Tomato hater, Sports lover

LeBron James controls the chessboard

LeBron James掌控全局

原文網址－

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/10080338/lebron-james-nba-most-highly-evolved-offense

This won't surprise you: The Miami Heat have one of the best offenses in the NBA. But as entertaining as it is to watch the two-time defending NBA champions execute, it's been equally fascinating to watch them evolve. The Heat's approach to scoring has changed drastically over the past few years. Just ask LeBron James.

邁阿密熱火隊是聯盟進攻最佳的球隊之一，不意外吧。但這支二連霸的球隊不單只在執行戰術方面值得欣賞，其戰術進化更是迷人。熱火隊進攻戰術在過去這幾年的改變之大。問LeBron就知道了。

"No one cares who shoots," James told me. "We went from a team that played a lot of isolation basketball to [being] first or second in the league in assists. Everyone on the team feels so comfortable offensively. We get the ball from one side to the other side, shifting the defense then attacking it or spraying out for 3s." 

「沒人在乎誰出手。」James告訴我。「我們從一支大量單打的球隊，變成一支聯盟數一數二高助攻的球隊。每個隊員在進攻端都感到很舒適。我們把球從一邊導到另一邊，去轉移敵方防守陣勢，然後進攻籃框或傳出去丟三分。」

Scoring in the NBA is by no means easy. But when James is on the floor, Miami sure makes it look that way. The Heat are currently averaging an insane 111.9 points per 100 possessions with James on the floor. It's convenient to suggest that Miami's proficient scoring is merely a byproduct of its talent, but that overlooks a remarkable transformation in the team's philosophy and system. Yes, Miami has several gifted players, but as we saw last season in Los Angeles, talent alone guarantees nothing in the NBA. Teamwork and intelligent schemes are still required. Getting players to collectively generate value rather than just contribute as individuals is still the hallmark of winning basketball; it's also the hallmark of the current Heat offense. 

在NBA場上得分不是件簡單的事。不過當James在場上，熱火隊讓得分看起來頗輕鬆。熱火隊在有James時，其進攻效率是誇張的每百回得111.9分。你可以輕易的解釋說熱火精通於得分純粹是球員天份使然，但這麼說便忽略球隊進攻哲學和系統的驚人轉變。沒錯，熱火隊有幾位天賦異稟的球員，但看看上季的湖人隊，只有天份在NBA並不代表什麼。要成功依然需要團隊合作和高明的策略。贏球的保證是讓球員們能合作產生效益，而非單打獨鬥。這也是現在熱火進攻的正字標記。

In November, I visited Miami to talk about the team's offense with James. As always, he is constantly thinking a few moves ahead and meditating on progress. At 28 he is squarely in his prime but remains obsessed with improvement, both as an individual player and as a member of a team. Of all the things to appreciate about the four-time MVP, one aspect has still gone relatively uncelebrated: The best individual player in the world is also one of the most thoughtful teammates another basketball player could have. 

十一月時，我去熱火隊和James談談熱火的進攻。一如往常地，他持續思考下一步棋該如何走。28歲的他，正處於巔峰期，但依舊執著於進步，無論在個人技巧或是身為團隊的一份子。在所有人們該欣賞這位四次MVP的特質中，有一項依舊較少提起。這位地表最佳球員，同時是每個籃球員所想要有的體貼隊友。

"Our offense has grown over the years," James said. "We've all had to make sacrifices for our offense to become better. But as far as where we are today, I feel great. We're at a record pace, assists are high, efficiency is high, field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, we're doing it all. So I'm feeling really good. But I'm always thinking about ways to improve." 

「我們的進攻在這幾年持續進步。」James表示。「為了讓團隊進攻更好，我們都該要有所犧牲。但至今為止，我覺得很讚。記錄上顯示我們很好，助攻高、效率佳、命中率和三分球命中率都做得很好。所以我感到很開心。但我一直在思考如何更進一步。」

James discussed the key elements of the team's offense in a folding chair at the edge of the Heat locker room on a quiet off day after a breezy home win against Milwaukee; it was the team's first victory on what would become a nine-game win streak. As one of the team's leaders, he has helped to engineer and implement the tactics that are now dominating the league. It didn't happen overnight, but the offense has steadily improved and its diverse collection of talent has gradually coalesced. This is a very different team from the one that lost to Dallas in the Finals two and a half years ago. 

