Stephen Curry quiet again as Kyrie... - NBA

Stephen Curry quiet again as Kyrie Irving steals the show
當KI偷走這場比賽時, Stephen Curry再次沉靜下來 http://tinyurl.com/zkjr3uz

The Warriors’ star hasn’t been his dominant self with the addition of Kevin
Durant, and the Warriors have to figure out how to fix that
KD加盟後, Stephen Curry不再是從前那個具有主宰力的Stephen Curry
勇士必須想出辦法來修正這一點

Once again, in this epic rivalry between the Warriors and Cavaliers, the star
point guard came through in the clutch with a dagger shot. And it wasn’t
Stephen Curry.
勇士騎士史詩般的對戰, 再一次的明星控衛站出來在關鍵時間命中致勝球
但那個人, 不是Stephen Curry

It was Kyrie Irving, Cleveland’s answer to the two-time MVP. He hit the
game-winner in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. He hit the game-winner in the
thriller the Warriors and Cavaliers put on Christmas Day, securing a 109-108
win with a fade-away jumper despite Klay Thompson draped all over him.
It was Irving, again, basking in the sunshine of praise as the basketball
world marvels at his skills. It was Cleveland, again, exuberant in dethroning
the mighty Warriors and all their hype.
騎士面對Curry這位兩屆MVP的答案, 是KI;
是KI在上季Finals第七戰命中致勝球;
也是KI在K湯的防守幾乎貼在他身上時命中致勝球, 帶領騎士以109-108獲勝;
更是KI再次笑迎了籃球世界對他所有籃球技巧的讚揚;
也更是騎士再次現身, 罷黜掉勇士的強大以及毀壞他們本季所有美好的想像

Curry? He was on the bench, pulled for the final defensive possession. He was
neutered in the rematch against the Cavaliers, and this time he was healthy.
He finished with 15 points on 11 shots.
那Curry呢? 他呆在板凳, 眼看著最後時刻隊友們的防守
再次與騎士對戰, Curry狀況健康, 但卻如同被閹割的雄雞般, 出手11次僅拿15分
ps. neutere: 可翻中立& 閹割

Sunday underscored one of the issues the Warriors need to work out: how to
unlock Curry.
週日耶誕大戰凸顯出勇士一個必須解決的問題: 如何解鎖Curry釋放他的能力

The price for infiltrating Kevin Durant has been Curry’s brilliance. He’s
shown flashes of his usual self. But he has no doubt absorbed the greatest
sacrifice of the Warriors’ incumbent stars. And beating Cleveland in the
Finals, presuming they meet for a third straight year, is going to require
Curry being Curry.
讓KD融入勇士隊的代價就是Curry的光芒, 他展現過以往的自己, 但也無疑的做出了勇士
隊中最大的犧牲, 假使這季會連續第三次在Finals遭遇到騎士, 要勝出的關鍵就是需要
Curry打出Curry自己的水準

Even with Durant, the two-time MVP can’t just blend in for the Warriors to
maximize their talent.
即使現在有了KD當隊友, 兩屆MVP的Curry不能只是去配合整體來求球隊天賦的最大化

“Honestly, I can’t have 11 shots,” Curry said. “I’ve got to get more
looks at the rim. That’s nobody’s fault. I’ve just got to figure out a way
to be more aggressive in that respect. And keep the defense honest and use
all the talent we have on this team, including my scoring ability.”
Curry表示:"老實說我不能僅有11次出手, 我需要更多的去朝籃框看, 這不是誰的錯, 我
只是要去找出能讓自己更有侵略性的方法, 更好的做好防守並善用我們所有的天賦才行,
包含我的得分能力"

It’s one game. The Warriors have learned the hard way that regular season
wins, even a record pile of ’em, don’t get them a championship. But if
Sunday’s game did anything, it highlighted the impact the acquisition of
Durant’s had on Curry.
只是一場比賽, 勇士已經學會了常規賽裡的勝場數, 甚至是一大堆的破紀錄都無法讓他們
獲得總冠軍, 但如果說週日的耶誕大戰說明了什麼意義, 那就是凸顯出引援KD後對Curry
所造成的影響

Durant (36 points and 15 rebounds) looked every bit the star, dueling
blow-for-blow with LeBron James (31 points and 13 rebouds). The Warriors went
to Durant in the final seconds, hoping to answer Irving’s heroics. But
Richard Jefferson stepped on Durant’s foot, causing him to stumble and fall
as he caught the inbounds pass.

