金塊發光時刻來臨。 - 丹佛金塊 Denver Nuggets

Time for Nuggets to respond
金塊發光時刻來臨。

http://tinyurl.com/377jkk
By The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 04/19/2007 12:51:42 AM MDT

The Nuggets have been drummed out of the playoffs three years running by 4-1
opening-series mismatches. Will this year be different? NBA writer Marc J.
Spears breaks down the key questions the Nuggets need to answer to surprise the
heavily favored San Antonio Spurs starting in Game 1 on Sunday in San Antonio.

過去三年，金塊隊已經連續在季後賽第一輪以四比一遭到淘汰。今年會有不一樣的
結果嗎？NBA觀察作家Marc J.Spears列出金塊隊必須解決的關鍵問題，以便在禮拜
天聖安東尼舉行的季後賽第一輪，可以令馬刺感受到耳目一新的金塊。

KEY QUESTIONS
Iverson, Anthony await answers
Denver Post staff writer Marc J. Spears breaks down the big questions
surrounding the Nuggets heading into their playoff series against San Antonio.
1. Can Nuggets guard Allen Iverson take his game to another level in the
postseason?
When the Nuggets acquired Iverson on Dec. 19, it gave the franchise hope it
could become a championship-caliber team. Coming down the stretch, "The Answer"
delivered, helping Denver gain a playoff berth. Iverson has been money in the
postseason, averaging 30.6 points, 6.1 assists and 2.1 steals in 62 games for
Philadelphia. He led the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles
Lakers. Iverson also is rested going into this series.

關鍵重點。

這些問題，等待Iverson和Anthony聯手找出來解答。

一: Allen Iverson能夠再次扮演季後賽殺手嗎？

Iverson在12月19日來到金塊隊之後，球團希望藉這次的交易，使球隊將來能夠成為
奪冠熱門。球季後段開始，答案慢慢浮現，幫助金塊取得季後賽資格。Iverson一直
都是季後賽殺手，他在費城時期季後賽表現平均30.6分、6.1助攻、2.1抄截；2001
年Iverson帶領七六人一路殺到總冠軍戰，挑戰洛杉磯湖人。現在Iverson也蓄勢待發。

2. Will the Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony fare better this time around against the
Spurs' Bruce Bowen?
Bowen hassled Anthony two years ago in the playoffs, holding him to 42.2
percent shooting from the field. Anthony is more confident and more polished
this time. He averaged 28.9 points during the regular season, the third-highest
average by a Nuggets player since Denver entered the NBA in 1976. However, in
his lone appearance against the Spurs, on Jan. 10, he was held to 15 points.
Bowen is a three-time all-NBA defensive first-team selection, who again will
get strong consideration for the league's defensive player of the year award.

二: Carmelo Anthony這次能更穩健地面對馬刺Bruce Bowen嗎？

Bowen在二年前的季後賽帶給Anthony很大的麻煩，他讓Anthony的命中率只有42.2%。
如今Anthony對自己更有信心，球技也更精進。本季平均28.9分，是丹佛在1976年
加入NBA以來第三高。然而一月十日單獨面對馬刺的他，得分只有15分。Bowen擁有
三次入選NBA防守第一隊的身手，今年再次成為年度最佳防守球員的熱門人選。

3. Can Nuggets forward-center Nene slow down Spurs star Tim Duncan?
Can anyone except referee Joey Crawford? Duncan again is a strong MVP
candidate, having averaged 20 points and 10.6 rebounds. He's even better in the
postseason, in which he has averaged 25.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists
in 118 games. The 6-foot-11, 260-pound Nene has played well in the second half
of the season, but dealing with Duncan is another matter altogether. Why Nene
over NBA defensive player of the year candidate Marcus Camby? Because he has
the bulk to help him better deal with Duncan and has at times showed he can
hold his own against the league's best, including the likes of MVP candidate
Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas. Camby also can roam a little more when not guarding
Duncan.

三: 中前鋒Nene可以擋下馬刺明星叮噹肯嗎？

除了裁判Joey Crawford，還有誰能夠阻擋他？Duncan今年再次角逐MVP，平均20分、
10.6籃板。過去他在季後賽的表現更為突出，118場季後賽平均25.8分、10.5籃板、
3.3助攻。6呎11吋，260磅的Nene在下半季表現出色，但能不能在與Duncan對碰的
情況下還能有所作為，是另外一回事。為何Nene比年度最佳防守球員候選人
Marcus Camby更適合擔任這樣的角色？因為巨大的身軀更可以幫助他頂住Duncan，
另外，球季間幾次碰上聯盟優秀前鋒，例如MVP候選人Dirk Nowitzki的時候，也展現
了不錯的效果；這樣的安排，就可以讓Camby有更多機會埋伏籃下，展現防守能力。

4. Will the fast-breaking Nuggets be able to run against the stingy Spurs?
Probably not, based on regular-season statistics. Going into the teams' season
finale, San Antonio led the league in allowing just 90 points per game, and
44.2 percent field-goal shooting. The Spurs were 24-3 this season when holding
teams between 80 and 89 points, which figures to be where they'll try to keep
the Nuggets. San Antonio knows how much the Nuggets struggle when they don't
score 100 or more points. Discounting Wednesday's meaningless finale, San
Antonio clamped down in two regular-season wins over Denver, holding the
Nuggets to an average of 81.5 points.

四: 面對擅於掌控節奏的馬刺隊，金塊可以打出會擅長的快攻攻勢嗎？

根據季賽的數據來看，或許金塊會受制於馬刺。雙方最後一場比賽之前，馬刺隊以
平均失分90分領先全聯盟，並可以對手命中率只有44.2%。本季馬刺隊讓對手得分在
八十到八十九分之間的時候，他們戰績是二十四勝三敗；讓金塊隊得分降低在八十
幾分是他們的目標，因為馬刺隊知道，金塊隊得分不到一百分的時候，成績是什麼
慘狀。雙方禮拜三數據無參考意義，對戰之前前二次交手馬刺皆獲勝，並讓金塊
平均得分只有81.5分。

5. Can the Nuggets keep Spurs guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili from driving
to the lane?
The Spurs have manhandled the Nuggets in part because Parker and Ginobili
seem to be able to get into the lane any time they want. Doing so allows them
to get easy shots or set up their teammates. Denver's best bet to stop the
drives could be using more zone sets to help out Nuggets guards Allen Iverson
and Steve Blake with difficult matchups. If the Nuggets stay in a man defense,
will seldom-used defensive specialist guard Yakhouba Diawara get more playing
time?

五: 金塊隊能盡量防止讓馬刺Tony Parker與Manu Ginobili殺入中心地帶嗎？

本季馬刺可以大肆破壞金塊隊的防守陣線，有一部分的原因是，不管在什麼時候，
Tony Parker與Manu Ginobili總是可以隨心所欲地殺到禁區。如此一來，輕鬆上籃
或是找尋隊友空檔的機會就增多。要阻擋上籃突破，金塊最好的方法就是多多利用
區域防守、輪轉防守，以便幫忙Allen Iverson與Steve Blake防守上的劣勢，如果
金塊擺出人盯人陣勢，鮮少機會上場的後衛Yakhouba Diawara就可以獲得較多的上
場時間，發揮他的專長？


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