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标题
After a sluggish start with James Harden, the Clippers suddenly look legit
译文
经过了詹姆斯·哈登加入初期的一段缓慢起步，快船队现在显得真正有力量了。
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原文
The sound bite reverberated across the NBA: “I’m not a system player. I am a system.”
译文
这句耐人寻味的话在NBA界产生了强烈反响：“我不仅仅是适应体系的球员，我自己就是一个体系。”
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原文
When James Harden said that in his introductory news conference as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, it hit many ears as a statement borne of ego — a fading 34-year-old, coming off both another postseason meltdown and a messy summertime divorce from his longtime patron, trying to insist in spite of mounting evidence that he was still the sort of superstar whom teams should view as a centerpiece.
译文
当詹姆斯·哈登在加盟洛杉矶快船队的首次新闻发布会上发表这番言论时，许多人将其视为一种自负的表态——一个正逐渐失去光彩的34岁老将，在经历了又一次季后赛的溃败以及与长期赞助商的混乱夏日分手后，他仍在试图证明自己依然是那种值得球队以为核心的超级巨星。
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原文
Two wildly successful months later, though, it seems reasonable to give Harden the benefit of the doubt.。
译文
但在接下来两个月里的惊人表现之后，给予哈登更多的信任似乎是合理的。
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原文
Maybe Harden’s not a solar system anymore: the sun around whom everything and everyone must orbit. For the Clippers, though — who have now won 13 of their last 15 games to jump into fourth place in the West, three games behind conference-leading Minnesota — he’s been a circulatory system.
译文
或许哈登不再是那个太阳系中的太阳，一切都必须围绕他旋转。然而对于快船队来说——他们现在在最近15场比赛中赢得了13场，跃升至西部第四名，仅落后于领先的明尼苏达三场比赛——他已经成为了一种循环系统。
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原文
Harden connects this talented roster’s disparate parts. He provides oxygen to an offense that had finished in the bottom 10 in points scored per possession in both of the previous two seasons, ensuring that everyone gets what they need to keep the organism healthy and functioning — and, with any luck, moving toward the kind of championship contention that has eluded both the franchise and its bearded new point guard.
译文
哈登将这支才华横溢的球队的各个不同部分紧密连接起来。他为进攻线注入了新鲜血液，这支进攻线在过去两个赛季的每次持球得分都位居联盟倒数前十，确保每个队员都能得到他们所需，以保持整个团队的健康和运转——并且，也许还能推动球队和这位新加入的带胡子控卫，朝着那个一直未能触及的冠军争夺迈进。
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原文
James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have helped the Clippers to 13 wins in their last 15 games to jump into fourth place in the West. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)More
译文
詹姆斯·哈登和卡怀·伦纳德的出色表现帮助快船队在最近15场比赛中取得了13场胜利，从而跃升至西部联盟的第四名。（照片来源：Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images）
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原文
After a rocky first few games while he worked his way into game shape and head coach Tyronn Lue worked out the kinks in LA’s rotation, Harden has helped remake the Clippers — but not by insisting on a return to all-encompassing Rockets-era ball dominance. He’s averaging fewer touches per game than he has since 2013. He’s totaling less time of possession, on average, than he has in a decade. Not only is his usage rate down dramatically; he’s finishing the same share of his team’s offensive possessions as he did as a rookie in Oklahoma City.
译文
在最初几场比赛中表现不太稳定时，哈登努力恢复比赛状态，同时主教练泰伦·卢也在调整洛杉矶的轮换阵容。哈登帮助重塑了快船队，但并非是通过坚持回到火箭时代全面统治球场的方式。自2013年以来，他每场比赛的触球次数平均有所下降。他的平均控球时间也是过去十年中的最低。他的使用率大幅下降，他在球队进攻回合中的参与比例与他在俄克拉荷马城雷霆队作为新秀时持平。
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原文
“When you got a guy that comes here who’s been an MVP of the league, and carried his own team for so many years, and just come here willing to sacrifice, take less shots, less pick-and-rolls, take more catch-and-shoot 3s, all the things he’s done and sacrificed, [that’s] huge,” Lue told reporters last month.
译文
“当你得到一个曾是联盟MVP、多年来单枪匹马带领球队的球员，现在他愿意来这里牺牲自己，减少出手次数，减少挡拆动作，多做接球三分投篮，他所做的一切牺牲，这是非常重要的，”卢上个月对记者表示。
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原文
Harden has been extremely efficient when he’s looked for his own offense: 17.7 points in 34.1 minutes per game, shooting a career-best 43.3% from 3-point range, including a scorching 44.9% on pull-up triples. (And Lue wasn’t wrong: He’s actually taking more catch-and-shoot 3s! He’s up to 2.1 attempts per game, his most since 2016-17, and making 42.4% of them.)
译文
哈登在寻求自己进攻时表现极为高效：每场比赛34.1分钟能够得到17.7分，其中三分球命中率达到了职业生涯最高的43.3%，特别是跳投三分的命中率高达44.9%。（卢并没有说错：哈登实际上在尝试更多的接球即投三分！他现在每场尝试2.1次，这是自2016-17赛季以来的最高尝试次数，并且命中率为42.4%。）
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原文
And while he hasn’t called his own number nearly as often as he has in years past, his arrival has boosted both the frequency with which the Clips attack in isolation — they’ve been the league’s most isolation-heavy team this season, according to Synergy Sports Technology’s tracking — and their one-on-one scoring efficiency.
