Tomato hater, Sports lover

Dwightmare on Polk Street

魔獸噩夢在Polk街（火箭主場）上演

原文網址－

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/81791/we-went-there-dwightmare-on-polk-street

What the hell was that? What was supposed to be a grudge match featuring the league’s highest profile free agent leading the league’s most rapidly ascendant team to a victory over his depleted former team turned out to be a nightmare in Houston. It was an ugly exposé of what might be gaping holes in the Rockets' ability to win basketball games. 

那到底是什麼鬼比賽？本應該是一場勢不兩立的比賽，由聯盟去年最佳自由球員帶領聯盟中最快速崛起的球隊打敗他那戰力空虛的前東家，結果變成休士頓的噩夢。這比賽或許曝露出火箭難看的一面，也就是球隊取得勝利的能力出現隱憂。

This was supposed to be the game when Dwight Howard would demonstrate to the Lakers just how much he loves his new team, and how much brighter his future is in Houston than it would have been in Los Angeles. Just before tipoff I saw one Houston fan desperately trying to get the camera’s attention with a teasing hand-drawn sign that read, “HEY, L.A. — MISS HIM YET?” 

這比賽本應是Dwight Howard展現給湖人隊看他到底多愛這支新球隊，而且他在火箭隊的未來比留在湖人隊會好多少。就在球賽開打前，我看到一位火箭球迷拼命的想讓鏡頭注意到他，手上拿著手工的嘲諷標語寫著：「嘿！洛杉磯，想念他沒？」

What an interesting question that has become … 

這還真變成個有趣的問題啊…

Howard does not possess the kind of personal intensity that fuels those awkwardly fascinating “reunion” games in the same way that guys like Kevin Garnett do. In addition, Kobe Bryant — whose mere presence could have energized the entire Toyota Center for days — was not in the gym, and the atmosphere around the game was utterly blasé. At tipoff it really did feel like an ordinary November NBA game. 

Howard並未帶有那種會激起尷尬又吸引人注目的「戰老東家比賽」的個人強烈情緒，沒有像當時Kevin Garnett和灰狼比賽的感覺。此外，Kobe Bryant也沒有在場館內，而他只要露臉便能讓火箭主場精力充沛。同時，比賽的氣氛一片沉悶。在球賽開始時，這場比賽感覺就像11月NBA的某場普通比賽般。

It looked like one too. As a whole, the play was extremely sloppy, but nothing was as careless as Houston’s sorry excuse for perimeter defense. Some of its guards looked lost, and others looked incapable, but nobody’s defense looked as bad as James Harden’s. It was pitiful, prompting the great Haralabos Voulgaris to tweet the following: 

而看起來就是場普通比賽。整體來說，戰術執行非常草率，但沒有什麼比火箭隊那令人抱歉的外圍防守還要更漫不經心。隊上有些後衛看起來昏了，而另外一些看起來能力不夠，但沒有人的防守比James Harden守的還要糟。令人感到同情的是這刺激到偉大的Haralabos Voulgaris，讓他在推特上寫到：

Haralabos Voulgaris @haralabob

James Harden has resorted to just letting his man get past him and trying to poke the ball loose. Ole style. 

James Harden的防守是讓他守的人過他並試著把球抄掉。好讚膩～

Haralabos Voulgaris @haralabob

I’m not sure the HOU defenders know the left side of the 3 point line even exists. 

我不太確定火箭隊防守者是否知道左側三分線的存在。

Houston's defense was so bad that at one point I wondered whether it thought closing out on 3-point shooters might be considered "illegal defense." By the end of the first half the Lakers had 64 points, despite only converting 13 of 34 2-point attempts and taking only six free throws. Houston’s defense was playing well when inside the arc, but it was plain dreadful beyond it. In the first 24 minutes, the Lakers made an insane 11 of 14 3s. Don’t get me wrong, their shooters were hot, but the kinds of looks they were getting were very juicy, even by early-season NBA standards. 

火箭隊防守爛到某個時間點我甚至懷疑他們是否認為撲向三分射手是「非法防守」。在上半場結束時，湖人隊得到64分，即使他們兩分球命中率只有34投13中，只出手六個罰球。火箭隊在三分線內的防守相當好，但三分線外就糟透了。在前24分鐘裡，湖人隊瘋狂砍進14顆三分出手中的11顆。不要誤解我說的話，他們的射手的確熱得發燙，但他們得到的出手機會都是大空檔，即使擺在NBA球季剛開始的強度來看。

The Rockets regrouped in the third quarter and launched a strong comeback. They played better defense, holding Los Angeles to just 17 points. Howard had played great defense all night, stymieing Pau Gasol, who was once again settling for those atrocious 18-foot jumpers that everyone in Los Angeles not named Mike D’Antoni wants him to stop taking. 

