[外絮] 獨行俠賽季的結束代表許多疑問的開始

原標題：The end of the Dallas Mavericks' season marks the beginning for a few franchise-altering questions
(獨行俠本賽季的結束同時代表許多可能改變球隊之疑問的開始)

來源：https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/36111588

作者：Tim MacMahon

原文＋翻譯：

第一部分：

DALLAS -- ONCE AGAIN, the Dallas Mavericks changed plans during a bizarre
final week of what Luka Doncic described as "a very disappointing season."

達拉斯——再一次的，達拉斯獨行俠隊在例行賽季最後一週改變計劃，使 Luka Doncic（
下稱「七七」）形容成「一個非常令人失望的賽季」。

A few days after declaring he'd play so long as the Mavs had even the
slimmest of postseason hopes, the franchise announced Doncic would sit out
after playing the first quarter in Friday night's home game against the
Chicago Bulls, joining co-star Kyrie Irving and four other healthy core
players on the bench.

在他表示「只要還有打進季後賽的希望，還會繼續上場」的數天後，球隊官方宣佈他在對陣公牛隊的比賽中，打完第一節後便不會再出賽，並連同 Kyrie Irving 和另四位核心球員坐在板凳上。

Doncic had scored 11 points in the first quarter, chuckling with fellow
European and foe Nikola Vucevic on several occasions, neither taking a game
both franchises preferred to lose too seriously despite the fact that a loss
would eliminate the Mavs from play-in contention.

Luka Doncic 在第一節得到十一分，和同為歐洲人的對手 Nikola Vucevic 在場上多次咯咯笑，雖然已知一場敗仗將使獨行俠無緣季後賽，但雙方都沒有把這場比賽看得太重。

But Doncic trotted back out onto the American Airlines Center court to open
the second quarter. After going through the motions on a defensive
possession, Doncic posted up on the right block, made a spin move and drove
to the basket, pump-faking before laying the ball in for his 719th bucket of
the season.

但七七在第二節開始時，以小跑的方式回到美國航空中心球場上。在一次防守中，七七在右側擋拆後，做了一個旋轉動作，然後沖向籃筐並將球打進，完成本賽季的第七百一十九次命中投籃。

Seconds later, Doncic committed an intentional foul and checked out of the
game, his season over, barring another sudden shift in the franchise's
strategy.

數秒之後，他故意得到一次犯規並正式離場；除非球隊的策略出現變化，他的賽季已經結束了。

The intention was for Doncic to be showered with a standing ovation by the
sellout crowd on "I Feel Slovenia" night as he walked off the court. That
didn't happen. Instead, there was a smattering of confused clapping.

原意是讓七七在「感受斯洛文尼亞」之夜上，在他走下球場時獲得全場觀眾的起立鼓掌，但這並沒有發生。相反的，出現的是一些混亂的鼓掌聲。

It was an awkwardly fitting unofficial ending to a season in which nothing
has unfolded as envisioned for the Mavericks, who took less than two months
to morph from buzzing about a blockbuster trade -- a risky win-now move
considering Irving's pending free agent status, among other factors -- to
blatantly tanking in the regular season's final week.

這是一個尷尬的非正式結局，獨行俠隊在本賽季中，沒有任何一件事是按照所設想的展開。他們用了不到兩個月的時間，從大手筆交易的喧囂——考慮到 Kyrie Irving 懸而未決
的自由球員身份等各項因素時，這是一個冒險的「現在必須贏」行動——到例行賽最後一
週的公然開坦。

The Mavs broke a tie with the Bulls in the lottery standings with the loss,
standing alone with the 10th-best odds with one game remaining in the regularseason. That's a critically important distinction for Dallas, which owes the
New York Knicks a top-10-protected pick as the final payment for the KristapsPorzingis trade.

輸掉這場比賽后，獨行俠隊打破了與公牛隊在樂透榜上的平局，在例行賽還剩一場比賽的情況下，獨行俠隊單獨擁有第十名的籤率。這對達拉斯來說是一個至關重要的區別，因為他們欠了紐約尼克一個前十受保護選秀權，作為在 Kristaps Porzingis 交易中的最後付款。

"It's not so much waving the white flag," coach Jason Kidd said after the
115-112 loss to the Bulls, attributing the call to essentially pull the plug
to Mavs governor Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison.