译文
尽管他没有像过去那样频繁地自己单打得分，但他的到来提升了快船队在单打进攻中的频率——根据Synergy Sports Technology的数据，他们是本赛季联盟中最依赖单打的球队——同时也提高了他们的单打得分效率。
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原文
When you factor in trips where a player passes out of the iso, the Clippers boast the NBA’s second-best offense on those plays, trailing only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder. Harden isolations (including his pass-outs) are producing 1.236 points per possession, according to Synergy — first out of 61 players who’ve attacked one-on-one at least 50 times. No. 2 on that list? No. 2 on the Clips: Kawhi Leonard, whose isos have generated 1.223 points per possession, just ahead of SGA and right in line with Tyrese Haliburton.
译文
当你考虑到球员在单打后的传球情况时，快船队在这些进攻上拥有NBA第二好的进攻表现，仅次于谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大的雷霆队。根据Synergy的数据，哈登的单打（包括传球）平均每次持球可以产生1.236分，这在至少50次单挑的61位球员中排名第一。排名第二的是谁？是快船队的卡怀·伦纳德，他的单打每次持球产生1.223分，仅次于SGA，与泰瑞斯·哈利伯顿不相上下。
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原文
Harden’s been most transformative for the Clips, though, in the same way he once helped streamline operations in Brooklyn and Philadelphia — by paving a cleaner path to points with his table-setting. In 28 games, he already has more assists (227) than any Clipper besides Paul George had in the entire 2022-23 season (288). He already has more double-digit-assist games than any Clipper has had in a season since Chris Paul in 2016-17.
译文
然而，哈登对快船队的最大转变，与他之前在布鲁克林和费城所做的一样 —— 通过他出色的串联和传球，为球队得分铺设了更顺畅的路径。在28场比赛中，他已经送出了227次助攻，这比快船队任何其他球员（除了保罗·乔治）在整个2022-23赛季的助攻还要多。他在一个赛季中的双位数助攻比赛次数也超过了自2016-17赛季以来的任何快船队员，包括克里斯·保罗。
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原文
Incumbent superstars Leonard and George are plenty capable of cooking for themselves. Still, though: It’s awfully nice to have someone fix your plate for you. Nearly 52% of Leonard’s field goals have been assisted this season, and more than 55% of George’s have — the highest share for each of them since they first emerged as All-Star scorers in San Antonio and Indiana, respectively. The primary driver of those helpers, as you’d expect: Harden, who has dished 49 assists to George, 49 to Leonard and 45 to center Ivica Zubac, who’s scoring a career-high 12 points per game on 64.2% shooting — including a wild 66% from floater range.
译文
伦纳德和乔治虽然都有独立得分的能力，但有人能够帮他们创造得分机会无疑是极好的。这个赛季，伦纳德近52%的进球来自助攻，乔治的比例则超过了55%——这是自从他们分别在圣安东尼奥和印第安纳成为全明星得分手以来的最高比例。这些助攻的主要提供者毫无疑问是哈登，他分别给乔治和伦纳德提供了49次助攻，并给中锋伊维察·祖巴茨送出了45次助攻。祖巴茨本赛季的场均得分达到职业生涯新高的12分，投篮命中率高达64.2%，其中浮动跳投的命中率更是达到了惊人的66%。
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原文
“We do it a lot at the facility and we do it a lot in the games, and all that repetition game after game helps,” Zubac recently told reporters. “And we’re still not there yet. He still gets mad at me sometimes when I slip out or if I don’t flip a pick. I still sometimes don’t know what he wants, so there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”
译文
“我们在训练场上经常这样练习，比赛中也经常这样做，这种一场接一场的重复对我们帮助很大，”祖巴茨最近告诉记者。“但我们还没有达到最佳状态。有时我错过机会或没能正确执行挡拆动作时，他仍然会对我感到不满。我有时还是不太清楚他想要什么，所以我们还有很大的提升空间。”
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原文
That’s a frightening proposition for opposing defenses, because the Clips have already shown plenty of offensive growth as Harden and the roster begin to grow more acquainted with each other. The increased variety and punch in the Clippers’ attack was on display throughout Wednesday’s 131-122 road win over the Suns, a game in which LA never trailed, controlling throughout and leading by as many as 23.
译文
这对对手的防守来说是一个可怕的威胁，因为在哈登与球队成员们逐渐熟悉彼此的过程中，快船已经展现了大量的进攻进步。快船进攻的多样性和爆发力在周三对阵太阳队的131-122客场胜利中得到了充分展示，在这场比赛中，洛杉矶队从未落后，始终控制着比赛，并一度领先多达23分。
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原文
A Harden iso isn’t just a Harden iso; it’s also George cutting off staggered screens on the weak side, curling into a catch and hitting the paint with a head of steam. Send a double at Leonard in the post, and with George one pass away on the strong side, you’re giving up an in-rhythm catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. Don’t send help, and you run the risk of Leonard victimizing your most vulnerable perimeter defender. (Sorry about that, Grayson Allen.)
译文
哈登的单打不仅仅是哈登的单打；它还包括乔治在弱侧通过交错屏幕切入，接球后直冲篮下。如果在低位对伦纳德进行双人包夹，而乔治在强侧只需一次传球，你就会放弃一个顺势的接球即投三分。如果不提供帮助，你就有可能让伦纳德攻击你最脆弱的外线防守者。（对此感到抱歉，格雷森·艾伦。
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原文
Show early help on a Harden-Zubac pick-and-roll, and you’re teeing up a pitch-and-catch to Leonard. Dial back the help so you can try to zone up, and with Leonard and George spotting up on the same side of the floor, you wind up in no man’s land. Play it straight — your point-of-attack defender chasing Harden over the top of the screen, your big man in a drop to play Harden’s drive, the weak-side low man peeling in to tag Zubac’s roll — and now you’ve got to worry about PG in the corner.
