龍與鹿的戰爭 誰將成爲東境守護?

TORONTO — Over six months, Kawhi Leonard endured "82 practices," then another 11 in the postseason. But there's no preparation for the individual burden he placed on his broad shoulders Sunday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

多倫多——過去的六個月，卡哇伊萊昂納德打了82場常規賽和11場季後賽。但是，對於週日晚上他對費城76人的比賽，他還沒有做好獨自承擔重任的準備。

Leonard launched more field goals through three quarters than either Kobe Bryant or LeBron James have ever attempted in an entire seventh Game. He scored 13 of the Toronto Raptors' final 15 points in the closing minutes. And in the final 4.2 seconds of a game tied at 90-90, being chased in close pursuit by Ben Simmons then Joel Embiid, he drained the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history.

相較於科比以及詹姆斯在搶七中的表現，萊昂納德只用了三節時間，就命中了比另外兩名球星全場都要多的球。在多倫多猛龍隊最後的15分裏，他得到了13分。在比賽的最後4.2秒，雙方打成了90-90平手。儘管先後被本西蒙斯和喬爾·恩比德緊貼防守，萊昂納德命中了NBA歷史上第一個搶七絕殺。

"That's something I never experienced before — Game 7, winning shot," Leonard said. "It's a blessing to get to that point and make that shot and feel that moment, and it's something I can look back on in my career."

“這是我以前從未體驗過的——在搶七中命中絕殺。” 萊納德說，“能夠在那種情況下投中，並能享受那個時刻是非常幸運的。這是我在職業生涯中可以回憶的一幕。”

The sequence of images will be iconic in NBA history: the leaning, fading motion that elevated Leonard above Embiid's outstretched arm, his staggering out of bounds as the shot reached its apex, his squatting in wait as the ball bounced four times around the iron, his letting out a primal scream as it finally fell through, teammates mobbing him as the rim rendered its verdict, Embiid's incredulous response with his hands atop his head in tragic disbelief.

他的身影將成爲NBA歷史上的標誌：萊昂納德高高躍起，身形飄逸，動作嫺熟，即便是恩比德也封蓋不及，球在最高點出售，而他他蹣跚的落在了界外，蹲在那裏等待着。球在籃筐上彈了四下，隨着球最後掉入網中，他發出了瘋狂的吶喊聲。球進之後，隊友們都跑過來簇擁着他。而恩比德則悲傷的抱住了頭，一臉的難以置信。

"It was one of those moments where it's just like a real-life game winner, Game 7, like count-it-down when you're back home, and everyone was celebrating like that," Kyle Lowrysaid. "It was a pretty awesome moment."

“這時候就像是現實生活中的勝利者的時刻，在搶七絕殺，就像倒數回家的時間一樣，每個人都在慶祝，”凱爾·洛瑞說。"這是一個非常令人驚歎的時刻。"

Real life transcended fantasy on Sunday for a franchise that has been victimized in the postseason by shotmakers of Leonard's caliber. The Raptors had never before employed one of those talents of their own. Now they do, and they rode him to the Eastern Conference finals, which begins Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

在這個週日，現實超乎了想象，萊納德用投射殺死了這輪比賽。猛龍隊以前從未擁有過有如此天賦的球員。而現在他們正是靠着這樣一位球員打進了東部決賽。東部決賽將於週三晚上在密爾沃基開始。

The matchup between the Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks will feature a fascinating chess match between two teams with exceptionally high basketball intelligence. But it will also be a collision of an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Decide for yourself which is Kawhi Leonard and which is Giannis Antetokounmpo. They rank No. 1 and No. 2 in postseason player efficiency rating, and have undoubtedly been the most consistent, dominant performers in this year's playoffs.

猛龍隊和密爾沃基雄鹿隊之間的比賽將會是一場精彩的對弈，兩隊的籃球智商極高。但它也將是一個不可阻擋的力量和一個不動如山的物體的碰撞。你自己決定看好卡哇伊·萊納德，還是揚尼斯·安德託昆博。他們在季後賽的效率分裂第一和第二，並且無疑是今年季後賽中表現最穩定、最具優勢的球員。

Leonard's heroics lifted the Raptors against Orlando and Philadelphia, but the Bucks aren't a team easily beaten with a constant isolation attack by a single player — even Leonard. He is very likely to encounter a much more aggressive and unpredictable scheme against Milwaukee, which posted the NBA's top-ranked defense, both in the regular season and playoffs. The Bucks' peripatetic defense scrambles like crazy, and has no misgivings about pressuring a threat like Leonard with multiple bodies coming from anywhere and everyone on the floor. If that means putting the defense into rotation, so be it, because the Bucks are quick to react and long enough to recover lost ground in an instant.