No foul was called. The Warriors never got a shot off.
KD今天36分15籃板球星般的數據, 跟LeBron的31分13籃板比肩炫目, 最後關頭勇士把希望
放在KD身上, 期望能回擊KI的英雄式演出, 但RJ踏到了KD的腳導致KD踉蹌無法執行最後一
擊, 裁判沒響哨

Curry? He started off the ball on the other side of the court. He was being
face-guarded by the Cavaliers’ Iman Shumpert, away from the focus of the
refereers. It was a microcosm of the problem that has Curry producing below
the bar he set.
那Curry人在哪? 發球時他人在球場另一邊由Iman貼臉守著, 遠離了裁判們的目光
這景象就是Curry本季表現低於他自己設定標準問題的縮影

It’s not just that his shot attempts are down — nearly four fewer per game,
the biggest drop in his career. But his approach to games has changed. His
role in the offense has been altered. And it all seems to be affecting his
shooting.
Curry本季場均出手次數較上季陡降近4次, 生涯最大降幅
不僅是出手次數減少, 他比賽的內容也改變了, 攻擊端的角色也不同
這些種種似乎就是影響他出手的原因

With his 2-for-7 shooting performance from three, Curry fell back below 40
percent for the season from behind the arc. Most players would love to shoot
39.9 percent from 3 for a season. But that would easily be a career-low for
Curry, who made 45.4 percent of his threes last season.
今天Curry三分線出手7中2, 這季三分命中率又跌回4成不到
雖然說大多數球員們會因為有39.9%三分命中率感到開心
但這卻會是Curry生涯的最低數據, 上季他的三分可是有45.4%呢

He is still averaging 24.1 points per game. But he isn’t dominating at will
like he once did. And, against the Cavaliers, the Warriors could have used
some Curry dominance.
Curry本季場均仍有24.1分, 但卻不再具有像以往那樣隨心所欲的主宰比賽
而且, 在對戰騎士時, 勇士還是能用到一些Curry的統治力

All parties have contributed: Curry, his coaches and the opposing defenses.
所有人都對此做出貢獻: Curry本人, 教練們, 以及對手的防守

Curry isn’t nearly as aggressive. Much of this is a conscious choice Curry
is making. Durant has shown nothing but support of the Warriors’ star
dominating, but Curry’s humility and unselfishness wins out. Even in the
moments it feels like he should take over, he defers to the flow of the
offense.
Curry打的不算有侵略性, 這結果絕大多數是他自己的選擇
KD展現出對勇士球星Curry主宰力的支持, 但Curry個人的謙遜與無私更為突出
就算來到看來需要Curry跳出來接管比賽的時刻
Curry還是會選擇順著戰術進攻

The problem is Curry is usually not in rhythm when the Warriors need him to
be. He ends up a finisher at random instead of a creator, or jacking up a 3
when he hasn’t had a touch in a while. He hasn’t been as lights out a
shooter in the supporting cast role.
問題是當勇士需要Curry跳出來時, 他卻通常不在那節奏中; 三不五時進個球而不像以往
可以為自己或隊友創造機會, 一段時間沒有持球、接到球後突然進個三分, 現在他持球、
出手少了，扮演這種輔助角色使得他不再是能隻手取勝的射手
(感謝I大幫忙改正翻譯)

“You have to acknowledge too the difference in the dynamics,” Steve Kerr
said. “Not having the ball as much in his hands, that is an adjustment to
make. I think there is still some adapting going on for him.”
Kerr表示:"我們也必須了解到球隊動態的改變, Curry不再有像以前那麼多球權, 這是個
需要去做的調整, 我想這一點上面還有Curry需要去適應的地方"

Kerr has some part in it, too. He helps neutralize Curry by putting him off
the ball too much.Away from the center of the action, defenses have much more
freedom to physically handle Curry. They crowd him to avoid any daylight and
jump into would-be passing lanes.
Kerr也是造成Curry現況的原因之一, 他讓Curry的無球跑動增加太多以致於削弱了Curry
, 除此之外, 對手的防守也大大限制了Curry.