译文
如果在哈登和祖巴茨的挡拆中提前提供帮助，你就为伦纳德提供了一个接球机会。如果减少帮助，试图进行区域防守，而伦纳德和乔治在场地同侧准备投篮时，你就置身于两难境地。如果正面应对——你的防守者在挡拆顶部追赶哈登，你的大个子后撤防守哈登的突破，弱侧低位球员贴近标记祖巴茨的滚动 —— 现在你又得担心角落里的乔治。
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原文
When they’ve all got it going, just about all you can do is load up your coverage off fifth starter Terance Mann, shooting a dismal 40.7% from the field and 21.7% from 3-point range. And when he gets it going, thanks in part to Harden spoon-feeding him hit-ahead passes and extra-pass open looks, you’re probably in for a long night.
译文
当他们全员发力时，你能做的大概就是把防守重点放在第五发球手泰伦斯·曼身上，他的场上命中率仅有40.7%，三分命中率为21.7%。但当他找到状态，部分得益于哈登给他提供的精准传球和额外的传球机会时，你可能会面临一场艰难的比赛。
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原文
The Clippers have been giving defenses a lot more of those as they get more comfortable with their new superstar normal. Big Three minutes (in which LA’s outscoring opponents by nearly 11 points per 100) become Kawhi/PG time (plus-26.8 points per 100) while Harden rests, which then morph into Harden-led shifts (plus-3.5 points per 100), Harden/PG minutes (plus-0.3 points per 100) and Kawhi/Harden time (plus-5.5 points per 100), before the Big Three return to close out halves. Everyone gets time to cook, and the defense gets no soft spots, no breathing room — no margin for error.
译文
随着快船队对他们的新超级巨星组合越来越熟悉，他们给对手的防守带来了更多的压力。在“三巨头”出场的时间里（其中洛杉矶队每百回合净胜对手近11分），转为伦纳德/乔治的出场时间（每百回合净胜26.8分），而哈登休息时，再转变为由哈登领衔的时间段（每百回合净胜3.5分），哈登/乔治时间段（每百回合净胜0.3分）以及伦纳德/哈登时间段（每百回合净胜5.5分），在“三巨头”重新回到场上结束上半场之前。每个人都有时间发挥，防守端没有松懈的空间，没有喘息的机会 — 没有容错的余地。
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原文
“How to keep James, PG and Kawhi in a rhythm, in the flow of the game — that was going to be the hardest part,” Lue recently told reporters. “That was going to be the biggest challenge, understanding how we want to play ... getting James out early, bringing him back with the second unit, letting him control that unit, has been really good for us.”
译文
“如何保持詹姆斯、乔治和卡怀在比赛节奏中，让他们融入比赛流程——这将是最困难的部分，”卢最近告诉记者。“这将是最大的挑战，理解我们想要的打法……提前让詹姆斯下场，让他与第二阵容一起回来，让他控制那个阵容，对我们来说真的很有效。”
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原文
The results speak for themselves. The Clips now sit seventh in the NBA in offensive efficiency and have scored a blistering 122.3 points per 100 possessions with Leonard, George and Harden sharing the floor — a tick above the Celtics’ No. 2-ranked full-season offense.
译文
结果是显而易见的。快船目前在NBA的进攻效率排名第七，而当伦纳德、乔治和哈登共同出战时，他们每百回合的得分高达122.3分 — 这比凯尔特人队整个赛季排名第二的进攻效率还要高。
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原文
The ascent started with a starting lineup shakeup that helped LA find its best self. Following losses in Harden’s first five games in uniform, during which the Clippers’ first-blush starters were outscored by 20 points in 58 minutes, Russell Westbrook reportedly asked Lue to bring him off the bench, a move he felt would “help the first unit develop some chemistry and [allow him] to provide the second unit with spirited play.”
译文
这种上升势头始于首发阵容的调整，这帮助洛杉矶找到了最佳状态。在哈登加入球队的前五场比赛中遭遇失利之后，快船的首发在58分钟内被对手多得20分，据报道，拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克要求卢让他作为替补出场，他认为这将“帮助第一阵容培养一些化学反应，并且[让他]为第二阵容提供充满活力的表现。”
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原文
The change has paid massive dividends. The new starting five has blitzed opponents by 90 points in 260 minutes, the fifth-highest mark of any five-man unit in the league. (NBA.com’s John Schuhmann shared an incredible note earlier this week: Those 260 minutes are nearly as many as any five-man lineup the Clippers have fielded in the entire five seasons of the Kawhi and PG era.)
译文
这一变化带来了巨大的收益。新的首发五人在260分钟内以90分的优势击败了对手，这是联盟中任何五人阵容中的第五高分。（NBA.com的约翰·舒曼本周早些时候分享了一个令人难以置信的记录：这260分钟几乎和快船队在卡怀和乔治时代五个赛季中任何五人阵容的出场时间一样多。）
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原文
Combine that with better balance in the second unit — Westbrook’s per-minute production has increased virtually across the board since his move to the bench alongside Powell (averaging 13.3 points per game on .654 true shooting, a legit Sixth Man of the Year candidate) and Daniel Theis (a fantastic addition at backup center in place of the injured Mason Plumlee, who may be returning soon) — and you’ve got a recipe for sustained dominance. Since Mann replaced Westbrook in the first five, the Clips have gone an NBA-best 18-5, ranking fourth in the league in offense and 11th in defense, according to Cleaning the Glass.