基總在賽後表示「立起白旗沒什麼大不了」，並將「臨陣刹車」的源頭歸咎於老闆 MarkCuban 和總經理 Nico Harrison。

"Decisions sometimes are hard in this business, and you have to make hard
decisions. We're trying to build a championship team, and sometimes you gottatake a step back. Understanding with this decision, this is maybe a step
back, but hopefully it leads to going forward."

「有時候要作決定是困難的，且你必須作出艱難的決定。我們嘗試建立一支冠軍隊，而有時你必須後退一步。瞭解了這決定，雖然可能是後退之舉，但希望能朝向往前進的方向走。」

There's a strong sense of urgency within the organization to expedite the
process before Doncic loses faith in the Mavs' ability to build a contender
around him. He's wrapping up the first season of a five-year, $215 million
supermax contract with a player option for the final season.

在七七對獨行俠隊環繞他建起一個競爭者的能力失去信心之前，在球團內部有一種強烈的緊迫感，要加快這一進程。這是他五年 2.15 億美元超級大約中，第一個賽季的結束，其中最後一個賽季是球員選項。

Team sources have acknowledged to ESPN that fear exists that Doncic, who
publicly and privately expressed extreme frustration this season, could
consider requesting a trade as soon as the summer of 2024 if Dallas doesn't
make significant progress by then.

球隊消息人士向ESPN承認，如果達拉斯隊到時沒有取得重大進展，他們擔心本賽季曾同時透過公開、私下管道表示極度沮喪的七七，可能會考慮在2024年夏天請求交易。

"He'd like to be here the whole time," Cuban said earlier this week when
asked about Doncic's long-term optimism. "But we've got to earn that."

「他希望一直在這裡，」庫班本週早些時候在被問及七七的長期樂觀態度時說。「但我們必須要讓他感到值得。」

第二部分：

CUBAN SMILED WIDELY as he stood in the Crypto.com Arena corridor outside the
visitors' locker room the night of Feb. 8. Dallas had just defeated the LA
Clippers in Irving's debut with his new team, and the Mavericks were the talkof the NBA, at least until news of Kevin Durant's trade to the Phoenix Suns
broke soon after.

二月八日晚，當庫班站在 Crypto.com 球場客隊更衣室外的走廊上時，他笑得很燦爛。達拉斯隊才剛在 Kyrie Irving 的首秀中擊敗了洛杉磯快艇隊，獨行俠隊當時亦是NBA 的話題，至少直到 Kevin Durant 被交易到鳳凰城太陽隊的消息傳出為止。

Cuban, who has avoided the media spotlight much more since Harrison replaced
Donnie Nelson as Mavs general manager, was basking in the glory of making
such a big splash at the moment. The victory bumped Dallas to fourth in the
West standings, and the Mavs believed they had upward mobility.

自從 Harrison 取代Donnie Nelson 成為獨行俠隊總經理以來，庫班更多地避開了媒體的焦點，他此刻正沉浸在做出如此大手筆的榮耀之中。這場勝利使達拉斯隊在西部的排名中上升至第四名，獨行俠隊相信本身有上升的動力。

Dallas had desperately been seeking a co-star to pair with Doncic since the
superstar's rookie season, when it took its first big swing on the Porzingis
deal. Irving, an eight-time All-Star with a NBA Finals Game 7-winning shot onhis resume, certainly fit the profile.

打從七七的新秀賽季以來，達拉斯一直在急切地尋找一位能與七七配對的明星球員，當時他們在Porzingis 的交易中採取了第一個大動作。Irving，一位八次入選全明星的球員、且還曾在NBA 總決賽搶七戰中投進致勝球，當然符合這個條件。

But trading for Irving -- and giving up two starters (Dorian Finney-Smith andSpencer Dinwiddie) plus an unprotected 2029 first-round pick -- was a big
gamble. It was understood before the deal with the Brooklyn Nets was done
that there would not be any discussions about a contract extension.

但在交易得來 Irving 的同時，要放棄兩名先發球員（DFS 和 Spencer Dinwiddie）及一個不受保護的2029年首輪選秀籤，將是一場大賭注。在與布魯克林籃網隊的交易完成之前，大家都知道不會有任何關於續約的討論。

"We've got those Bird rights," Cuban said before laughing and realizing that
he said the same thing about Doncic's former sidekick Jalen Brunson last
summer after he starred during Dallas' surprising run to the West finals.

