LeBron being LeBron

From: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/8011587/lebron-being-lebron

This whole We Hate LeBron thing reminds me of a story. A woman is in front of an apartment house that's engulfed in flames. She's screaming, "Help! Help! My baby's in there!" A man sprints up and says, "Which floor?" "Tenth!" she screams. "In the back!" He rips off his coat and goes running in. Five minutes later, he's back, coughing, choking, and handing the woman the baby. She looks at the man with a frown and sniffs, "He had a hat." That's life for LeBron James.

人們對這個球星的一切不滿和指責讓我想起了一個故事： 一個婦女站在被大火吞滅的公寓前面無助的尖叫著： “救救我的孩子！我的孩子還在裡面！” 這時一名男子衝了過來，大喊道“在那一層樓？” “在第十樓的最裡面！” 男子二話沒說，脫下外套衝進了火海。 五分鐘之後，他回來了，手裡捧著那個嬰兒。 婦女看著被濃煙嗆得快要窒息的男人， 皺著眉頭說：“你把孩子的帽子弄到哪去了？”

而這就是 LeBron James 的生活。

Anything short of an NBA title makes James a useless wad of pre-chewed pork gristle in your eyes. Whatever he does -- three MVPs in nine seasons -- it's never enough. You hate him -- still! -- for the way he botched the announcement of his free-agent move from Cleveland to Miami. Forget that hundreds of people move from Cleveland to Miami every year. Forget that dozens of NBA players change teams every year.

缺少一枚總冠軍戒指讓你們覺得 LBJ 就是個一無是處的傢伙。 不管他做了什麼其他的，做的有多好， 即使是在 9 個賽季裡拿下三個常規賽MVP，都永遠不夠。 你們如此討厭他， 僅僅因為他 2 年前不太明智的選擇在電視上公佈他作為自由球員離開騎士。 但是，難道你們忘了每年有成百上千的人從克利夫蘭移居到邁阿密麼？ 難道你們忘了每年有一大批 NBA 球員更換球隊嗎？

It was only one mistake. Has he showed up in any police reports since? Has he cheated on his fiancée ? Has he left his children stranded in the pick-up circle at school?

Has he refused to speak to reporters after a single game this season? Has he called out his teammates for their poor play, as Kobe Bryant did twice this postseason? Has he gotten his coach fired? Been fined for criticizing refs? Asked to be traded, released or named general manager?

我承認， LBJ 的“決定”也許是一個錯誤。 但是，作為一個人而言，他有過任何犯罪記錄嗎？ 他有過任何對未婚妻的不忠誠嗎？ 又或者他曾經把孩子們遺忘在學校的寄養處？ 作為一個球員而言，你可曾看到過 LBJ 在賽後拒絕接受採訪？ 可曾看到過 LBJ 抱怨自己的隊友表現太糟糕？ (Kobe 在這個季後賽就幹過兩次這種事情) 你可曾聽說過 LBJ 想要炒掉自己的教練或者因為抱怨裁判而遭到罰款嗎？ 你聽說過 LBJ 要求被交易或要求炒掉球隊經理的醜聞嗎？

Has he punched anybody? Choked anybody? Screamed at any parking valets? (Mom doesn't count.) Smashed a chair? Drop-kicked any equipment? Tiger Woods does that on the front nine.

或者，你有看到過 LBJ 跟人打架，掐別人的脖子， 朝幫他停車的伙計們大吼大叫？（他老媽不算） 或者砸椅子？ 踢壞球場設備？ 老虎伍茲前九洞打完時也這麼幹過。

OK, LeBron is not perfect. Threw a Gatorade cup. Punched a walking stick. Carries that stupid little man purse. But if you were to fill a plane with the most spoiled superstars in the country, he'd be boarding in the D group.