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再加上第二阵容更好的平衡——自从威斯布鲁克转为替补出场，与鲍威尔并肩作战以来，他的每分钟产出几乎在各方面都有所提升（场均得到13.3分，真实投篮命中率为65.4%，是一个合法的年度第六人候选），以及丹尼尔·泰斯（作为受伤的梅森·普拉姆利的替补中锋，是一个出色的补充，他可能很快就会回归）——你就得到了持续统治的秘诀。自从曼恩取代威斯布鲁克进入首发五人后，快船取得了NBA最佳的18胜5负战绩，根据Cleaning the Glass的数据，在联盟中进攻排名第四，防守排名第11。
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原文
“Obviously, it didn’t start off well,” Harden told reporters after Wednesday’s win in Phoenix. “So many people was — it gave people so much to talk about in a negative way — and now those people that were talking are nowhere to be found. Like, literally nowhere to be found.”
译文
“显然，一开始并不顺利，”哈登在周三凤凰城的胜利后告诉记者。“很多人都在谈论——这给了人们很多负面的谈资——而现在那些曾经谈论的人都不见了。就像，真的无影无踪。”
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原文
One thing that has a way of quieting down critics? Seeing Leonard consistently perform at a near-MVP level.
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有什么方法可以让批评者安静下来吗？看到伦纳德持续以接近MVP水平的表现。
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原文
Early in the season, Leonard wasn’t blowing by his defenders as often, generating as much separation or getting as much elevation on his jumpers as he typically does at his best. As the season’s worn on, though, he’s gotten back enough burst that, combined with his downright hilarious strength, he’s blown right past “warmed up” to “scorching,” shooting a career-high 59% on dribble-drives and 81% overall in the restricted area.
译文
赛季初期，伦纳德并没有像他最佳状态时那样频繁地突破防守，制造足够的分离空间或在跳投时获得足够的高度。然而随着赛季的进行，他已经恢复了足够的爆发力，加上他那令人啼笑皆非的力量，他已经从“热身”状态跃升至“火热”状态，在运球突破上命中率达到职业生涯最高的59%，在限制区内总体命中率达到81%。
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原文
Add it all up, and there’s Leonard, in or around the top 10 in a bunch of advanced metrics — estimated plus-minus, total win shares, win shares per 48 minutes, box plus-minus, value over replacement player, player efficiency rating, DARKO, LEBRON, etc. — and looking for all the world like what the Clippers have staked their franchise on him being: someone capable of being the best player on a championship team.
译文
将这一切加在一起，伦纳德在许多高级统计数据中排名前十或接近前十——预估正负值、总胜利贡献、每48分钟胜利贡献、盒式正负值、替代球员价值、球员效率评级、DARKO、LEBRON等等——他完全符合快船队对他的期望：一个有能力成为总冠军球队中最佳球员的人。
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原文
He looked that way in 2021, when the Clippers went from finally realized super-team to just-falling-short conference finalist after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He looked that way again this past spring, when he was playing like the best dude on the floor in a series against Kevin Durant and Devin Booker… right up until he tore the meniscus in that same right knee. It took another surgery, months of rehab and some time to establish a new normal following the Harden blockbuster. But he’s back now, fully operational — save for the four games he just missed due to a left hip contusion — and ready to keep propelling the Clippers’ rise up the standings.
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他在2021年就已经展现了这一点，当时快船从一支终于实现超级球队的梦想转变为仅差一步就能进入联盟决赛的球队，这是在他右膝前十字韧带撕裂后的情况。他在去年春天再次展现了这一点，当时他在对阵凯文·杜兰特和德文·布克的系列赛中表现得像场上最出色的球员……直到他同一只右膝的半月板又受伤。经过另一次手术，几个月的康复和一段时间来适应哈登加盟后的新常态，他现在已经完全恢复了——除了因为左髋挫伤错过的四场比赛——并准备好继续推动快船在积分榜上的上升。
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“Now, I feel good coming out of games, and I don't feel any [pain],” Leonard recently told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “So, I just want to keep going, and that's my goal is just to stay healthy, and the rest will play itself out."
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“现在，我在比赛后感觉很好，我没有感觉到任何[疼痛]，”伦纳德最近告诉ESPN的欧姆·杨米苏克。“所以，我只想继续前进，我的目标就是保持健康，剩下的一切都会顺其自然。”
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We all know the questions: about whether Leonard and George will be able to be on the floor when it matters come springtime; about Harden’s house-of-horrors postseason history; about the sword-of-Damocles-specter of Kawhi and PG opting out of their contracts this season and Harden’s impending unrestricted free agency; about the possibility that this is the last chance for this era of Clippers basketball to cash in on its estimable promise. The answers will come soon enough. For now, all the Clippers can do is keep stacking wins, keep building chemistry and keep the good vibes rolling. Full speed, straight ahead. All systems go.