火箭隊在第三節重新振作並開啟一個強韌的逆轉秀。他們防守增強，讓湖人隊只得到17分。Howard整晚防守都很優異，死守Pau Gasol讓他再次投那些糟糕的18呎跳投，而這些跳投正是除了Mike D’Antoni外每個洛杉磯人都希望他不要再出手的位置。

Although the Rockets still trailed by a few points, the mood was very optimistic and you could sense that the better team was about to assert itself and take over the game. Harden went on a tear and reminded everyone how good he can be. With four minutes remaining the game was tied at 91, but the momentum (that’s right, Barnwell) belonged entirely to Houston. Chandler Parsons scored on a huge dunk to put the Rockets up by two; the crowd went bonkers. It was the exact kind of basket that permanently deflates an overmatched road team in a normal November NBA game. 

雖然火箭仍然落後幾分，狀況卻很樂觀，而且你能感覺到這支更好的球隊正要證明自己和接管比賽。Harden手感火熱並提醒大家他可以表現多好。在比賽剩四分鐘時，比賽是91平，但氣勢完全在火箭隊這邊。Chandler Parsons用一個驚天灌籃幫助火箭隊領先兩分，球迷可嗨翻了。這灌籃就是那種在普通的11月NBA比賽中，讓實力較差的客隊一瀉千里的進球。

But that’s when shit got weird. 

但此時豬羊變色。

It was time for hack-a-Dwight, that bizarre and ruthless tactic that reduces the beautiful, fluid game we all love to a god-awful free throw contest. The idea is to lengthen the game and reduce the value of your opponents’ possessions by fouling a man who can’t shoot free throws very well. This technique rarely works, so we don’t have to watch it too often. But in the ultimate twist of the evening, D’Antoni, who’d watched teams employ it against him all last season, decided it was his turn for revenge. 

這是駭獸時刻，詭異又殘忍的的戰術把我們熱愛的比賽美感和流暢感變成令人厭惡的罰球大賽。這個戰術的核心概念是藉由故意送一位不擅長罰球的人上罰球線，來延長比賽時間並減少對手球權的價值。這個戰術並不常奏效，所以我們不會太常看到它出現。但在這個180度大轉彎的夜晚，上季D’Antoni看對手利用這個戰術對付他整個賽季，此時決定這是他報復的好時機。

He was about to introduce Rockets fans to one of Howard’s biggest flaws, stealing the game in the process. 

他正準備要讓火箭球迷認識Howard最大的缺陷之一，並在這過程中把勝利偷走。

Howard missed seven of his 12 fourth-quarter free throws, letting the Lakers stay in the game despite their sudden inability to make shots. After making 12 of their first 15 3s, the Lakers missed 16 of their next 18. But their 35th 3-point attempt of the night would provide the night’s most iconic moment. Steve Blake drained one of the biggest shots of his career — and he has had some big ones — from deep along the left wing as Howard frantically and fruitlessly lunged in his direction. As the ball went through the net, a few sobering realities fell upon Houston. 

Howard的第四節12罰投丟7球，讓湖人隊在突然失去投籃能力時依然保有取勝可能。在三分球投15中12後，湖人隊便18球投丟16球。但他們第35球三分出手便是這晚最具代表性的時刻。Steve Blake在左側遠處砍進他生涯中最重要的一球之一，而他以前便投進過一些，此時Howard拼命但效果不彰的往Blake方向撲去。當球進框的瞬間，火箭隊面臨幾個嚴肅的事實。

Reality 1: The Rockets play bad perimeter defense, and that will cost them games. Harden does not bring the same energy to both sides of the floor. He’s a great athlete and a heady player, but it’s his will to burn calories playing defense that is highly questionable. 

事實1：火箭隊外圍防守很爛，而且這將會讓他們輸掉比賽。Harden並沒有在攻守兩端出一樣的力。他是位優異的運動員和聰明的球員，但他想認真防守的意志是個大問號。

Reality 2: Howard’s continued inability to make free throws will be a liability for whatever team he plays for. It’s the biggest hole in his game and will haunt his entire career if he can’t improve it. 

事實2：Howard持續罰球手軟將會是每個他所屬球隊的不安要素。這是他球季中最大的洞，並將會困擾他整個生涯如果他無法進步的話。

Reality 3: The Lakers had just beaten the Rockets in Houston without Kobe. 

事實3：湖人隊只是在沒Kobe出場，在火箭主場打贏火箭隊。

Rockets fans have seen a lot of wins and losses, but perhaps they had never seen a loss quite like this. It began with an abysmal defensive performance and ended with an unlikely comeback made possible in part by their new superstar’s inability to make free throws. These are problems. A few weeks ago it was easy to find people predicting great things for the Rockets franchise, and those things still might come, but they won’t come without some big adjustments. 

火箭球迷見過無數的輸贏，但他們可能沒看過這種輸法。開頭是糟糕的防守，而結尾是少見的逆轉模式，而這個不可能任務是由於他們的超級球星罰球手軟。這些都是問題所在。幾周前，找到人預測火箭隊這季將成功是簡單的事。而現在成功的球季依然有機會出現，但除非球隊有一些重大改變，否則成功不會到來。

版主的話：

賽季還長，一些東西我想等到更多樣本再進行分析。