When the first attempt to get Curry the ball fails, that’s it. But when the
end is result is errant lobs to JaVale McGee, or open looks for Andre
Iguodala, or forced passes to Zaza Pachulia, the defense wins over the long
haul.
今天第一次嘗試把球傳給Curry就失敗了, 正是這樣, 當對手能迫使勇士把球傳給McGee
, 或空檔的Iggy, 又或是迫使球傳給Zaza, 對手的防守就算是成功

Kerr and his staff have to do a better job of milking arguably their greatest
weapon. It’s the 3-point explosions opponents fear most, which is why they
face guard Curry without hesitation and double-team him as standard protocol.
The right basketball play is for the ball to move to the open man.
Kerr跟他的教練團們必須做得更好, 來讓勇士最大的武器發揮功效, Curry是史上最具威
嚇性的三分砲手, 這也是對手們將貼臉防守Curry或是對他包夾視作必然的原因, 正確的
籃球打法是要讓球流動到有空檔的人手上

But sometimes, especially late in games, Curry being Curry is better than the
open man getting a good look. The Cavaliers have figured that out.
但有時候特別是比賽後段, 能打出自己風格的Curry會比有著空檔的人更好
而騎士隊已經找出破解的方法

On the other end, Cleveland has beaten the Warriors twice now because Irving
made contested shots against good defense. Cleveland’s offense becomes put
the ball in his hands, even with LeBron, and let him do what’s best. And it
works.
另一方面, 因為KI能扛住勇士出色的防守並得分, 騎士現在已經痛擊了勇士兩次
騎士的攻勢變成即便球在LeBron手上也會把球交給KI, 讓KI去做想要的出手, 真的有效

The task for the Warriors between now and the playoffs, even with Durant, is
figuring out how to do the same for Curry.
即使有了KD, 對於勇士在季後賽來臨之前要做的工作
就是找出像騎士對待KI一樣, 讓Curry能發揮的方法

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Steve Kerr not worried about Stephen Curry’s shooting slump
[同場加映-節錄] Kerr表示他不擔心Curry的手感問題 http://tinyurl.com/zguuf5l

Stephen Curry “has the confidence of MJ,” Kerr, now the Warriors’ head
coach, said before Golden State’s Christmas-Day matchup against Cleveland. “
Very few players I’ve ever seen can miss 10 shots in a row, and make the
next one like it’s nothing. Steph does that all the time.”
曾當過Michael Jordan四季隊友的Kerr表示....
Curry有跟MJ一樣的自信心, 我看過的球員們只有極少數可以在連續十投都沒進之後, 隔
天還能若無其事信心滿滿的照常出手, Steph總是這樣

Still, there is reason to believe that Curry’s struggles — yes, by his
standard he is struggling — are just as mechanical as mental. He is shooting
29.9 percent on pull-up threes, significantly below his 42.8-percent clip on
that shot last season. Curry has already missed 117 threes that could be
classified as “open” or “wide open.” Many of those shots haven’t had the
high-arching trajectory that are Curry’s signature.

然而還是存在著能讓人相信Curry打的掙扎的理由, 以他的標準來說
1. 本季pull-up拔起來砍三分命中率29.9%, 不若上季的42.8%
2. 到目前為止Curry沒能命中117顆能算是"空檔"or"大空檔"的出手, 其中的多數並沒出
現像以往Curry三分出手時會有的拋物線軌跡

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