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我们都知道这些问题：关于伦纳德和乔治能否在春天的关键时刻上场；关于哈登在季后赛的惊魂往事；关于卡怀和PG可能在本赛季选择退出合同，以及哈登即将到来的不受限制自由球员身份；关于这可能是快船这个时代利用其可观潜力的最后机会。答案很快就会揭晓。目前，快船能做的就是继续累积胜利，建立更好的化学反应，保持良好的氛围。全速前进，一往无前。一切系统正常。
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After a sluggish start with James Harden, the Clippers suddenly look legit
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经过了詹姆斯·哈登加入初期的一段缓慢起步，快船队现在显得真正有力量了。
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The sound bite reverberated across the NBA: “I’m not a system player. I am a system.”
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这句耐人寻味的话在NBA界产生了强烈反响：“我不仅仅是适应体系的球员，我自己就是一个体系。”
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When James Harden said that in his introductory news conference as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, it hit many ears as a statement borne of ego — a fading 34-year-old, coming off both another postseason meltdown and a messy summertime divorce from his longtime patron, trying to insist in spite of mounting evidence that he was still the sort of superstar whom teams should view as a centerpiece.
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当詹姆斯·哈登在加盟洛杉矶快船队的首次新闻发布会上发表这番言论时，许多人将其视为一种自负的表态——一个正逐渐失去光彩的34岁老将，在经历了又一次季后赛的溃败以及与长期赞助商的混乱夏日分手后，他仍在试图证明自己依然是那种值得球队以为核心的超级巨星。
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Two wildly successful months later, though, it seems reasonable to give Harden the benefit of the doubt.。
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但在接下来两个月里的惊人表现之后，给予哈登更多的信任似乎是合理的。
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Maybe Harden’s not a solar system anymore: the sun around whom everything and everyone must orbit. For the Clippers, though — who have now won 13 of their last 15 games to jump into fourth place in the West, three games behind conference-leading Minnesota — he’s been a circulatory system.
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或许哈登不再是那个太阳系中的太阳，一切都必须围绕他旋转。然而对于快船队来说——他们现在在最近15场比赛中赢得了13场，跃升至西部第四名，仅落后于领先的明尼苏达三场比赛——他已经成为了一种循环系统。
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Harden connects this talented roster’s disparate parts. He provides oxygen to an offense that had finished in the bottom 10 in points scored per possession in both of the previous two seasons, ensuring that everyone gets what they need to keep the organism healthy and functioning — and, with any luck, moving toward the kind of championship contention that has eluded both the franchise and its bearded new point guard.
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哈登将这支才华横溢的球队的各个不同部分紧密连接起来。他为进攻线注入了新鲜血液，这支进攻线在过去两个赛季的每次持球得分都位居联盟倒数前十，确保每个队员都能得到他们所需，以保持整个团队的健康和运转——并且，也许还能推动球队和这位新加入的带胡子控卫，朝着那个一直未能触及的冠军争夺迈进。
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James Harden and Kawhi Leonard have helped the Clippers to 13 wins in their last 15 games to jump into fourth place in the West. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)More
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詹姆斯·哈登和卡怀·伦纳德的出色表现帮助快船队在最近15场比赛中取得了13场胜利，从而跃升至西部联盟的第四名。（照片来源：Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images）
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After a rocky first few games while he worked his way into game shape and head coach Tyronn Lue worked out the kinks in LA’s rotation, Harden has helped remake the Clippers — but not by insisting on a return to all-encompassing Rockets-era ball dominance. He’s averaging fewer touches per game than he has since 2013. He’s totaling less time of possession, on average, than he has in a decade. Not only is his usage rate down dramatically; he’s finishing the same share of his team’s offensive possessions as he did as a rookie in Oklahoma City.
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在最初几场比赛中表现不太稳定时，哈登努力恢复比赛状态，同时主教练泰伦·卢也在调整洛杉矶的轮换阵容。哈登帮助重塑了快船队，但并非是通过坚持回到火箭时代全面统治球场的方式。自2013年以来，他每场比赛的触球次数平均有所下降。他的平均控球时间也是过去十年中的最低。他的使用率大幅下降，他在球队进攻回合中的参与比例与他在俄克拉荷马城雷霆队作为新秀时持平。
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“When you got a guy that comes here who’s been an MVP of the league, and carried his own team for so many years, and just come here willing to sacrifice, take less shots, less pick-and-rolls, take more catch-and-shoot 3s, all the things he’s done and sacrificed, [that’s] huge,” Lue told reporters last month.
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“当你得到一个曾是联盟MVP、多年来单枪匹马带领球队的球员，现在他愿意来这里牺牲自己，减少出手次数，减少挡拆动作，多做接球三分投篮，他所做的一切牺牲，这是非常重要的，”卢上个月对记者表示。
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Harden has been extremely efficient when he’s looked for his own offense: 17.7 points in 34.1 minutes per game, shooting a career-best 43.3% from 3-point range, including a scorching 44.9% on pull-up triples. (And Lue wasn’t wrong: He’s actually taking more catch-and-shoot 3s! He’s up to 2.1 attempts per game, his most since 2016-17, and making 42.4% of them.)
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哈登在寻求自己进攻时表现极为高效：每场比赛34.1分钟能够得到17.7分，其中三分球命中率达到了职业生涯最高的43.3%，特别是跳投三分的命中率高达44.9%。（卢并没有说错：哈登实际上在尝试更多的接球即投三分！他现在每场尝试2.1次，这是自2016-17赛季以来的最高尝试次数，并且命中率为42.4%。）
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And while he hasn’t called his own number nearly as often as he has in years past, his arrival has boosted both the frequency with which the Clips attack in isolation — they’ve been the league’s most isolation-heavy team this season, according to Synergy Sports Technology’s tracking — and their one-on-one scoring efficiency.
