How Kobe won his first MVP？

wzm0306

For lo these many years Kobe Bryant has been universally celebrated as being the best player in the NBA. No ands, ifs or buts. But the MVP trophy has always eluded him — until today.

长时间以来，科比一直被公认为联盟中最优秀的球员。注意，没有以及、如果或但是一说（意思指科比是唯一最优秀的）。但是直到今天，最有价值球员（MVP）的荣誉才降临到他身上。

What's the difference between then and now?  

现在和过去的差别是什么呢？

For starters, during the most recent Lakers championship seasons (2000-02), Kobe shared the spotlight with Shaq. And despite Shaq's peace-making public announcements that the Lakers were "Kobe's team," there was no question that the Big Enchilada was the piece d'resistance. Simply because he was so dominant in the middle, defenses had to load up to prevent Shaq's dunkers, flip-hooks and baseline push-shots. This in-the-paint focus meant that Kobe was rarely double-teamed.

最早在湖人夺取三连冠（2000-2002）时，科比和奥尼尔共同站在聚光灯下。尽管奥尼尔公开示好的声明表示湖人是科比的球队，但是毫无疑问“大玉米卷饼”才是最关键的。简单说，因为他在内线的统治力。防守球员很难去阻止他扣篮、勾手和强打篮下。对内线的过分依赖也意味着科比很少有面对双人包夹的机会。

So it was that the Lakers were able to play inside-out basketball, with even the threat of Shaq's power game setting up just about everything the Lakers wanted to accomplish on offense.  

所以湖人能够打内线篮球，利用奥尼尔在内线的统治力是湖人在进攻上的主要手段。

Once Shaq was dealt to Miami, the Lakers were truly Kobe's team. Trouble was that they were either mediocre or sometimes even worse. And without Shaq's immense presence, Kobe ran amok — routinely breaking the offense, beating the ball to death while his teammates spectated, passing only when no shot was available, playing sometimes-defense and upon occasion, publicly denigrating the skills of his teammates.  

而当奥尼尔被交易到迈阿密后，湖人确实变成了科比的球队。问题是球队表现一般，甚至有时候很差。没有奥尼尔在内线坐镇，科比经常需要满场飞奔——自己拿球进攻让队友只是在球场上站着看，只有在没有投篮机会的时候才去传球，有时候能够做一些防守，有时候还公开指责队友的能力。

For sure, he was still the league's premier player for several reasons:  

当然，他仍然是联盟中的第一球员，主要基于以下原因：

He was a better shooter and defender than LeBron James, Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade.  

他的进攻和防守能力要比詹姆斯、艾弗森和韦德好。

He could go get the ball and not have to wait for a first-class delivery before going to work — like Tim Duncan and Yao Ming.  

他可以拿到球，不需要在进攻前等待一流的快递员——比如邓肯和姚明。

He had more heart than Dirk Nowitzki.  

他的比赛热情比诺维茨基要高。

Unlike Shaq, he wasn't on his last legs.  

他也和奥尼尔不同，奥尼尔已近暮年。

He was more dynamic on both ends of the court than Steve Nash.  

他在球场两端的表现要比纳什更有活力。

He often talked the talk but he was also capable of walking the walk — unlike Gilbert Arenas.  

他经常放出话来，但是他也能够实践诺言——这点和阿里纳斯不一样。

Even so, the writers and broadcasters didn't take kindly to Kobe's selfishness, arrogance and petulance. He was still seen as Shaq's sidekick, who despite his on-court genius, was too big for his britches. Besides, how valuable could Kobe be if, with Shaq elsewhere, the Lakers had failed to make the playoffs once and failed to survive the first round twice?  

即便如此，专栏作家和解说们并不放过科比的自私、傲慢和小脾气。他仍然被认为是奥尼尔的小弟。此外，在奥尼尔不在的情况下，湖人没有进军季后赛，而且两次在季后赛首轮出局，这能证明科比的价值？

To say nothing of Phil Jackson's opining that Kobe was "uncoachable."  

更不用再去说杰克逊曾经评论科比是“不能执教的”球员。

Throw in all the other sideshows — the rape charge, the demand to be traded — and Kobe was deemed to be a great player but a poor teammate. Perhaps the Most Volatile Player, but definitely not the Most Valuable.

再看看其他的负面新闻——QJ指控、主动要求被交易——科比被认为是一名伟大的球员，也是一个很差劲的队友。也许他是最多变的球员，但绝对不是最有价值球员。

The question remains: What changed between then and now?

还是那个问题：现在和过去有什么不同？

Since the negative publicity that was aroused by the legal proceedings in Colorado, Kobe has made an effort to maintain a positive, friendly and agreeable public persona.  

在因卡罗拉多丑闻导致公众形象下降后，科比已经做出努力，改善自己形象，塑造一个积极、友善和好相处的公众人物。

The ruckus over last summer's demand to be traded was actually caused by an anonymous anti-Kobe someone in the Lakers front office trying to stir up enough trouble so that Bryant would indeed be traded.  