「我們有了那些鳥權，」庫班說，然後笑著意識到他在去年夏天曾對七七的前搭檔 JalenBrunson 說過同樣的話，因為他在達拉斯出乎意料闖進西部決賽的過程中發揮了作用。

"I know what you're going to bring up!" Cuban said. "But I think it's a
different set of circumstances."

庫班說：「我知道你想說些什麼，但我認為遇到的是不同的狀況。」

The circumstances that led to Brunson's departure to the New York Knicks in
free agency are a sensitive subject in the Mavs organization. They are also
subject to some dispute, as Cuban made a point on Wednesday to publicly deny
the year-old claim by Brunson's father, Rick, that the Mavs were informed in
early January 2022 that the guard would sign the four-year, $56 million
extension he was eligible for if it was put on the table at that time.

導致Brunson 在自由市場上選擇加盟紐約尼克的狀況，在獨行俠隊內是一個敏感話題。這些也引起了一些爭議，因為庫班在周三特地公開否認了Brunson 的父親 Rick 一年前的說法，即獨行俠隊曾在2022年01月初被告知，如果當時有資格獲得四年5600萬美元的續約，那這位後衛就會簽署。

Dallas didn't put the deal on the table until after the trade deadline, when
Finney-Smith accepted an identical offer. By then, it was clear that Brunson
would command much more as an unrestricted free agent. He ended up getting a
four-year, $104 million deal from the Knicks, who had hired his father as an
assistant coach, the third time Rick Brunson has worked for Tom Thibodeau.

直到交易截止日之後，DFS 接受了一份相同的報價，達拉斯才將這筆交易放在桌面上。到時很明顯的，Brunson 作為一個不受限的自由球員將會得到更多。他最終從尼克得到一份四年1.04億美元的合同，尼克還聘請他的父親成為助理教練，這是 Rick Brunson 第三次為湯總工作。

Those Bird rights ended up being irrelevant. Cuban claims now they never had
a chance to prevent Brunson from joining his father and Leon Rose, the Knickspresident who is his godfather and former agent, in New York.

那些鳥權結果變得無關緊要。庫班稱，現在他們從來沒有機會阻止Brunson 加入他父親和也是前經紀的尼克隊老闆 Leon Rose。

"We didn't know what the bid was," Cuban said Wednesday. "They never gave us
a number. Knowing the numbers now, I would've paid it in a heartbeat, but he
wouldn't have come anyway. There's just no possible way that it was about
money."

庫班星期三說，「我們不知道出價是多少，他們從未給我們一個數字。現在知道了這個數字，我就會馬上付錢，但無論如何他都不會來。這不可能是為了錢。」

Cuban's comments came one day after Doncic, after his declaration that he
wouldn't be shut down unless play-in hopes were completely extinguished,
bemoaned how much the Mavs' chemistry had declined this season and admitted
that the team sorely missed Brunson.

庫班的評論是在七七宣布除非晉級附加賽的希望完全破滅，否則他不會被關機的一天之後發表的，他哀嘆本賽季獨行俠隊的化學反應下降了很多，並承認球隊非常想念 Brunson。

"A lot," Doncic said, shaking his head and gritting his teeth into a pained
grin. "I mean, amazing guy, amazing player, for sure."

「很多，」七七說，同時搖了搖頭、咬緊牙關地露出痛苦的笑容。「我是說，了不起的傢夥，了不起的球員，這是肯定的。」

Doncic had grown impatient with the Mavs' mediocrity early in the season,
when he was playing at an MVP-caliber level while carrying a historically
heavy workload. For the first time in his career, Doncic enthusiastically
engaged in personnel discussions with the front office, as sources told ESPN
that he pushed for a major upgrade despite the Mavs' limited trade assets.

七七已經對獨行俠隊在賽季初的平庸表現感到不耐煩，雖然打出了MVP 級別的水平，卻還要背負史無前例的沉重負擔。在他的職業生涯中，七七第一次熱烈地參與前台的人事討論；而消息人士也告訴ESPN，儘管獨行俠隊能交易的資產有限，但他還是推動了一次重大的升級。

The Mavs pounced after Irving made his February trade request following the
fizzling of contract negotiations with Brooklyn, which was hesitant to fully
guarantee a long-term, maximum contract for a player who missed more games
than he played during his Nets tenure.