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尽管他没有像过去那样频繁地自己单打得分，但他的到来提升了快船队在单打进攻中的频率——根据Synergy Sports Technology的数据，他们是本赛季联盟中最依赖单打的球队——同时也提高了他们的单打得分效率。
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When you factor in trips where a player passes out of the iso, the Clippers boast the NBA’s second-best offense on those plays, trailing only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder. Harden isolations (including his pass-outs) are producing 1.236 points per possession, according to Synergy — first out of 61 players who’ve attacked one-on-one at least 50 times. No. 2 on that list? No. 2 on the Clips: Kawhi Leonard, whose isos have generated 1.223 points per possession, just ahead of SGA and right in line with Tyrese Haliburton.
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当你考虑到球员在单打后的传球情况时，快船队在这些进攻上拥有NBA第二好的进攻表现，仅次于谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大的雷霆队。根据Synergy的数据，哈登的单打（包括传球）平均每次持球可以产生1.236分，这在至少50次单挑的61位球员中排名第一。排名第二的是谁？是快船队的卡怀·伦纳德，他的单打每次持球产生1.223分，仅次于SGA，与泰瑞斯·哈利伯顿不相上下。
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Harden’s been most transformative for the Clips, though, in the same way he once helped streamline operations in Brooklyn and Philadelphia — by paving a cleaner path to points with his table-setting. In 28 games, he already has more assists (227) than any Clipper besides Paul George had in the entire 2022-23 season (288). He already has more double-digit-assist games than any Clipper has had in a season since Chris Paul in 2016-17.
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然而，哈登对快船队的最大转变，与他之前在布鲁克林和费城所做的一样 —— 通过他出色的串联和传球，为球队得分铺设了更顺畅的路径。在28场比赛中，他已经送出了227次助攻，这比快船队任何其他球员（除了保罗·乔治）在整个2022-23赛季的助攻还要多。他在一个赛季中的双位数助攻比赛次数也超过了自2016-17赛季以来的任何快船队员，包括克里斯·保罗。
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Incumbent superstars Leonard and George are plenty capable of cooking for themselves. Still, though: It’s awfully nice to have someone fix your plate for you. Nearly 52% of Leonard’s field goals have been assisted this season, and more than 55% of George’s have — the highest share for each of them since they first emerged as All-Star scorers in San Antonio and Indiana, respectively. The primary driver of those helpers, as you’d expect: Harden, who has dished 49 assists to George, 49 to Leonard and 45 to center Ivica Zubac, who’s scoring a career-high 12 points per game on 64.2% shooting — including a wild 66% from floater range.
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伦纳德和乔治虽然都有独立得分的能力，但有人能够帮他们创造得分机会无疑是极好的。这个赛季，伦纳德近52%的进球来自助攻，乔治的比例则超过了55%——这是自从他们分别在圣安东尼奥和印第安纳成为全明星得分手以来的最高比例。这些助攻的主要提供者毫无疑问是哈登，他分别给乔治和伦纳德提供了49次助攻，并给中锋伊维察·祖巴茨送出了45次助攻。祖巴茨本赛季的场均得分达到职业生涯新高的12分，投篮命中率高达64.2%，其中浮动跳投的命中率更是达到了惊人的66%。
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“We do it a lot at the facility and we do it a lot in the games, and all that repetition game after game helps,” Zubac recently told reporters. “And we’re still not there yet. He still gets mad at me sometimes when I slip out or if I don’t flip a pick. I still sometimes don’t know what he wants, so there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”
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“我们在训练场上经常这样练习，比赛中也经常这样做，这种一场接一场的重复对我们帮助很大，”祖巴茨最近告诉记者。“但我们还没有达到最佳状态。有时我错过机会或没能正确执行挡拆动作时，他仍然会对我感到不满。我有时还是不太清楚他想要什么，所以我们还有很大的提升空间。”
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That’s a frightening proposition for opposing defenses, because the Clips have already shown plenty of offensive growth as Harden and the roster begin to grow more acquainted with each other. The increased variety and punch in the Clippers’ attack was on display throughout Wednesday’s 131-122 road win over the Suns, a game in which LA never trailed, controlling throughout and leading by as many as 23.
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这对对手的防守来说是一个可怕的威胁，因为在哈登与球队成员们逐渐熟悉彼此的过程中，快船已经展现了大量的进攻进步。快船进攻的多样性和爆发力在周三对阵太阳队的131-122客场胜利中得到了充分展示，在这场比赛中，洛杉矶队从未落后，始终控制着比赛，并一度领先多达23分。
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A Harden iso isn’t just a Harden iso; it’s also George cutting off staggered screens on the weak side, curling into a catch and hitting the paint with a head of steam. Send a double at Leonard in the post, and with George one pass away on the strong side, you’re giving up an in-rhythm catch-and-shoot 3-pointer. Don’t send help, and you run the risk of Leonard victimizing your most vulnerable perimeter defender. (Sorry about that, Grayson Allen.)
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哈登的单打不仅仅是哈登的单打；它还包括乔治在弱侧通过交错屏幕切入，接球后直冲篮下。如果在低位对伦纳德进行双人包夹，而乔治在强侧只需一次传球，你就会放弃一个顺势的接球即投三分。如果不提供帮助，你就有可能让伦纳德攻击你最脆弱的外线防守者。（对此感到抱歉，格雷森·艾伦。
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Show early help on a Harden-Zubac pick-and-roll, and you’re teeing up a pitch-and-catch to Leonard. Dial back the help so you can try to zone up, and with Leonard and George spotting up on the same side of the floor, you wind up in no man’s land. Play it straight — your point-of-attack defender chasing Harden over the top of the screen, your big man in a drop to play Harden’s drive, the weak-side low man peeling in to tag Zubac’s roll — and now you’ve got to worry about PG in the corner.
