It's Curry! It's Harden! 是勇士vs火箭! - NBA

It's Curry! It's Harden! It's Warriors-Rockets! http://tinyurl.com/k9bpr6c

西部決戰! Curry vs 鬍子, 勇士 vs 火箭! (文超長, 所以不重要處簡略翻譯請見諒)

One way or another, a score will be settled and no doubt, an exciting if not
exhausting series will take place between the two best teams, record-wise, in
the West. The Warriors are bringing the most lethal offense-defense balance
the league has seen in years with a season differential of plus-10, while the
Rockets are bringing supreme survival skills because, to paraphrase former
coach Rudy Tomjanovich, never underestimate the heart of a team that fell
behind 3-1 in the semis.

不管怎樣, 西區最好的兩支球隊即將碰頭爭霸了!
勇士有著本常規賽季傲視全聯盟最猛的攻防分差10
而剛從1-3落後展開驚天大逆轉的火箭則有著絕對打不垮的拼鬥精神

You look at the Warriors and you see a team that's deeper than Chicago pizza,
with an abundance of 3-point shooters and frisky defenders. You look at the
Rockets and you see castoffs and rejects being proudly reborn and refusing to
shrink when thrust into important roles. You see these teams and you ...
well, c'mon. Seriously, now. You see Curry and Harden.

看看勇士, 陣容深度比芝加哥Pizza還要厚! 餅皮上灑滿了三分射手跟活躍的防守球員!
看看火箭, 一堆拒絕只當角色球員的棄將傲氣重生!
然後最重要的, 讓我們來好好看看Curry跟Harden吧~

Curry is having an epic postseason from a shooting standpoint, being quicker
to 100 3-pointers than anyone in history, and once again leaving defenders
tangled in their own legs and ankles. The league MVP shows no signs of being
a regular-season wonder and is usually in the mix whenever the Warriors are
peeling off a tenacious scoring run.

Curry史詩般的三分砲火讓他成為NBA歷來最快在季後賽砍進100顆三分球的人, 此外他
敏捷多變的腳步往往也讓對手跟不上; 季前毫無跡象, 就在大家的驚嘆聲中Curry就用
他那些出色的表現囊括了本季的MVP

Harden answered with a politically correct shoulder-shrug when he finished
second to Curry for the MVP but nobody in basketball was buying that. He was
genuinely hurt, believing he did more for his team -- one that missed Dwight
Howard for a stretch, one that's loaded with role players -- than Curry or
anyone did for his. Harden has been somewhat inconsistent in the postseason
and the Rockets' biggest playoff moment -- their Game 6 rally against the
Clippers -- did happen with him on the bench, partially weakened by illness.
And yet, with the Rockets a heartbeat from the Finals and Curry standing in
his way, Harden knows he finally has his chance to make a lasting statement.

至於鬍子, 在知道MVP角逐上輸給了Curry後, 表面上只是微微的聳肩不當一回事, 可大
家卻都替鬍子感到惋惜, 他的心裡深處真的很受傷, 比起Curry對勇士的貢獻度, 鬍子
替火箭做的更多啊!

季賽少了草莓獸, 沒關係, 鬍子Carry; 老闆給了他一堆角色球員, 沒關係鬍子也Carry
雖然季後賽鬍子有時打的不太穩定, 像是對快艇G6關鍵的奮起就是在他坐板凳時發生,
但沒差, 不管那些, 打西冠時對戰攔路虎Curry, 鬍子很清楚說話的時刻終於到了
這是個讓全世界知道誰才是正港MVP的好機會賊哈哈哈

Reaching this deep into the postseason has been a long time coming for both
teams. Coincidentally, this is the 40th anniversary of the Warriors' last
championship, when Rick Barry, shades of Curry, was the core of the club. The
Warriors reached the conference finals the next season but since then it's
been mostly dry, with the exception of the fun Run-TMC era and an epic
takedown of the top-seeded Mavericks by Baron Davis and friends. After a lost
decade where they simply didn't register on the NBA pulse, it all came
together swiftly for the Warriors, and now they're loaded and built to last.

"It's a credit to our organization and the moves that were in place well
before I got here," said Steve Kerr, the first-year Warriors coach.

