每日英語跟讀 Ep.K381: 雖然提前放暑假 NBA超級球隊熱潮不減

通勤學英語 15Mins Today

每日英語跟讀 Ep.K381: Superteams？ More Like Super Flops.

The game was over, and the crowd at Barclays Center in New York was chanting “M-V-P.” The fans wore NBA jerseys in all of the team’s colors, and their star raised his arms to acknowledge their praise.

比賽結束，紐約巴克萊中心的人群高呼“M-V-P”。球迷們穿著球隊所有顏色的 NBA 球衣，他們的球星舉起雙臂表示感謝。

But Kyrie Irving was already headed to the locker room. So, too, was Kevin Durant. Ben Simmons wasn’t even in the building. This was not a celebration for the Brooklyn Nets, who play their home games here. It was for the Boston Celtics, for their star Jayson Tatum and for the team that had just accomplished a once-unthinkable feat: a four-game sweep of the Nets in the first round of the playoffs. The Nets superteam the Celtics faced, built around Irving and Durant to win a championship in June, didn’t even make it to May.

但凱里歐文已經前往更衣室了。凱文杜蘭特也是如此。本西蒙斯甚至不在大樓裡。對於在這裡打主場比賽的布魯克林籃網來說，這不是一個慶祝活動。這是為了波士頓賽兒迪克隊，為了他們的球星傑森·塔圖姆，也為了這支剛剛完成了一次不可思議的壯舉的球隊：季后賽首輪四場橫掃籃網隊。 賽兒迪克面對的籃網隊超級球隊，圍繞歐文和杜蘭特打造，在 6 月贏得總冠軍，甚至沒有進入 5 月。

It was a dismal scene to end a season that started with outsize expectations in October. The Nets had three of the best players on the planet, a cast of characters that was the NBA’s version of “Ocean’s Eleven.” Team executives around the league feared them. In fact, in a preseason poll by NBA.com, 72% of the league’s general managers predicted that the Nets would win the title. The Los Angeles Lakers finished second, with 17% of the vote, proving that nobody knew much of anything: The Lakers did not make the playoffs at all.

結束一個在 10 月開始的充滿期望的賽季是一個令人沮喪的場景。籃網隊擁有這個星球上最好的三名球員，他們的角色是 NBA 版的“海洋十一人”。聯盟中的球隊高管都害怕他們。事實上，在 NBA.com 的一項季前賽民意調查中，72% 的聯盟總經理預測籃網隊將贏得總冠軍。洛杉磯湖人隊以 17% 的得票率位居第二，證明沒人知道很多事情：湖人隊不知道完全打進季后賽。

Yet when the season started, there was a big question: What could prevent those two teams from meeting in the NBA Finals? Who else but LeBron James could possibly stop Durant from delivering the Nets their first NBA title? And who besides Durant could impede James’ march to a fifth championship?

然而，當賽季開始時，有一個大問題：什麼會阻止這兩支球隊在總決賽相遇？除了勒布朗詹姆斯，還有誰能阻止杜蘭特送出籃網隊獲得他們的第一個NBA總冠軍？除了杜蘭特，還有誰能阻止詹姆斯向第五個總冠軍進軍？

It turned out, plenty would get in their way.

事實證明，有很多事情會阻礙他們。

The Nets and the Lakers failed — spectacularly — at creating successful superteams, although the failures had different roots. For the Nets, it was a mix of the absurd: a star who wouldn’t get vaccinated against the coronavirus; another star who wanted out after forcing his way to the Nets in the first place; a replacement star who didn’t even show up for the elimination game.

網隊和湖人隊在創建成功的超級球隊方面失敗了——儘管失敗的根源不同。對於籃網來說，這是一種荒謬的混合：一個不會接種冠狀病毒疫苗的球星；另一位一開始就被迫進入籃網後想要離開的球星；一個連淘汰賽都沒有出現的替補明星。

For the Lakers, it was pure Hollywood: an aging former All-Star who wanted the ball for himself when his coach wanted him to share; a crew of has-beens hoping for one last hurrah; the A-list star trying to carry the team, but unable to do it the way he had so many times before. Young opponents laughed at them, openly, and reveled in precipitating their demise.

對湖人來說，那是純粹的好萊塢：一位年邁的前全明星球員，當教練想讓他分享球時，他想要自己的球；一群老玩家希望最後一次歡呼； A-list 球星試圖帶隊，但無法像以前那樣做很多次。年輕的對手公開地嘲笑他們，並陶醉於加速他們的滅亡。