在主場對公鹿隊愉悅的勝利後的一個休兵日，James在熱火休息室的摺椅上和我討論球隊進攻的關鍵。而這場勝利開啟了九連勝。身為球隊領袖之一，他幫助球隊操作及實行現在立於聯盟頂端的進攻戰術。這並非一蹴可幾的，不過熱火進攻穩定的進步，並且球隊找來的各方好漢漸漸產生化學效應。現在這支熱火隊和兩年半前在總冠軍輸給小牛隊的球隊已大為不同。

I wanted to look at this offense through James's eyes, analyzing each of his key teammates and talk about how these individual parts add up to a terrifying whole. 

我想要透過James的眼裡來觀察熱火進攻，分析每個關鍵球員並談論這些零件如何組合成可怕的進攻武器。

Chris Bosh: The Disrupter

Chris Bosh：防線破壞者

In 2010-11, the season in which Miami last lost a playoff series, the Heat ranked 25th in the NBA in assist percentage. By last season, they ranked 13th. And so far this season, they're ranked second, assisting on 64 percent of their field goals. 

在2010-11球季，也就是熱火隊最後一次輸掉季後賽系列的球季，球隊的助攻率是聯盟第25。上一季，他們排第13。這季目前為止，他們排第2，64%的進球是由助攻產生。

Chris Bosh is one of the most frequent recipients of those assists, and according to James he is also the catalyst for many of the team's key offensive actions. "Our offense is predicated through CB playing a lot of the high-post and 18-foot areas, knowing that he's going to be played by a lot of 5s," said James. "The centers in our league are always trying to protect the rim, and CB is always like our outlet on offense." 

Chris Bosh是最常接這些傳球的人之一，而且根據James所說，他也是許多球隊關鍵進攻的催化劑。「我們許多進攻戰術基於CB打很多高位和在18呎左右的進攻，你要知道他很多時間將會打5號位。」James表示。「聯盟中的中鋒都試著保護禁區，而CB一直是我們的進攻砲管。」

Bosh gets a lot of open shots when defenders cheat off of him to double an attacker and that attacker gets the ball to Bosh in his sweet spot. 

當防守者不理會Bosh去包夾持球進攻者時，持球者便把球傳到Bosh出手舒服的位置，他因此從中獲得相當多空檔出手機會，

Bosh, who would be the primary scorer on many other NBA teams, has become one of the most efficient jump-shooting big men in the league. He made a ridiculous 53 percent of his shots from those areas between 16 and 24 feet last season (as a whole, the league shoots 38 percent there), a level of efficiency that demands defensive attention and forces opposing big men to rove far from the basket. In Miami, Bosh's role as a scorer is secondary to his ability to set obstructive screens and disrupt the effectiveness of the opposition's interior defense. 

本能在多數其他NBA球隊當得分王的Bosh，現在是聯盟中最有效率的跳投長人之一。上季，他的16到24呎跳投命中率是誇張的53%（聯盟整體平均是38%），這種準度讓防守必須盯著他，而且能逼使對方長人在外圍徘徊。在熱火隊，Bosh的得分角色是次要的，而主要的是他能幫持球者檔人及擾亂對手內線防守的效率。

"It becomes a matchup problem," James said. "Anytime you can bring one of the best defenders out of the paint — you know, like Roy Hibbert, Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler, or any of these guys like Marc Gasol that protect the paint so well — that allows driving lanes for myself and D-Wade to come much easier." 

「這會造成對位困擾。」James表示。「每當你可以把最好的油漆區防守球員吸引出來，你知道像是Roy Hibbert、Dwight Howard、Tyson Chandler或是Marc Gasol這些優秀的禁區保衛者，便讓我和D-Wade的切入空間更大。」

Space has become one of the core concepts as the team has migrated away from the isolation-heavy schemes that characterized the unsuccessful first year of the Big Three era. According to head coach Erik Spoelstra, "We learned a lot from the pain of the Dallas Finals loss. One of the things that was clear was that it would be essential for us to utilize more movement, especially off the ball, and in general to move the ball more. Less self-will plays, less isolation, less dribbling, less holding. We coined it 'pace and space.'" 

