原文出處：https://goo.gl/1rWeQZ
We spoke to Derrick Favors last summer, about five months after the Jazz were
eliminated from playoff contention in 2016. Favors, a soft spoken and kind
man, still had anger in his voice.
我們去年夏天跟Derrick Favors談過，差不多在爵士無緣進入季後賽的五個月後。
Favors是一個溫和的人，但還是聽的出他的聲音帶著怒氣。
“I personally have a lot of expectations this year, especially with how close
we were to making it to the playoffs last year,” he said heading into this
season. “I think every guy on the team knows that, and I think every guy on
the team is out there working hard to improve their game so we can reach that
goal this year. Big things are expected from everybody.”
「今年我個人有很多的期待，特別是去年我們那麼接近季後賽，」開季的時候他說「我想
隊上的人都知道，而且我想每個人都在努力，去提升比賽中的表現，讓我們今年可以達到
那個目標，大家都期待著這件大事。」
As Favors was saying that, Gordon Hayward was already back in Utah, working as
hard as he ever had on his game, gearing up to have the best season of his
career.
當Favors在說那些的時候，Gordon Hayward已經回到猶他，用盡全力的訓練，讓自己準備
好這季能有生涯最好的表現。
“I can’t stand losing,” he continues. “It sucks when you have to constantly
watch the teams in the playoffs year after year. I wanted to make it into the
playoffs and I knew I had to improve my game if we wanted to get there.”
「我不能忍受輸球，」他繼續說，「當你每年要一直看別隊在季後賽的感覺很糟，我想要
進入季後賽，如果我們要達到這個目標，我知道我要提升我的表現。」
Hayward met with head coach Quin Snyder and assistant coach Johnnie Bryant
after the end of last season to discuss what they could do to take the leap
—Hayward as a player, Utah as a team. They targeted Hayward’s finishing and
footwork as areas to work on.
在上一季結束之後，Hayward跟總教練Quin Snyder還有助理教練Johnnie Bryant見面，討
論他們應該怎麼做才能走得更遠—關於Hayward還有猶他爵士。他們目標著重於Hayward的
腳步還有球最後的處理，作為訓練的方向。
“We watched a lot of film and saw that we wanted to find easier ways for me
to score,” Hayward says. “And footwork and finishing around the rim, the
ability to create contact and get to the free-throw line were big things for
me in my game. Once we decided that’s what we wanted to work on, we hit it
hard.”
「我們看了很多影片，然後發覺我們想要找到讓我更容易得分的方法，」Hayward說「而
腳步、籃框附近球的處理還有製造犯規的機會，對我來說很重要。自從決定訓練方向後，
我們努力不懈。」
Hayward didn’t go home to Indiana during the summer. Instead he stayed in Utah
to work with Bryant as much as possible. And he went to California to work
with another Bryant.
Hayward在夏天並沒有回到印第安那的家，而是留在猶他和Bryant一起盡可能的訓練，另外
他也去加州跟另一個Bryant一起練習。
Stories about Kobe’s maniacal work ethic have swirled around for years. In
high school he would show up at 5 a.m. to get shots up, go to school, then be
in the gym until 7 p.m. When he was with Team USA in 2008, Dwyane Wade and
Chris Bosh said he’d finish his workouts before they’d eaten breakfast.
He’d even practice without a ball.
有關Kobe狂熱的訓練紀律，已經流傳很多年。他高中的時候會早上五點去投籃，去上課，
然後又繼續再體育館待到晚上七點。當他在2008年的美國隊，Dwyane Wade和Chris Bosh
說他會在大家吃早餐前完成訓練，他甚至不用球也可以練習。
“He’s one of a kind, for sure—I believe all those stories,” Hayward says,
though he wouldn’t reveal exactly which trade secrets Vino shared in their
private workouts. “I already respected him a lot, but then after working with
him just for three days, it made me respect him even more. Just his work ethic
, his intensity, his passion for the game were really inspiring. I was just
thankful that he took his time and helped me out a little bit.”
「他確實是那種類型的人—我相信這些故事，」Hayward說，雖然他不願透露他們私底下
真正的訓練內容「我原本已經很尊敬他，但在跟他一起練習只是短短的三天後，我對他有
更深的敬意。單單是他的訓練紀律、強大的態度還有對於比賽的熱情都給我很多啟發。我
很感謝他願意花時間幫助我更進步一些。」
In the later stages of Kobe’s career, his game was built on attacking from the
midrange and high post. He used precise footwork to execute unstoppable spin
moves that left inexperienced defenders searching for answers.
在Kobe生涯後期，他的進攻構築在中距離還有高位，他用精簡的腳步，做出無法阻擋的轉
身動作，那讓沒經驗的防守者找不到因應方法。
And while Hayward’s not a scorer on Kobe’s level (very few are), he’s
improving on his mid-range shooting and is up to a usage rate of 27.6 percent,
which is close to Kobe-level.