對雙方來說, 上次季後賽能走到這麼遠都是好久好久以前的事情了, 對勇士來說要回溯
到40年前那支Rick Barry阿公帶隊的時候了, Kerr表示現在能走到這, 真的要對勇士的
團隊致上敬意, 都得歸功於他們的努力

Likewise, the Rockets enjoyed back-to-back titles in the mid-'90s then fell
asleep. They were often beset by misfortune because the ambitious Tracy
McGrady/Yao Ming project never really launched. And then they benefited when
the tightwad Thunder refused to give Harden a max contract, and again when
Howard didn't want to be teammates with Kobe Bryant. General manager Daryl
Morey did a marvelous job scrapping together unwanteds such as Josh Smith and
Corey Brewer and Jason Terry and wouldn't you know, the Rockets are back in
the conference finals for the first time since Hakeem Olajuwon was dream
shaking.

"The injuries through the year made us fight through adversity no matter
what," said Harden. "There's nothing we feel can't do."

同樣的火箭在90年代大夢二連霸後, 姚麥不給力火箭陷入沉睡, 直到Morey吸納了鬍子跟
草莓獸後休士頓才得以再次沖天, 踏上當年大夢展現夢幻步伐的西冠舞臺.

鬍子說: 今年我們遭到一堆衰小的傷病困擾, 但撐過來後就沒啥是我們做不到的了!

If nothing else, we'll see the changing of the guard in the West. Over the
last 16 years, the Lakers or the Spurs won the conference title 12 times. It
was a dynastic run by those championship-rich teams, and now, the new blood
is ready.
So are Curry and Harden and an argument that will see new life. The changing
of the guard could be decided by the challenge of these two guards.

西部強權變了, 前16年中湖人跟馬刺就囊括了12次西冠, 變態啊~
但現在新血入注, 西區改朝換代了, 就讓我們看看Curry跟鬍子誰領風騷吧~

以下是五個簡要的自問自答觀賽重點:

Five quick questions (and answers):
1. Should Dwight Howard have a larger role in the offense? Howard averaged 11
shots against the Clippers, which is rather generous considering he was up
against DeAndre Jordan. Now he gets a slightly less defensive presence in
Andrew Bogut. Howard is much more mobile than Bogut and, while he still lacks
polish outside the paint, could force the Warriors to provide help, which
could leave single coverage on James Harden and other shooters.

1.草莓獸會在攻擊上獲得更重要的角色嗎?
對快艇的DAJ時他場均只有11分但那是因為DAJ比較硬, 現在對位的Bogut防守比DAJ軟,
草莓獸又比Bogut有活動力, 加上草莓獸的射程僅限油漆區內, 所以如果多給他球權,
應該就能吸引勇士的協防來讓火箭的外圍射手更有空檔可以發揮吧

2. Has Harrison Barnes arrived? The cold stats might not reflect it but
Barnes was tremendous in spots for the Warriors in the last round. He brings
the elasticity and athleticism the Rockets must respect, and in addition,
he's bringing more confidence than ever in his short NBA career. Barnes shot
50 percent and averaged 5 rebounds against the Grizzlies and the growth he
showed is evidence that Steve Kerr's gamble is paying off. When the season
began, Kerr benched Andre Iguodala in favor of Barnes, not because Barnes was
the better player, but Barnes needed a confidence boost and to benefit from a
chance to play with the first unit. Kerr reasoned then that, while Barnes
might make mistakes early, he'd be secure in time for the playoffs.

2. H.Barnes能否正常發揮呢?
冰冷的數據無法說明Barnes的好, 但他極佳的運動能力卻是火箭必須尊敬的, 次輪對灰
熊時Barnes場均有著50%的出手命中率跟5顆籃板; 他快速的成長證明了Kerr在他身上的
賭注獲得了成功, 季初Kerr讓Barnes打先發取代了小AI, 不是因為Barnes比小AI好, 只
是因為Barnes需要累積更多自信好讓勇士進入季後賽時可以因此獲益

3. Has Kerr arrived as a coach? Here in his first season, Kerr has taken the
Warriors deeper than his predecessor did. That alone is enough to squash any
doubts whether the Warriors did the right thing when shifting from Mark
Jackson. Kerr leans heavily on his two very capable assistants, Alvin Gentry
and Ron Adams, while staying in control himself; Kerr has no technical fouls
in the playoffs after leading all coaches during the season. He admitted a
week ago that he often dials up his mentors, such as Gregg Popovich, to seek
their advice on how to approach playoff games and game plan against
opponents. The best coaches are great listeners, and Kerr is taking that
route.