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如果在哈登和祖巴茨的挡拆中提前提供帮助，你就为伦纳德提供了一个接球机会。如果减少帮助，试图进行区域防守，而伦纳德和乔治在场地同侧准备投篮时，你就置身于两难境地。如果正面应对——你的防守者在挡拆顶部追赶哈登，你的大个子后撤防守哈登的突破，弱侧低位球员贴近标记祖巴茨的滚动 —— 现在你又得担心角落里的乔治。
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When they’ve all got it going, just about all you can do is load up your coverage off fifth starter Terance Mann, shooting a dismal 40.7% from the field and 21.7% from 3-point range. And when he gets it going, thanks in part to Harden spoon-feeding him hit-ahead passes and extra-pass open looks, you’re probably in for a long night.
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当他们全员发力时，你能做的大概就是把防守重点放在第五发球手泰伦斯·曼身上，他的场上命中率仅有40.7%，三分命中率为21.7%。但当他找到状态，部分得益于哈登给他提供的精准传球和额外的传球机会时，你可能会面临一场艰难的比赛。
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The Clippers have been giving defenses a lot more of those as they get more comfortable with their new superstar normal. Big Three minutes (in which LA’s outscoring opponents by nearly 11 points per 100) become Kawhi/PG time (plus-26.8 points per 100) while Harden rests, which then morph into Harden-led shifts (plus-3.5 points per 100), Harden/PG minutes (plus-0.3 points per 100) and Kawhi/Harden time (plus-5.5 points per 100), before the Big Three return to close out halves. Everyone gets time to cook, and the defense gets no soft spots, no breathing room — no margin for error.
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随着快船队对他们的新超级巨星组合越来越熟悉，他们给对手的防守带来了更多的压力。在“三巨头”出场的时间里（其中洛杉矶队每百回合净胜对手近11分），转为伦纳德/乔治的出场时间（每百回合净胜26.8分），而哈登休息时，再转变为由哈登领衔的时间段（每百回合净胜3.5分），哈登/乔治时间段（每百回合净胜0.3分）以及伦纳德/哈登时间段（每百回合净胜5.5分），在“三巨头”重新回到场上结束上半场之前。每个人都有时间发挥，防守端没有松懈的空间，没有喘息的机会 — 没有容错的余地。
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“How to keep James, PG and Kawhi in a rhythm, in the flow of the game — that was going to be the hardest part,” Lue recently told reporters. “That was going to be the biggest challenge, understanding how we want to play ... getting James out early, bringing him back with the second unit, letting him control that unit, has been really good for us.”
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“如何保持詹姆斯、乔治和卡怀在比赛节奏中，让他们融入比赛流程——这将是最困难的部分，”卢最近告诉记者。“这将是最大的挑战，理解我们想要的打法……提前让詹姆斯下场，让他与第二阵容一起回来，让他控制那个阵容，对我们来说真的很有效。”
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The results speak for themselves. The Clips now sit seventh in the NBA in offensive efficiency and have scored a blistering 122.3 points per 100 possessions with Leonard, George and Harden sharing the floor — a tick above the Celtics’ No. 2-ranked full-season offense.
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结果是显而易见的。快船目前在NBA的进攻效率排名第七，而当伦纳德、乔治和哈登共同出战时，他们每百回合的得分高达122.3分 — 这比凯尔特人队整个赛季排名第二的进攻效率还要高。
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The ascent started with a starting lineup shakeup that helped LA find its best self. Following losses in Harden’s first five games in uniform, during which the Clippers’ first-blush starters were outscored by 20 points in 58 minutes, Russell Westbrook reportedly asked Lue to bring him off the bench, a move he felt would “help the first unit develop some chemistry and [allow him] to provide the second unit with spirited play.”
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这种上升势头始于首发阵容的调整，这帮助洛杉矶找到了最佳状态。在哈登加入球队的前五场比赛中遭遇失利之后，快船的首发在58分钟内被对手多得20分，据报道，拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克要求卢让他作为替补出场，他认为这将“帮助第一阵容培养一些化学反应，并且[让他]为第二阵容提供充满活力的表现。”
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The change has paid massive dividends. The new starting five has blitzed opponents by 90 points in 260 minutes, the fifth-highest mark of any five-man unit in the league. (NBA.com’s John Schuhmann shared an incredible note earlier this week: Those 260 minutes are nearly as many as any five-man lineup the Clippers have fielded in the entire five seasons of the Kawhi and PG era.)
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这一变化带来了巨大的收益。新的首发五人在260分钟内以90分的优势击败了对手，这是联盟中任何五人阵容中的第五高分。（NBA.com的约翰·舒曼本周早些时候分享了一个令人难以置信的记录：这260分钟几乎和快船队在卡怀和乔治时代五个赛季中任何五人阵容的出场时间一样多。）
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Combine that with better balance in the second unit — Westbrook’s per-minute production has increased virtually across the board since his move to the bench alongside Powell (averaging 13.3 points per game on .654 true shooting, a legit Sixth Man of the Year candidate) and Daniel Theis (a fantastic addition at backup center in place of the injured Mason Plumlee, who may be returning soon) — and you’ve got a recipe for sustained dominance. Since Mann replaced Westbrook in the first five, the Clips have gone an NBA-best 18-5, ranking fourth in the league in offense and 11th in defense, according to Cleaning the Glass.