雖然Hayward的得分能力和Kobe並不在同一水平(很少球員是)，他提升自己的中距離，這個
進攻手段的比例也來到27.6％，這跟Kobe相當接近。
Hayward is also posting career-highs in points per game, rebounds,
three-pointers made and field goals made in 2016-17. He’s up to 13 games of
30 points or more, another career-best. The seventh-year forward’s having, by
far, the best campaign of his career. A season like this one has been a long
time in the making for Hawyard.
Hayward的得分、籃板、三分和兩分命中率也在16-17球季來到生涯新高，他有超過13場30
分以上的比賽，這也是生涯最好。這是他踏入NBA七年以來生涯最好的表現。他一直努力
追求像這季一樣的表現。
While Favors was giving his team an extra kick in the behind and Hayward was
busting his tail with Johnnie Bryant, the Jazz front office was hard at work,
too. Over a five-day span in early July 2016, general manager Dennis Lindsey
signed Joe Johnson and made separate deals for Boris Diaw and George Hill.
With a combined 284 games of playoff experience between those three, Lindsey
reloaded his team for a playoff run and also gave all the young’ns on the
squad some veteran leadership.
當Favors從後面推了隊伍一把，Hayward死命的跟著Johnnie Bryant訓練的時候，爵士的
管理階層也很努力，在2016七月初，GM Dennis Lindsey花了五天分別簽下了Joe Johnson
，Boris Diaw還有George Hill，加起來總共有284場的季後賽經驗，Lindsey打造一個季
後賽的隊伍並且讓老將領導年輕球員。
At one point, Johnson was starting at power forward. Though Diaw’s only
averaging 17 minutes per game, he immediately clicked with the team. He’s
still getting buckets—and producing buckets for others.
一方面，Johnson打大前鋒，雖然Diaw平均只出賽17分鐘，他馬上融入球隊，他仍然能夠
得分，另外也能製造隊友得分。
The real difference maker has been Hill. Without him, Utah’s 18-15. With him
, they’re 32-16. And Hayward jumps at the chance to praise his PG.
帶來真正改變的是Hill。沒有他猶他的戰績是十八勝十五敗，有他在，三十二勝十六敗，
Hayward也趁這時候稱讚這個控衛。
“I was ecstatic when I found out that we had picked up George,” he says. “I
knew George because we’re both Indy guys. I loved the way that he played and
I thought he would be a great fit for us. He’s a terrific defender:
disruptive, long and can get in the passing lanes. He’s a big guard. And then
offensively, he plays with so much poise and is under control. And he’s also
been in big-time situations. He’s been on teams that have gone far into the
playoffs. I think that experience helps, for sure. Especially on a team where
there’s only a couple of us who have been to the playoffs and we were swept
[by the Spurs] in the first round. To have that experience, along with Joe
and Boris, it’s really helped us this year.”
「我知道我們要選George的時候我相當驚喜，」他說「我認識George是因為我們都來自印
地安納。我喜歡他打球的方式，而且我相信會很適合我們，他是一個很好的防守者：他會
干擾投籃也會預測傳球路線，他是一個大隻的後衛，在進攻方面，他打球很冷靜並且讓情
況在掌控之中，此外他也有關鍵時刻的經驗，他曾經在季後賽不斷晉級的隊伍之中，我想
那些經驗確實是有幫助的，特別當隊上只有少數人有打過季後賽，而且還在第一輪被橫掃
。擁有他的經驗，再加上Joe和Boris，對今年的我們相當有幫助。」
With those veterans making an impact and the strength of the League’s
fifth-best defense, Hayward and the Jazz have jumped up to the top half of the
West—they’ll make the postseason for the first time since 2012, and finish
either in the fourth or fifth slot in the conference, depending on how things
shake out on the final night of the regular season on Wednesday. Hayward says
he’s not feeling the pressure anymore.
有那些老將帶來的衝擊還有聯盟第五的防守表現，Hayward跟爵士進入了西區前段－自從
2012以來，他們將再次進入季後賽，至於是第四還是第五種子要看星期三他們正規賽最後
一場的表現如何。Hayward說他已經不會再感到壓力。
“I think there was pressure at the beginning of the year because media people
were picking us to be a lot better this year, maybe surprise some teams,” he
says. “There was pressure from the fans, too. We’ve been rebuilding for a
couple years now. They have a tradition of winning teams in Utah. I know they
were tired of seeing us not make the playoffs. For us, though, I think
there’s no pressure as a player. I think all of the pressure is on Golden
State and Cleveland and San Antonio. So for us we don’t necessarily have that
pressure on us.”