自從第三年的三巨頭時代後，熱火隊便那從不成功的重單打的進攻策略，轉移成視進攻空間為核心概念的策略。根據總教練Erik Spoelstra所說：「我們從總冠軍戰輸給小牛的痛苦中學到很多。我們搞清楚利用更多跑動更為重要，尤其是無球的跑動，而且整體而言要有更多球的轉移。少一點固執、單打、運球，以及持球。我們稱之為『節奏和空間』。」

This pace-and-space approach forced the team's primary scorers to change their approaches. Along with James, another player who was asked to change his game was Dwyane Wade, who morphed from one of the most effective isolation players in the league to one of the game's best cutters. 

這套節奏和空間法門迫使球隊的主要進攻手改變他們的進攻招式。除了James外，另一外被要求要改變打法的就是Dwyane Wade。他從聯盟中最有效率的單打好手，轉變為球場上最佳空切高手。

Dwyane Wade: The Cutter

Dwyane Wade：撕裂者

"We figured out ways through the years to play without the ball. D-Wade makes great cuts into the lane," said James. "It definitely helps our team get paint points. Paint points are the easiest shots. The game has evolved over the years with the long ball, and you have to have that in your game because it definitely helps a lot, but paint points are still the easiest shots. We run a lot of spread offense, we run a lot of pick-and-rolls, but we do have paint guys, guys who get into the paint and score, guys like myself and D-Wade, who shoots 65 percent in the paint — that's huge for us." 

「我們花了幾年時間找到無球的打法。D-Wade能做出漂亮禁區空手走位。」James表示。「這確實幫助我們球隊在油漆區得分。籃下得分是最簡單的。多年來比賽漸漸進化出許多長距離跳投的進攻，而因為這些遠距離跳投很有幫助，進攻少不了它們。但油漆區得分依舊是最容易的。我們跑很多拉開距離的進攻戰術、很多檔拆。不過我們也有很多在禁區討生活的球員，像是我和D-Wade都會想辦法到籃下得分。像D-Wade有65%的出手在油漆區，這對我們來說很重要。」

This season, you can see the maturation of James and Wade's basketball relationship. There have been countless eye-popping highlights, but one play from this season in particular sticks out in James's mind. It was late in the second quarter of an early-season home game against the Wizards. 

這個賽季，你可以看到James和Wade在場上合作的成熟程度。雖然有過無數讓人眼睛為之一亮的精彩鏡頭，但James腦中所浮現的是這季某次的進攻。這一球是開季不久，在一場主場對戰巫師第二節末發生的。

In the box score it looks like just another Dwyane Wade field goal and LeBron James assist. But there's much more to it than that. There's the underlying architecture; there's the way James visualized Wade's slip to the rim before it happened; there's the ruthless quickness and energy of the cut itself; there's the impeccable delivery of the pass, hitting Wade in perfect stride. This play not only demonstrates Wade's incredible cutting abilities — it provides a glimpse into the playmaking mind of James and his keen ability to envision basketball plays before they happen. This kind of action is far more common now than it was three years ago. 

在數據盒子中，這球看起來只是Dwyane Wade其中一個進球以及LeBron James的一次助攻。但數據不能展現出這球代表的意義。這球裡面隱含著精密的設計、顯示出James在Wade溜到籃下前便能預見這件事、代表空手切本身快又充滿能量、包含無懈可擊的傳球，讓Wade能有最佳的上籃步伐。這球不但展示出Wade的驚人的空切能力，也可以從中看到James的控場能力，以及在腦中事先構想進攻戰術的銳利預見能力。這些進攻戰術比起三年前更為常見。

Rumors of Wade's demise as a scoring force have been greatly exaggerated. He's never been an elite jump shooter, but that's not his game — he's one of the league's premier "attack guards" or "power guards." Last season, he led all guards in scoring efficiency in the NBA's most important real estate, making 65 percent of his 549 shots near the basket. 