的確， LBJ 有時候並不完美。 比如有次他亂扔一個 Gatorade 杯子， 有次在輸球後把 Juwan Howard 的手杖弄壞了， 還有一次在去洛杉磯打客場的時候拎了一個很娘炮的LV男士錢包 (圖見原文連結) 。 但是，假如你把這個國家最最被寵壞的體育明星們都召集起來， 把他們按照被寵壞的等級從高到低的放進一架飛機， 那 LBJ 絕對只排得上進入D組機艙。

You despise him because he passes too much. Imagine that. You hate a modern NBA player for not being selfish.

OK, I'd like to see him use his bag of hoop tricks to drive more at the end of games, too. But it's not like he hasn't done it, dozens and dozens of times, including huge fourth quarters against Boston and Chicago in last season's playoffs.

You people seem to want him to take it every single time, even with Dwyane Wade as a teammate. And Chris Bosh. But it's The Big Three, isn't it? Not The Big One.

你們看不起 LBJ ，說他的傳球太多了。 這就如同你們因為一個球員不夠自私而討厭他。 好吧，其實我也希望 LBJ 能在比賽的最後關頭能夠更多攻擊籃框， 但是這並不代表他沒有這麼做。 LBJ 經常打出偉大的第四節表演， 包括去年季後賽，熱火在對陣波士頓塞爾提克和芝加哥公牛的系列賽。 就算現在身邊有了 Dwyane Wade 和 Chris Bosh 兩個超級巨星， 你們這些傢伙還是指望 LBJ 在每一分鐘都扛起球隊的進攻。 但是請記住，現在熱火是三巨頭而不是單巨頭。

And just so you know: In playoff games, LeBron has taken 13 final shots in tight games in regulation and hit five of them to win or tie. Kobe has taken twice that and hit only seven. Can we all just take a Xanax?

Besides, he passes so exquisitely. His passes are clairvoyant, leading teammates to places they didn't even know they were supposed to go. They're as soft and buttery as croissants. Why wouldn't you want him passing?

And why is the hoops world so hypercritical of this one thing when he's so brilliant at every other part of the game? Defense? He's guarded every position against the Celtics -- the 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. "He's guarded everybody but me," says Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

再來看看關鍵分上的數據，在 LBJ 整個季後賽生涯， 他總共 13 次在常規時間最後關頭出手，命中 5 球 (絕殺或者把比賽拖入加時) ， 而現役關鍵球大師 Kobe 的出手是 LBJ 的兩倍之多，但是僅僅命中 7 球。 我們怎麼就不能都坐下來冷靜客觀地看看他的表現呢？ 除此之外， LBJ 的傳球技巧可以說是精妙絕倫。 他開闊的傳球路線在比賽中指引著隊友跑到他們都不曾想到的合理位置。 他的傳球如同沾著奶油的牛角麵包一樣柔軟可口。 為什麼你們卻不想欣賞他美妙的傳球？ 我搞不懂籃球界為什麼總對他的一些小毛病吹毛求疵， 而忽略了他在其他幾乎所有領域的光輝。 比如說防守， LBJ 在對陣塞爾提克的系列賽中 防守過對方從控球後衛到中鋒的所有 5 個位置。 塞爾提克主帥 Doc Rivers 甚至說：“ LBJ 就差來防守我了。”

Only Rajon Rondo is even close in all-around brilliance this postseason. James is second in points, fourth in steals, 10th in assists, second in minutes. He leads his team in double-doubles and the league in double standards. Wade missed an open jumper to lose Game 4 in overtime -- how come he's not "scared"?

Last year, you hated him for being a shrinker. Now you hate him for not being a closer. Every game, he must CLOSE. Was Magic Johnson a closer? A few times, yes. Every freaking time? No. And by the way, most of the time James doesn't need to close because he has been so drop-your-popcorn good the entire game.