3. Kerr已經是名成功的總教練了嗎?
才第一季執教就帶領了勇士走到了前任到不了的地方, 光這點就夠讓酸他的人閉嘴了.
他的兩個助理教練是他執教的良輔亮弼, 他也承認一周前他偶爾會打電話給同是總教練
的前輩們請教, 像是打給馬刺的Popo來請教對於季後賽的建議, 最好的教練也總是最好
的傾聽者, 而Kerr正是如此

4. Is Josh Smith having a charmed life right now? Sure seems that way. Just
three months ago he was ceremoniously dumped by the Pistons, which marked the
second time in three years that a team wanted nothing to do with him.
Remember, the Hawks refused to even make him an offer when he became a free
agent, leading him to sign a bloated deal in Detroit. New coach Stan Van
Gundy thought he was a bad fit and cut him loose. But now, not only is Smith
getting an image makeover by helping the Rockets, he's getting paid (through
2018) by Detroit and becomes a free agent again this summer.

4.前鷹王Josh現在過的爽嗎?
當然囉, 畢竟三個月前他才剛承受了被鷹爪門...sorry是活塞遺棄的苦楚, 三年內被狠
甩兩次能不痛嗎? 別忘了, 鷹爪門當年在Josh成為自由球員時, 連個表面上的合約都不
肯給讓他淪落到活塞, 而活塞總教練又嫌他跟活塞格格不入踢走他, 慘啊~ 但英雄不怕
氣短, 在火箭的Josh現在打的好過的好, 之前跟活塞簽到2018的約, 錢也都拿到手了,
並且今年夏天他又將成為自由球員吸引眾人目光

5. Is Oracle Arena the best house that's still open? Absolutely. The arena by
the bay is noisier than the nearby Oakland Airport. The atmosphere in Oracle
is college-like without the bands and painted faces. Rich people suddenly
loosen up and turn giddy when Curry puts another foolish defender in a clown
suit. You should know that Oracle was always a fun and lively building even
when the Warriors were stuck in losing and totally irrelevant outside of the
Bay Area. That's why they fetched a nice penny when they came on the market
five years ago. If any of the four arenas provide an advantage to the home
team, it's Oracle and it's not even close.

5.勇士的甲骨文球場, 是目前四座NBA還開門比賽的球場中, 最好最棒的~

When the Warriors have the ball ...
They were slowed in the semis by the grinding Grizzlies, which was
understandable, and now there's no reason the Warriors shouldn't re-rev
themselves. Curry and Klay Thompson naturally are the main forces in the
offense and when both guards are scorching and headed for 20-plus points, the
Warriors are tough to beat. The offense, designed by assistant coach Gentry,
emphasizes spacing and ball movement and cutting, making the Warriors more
than just your typical spread-the-floor team.

The Rockets feature very active and quick defenders such as Trevor Ariza,
Jason Terry and Corey Brewer and therefore can rotate with the best and are
no slouches in guarding the perimeter. But the most important defender will
be Howard, their only shot blocker. He'll allow the Rockets to play tight and
risk Curry or Thompson attacking the rim.

[勇士的進攻 vs 火箭的防守]
次輪時勇士如預期的被灰熊拖慢了進攻節奏, 但西冠時不會再慢了, 只要勇士雙主砲的
Curry跟K湯都能砍下超過20分時, 他們近乎無敵~ 負責規劃進攻的助教Gentry, 他強調
的主軸是卡位跟球的流轉, 以及切入, 讓勇士的攻勢特性一如水銀瀉地佈滿全場

火箭方面又快又主動的防守球員, 像是Ariza, Terry跟Brewer都不太是好的半場防守者
, 但火箭的防守王牌將會是草莓獸 -- 火箭唯一的愛國者攔截飛彈, 他的存在將能讓火
箭嘗試更緊迫的盯防, 允許Curry跟K湯往籃下切入

When the Rockets have the ball ...
Harden is averaging 26.3 points but shooting 43 percent in the playoffs. When
he shoots close to 50 percent the Rockets will surely damage any defense,
because then he forces the double team and is more likely to get to the
free-throw line. The big surprise is Smith is shooting a respectable 36
percent on 3s and not only that, he's being encouraged to take them by coach
Kevin McHale.