萊昂納德扛起了整個球隊，幫助猛龍隊在對陣奧蘭多和費城的比賽中獲勝，但是雄鹿並不是一支能被一個球員就能輕易擊敗的球隊，即使是萊昂納德不停的獨自進攻。無論在常規賽還是季後賽，他都很有可能在對陣密爾沃基的比賽中遭遇更具攻擊性和難以預測的防守。雄鹿的輪番防守非常瘋狂，他們對於萊昂納德這樣的人沒有任何顧慮，如果這意味着要輪流防守，那他們就毫無疑問會這樣做，因爲雄鹿防守反應迅速，有足夠長的時間來追回丟掉的分數。

The Raptors have been fond of saying that every postseason game tells a different story, but one common thread throughout Toronto's playoff run has been its willingness to pass up open shots along the perimeter. Some of that can be attributed to the inherent unselfishness of players such as Lowry and Marc Gasol.

猛龍隊一直喜歡說，每一場季後賽都有不同的故事，但多倫多季後賽的一個常見的現象是，他們願意放棄一些空位投籃的機會。其中的一些原因可以歸結爲洛瑞和馬克·加索爾等球員的無私。

But against a Bucks defensive scheme in which Brook Lopez typically (though not always) begins each possession in the paint, early open jumpers will be available. Once that Bucks' defense starts scrambling, an open Raptor can ill-afford to look a gift horse in the mouth when the ball is swung to him, because daylight in the half court is brief before shadows of the Bucks' defenders descend on open space.

但是在布魯克·洛佩茲通常（雖然不是總是）開始統治油漆區，之前的跳投的防守計劃就會生效了。一旦雄鹿的防守開始發力，拿到球的猛龍隊員將很難獲得出手機會，因爲雄鹿的補防實在是太快了。

But Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are a different breed of offense, as Raptors coach Nick Nurse outlined after Sunday's win.

但是安德託昆博和雄鹿有着不同類型的進攻，就像猛龍隊教練尼克·諾斯在週日獲勝後所描述的那樣。

"It's a totally different style than we've just been through in our past two series," Nurse said. "These were set-play teams, pretty methodical on offense. They're going to come down, look at things, run some post-ups, run stuff for their certain guys. That's not to say Milwaukee doesn't do that too, but they much rather spread the floor, give it to a guy, put their head down, take it to the rim, and put it in the rim. If you send help, they're going to fire it out and they're going to shoot a ton of 3s."

這是一個完全不同的風格，相比於我們剛剛經歷的兩輪系列賽，”諾斯說。"這些都是固定模式的球隊，有着相當有條理的進攻。他們會慢下來，觀察，採用一些背身單打，採用背身單打的也就是那些確定的人。這並不是說密爾沃基也不這樣做，但他們更傾向於傳導球，把球給安德託昆博，放低姿態，把它運到籃筐，並把它放進籃筐。如果你派人來幫忙，他們就會開火，他們就會投出許多三分。”

More broadly, Milwaukee features an uncommon, almost lethal versatility. Apart from spacing, the Bucks are a team that doesn't need any specific condition to succeed, not unlike the Golden State Warriors of recent seasons. They can win big or small, fast or slow, inside or outside, in the half court or the open floor, with scripted or improvisational play. Theoretically, the Raptors should be able to thrive in many of those environments as well, though they've demonstrated some vulnerabilities, particularly on the glass and in contending with size.

更廣泛地說，密爾沃基的特點是罕見的，每一項都是致命的。除了空間之外，雄鹿是一支不需要任何特殊條件就能成功的球隊，這一點與近幾個賽季的金州勇士並無二致。他們可以贏得大或小，快或慢，內部或外部，在半場或開放的地板上，通過腳本或即興發揮。從理論上講，猛龍也應該能夠在許多這樣的環境中茁壯成長，儘管它們已經展示了一些弱點，特別是在籃板球上和體型上。

For those who believe that a team's experience matters deep in the NBA postseason, Toronto has its most decisive advantage in the matchup. The Raptors' roster has played a collective 116 games in the conference finals and beyond, and the Bucks have played in 24 such games — all of them by George Hill as a member of the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers.

對於那些認爲球隊的經驗在NBA季後賽非常重要的人來說，多倫多在比賽中有着最決定性的優勢。猛龍隊在決賽和其他比賽中共打了116場比賽，而雄鹿隊也打了24場這樣的比賽—所有這些比賽都是喬治·希爾作爲聖安東尼奧馬刺和印第安納步行者的一員。

Resumes aside, the Bucks seem to have shaken off any residual altitude sickness — they're well aware of where they are and what they're playing for, as are the Raptors. And for sheer individual star power and tactical scheming, this matchup is catnip for both casual fans and NBA junkies.

撇開過往的經歷不談，雄鹿似乎已經擺脫了任何殘留的高原反應——他們很清楚自己在哪裏，他們在爲什麼而戰，就像猛龍一樣。對於純粹的個人明星力量和戰術策劃來說，這場比賽對與粉絲和NBA愛好者來說都是值得期待的。

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