在 KI 與布魯克林的續約談判破裂後，獨行俠隊在二月份提出了交易請求，布魯克林對是否能為一名在籃網隊時，缺賽場次比出賽場次還要多的球員提供一份長期、滿額的合約感到猶豫。

Kidd and Doncic made it clear they wanted the deal done. Harrison and Cuban
made it happen.

基總和七七明確表示他們希望能完成這筆交易，而 Harrison 和庫班使之成為現實。

"I don't see any risk at all," Harrison said days later. "I actually see the
risk in not doing it."

「我根本看不出任何風險，」Harrison 數天後說。「我實際上只看到不這樣做的風險。」

But Irving didn't prove to be a difference-maker for Dallas despite averaging27.0 points and 6.0 assists in 20 games for the Mavs. Dallas won only eight
of those and lost five of six that Irving missed after joining the team.

但雖然在二十場比賽中，平均累積二十七分、六次助攻，可是 Irving 卻未能證明自己是能創造不同的人。達拉斯在該些比賽中，只贏得八場；且在 Irving 沒有出賽的六場比賽中，還輸掉了五場。

"Just understand, we're getting better," Kidd said after a March 13 loss to
the Memphis Grizzlies, which Doncic and Irving missed due to injury, dropped
Dallas to a game under .500. "It's just a matter of, can we be healthy in
time to make a stretch run? And if we're not, that's just the season. No
one's dying."

「只要理解，我們正在變得更好，」基總在三月十三日輸給曼菲斯灰熊隊後說，七七和歐文因傷缺席的比賽使達拉斯隊（的勝差）跌到了0.500 以下。「這只是能不能及時健康地進行一次長跑的問題而已；如果我們沒有，就只剩下賽季的問題。沒有人會死。」

The Mavs got healthy, but they still couldn't win. Doncic and Irving formed
one of the league's most dynamic offensive duos, but the Mavs couldn't
consistently outscore opponents due to their awful defense and poor
rebounding.

獨行俠隊得到了健康，但他們仍然無法獲勝。七七和KI組成了聯盟中最有活力的進攻組合之一，但由於他們糟糕的防守和糟糕的籃板，獨行俠隊無法持續地贏下對手。

The Mavs went 5-11 when Doncic and Irving were both in the lineup, a .313
winning percentage that ranks as the worst by a pair of All-Star teammates
since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77, according to ESPN Stats & Information
research.

根據ESPN統計與信息部的研究，當七七和 KI 都在陣中時，獨行俠隊的戰績為五勝十一負，0.313 的勝率是自1976-77 賽季NBA-ABA 合併以來，一對全明星隊友的最差戰績。

"I'm getting traded to a new work environment, and it's just a lot of
newness," Irving said after a March 29 loss in Philadelphia, part of a
stretch of seven in eight games. "I'm trying to introduce myself to
everybody, figure out, you know, who do guys go to on the team to confide in
off the court? Who is our coaching staff as people? Upper management, who arethey as people? What do they expect from me? ...

"What does our future look like? I think that now, again, just where we are
in the season, and where other teams are positioned already, it kind of lookslike a bit of a clusterf---."

Irving 在三月二十九日敗給七六人隊的賽後訪問中，說：

「我被交易到一個新的工作環境，這只是很多新鮮感，我正試著把自己介紹給大家，弄清 楚，你知道，球員們在球場外會去找誰傾訴？我們的教練組是誰？高層管理人員，他們 是什麼人？他們對我的期望是什麼？我們的未來是什麼樣子的？我認為，現在，同樣， 僅僅是我們在本賽季的位置，以及其他球隊的定位，看起來有點像一群...」

The Mavs never fought their way out of it. Cuban also made it clear that he
hopes Irving is a part of the future, saying that re-signing the All-Star
guard will be the franchise's top priority this summer despite the
disappointing results after the trade.

獨行俠隊從未能奮戰成功。庫班還明確表示，他希望 KI 是未來計劃的一部分。他說，儘管交易後的結果令人失望，但重新簽下這位全明星後衛將是今年夏天加盟的首要任務。

"If I was a betting man, I guess I would say he would be back," Kidd said
Friday night. "Why would I say he wouldn't?"

