Yeah, he’s a San Antonio Spurs but 來源:http://ppt.cc/5rX8 (翻譯有誤請指正)
By Kevin Sherrington 達拉斯晨報記者
Gregg Popovich might seem about as Texan as an episode of The Americans.
Gregg Popovich看起來很像The Americans(美國2013年春季影集)裡的德州人
Like the Soviet-era spies of the series, he speaks fluent Russian. Midwestern
boy, son of Serbian and Croatian parents, trained in intelligence in the Air
Force. Once considered a career in the CIA. Owns interest in a winery. Come
to think of it, he might make a better villain in an Ian Fleming novel than
coach of the San Antonio Spurs.
他像是影集裡的間諜一樣，是個中西部出生的男孩，父母來自塞爾維亞及克羅埃西亞，能
講一口流利的俄語，在空軍情報部門受過訓練，曾經考慮當一個CIA，擁有一間酒莊的股
份，綜合以上的描述，比起當馬刺的教練他似乎比較適合在Ian Fleming(007系列的作者)
的小說裡當個反派英雄角色。
He deserves to be a candidate for Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year, just
the same.
但他仍然值得成為"達拉斯"晨報(Dallas Morning News)的年度德州風雲人物候選人
As Texas coaching icons go, Popovich — or Pop, as he’s commonly known —
doesn’t resonate like Darrell Royal. He sure doesn’t sound like Bum
Phillips, nor does he loom majestically above his sport, as Tom Landry does
even now.
作為一個德州教練的指標人物，Pop就像他廣為人知的那樣，不像Darrell Royal那樣令人
產生共鳴(德州出身美足傳奇教練，他在德州各大學執教時拿下167–47–5的戰績)，他當
然聽起來也不像Bum Phillips(另一位德州出生的美足教練，為現在NFL田納西泰坦隊的前
身休士頓油人隊勝場最多的教練)，即使是現在，他在自己運動中的地位也不像Tom
Landry(德州出生美足球員及教練，被評價為NFL史上最偉大最具創新性的教練)曾經達到
的那樣。(三位教練皆已過世)
(這段有點難翻orz,大意是Pop的聲望還比不上上述的教練)
But if you’re counting — in sports, that’s what we do — he has more
championships than any of the above. Five rings now with the Spurs’
dismissal of the Heat last spring in five games.
但如果你算一算那個在職業運動中我們重視的東西，POP有比上面任何一位還要多的戒指
，上個春天馬刺五場讓熱火回家後，現在已經有五枚戒指了。
Only Phil Jackson and Red Auerbach own more titles in NBA history. If you
want to say it was because of the Spurs’ system — manned by the likes of
David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili — you should know
Jackson doesn’t win 11 in Chicago and Los Angeles without Michael Jordan,
Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, and Auerbach doesn’t do nine without Bill
Russell and company.
在NBA歷史中只有Phil Jackson 和 Red Auerbach有更多的戒指，如果你要將其歸功於由
David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili組成的馬刺系統，你應
該要知道Jackson在 Chicago 和 Los Angeles時無法在沒有Michael Jordan, Shaquille
O’Neal and Kobe Bryant的情況下贏下11個冠軍而Auerbach 也無法在沒有Bill Russell
以及他的軍隊的情況下贏下9個冠軍.
The difference between Pop and the coaches in front of him is that in an era
when superstars treat teams like fads, tilting the balance of power as they
move from one to the next, the Spurs remain gloriously stuck in their past.
Their five titles in 16 seasons make them as close to a dynasty as any
franchise in the United States’ four major pro sports.
POP和排在他前面的教練們不同之處在於，他處在這樣一個超級巨星報團組隊蔚為潮流，
造成實力不平衡的時代。馬刺依舊維持他們光榮的傳統，他們在16個賽季奪得五次冠軍
的成就讓他們比北美四大職業運動中任何一支球隊更像是個王朝。
The Spurs’ system succeeds because it’s based on team, not individuals.
Sure, Duncan, Parker and Ginobili hold court, but on any given night, any
Spurs can have his say. No other NBA team is as democratic.
馬刺體系的成功是基於團隊，而非個人。當然，GDP把場上顧得好好的，但任何一個馬刺
的成員無論何時都可以擁有自己的發言權，在NBA球隊中沒有另一支球隊有這樣的民主。
Pop and the Spurs’ general manager, R.C. Buford, didn’t come up with this
system overnight. It’s been more than 18 years in the making, which pretty
much covers the evolution of the coach, as well.
POP跟Buford(最佳總管!)並沒有在一夜之間創出這種體系，他們花了超過18年才打造出
來，他們這18年就像是教練這個職位演進的縮影。
When Pop took over in the midst of the 1995-96 season, no one could have
envisioned what was in store. Pop’s own credentials hardly inspired the
locals. His only head coaching experience was at little Pomona-Pitzer, a
half-hour outside Los Angeles if the traffic’s light. He lived in the dorms
and officed out of a converted storage closet. Coached there an interminable
nine years and thought he’d never leave.