說Wade的得分力消失的謠言是過於渲染了。他一直沒有頂級的跳投能力，但跳投不是他的比賽習性。他是聯盟頂尖的「進攻型後衛」或「強力後衛」。上季，他在NBA球場最重要區塊的得分效率領先全聯盟，549球的籃框附近出手（7.5尺內）能命中65%。

Wade's impressive interior production is the result of plentiful transition chances and the open spaces generated by Miami's improved half-court schemes. The scoring area in the NBA is about 1,300 square feet. In other words, the tactical zone in which NBA offenses operate is about the same size as a spacious three-bedroom condo on Biscayne Boulevard. Like the league's other great offenses, Miami forces opponents to defend every nook and cranny of that space, diluting the defense and attacking the middle of the floor with frequent pick-and-rolls. It's not uncommon for Miami to stash shooters in the corners and dare defenders to collapse in to protect the hoop from Wade or James. 

Wade令人讚嘆的內線得分效率來自於相當多攻守轉換的機會，和熱火改善後的半場戰術所創造出的空檔機會。NBA球場能得分的區域約為1,300平方呎。換句話說，NBA進攻戰術可以運用的空間大致上和Biscayne大道上的三房公寓一樣寬敞。如同其他NBA球隊的優秀進攻，熱火隊迫使對手要防守這個空間的每一寸，削弱防守壓力，並且利用頻繁的檔拆來進攻中路。熱火習慣在角落埋伏射手，讓對手不敢內縮防堵Wade或James。

"Our offense is predicated on space," James said. "We have our shooters out there spacing the floor with Shane, Ray, Rio, and James Jones — we have some snipers on our team. They come in and spread the floor and just knock down shots if you're not paying attention to them." 

「我們進攻的中心思想是空間。」James表示。「我們有許多射手在場上拉開空間，像是Shane、Ray、Rio和James Jones。我們隊上可是有一些狙擊手呢。他們在場上拉開空間，然後趁你不注意他們時便能砍進外線。」

As a possession unfolds, the offense collectively reads and reacts like a prizefighter waiting for one little opening or one tiny mistake. The Heat have the best corner men in the game. They use Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and James Jones like rooks on a chessboard. At times it may seem like the shooters are standing idle. In actuality they're acting as spatial anchors, forcing the defense to mind the entire width of the offensive area and providing even more freedom for the Hall of Fame attackers to operate inside the arc. 

進攻開始時，團隊集體去解讀對方防守，並做出適當反應。像是職業拳擊手等待一點點空檔或是一絲絲的失誤空隙。熱火隊有著聯盟最佳的角落射手。他們把Shane Battier、Ray Allen、Rashard Lewis和James Jones這幾位球員用的像西洋棋的城堡般。有時，這些射手看起來只是在那邊呆站。事實上，他們負責拉開空間，迫使防守方去注意整個進攻區域，然後讓那些名人堂級進攻手能更舒服在三分線內進攻。

Shane Battier and Ray Allen: The Rocket Launchers

Shane Battier和Ray Allen：重砲手

Nobody made more corner 3s last season than Shane Battier. He made 48 percent of his shots in the right corner and 44 percent in the left, marks much greater than the league averages. Battier has never been a terribly versatile offensive threat, but the way he's used in the Heat offense demands defensive attention. 

上季，沒人比Shane Battier投進更多角落三分球。他的右邊角落三分命中率是48%，左邊則是44%。這數據比起聯盟平均好上許多。他一直都不是手段多變的進攻威脅，但他在熱火進攻定位使防守方需要花心思在他身上。

And if Battier is on a cold streak, the Heat can always turn to the best 3-point shooter in NBA history. Ray Allen, despite being at the end of his career, continues to be a difference-maker — just ask the Spurs. James loves having Allen on his side and is constantly looking for a chance to get him an open look. 

而每當Battier手感冰冷時，熱火隊永遠能轉而依靠NBA史上最佳三分射手。儘管Ray Allen現在處於生涯末段，依舊持續能在場上做出改變，問問馬刺隊便知。進攻時，James熱愛Allen和他在同一邊，並持續的讓Allen有空檔出手機會。

"When I'm in attack mode, I get a lot of eyes and I know that," James said. "I attract a lot of attention. For some odd reason teams seem to forget that Ray Allen is the best shooter ever created, and so they pay attention to me and all I need is a split second — and all he needs is a split second; he gets the ball off faster than [anyone] I've ever seen — and once I can see a defender's eyes pay attention to me and come off Ray, I'm going to him." 