「我想在今年初的時候是有些壓力，因為媒體說我們今年比去年好很多，可能讓其他隊有
點驚訝，」他說，「球迷也會給我們壓力，我們已經重建了幾年，猶他曾經是傳統強隊，
我知道他們對於我們不能進季後賽很失望。對於我們來說，我認為作為球員沒有壓力，我
想所有的壓力都在金州，克里夫蘭還有聖安東尼奧，所以我認為我們不需要那些壓力。」
Gordon Hayward’s been in the spotlight since his Butler Bulldogs made an
improbable run to the NCAA National Championship Game in 2010. Since then,
he’s been climbing. He was picked ninth in that year’s draft. He’s increased
his scoring average every season. He’s an All-Star. He’s the face of a
franchise.
Gordon Hayward從2010NCAA的冠軍賽，他的鬥牛犬意外的亂跑的時候，他就一直受到大家
的關注。在那之後，他不斷往上爬，他是那一年的第九順位，他的平均得分每一季不斷提
高，他是一個全明星，他是一個隊伍的看板明星。
Hayward perks up when talking about Hill or Rudy Gobert—“He’s a goofy dude”
—but stays reserved when speaking about himself. During the All-Star Game in
New Orleans, cameras caught him talking to Kemba Walker.
Hayward談到Hill或是Gobert的時候都很雀躍－「他是一個瘋狂的傢伙」－但是當談到自己
卻顯得很平靜，在紐奧良的明星賽，攝影機照到他跟Kemba Walker說話。
“Man, I don’t got handles like you,” he said to Walker.
「噢，我沒有像你那樣的運球。」他跟Walker說。
“You got handles, though,” Walker said, incredulously. “C’mon, now.”
「你有運球能力」Walker不可置信地說，「拜託～～～」
Of the whole All-Star experience, the Jazz stud says flatly, “It was really
cool to be able to say that I was an NBA All-Star,” which is about as real of
a sentence as you could possibly utter, if you think about it.
關於整個全明星的經驗，他很坦誠地說，「能夠說我是一個NBA的全明星真的很酷。」當
你這樣想的時候，這句話能完全符合你。
The one time Hayward seems to enjoy talking about himself is when he discusses
his dunks. On the low, Hayward’s been bodying people for a solid two years.
He’s caught Giannis Antetokounmpo, Roy Hibbert, Miles Plumlee and Alex Len,
just to name a few. He even put Paul George on a poster a few years back.
當討論到他的灌籃，是Hayward比較樂在談論自己的時候。在低位整整兩年，Hayward曾經
對抗過很多人，舉些例子像是Giannis Antetokounmpo, Roy Hibbert, Miles Plumlee還有
Alex Len。他甚至幾年前在油漆區對位過Paul Georg。
Even though he’s a righty, he likes to jump off his right leg and lead with
his left hand for most of his dunks. And about once a night, the Jazz clear out
the right side of the floor for Hayward to fly to the hoop for an alley-oop
from Joe Ingles. Seriously, when’s the League gonna catch on to that one?
雖然他是一個右撇子，大部分灌籃，他喜歡用左手帶動右腳起跳。曾經有一個晚上，爵士
清空他們的右側讓Hayward去接Joe Ingles的傳球完成一個空中灌籃。
“It just happens in the game,” Hayward says of his dunks, chuckling a bit.
“I think people maybe underestimate me a little bit, but I’m just gonna keep
doing my thing. I just go out there and try to get the points, try to get the
bucket. If somebody jumps, I may dunk on ’em.” That’s the closest Hayward
ever comes to bragging.
「就這樣發生了，」Hayward笑著談到他的灌籃，「我想人們可能有點低估我的灌籃，但
是我會繼續做我該做的事，我會上場然後嘗試得分，如果有人跳起來，我會在他面前灌籃
。」這是Hayward感覺最接近驕傲的時候。
Expectations are a strange thing: often distorted with hindsight, and always
difficult to live up to. Hayward put in the time this past summer. He didn’t
even go home to Indiana. His franchise is, suddenly, alive. Now the kid from
Brownsburg, IN, is prepping his team for a playoff run.
期待感是一個奇怪的事：當不知道結果的時候，通常都會被扭曲，而且總是很難完成期待
。Hayward在今年夏天花了很多時間，他甚至沒有回印第安納的家。他的隊伍感覺像是突然
活過來了，現在這個來自印地安納Brownsburg的小子，他的隊伍正在為季後賽做準備。
“I expected us to be better than we were in the years prior,” Hayward says.
“I knew with the veterans that we added we were gonna take another step. I
didn’t quite know what that step would look like, and certainly this year
we’ve had flashes where we’ve been really good and also flashes where we’ve
been pretty bad. I think we’re trending in the right direction and we’re
looking to close this year out strong.”
「我期望我們能夠表現得比去年好，」Hayward說，「我知道有這些老將的加入，我們可能
可以更往前一步，我不是很明確知道那一步會是什麼樣子，確定的是有些人覺得我們很好
，相對有人覺得我們很差，我想我們是朝著正確的方向並且我們希望強而有力的結束這個
賽季。」
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
算是NBA最帥嗎？希望這次季後賽可以走遠一些，爵士GOGO