The Warriors were rated No. 1 defensively during the season and here in the
playoffs, they're holding teams below 30 percent on 3-pointers, also tops in
the postseason. That's important, because the Rockets' main weapon, besides
Harden, is the 3-pointer. After initially taking a beating from Zach Randolph
and Marc Gasol, the Warriors improved their interior defense and that played
a huge role in the elimination of Memphis.

[火箭的進攻 vs 勇士的防守]
今年季後賽鬍子場均可以砍下26.3分, 但命中率卻只有43%, 只要鬍子的命中率能接近
50%火箭就能擊潰任何防守, 因為他除了能吸引包夾之外還更可能上罰球線要....分數
火箭最大的驚喜就是Josh Smith的36%三分命中率, McHale更鼓勵他多投多射

常規賽跟季後賽勇士都是最強悍的神盾, 在他們的防守下對手的三分命中率都低於30%
(PS.灰熊27%), 這點很重要因為火箭除了鬍子之外最大的武器就是三分砲火; 在經過
黑白雙雄的震撼教育後, 勇士現在的禁區防守也升級了, 火箭能突破勇士的內外雙盾嗎?

In the clutch
How many players strike fear in the defense more than Curry when the clock is
ticking? You can count them on one hand and perhaps one finger (props to you,
LeBron James). Curry is dangerous because he can shake free and shoot from
almost any angle or distance. But don't sleep on Thompson, or course, or
Iguodala, a veteran who doesn't back down from a challenge.

There is only one play in the book when the game's on the line, and that's an
isolation for Harden. It's no secret and everyone in the building knows it.
What happens next, however, depends on Harden and the defense and the
referee. When he does surrender the ball, don't be surprised if it falls to
Terry, who is championship tested, or Ariza.

[關鍵時刻的表現]
有多少人能像Curry一樣在讀秒階段勇猛的擊潰恐懼呢? 五個最多六個吧(算上LBJ的話)
, Curry是場上最危險的對手, 因為他能夠擺脫防守, 然後在幾乎任何角度跟距離射進,
但別只顧著Curry就忘了K湯, 或是老將小AI.

至於火箭, 就只有鬍子, 全天下都知道的秘密. 鬍子拿到球之後會怎樣, 取決於鬍子跟
對他的防守, 以及裁判的臉色; 如果鬍子把球傳了出去, 看到他傳給Terry或Ariza時別
太驚訝嘿~

Wild cards
Pablo Prigioni was the unsung hero of Game 7 against the Clippers by swiping
two inbounds passes and sinking an important 3-pointer. He became a savior of
sorts for the Rockets after Patrick Beverley's injury, giving the Rockets a
steady hand of the bench at the point guard spot. Prigioni never expected to
be in this position after he left the Knicks. Which means, he has something
in common with Smith, Brewer, etc.
Draymond Green has morphed from a role player into a featured player for his
ability to guard four and sometimes all five positions and also score in
bunches. Not many players in the league are bringing his versatility, which
make him valuable to the Warriors in any situation and against any team.
Green is averaging almost 14 points with 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the
playoffs. Unreal from where he was a year ago.

Prediction
The Warriors have had it relatively easy in the context of the rugged West.
They didn't have to play the Spurs or Clippers to this point. And that's no
slap at the Rockets; those two, from a matchup standpoint, were a lot more
frightening. Also, the Warriors emerged from their first two rounds unscathed
from a health standpoint, and that's something you can't take for granted in
these playoffs. Essentially, the Warriors are in a solid groove and when we
reflect on these playoffs, their toughest test might prove to be the
slow-it-down Grizzlies. The Rockets play a similar style and therefore are
playing right into Golden State's hands; nobody can match the Warriors for
up-tempo or 3-point play. Houston has Harden and Howard and therefore should
put up a respectable fight; in the end, the Warriors are bringing the real
MVP and better help. Warriors in six.

[西冠預測]
1. 勇士的一二輪較簡單些, 不用遭遇到像馬刺or快艇就能晉級西冠, 這點火箭比較辛苦

2. 前兩輪下來勇士卻能保持健康無傷, 這點無法視為理所當然一定有他的要點

3. 勇士最大的考驗就是灰熊的"讓你慢"戰術, 火箭的打法卻是跟勇士很類似, 這恰巧合
了勇士的喜好, 在打"快與狠"上, 沒有人是豐玉....勇士的對手!!

4. 火箭因為有鬍子跟草莓獸, 所以還是能打出一定程度的競爭性

最後, 因為勇士有著真正的MVP跟更好的同伴協住, 預測勇士六戰西區封王

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