在所有季後賽球員中，只有 Rondo 的數據能在全面性上稍稍及的上 LBJ 。 （LBJ 得分排名第二，抄截第四，助攻第十，出場時間第二） 他的雙十數據領先全聯盟，換做任何一個球員都會受到褒獎， 而他卻遭到你們的雙重標準。 Wade 在第四場延長賽中錯過了一個決定勝負的三分，為什麼他就不用擔心受到指責？ 去年，你們怨恨 LBJ，說他是一個退縮者。 今年，你們又抱怨他沒能做一個終結者。 每一場比賽，他都必須要完成最後一擊！ Magic Johnson 是一個終結者嗎？ 有時候是的。但也絕不是每時每刻都如此。 哦 ! 對了，忘了告訴你們， 其實在大部分時間裡， LBJ 都不需要做一個終結比賽的人， 因為他貫穿全場的精彩表現早就把對手給打垮了。

Aren't we still playing the game of basketball? What happened to attacking the defense where it's softest? What's wrong with looking for the open shot? Aren't his 12 teammates getting paid, too?

LeBron James in 2003, around the time the expectations for him began to build. People -- enough. This whole "Crown or Drown" thinking on James has to stop. Grown men are actually strapping microphones to their ties and saying that if James doesn't win the title, the Heat ought to be broken up. For what? For making the Finals last year? For making (at least) the Eastern finals this year? James has been with these guys only two seasons. It took Michelangelo four years to paint the Sistine Chapel. You people would've fired him in two?

而且，大家似乎忘了一支隊伍該怎麼打出團隊籃球了。 我們是不是要應該多攻擊對手防守最薄弱的地方？ 在比賽中為隊友尋找和創造空位投籃的機會有什麼錯？ 他的隊友們的薪水也不是白拿的。 你們必須停止把那種“成王敗寇”的想法強加在 LBJ 身上。 現在甚至連評論員們都在嚷嚷如果詹姆斯今年不能拿到總冠軍，那麼熱火就應該解散。 這實在是太荒唐了！ 僅僅因為去年熱火只打進了總決賽？ 而今年(至少)打進了東部決賽？ 你們要搞清楚，這只是 LBJ 和這幫隊友在一起的第二個賽季。 米開朗基羅花了整整四年才完成西斯廷大教堂的壁畫， 而你們這群人估計第二年就會讓這個雕刻家滾蛋了吧。

But I think the reason you hate LeBron James the most is that he just doesn't seem to suffer his failures as much as you'd like him to. You want him to brood like Kobe after losses, glare like Jordan when things don't go his way, scream at teammates like Tom Brady when they're behind.

不過，我覺得你們討厭 LBJ 的最重要原因， 是他在輸球的時候沒有像你們希望的那樣過分沉浸在悲傷之中。 你們希望他在輸球之後能像 Kobe 那樣沮喪，像 Jordan 那樣憤怒， 或者像 Tom Brady (NFL巨星) 那樣朝懈怠的隊友們怒吼。

That's not James. His spirit is too light. He's too much fun. He's a 6-foot-8 pixie, a 27-year-old kid who's addicted to kidding. He's a genuinely sweet person. You think of the great athletes of our generation -- Jordan, Woods, Lance Armstrong. They all had a bit of the jerk gene in them. James is missing it. He is loved by his teammates, not feared. So sue.

但是，那樣就不是 LBJ 了。 他的性格永遠都是隨性，灑脫的；他永遠都是那麼開心和搞怪。 說白了， LBJ 就是一個有著 6呎8 的身材的 27 歲大孩子。 他總是特別喜歡開玩笑，是個很可愛的傢伙。 如果你們想想我們這個年代的偉大運動員— Jordan, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong。 他們每一個的身體裡都流動著各種古怪、固執的基因，但是 LBJ 卻沒有這些毛病。 他的隊友都愛戴他，他們從來不覺得和這樣一位超級巨星一起打球讓人覺得不安。

That's probably going to work against him in the long run. It will keep him from being Jordan or Kobe or Kareem. It will keep him from being enough. But isn't that somebody you want your kids to have as their hero?

Hat or no hat?

LBJ 的性格也許會最終阻礙他成為 Jordan、Kobe 或者 Abdul-Jabbar 這樣的球員， 會阻礙成為你們眼中的“足夠好”。 但是，這樣不完美的，親切的他， 難道不就是你應該為孩子們找的偶像嗎？

別再去管那該死的“帽子”了。