「當我在進攻狀態時，我知道我被很多防守者注意。」James表示。「我吸引很多防守者的注意。不知道為什麼，其他隊似乎忘記Ray Allen是史上最佳射手。所以他們會把注意力放我身上，而我只需要幾秒鐘，他也只需要幾秒鐘。他的出手速度是我看過最快的。而只要我看到防守者的眼睛在注意我並離開Ray，我便會傳球給他。」

For the Heat, it's a very basic basketball play, but it's simply unstoppable. 

對熱火而言，這是非常基本的籃球戰術，但就是無法阻止。

Those shooters are a major reason why Miami's roster is full of made men with two rings. James calls them "rocket launchers." Over the past few seasons as the team has meshed, the on-court synthesis between perimeter threats and paint attackers has become downright unfair. If you watch the Heat, you can see a perpetual awareness — particularly in James — of exactly where those shooters will be. 

這些射手是熱火隊球員能帶上兩個冠軍戒的主因。James稱呼他們為「重砲手」。在過去幾季球隊的磨合後，外線威脅和內線進攻手的場上默契好的有點犯規。如果你看熱火隊比賽，你可以發現球員一直能察覺射手會身在何處，尤其是James持球時。

That awareness wasn't there a few years ago when James first moved to South Beach. But the arrivals of Battier and Allen made the team smarter and further justified Spoelstra's pace-and-space philosophy. The result is the best offense that James has ever been a part of. Not only is it much more efficient than that first year of the Big Three era, it's also far more advanced than Mike Brown's clunky Cleveland schemes. The new offense keeps every offensive player involved and ensures that each player is weaponized. Everyone gets touches, everyone feels more invested, and now Miami has the best "inside-outside" sequences in the league. The Heat are currently making a ridiculous 41 percent of their 3-point attempts, good for fourth-best in the NBA. 

在幾年前James剛到南灘時，這些默契並沒產生。但Battier和Allen到來後，讓球隊更聰明，也佐證了Spoelstra的「節奏和空間」進攻哲學。結果便是James所在球隊裡，進攻最好的一支。這不單比第一年三巨頭時代更為有效率，也比Mike Brown在騎士隊的笨重進攻策略更為先進。新的進攻策略讓每個球員都能參予進攻，並確保每個球員都是進攻武器。每位球員都能碰到球、每個人都覺得被賦予進攻責任，而現在熱火隊有聯盟最佳的「內外」配合。現在熱火隊的三分命中率是誇張的41%，排名NBA第四。

LeBron James: The Kasparov

LeBron James：球場棋王

There are very few scoring forces more frightening than Ray Allen's long-range jumper. LeBron James attacking the basket in single coverage is definitely one of them. When he talks about that "odd reason" defenders forget about Allen, he only needs to look in the mirror. You don't leave Jesus Shuttlesworth alone in the corner for just anyone. 

聯盟中比Ray Allen三分砲還要有威脅的得分力並不多。不過LeBron James一對一進攻籃下便是其中之一。當他談到「不知為何」防守者遺忘Allen，他只要照鏡子便知道原因為何。你不會為了隨便一人，放Jesus Shuttleworth（譯按：Ray Allen在電影He Got Game中飾演的腳色）在角落空檔無人防守。

James is the team's leading scorer. Last season, he became a very good 3-point shooter, making more than 40 percent of his attempts. In 2011-12, he added a post game. Still, as a scoring threat, he remains most effective attacking the basket, getting dunks in transition, drawing fouls on dribble drives, or catching and finishing alley-oops. Perhaps no stat reveals James's overall domination more than this one: He led the league in both scoring and efficiency near the rim last season. 

