时期，Okafor利用夏天暑假的所有空余时间到球场练习跳投，将自己255磅的身体 脂肪含量下降到5.2% It's an amazing story. 还有一个更神的故事。 His father, Pius, grew up in Nigeria at a time the country was being ripped apart by a civil war that took one million lives. 他老爹-Pius，出生於奈及利亚那个内战频传死伤百万人的年代。 Pius found his way to Houston, where he pumped gas and found time to earn a degree at Texas Southern. Pius後来终於找到机会到休斯顿，做一个抽运气体工人（？），他用业余时间勤奋研读， 最後拿到了Texas Southern大学的学位证。 By the time Emeka and a sister arrived, Pius was picking up one degree after another, in accounting, in pharmacy. His wife was a registered nurse. 当Okafor和他妹妹出时，Pius已经拿到了数个会计、药理学位证书，而他老婆则是一位 正职护士。 It was a family that saw college degrees passed onto the children. 这是一个把学位证书看得比孩子还重的家庭。 During that 2004 Final Four, Huskies Coach Jim Calhoun spoke of Okafor in reverent terms, an All-America who graduated from college in three years with a degree in finance. 在2004年的Final Four比赛期间，教练Jim Calhoun很推崇Okafor，这位土生土长的美国人 用了三年时间拿到奖学金毕业。 "He's the most focused human being I've ever been around, '' Calhoun said. "I had no idea I was recruiting someone whose blocked-shot average would slightly exceed his 3.8 grade-point average.'' Calhoun说：他是我见过对比赛最专注的人。我对这很疑惑，手里有这样一个家伙，他的平 均每场火锅数可以轻松超过他高达3.8分的GPA平均积分点。 Well, Okafor still is blocking shots. 当然，Okafor仍然用火锅阻挡对手的投篮。 "It's a lot tougher than it was at UConn, '' he said. "So is the challenge.'' He was christened Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi Okafor. His first name means "God has done well.'' Okafor说：这里的比赛对抗程度比Uconn时期还要激烈，那也就是我面临的新挑战。 Demps and Williams agree. Demps 和 Williams 深表认同。 . . . . . . . Peter Finney can be reached at [email protected] or 504.826.3802. -- 大概翻一下，有错勿怪。 --

※ 发信站: 批踢踢实业坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 114.42.0.181 ※ 编辑: succ062 来自: 114.42.0.181 (11/11 16:42)