事实上，去年夏天主动要求被交易的闹剧是由一名反对科比的湖人决策层人士煽动麻烦试图使科比被交易出去。

After unsuccessfully playing the game "his way," Kobe grudgingly accepted the wisdom and the necessity of making a full commitment to the triangle offense.  

在以“自己的方式”打球无法获得胜利后，科比有些勉强地接受了三角进攻的智慧，也认识到全力执行三角进攻的必要性。

The coming on-board of Derek Fisher was a critical piece in the puzzle. Even in the championship years, Fish was the only Laker who voluntarily hung with Kobe and lent a sympathetic ear, while also making sure that Kobe understood how self-defeating his selfish play really was.  

费舍尔的到来是构成拼图的关键一步。即便在三连冠时代，费舍尔也是湖人队中唯一愿意和科比交往并支持科比的人，他也表示科比已经意识到他的个人篮球导致了个人的失败。

The early-season blossoming of Andrew Bynum transformed the Lakers from a win-some-lose-some outfit into a legitimate contender. And this is what truly challenged Kobe's already ferocious competitive nature. Yes, this team could win it all — if only Kobe forgot about being a one-man band.  

拜纳姆在赛季初期的爆发也让湖人由一支有输有赢的球队变成了总冠军的有力争夺者。这也大大激起了科比本就异于常人的好胜本性。是的，这支球队可以赢球——但是前提是科比不让球队成为一人的球队。

When Bynum went down for the count, Kobe's (and the Lakers') spirits were quickly revived with the arrival of Pau Gasol. Here was a guy who was happy to be an enabler, who picked up all the intricacies of the triangle with ease, who shunned the spotlight and who simply knew how to play the game.  

当拜纳姆因伤缺席比赛后，科比和湖人的士气因加索尔的到来迅速恢复。加索尔是一个乐于当助手的人：他能让三角进攻更加完善，主动去避开聚光灯，而且知道怎样去打好比赛。

For all of these reasons, Kobe could smell another championship, one in which he (and not Shaq) would be the prime mover. So he became the model of decorum.  

基于那些原因，科比似乎嗅到了另一次总冠军的味道，这将是他（而不是奥尼尔）主导的总冠军。所以他变成各方面的理想典范。

Encouraging his teammates, both the veterans and the yearlings.  

激励自己的队友，不管他们是老兵还是新秀。

Keeping faith with the offense (or at least more than ever before).  

继续做好进攻（或至少比以前要更好）。

Passing up what he knew were makeable shots in order to deliver a bankable dime to a teammate.  

不再坚持过去他认为自己可以做到的那种投篮，相反，给队友创造更多的出手练习机会。

Keeping his gambling to a minimum and playing diligent defense.  

将他的赌博式防守次数降低到最少，在防守方面乐此不疲。

Even rebounding!  

甚至是抢篮板！

For certain, Kobe is still somewhat arrogant. Count all the times he informs an opponent that nobody can guard him. "No, no," he'll say, with a wagging of his head after he's scored still another amazing bucket. And he's usually right — when his mojo is working Kobe cannot be defended. But to a certain degree, all high-profile scorers require a well-formed ego in order to do what they're supposed to do.

当然，科比还是多少有些傲慢。想想多少回他告诉对手没有人能够防守他。在投中另一次不可能的球后，他会笑着对防守球员说，“不，不”。是的，他是正确的，当他的进攻欲上来，科比是无法防守的。但是从某种程度上说，所有一流的得分手都要需要自负来做出他们应该做的事。

In the past, Kobe wanted to be a leader, but none of his teammates wanted to follow him. This season, however, he's begun to fully trust his teammates, and they've responded by fully trusting him.  

在过去，科比希望成为一名领袖，但是他的队友都不愿意跟随他的领导。但是这个赛季，他开始全力相信自己的队友，而队友也做出了全力相信他的回报。

So whatever "Most Valuable Player" really means, it's still an award that the players appreciate even more than the fans do. And after all these years, the best player finally deserves to be honored as the most valuable.  

所以不管“最有价值球员”的定义到底是什么，这仍然是一项球员非常重视的奖项。在这么多年以后，最优秀的球员终于被认可为最有价值球员。

For Kobe Bryant, the trophy is indeed an honor, but it's also a responsibility.  

对科比·布莱恩特来说，获得MVP的确是一项巨大的荣誉，但是这也意味着责任。

Let's see how he responds during the next few weeks。

未来几周他会交出什么答卷，让我们拭目以待。

我de2009

LZ阅读英文的习惯很好!

lotokubai

永远爱科比，永远支持科比！

wzm0306

一边娱乐一边学英文,很不错的,大家向我看齐啊
刚才不小心落了张图,科比全家福补上

zwd7114

楼主不错，小伙子时sports的重点培养对象哈

wzm0306

多谢抬爱啊,定当再接再厉

zwd7114

呵呵，夜了，睡了。。。哥们晚安哈，明天又有精彩赛事，霍霍