James是球隊的得分王。上季，他成為優秀的三分射手，命中率超過40%。在2011-12球季，他增加了低位進攻。身為一個得分威脅，他依舊保持最佳的進攻籃框效率，在攻守轉換時灌籃、運球切入時造成犯規，或是接獲空拋並想辦法把球放進。或許沒有數據比下面這個能展現出James的整體統治力。他上季在籃下的得分和效率都排名聯盟第一。

And yet … he is a playmaker at heart. James's willingness to think ahead and facilitate for his teammates is what sets him apart from his fellow NBA megastars. Spoelstra credits the Heat's team-first culture to James: "Your team naturally takes on the personality traits of your best player. We are very fortunate that LeBron is such an unselfish and giving player for someone so talented. Same for Dwyane and Chris. It makes it much easier for everyone else to buy into team basketball." 

不過，他內心依舊熱愛傳球。James有意願去提前一步思考進攻並幫助隊友這件事，讓他和其他NBA巨星有所區分。Spoelstra把熱火隊有團隊至上的文化歸功於James：「你的球隊會自然而然的受球隊最佳球員的個人特色影響。LeBron這麼有天分的球員卻能無私又願意犧牲，我們能擁有這種球員是非常幸運的。Dwyane和Chris也是這種球員。這對於其他人融入團隊籃球來說便會更為簡單。」

On the court, James knows he can beat almost any individual defender in the league. So as he attacks, he often focuses on the eyes of help defenders, allowing their behavior to key what happens next. If they collapse, he kicks; if they don't, he attacks. But James sees the play unfold in his mind before he makes it on the court. 

球場上，James幾乎可以單吃聯盟中任一位防守者。所以當他進攻時，他常常會專注於協防者的眼光，為了去預測這些防守者的下一步。如果他們防線崩潰，那他就會把球傳出去。若非，則他會進攻籃框。不過James在進攻發生前，便會預先構想接下來會發生的事。

"For me, the one-on-one guy I believe I can get around every time," James said. "But it's always the second or third guy that I'm paying attention to, and I'm seeing plays before they happen." 

「對我來說，我相信每次都能單吃一對一防守。」James表示。「但我總是注意第二位或第三位防守者，而我會在進攻發生前預想之。」

Is he clairvoyant? Well, that would help explain some things. But what's more likely is that he is a studious player who has seen so much help defense, and so much collapsing, that he now knows not only what's going to happen before it goes down, but also precisely what to do about it. Ten years into his NBA career, he is now able to convert that information into the perfect basketball play. 

他有念能力嗎？如果有的話，那倒能解釋些事。但更可能的解答是他是一位認真的球員，因為看過太多協防和防線崩潰，所以他不單知道接下來會發生什麼事，而且能精確的做出反應。十年的NBA生涯，讓他現在能把腦內資訊完美轉換成的場上進攻。

It's a cliché to say that LeBron James makes the players around him better. But that is exactly what is happening. If you placed any member of the Heat on another team, his efficiency would likely suffer. James is a rising tide that lifts all the boats on Miami's roster. The combination of his poise, vision, athleticism, and basketball IQ enables him to survey the court as if it were a chessboard. It's this ability that separates him from "pure scorers" like Carmelo Anthony. He is more Kasparov than Kobe. Even the people closest to him see him as a chess player: "All my family members have been saying, 'Listen, you need to learn how to play chess, because that will be your game.'" But James already has a game, and he is already its grand master. 

說LeBron James讓隊友更好已經是老生常談了。不過這的確是事實。如果你把熱火隊的任一成員放到其他隊，他的效率可能就會變差。James像是撐起熱火這艘大船的漲潮。他的冷靜、視野、運動能力和籃球智商的組合，使他可以像審視棋盤般綜觀全場。這種能力讓他和Carmelo Anthony這類「純得分手」有了區分。他比較像世界西洋棋王Kasparov，而非Kobe。甚至連他身邊的人都視他為西洋棋手，他說：「我所有家人都一直跟我說：『聽著，你應該學習如何下西洋棋，因為這將會成為屬於你的遊戲。』」但James已經有屬於他的比賽了，而且他已經是這比賽的大師級人物。

心得：

由於文章已經是幾天前的了，所以內文的數據或和現在有所出入。
但圖片數據皆為上季資料。

熱火進攻由幾年前的無雙式進攻，演變成現在的團隊打法。實在是不容易。

不過就像馬刺打了10年的團隊籃球一樣。打團隊籃球絕對比單純球星自幹有效率，而且有更加好看。

不管立場如何，能看到這些球星合作無間真的是一件球場上的好事情。