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再加上第二阵容更好的平衡——自从威斯布鲁克转为替补出场，与鲍威尔并肩作战以来，他的每分钟产出几乎在各方面都有所提升（场均得到13.3分，真实投篮命中率为65.4%，是一个合法的年度第六人候选），以及丹尼尔·泰斯（作为受伤的梅森·普拉姆利的替补中锋，是一个出色的补充，他可能很快就会回归）——你就得到了持续统治的秘诀。自从曼恩取代威斯布鲁克进入首发五人后，快船取得了NBA最佳的18胜5负战绩，根据Cleaning the Glass的数据，在联盟中进攻排名第四，防守排名第11。
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“Obviously, it didn’t start off well,” Harden told reporters after Wednesday’s win in Phoenix. “So many people was — it gave people so much to talk about in a negative way — and now those people that were talking are nowhere to be found. Like, literally nowhere to be found.”
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“显然，一开始并不顺利，”哈登在周三凤凰城的胜利后告诉记者。“很多人都在谈论——这给了人们很多负面的谈资——而现在那些曾经谈论的人都不见了。就像，真的无影无踪。”
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原文
One thing that has a way of quieting down critics? Seeing Leonard consistently perform at a near-MVP level.
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有什么方法可以让批评者安静下来吗？看到伦纳德持续以接近MVP水平的表现。
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原文
Early in the season, Leonard wasn’t blowing by his defenders as often, generating as much separation or getting as much elevation on his jumpers as he typically does at his best. As the season’s worn on, though, he’s gotten back enough burst that, combined with his downright hilarious strength, he’s blown right past “warmed up” to “scorching,” shooting a career-high 59% on dribble-drives and 81% overall in the restricted area.
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赛季初期，伦纳德并没有像他最佳状态时那样频繁地突破防守，制造足够的分离空间或在跳投时获得足够的高度。然而随着赛季的进行，他已经恢复了足够的爆发力，加上他那令人啼笑皆非的力量，他已经从“热身”状态跃升至“火热”状态，在运球突破上命中率达到职业生涯最高的59%，在限制区内总体命中率达到81%。
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原文
Add it all up, and there’s Leonard, in or around the top 10 in a bunch of advanced metrics — estimated plus-minus, total win shares, win shares per 48 minutes, box plus-minus, value over replacement player, player efficiency rating, DARKO, LEBRON, etc. — and looking for all the world like what the Clippers have staked their franchise on him being: someone capable of being the best player on a championship team.
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将这一切加在一起，伦纳德在许多高级统计数据中排名前十或接近前十——预估正负值、总胜利贡献、每48分钟胜利贡献、盒式正负值、替代球员价值、球员效率评级、DARKO、LEBRON等等——他完全符合快船队对他的期望：一个有能力成为总冠军球队中最佳球员的人。
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原文
He looked that way in 2021, when the Clippers went from finally realized super-team to just-falling-short conference finalist after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He looked that way again this past spring, when he was playing like the best dude on the floor in a series against Kevin Durant and Devin Booker… right up until he tore the meniscus in that same right knee. It took another surgery, months of rehab and some time to establish a new normal following the Harden blockbuster. But he’s back now, fully operational — save for the four games he just missed due to a left hip contusion — and ready to keep propelling the Clippers’ rise up the standings.
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他在2021年就已经展现了这一点，当时快船从一支终于实现超级球队的梦想转变为仅差一步就能进入联盟决赛的球队，这是在他右膝前十字韧带撕裂后的情况。他在去年春天再次展现了这一点，当时他在对阵凯文·杜兰特和德文·布克的系列赛中表现得像场上最出色的球员……直到他同一只右膝的半月板又受伤。经过另一次手术，几个月的康复和一段时间来适应哈登加盟后的新常态，他现在已经完全恢复了——除了因为左髋挫伤错过的四场比赛——并准备好继续推动快船在积分榜上的上升。
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原文
“Now, I feel good coming out of games, and I don't feel any [pain],” Leonard recently told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “So, I just want to keep going, and that's my goal is just to stay healthy, and the rest will play itself out."
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“现在，我在比赛后感觉很好，我没有感觉到任何[疼痛]，”伦纳德最近告诉ESPN的欧姆·杨米苏克。“所以，我只想继续前进，我的目标就是保持健康，剩下的一切都会顺其自然。”
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原文
We all know the questions: about whether Leonard and George will be able to be on the floor when it matters come springtime; about Harden’s house-of-horrors postseason history; about the sword-of-Damocles-specter of Kawhi and PG opting out of their contracts this season and Harden’s impending unrestricted free agency; about the possibility that this is the last chance for this era of Clippers basketball to cash in on its estimable promise. The answers will come soon enough. For now, all the Clippers can do is keep stacking wins, keep building chemistry and keep the good vibes rolling. Full speed, straight ahead. All systems go.
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我们都知道这些问题：关于伦纳德和乔治能否在春天的关键时刻上场；关于哈登在季后赛的惊魂往事；关于卡怀和PG可能在本赛季选择退出合同，以及哈登即将到来的不受限制自由球员身份；关于这可能是快船这个时代利用其可观潜力的最后机会。答案很快就会揭晓。目前，快船能做的就是继续累积胜利，建立更好的化学反应，保持良好的氛围。全速前进，一往无前。一切系统正常。
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