「如果我是一個賭徒，我想我會說他會回來，」基總週五晚上說。「我為什麼要說他不會呢？」

Can the Mavs be outbid?

但獨行俠隊是否能出一份比其他球隊更好的價碼？

"I don't know," Cuban said Wednesday, a couple of nights before Irving wore
street clothes and sat next to him in the courtside baseline seats by the
Mavs' bench. "I guess there's always too high a price, depending."

庫班週三（即 KI 穿上便服、坐在獨行俠隊板凳旁、球場場邊座位上的數個晚上前）說，「我不知道，我想總會有很高的價碼，要看情況。」

第三部分：

THE HOME CROWD booed the Mavericks on March 25, when the short-handed,
lottery-bound Charlotte Hornets built an 18-point lead midway through the
third quarter. After the Mavs' comeback attempt fell short, Kidd wondered whythe boos didn't come earlier.

在三月廿五日（獨行俠對黃蜂一戰），當傷病滿營、具備抽樂透籤資格的黃蜂隊於第三節時，建立十八分的領先優勢時，主場球迷們開始對獨行俠對狂噓。在獨行俠的反攻嘗試失敗後，基總好奇為何噓聲沒有早點到來。

The Mavs later proved that it hadn't yet hit rock bottom, losing to the
Hornets again 36 hours later as Dallas continued to lose its grip on
controlling its own postseason destiny. But this was a new low.

獨行俠隊後來也證明他們還沒到達谷底，在三十六小時後再次輸給黃蜂隊，並逐步失去本身晉級季後賽的主動權。但這是一個新低點。

It was that night that Doncic admitted that he'd never been more frustrated
during his five-year NBA career, pointing to the Mavs' struggles and
unspecified problems in his private life.

正是在那個晚上，七七承認在他五年的NBA 職業生涯中，他從未像現在這樣難過，並指向了獨行俠隊的掙扎和私人生活中不明確的定性。

"I think you can see it with me on the court," Doncic said. "Sometimes I
don't feel it's me. I'm just being out there. I used to have really fun,
smiling on the court, but it's just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons,not just basketball."

「我想你可以從我在球場上看到這一點，」七七說。「有時我不覺得這是我。我只是在場上。我以前真的很開心，在球場上微笑，但由於種種因素，不僅在籃球界內，一直都很令人沮喪。」

He was wearing a black T-shirt with white letters that read, "ALL I NEED IS
SUVO NESO AND RAKIJA." It's a Serbian slogan that loosely translates to, "AllI need is dry meat and a local brandy."

他當時穿著一件附帶塞爾維亞語白字的黑色汗衫，大略翻譯是「我只需要一個乾肉和一瓶道地的白蘭地酒」。

Doncic will get the chance for plenty of rest and relaxation, much sooner
than anticipated, after the Mavs plummeted to 11th in the West and assured
that their season will end Easter Sunday.

在獨行俠隊確定以西部第十一名結束本賽季後，七七將能獲得比預期還要早的休息。

Doncic showered and changed into sweats at halftime Friday, watching from thebench as his teammates blew a 13-point lead to the Bulls in the last two
quarters. He seemed loose and relaxed as the Mavs' fate was sealed, covering
his mouth and laughing before the game's final possession, when Dallas' pair
of two-way players McKinley Wright IV and A.J. Lawson attempted three
potential game-tying 3-pointers, none of which drew iron.

七七在星期五（比賽）的中場休息時洗了澡，換上了汗衫、在板凳上看著他的隊友在最後兩節吹掉了對公牛隊的十三分領先優勢。當獨行俠隊的命運已獲確定時，他顯得很放鬆，在比賽的最後一次進攻前，他捂著嘴笑了起來，當時達拉斯的兩位雙向約球員 McKinleyWright IV 和 A.J. Lawson 嘗試投進三次有可能打平比賽的三分球，但都沒有成功。

As the Mavs' disappointing season essentially came to an end, Doncic appearedrelieved. A member of the Mavs' staff who knows Doncic well nodded when this
observation was shared with him and said, "Good eyes."

隨著獨行俠隊令人失望的賽季基本上告一段落，七七似乎鬆了一口氣。一名熟悉七七的獨行俠隊工作人員在與他分享這一看法時點了點頭，說：「眼神不錯」。

短評：

變更原定的計劃後，難道能為下賽季重燃希望嗎？

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