當POP在95-96球季中跳出來接手時，沒人能想到他接下來有如此輝煌的教練生涯。他本身
的經歷很難使球迷振奮，他唯一的執教經歷是在距離Los Angeles一個半小時車程的
Pomona-Pitzer，且在宿舍及一個儲藏室改裝的辦公室無休止的往返執教了九年，甚至覺
得自己絕不會離開
Then Pop met a fellow named Larry Brown, the Johnny Appleseed of basketball.
Brown hired him at Kansas, then took him to San Antonio. When Larry moved on,
so did Pop, to Golden State, where he worked under Don Nelson.
然後POP遇到了Larry Brown，Larry聘請了POP為他工作，一路從Kansas到San Antonio，
當Larry離開San Antonio後，POP也跟著離開San Antonio去了Golden State，
在Don Nelson手下繼續工作。
He returned to San Antonio and became general manager, which was his title
when he fired coach Bob Hill and took the job for himself.
後來他回到San Antonio並成為了GM，直到他炒掉Bob Hill並自己跳下去當教練。
Pop had a rough go of it for a while. Fans hated him for canning Hill.
Players questioned his primitive style: dump the ball in to David Robinson or
Tim Duncan and get out of the way. As the rules changed, limiting
hand-checking, so did Pop’s style. Players such as Parker and Ginobili
prospered under his hand.
Pop當時有段艱難的時光，球迷因為他開除Hill而討厭他，球員對他的"球給Robinson OR
Duncan，然後滾開"執教風格抱持疑問。當限制手部推擠的規則改變後，POP也跟著改變他
的風格，之後像Parker跟Ginobili這樣的球員才在他手下開始發光發熱。
Meanwhile, fans figured anyone could win with Robinson and Duncan. Even a
second title didn’t win them over. You’d have figured a city like San
Antonio — unpretentious, low-key, a blue-collar town — would identify with
Pop’s gruff exterior and military background. This is not that kind of love
story.
與此同時，球迷們覺得誰都可以在有Robinson跟Dincan的情況下贏球，即使贏得第二個
冠軍，Pop依舊沒有贏得球迷的喜愛。你可能認為像SA這樣謙遜、低調、藍領的城市，會
一開始就認同像POP這樣擁有粗曠外表和軍事背景的人，你想得太美了。
What turned around the fans was the fact that the Spurs kept winning, and as
they did, Pop didn’t use his success as a springboard to something better.
Why? Even after all this time, it’s not as if he’s rooted in San Antonio.
He gets out of town during the off-season. Loves international travel.
Well-read. Holds his own in any conversation.
真正扭轉球迷看法的原因是馬刺持續贏球，就像他們做的那樣，而POP也沒有利用他的成
功作為跳板去尋求更好的職位。為什麼呢? 儘管到了現在，他好像還是沒有在SA落地生根的
感覺，他在休賽期間會離開，他喜歡國際旅行、他閱讀，並在任何的談話中盡情作自己。
(it's not as if he's rooted in San Antonio這邊翻得有點拗口,求高人指點)
Example: While in Philadelphia recently for a game, he strolled down to city
hall just to check out protests over the Ferguson, Mo., case.
舉例來說:在最近到費城的比賽時，他跑去市政府去看關於Ferguson的抗議(美國密蘇里州
黑人青少年被白人警官開槍射死引發的抗議事件)。
Despite his worldliness and credentials as the best coach in the NBA, his
name never comes up in high-profile job searches. This in a league where it’
s not unusual to hear Jackson’s name still surface, or even Pat Riley’s.
儘管目前他不論在一般人心中或資歷上都被認為是NBA最好的教練，但你從不會聽到他在
追求其他隊教練或是GM的職務，而其他時常聽到的名字像Jackson卻還是會浮上檯面，甚
至是Pat Riley。
Basically, it’s Pop’s choice to stay in Texas. What he’s built with Buford
would be hard to replicate elsewhere, especially now at 66.
基本上，是Pop決定留在德州的，畢竟他跟Buford一起打造的馬刺也很難再其他地方複製
，特別是他已經66歲了。
His standard getaway line with reporters is that he’ll retire when Duncan
does. His first glass of wine at dinner, the toast is always, “Here’s to
Timmy.” The truth is that he might try to go longer, as hard as it is to
imagine.
每次當記者問他啥時要退休時，他總是說當Duncan退休的時候就是他離開的時候。他每
晚晚餐的第一杯酒敬酒時總是說"這杯是給Timmy的"。事實上呢，他將試著待在馬刺更
久的時間，雖然這很難想像。
Whatever his future, he’s made Texas home of the NBA’s best organization
going on two decades. In Texas, where football is king, a basketball coach
has forged his way into the conversation of the state’s most legendary
coaches. That alone should probably make him Texan of the Year.
無論他的未來如何，他讓德州成為NBA在這二十年間最好團隊的所在地。在這個美足稱
王的地方，一個籃球教練用他自己的方式加入了本洲最傳奇教練的討論中。這件事應該
就足以讓他成為德州年度風雲人物了。
這篇文章是達拉斯晨報的記者寫的，所以標題才會用"是的,他是個馬刺人 但..."
這種標題。
最近開始想翻譯外電，一方面可以看到國外的一手情報令一方面也可以練英文，其實我
英文蠻爛的，希望大家可以多多包容也不吝指教~
感謝TK421大大強力支援