NBA總決賽再創歷史

Since the NBA Finals began on June 2, fans have been seeing something that has never happened in the history of the game. For the first time ever, the same two teams are facing off in three consecutive NBA Finals.

自NBA總決賽6月2日開賽以來，球迷們已經見證了賽史上史無前例的事情。兩支隊伍共創歷史，連續三年會師NBA總決賽。

But if the biggest trilogy in the league’s history – which is seeing the Golden State warriors play against the Cleveland Cavaliers – were a movie, who would be your choice for lead actor?

但如果NBA賽史上這一出最盛大的三部曲 ——金州勇士隊對戰克利夫蘭騎士隊 —— 是部電影，你會選擇誰來領銜主演呢？

LeBron James may be a good starting point. The popular player created the biggest buzz (熱點) weeks before the Finals started. He’s a sporting giant, and incredibly, he’s still at the peak of his powers at 32 years old.

勒布朗·詹姆斯或許是個不錯的出發點。這位大熱球星在總決賽開賽的幾周前便成爲了最大熱點。他是體育界的一大巨頭，而令人難以置信的是，32歲“高齡”的他依然保持着巔峯狀態。

“Yes, this is the best version of LeBron,” his former coach Mike Brown said.

“是的，這是勒布朗的最佳狀態，”他的前教練邁克·布朗說道。

And even better, with Kyrie Irving as his capable co-star, James probably has the best team he’s ever had around him.

而更理想的情況是，有出色的凱里·歐文與他攜手，詹姆斯或許已經擁有了職業生涯以來最棒的隊員陣容。

So the Cavaliers must be favorites, right? Not really. They’re underdogs because James, the best player of his generation, is facing the most successful team of his generation.

所以克利夫蘭騎士隊看來就是本賽季的寵兒了？並非如此。他們正處於劣勢，因爲儘管詹姆斯是他這一代最棒的球員，但他同時也面對的是他這一代最成功的球隊。

In June 2015, in Act 1, the Warriors celebrated a 67-win season with a title over the wounded Cavaliers. In Act 2, the Cavaliers rose from an impossible 3-1 Finals hole to defeat the Warriors. It was the first championship for the title-starved Cavaliers in more than a half-decade.

2015年6月，在第一回合的較量中，金州勇士隊擊敗了傷痕累累的克利夫蘭騎士隊，以67勝的賽季成績獲得冠軍頭銜。在第二回閤中，克利夫蘭騎士隊在總決賽3-1落後的局勢中，上演不可能的逆轉並擊敗了金州勇士隊。那也是渴望榮譽的克利夫蘭騎士隊五年多來所獲得的第一個冠軍頭銜。

The loss only makes the Warriors more hungry to win – they created history again by becoming the first team to ever go 12-0 on their way to the Finals. “It was taken,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “They took it. We want to take back the championship. That’s just the nature of a competitor. Take back what they took from us.”

這場失利令金州勇士隊更加渴望獲得勝利 —— 他們成爲了首支以12勝0負的戰績挺進總決賽的隊伍，再次創造了歷史。“冠軍被奪走了，”金州勇士隊前鋒德雷蒙德·格林說道。“他們奪走了它。我們想把冠軍拿回來。這就是競爭對手的本能。把他們從我們這裏奪走的東西拿回來。”

That story by itself is just perfect. But even the best movie franchises don’t keep the same cast. Just look at the Fast and Furious movies. As the popularity of a series grows, more and more stars want to be part of the action. It’s the same here. Kevin Durant and Mike Brown arrive as the new major figures in Act 3.

這個故事本身很完美。就連最棒的系列電影，也不會一直保持原班人馬。看看《速度與激情》系列就知道了。隨着這一系列的熱度上升，越來越多的明星想要加盟這部動作片。籃球場上也是如此。凱文·杜蘭特以及邁克·布朗在第三回閤中作爲新的主要人馬加入戰局。

In 2012, at the age of 23, Durant battled James and lost in his first and only NBA Finals. In the five years following, Durant ran into a wall of continual roadblock on his way back to the Finals. So he famously joined the Warriors in July 2016. As the series begins, there’s no shortage of Durant drama.

2012年，23歲的杜蘭特與詹姆斯展開對決，卻輸掉了他首次也是唯一一次NBA總決賽。在接下來的五年裏，杜蘭特在進軍總決賽的路上接連遇到重重障礙。所以，衆所周知，他在2016年7月加入了金州勇士隊。隨着戰幕的拉開，杜蘭特的好戲也必不會少。

But Mike Brown’s role is all the more interesting. Brown coached the Cavaliers twice, and now – in an unlikely twist of fate – he’s the Warriors’ acting head coach in the Finals. “It’s the circle of life,” Brown said.

但邁克· 布朗的角色則更加有趣。布朗曾兩次執教克利夫蘭騎士隊，而現在 —— 在不大可能的命運轉折之下 —— 他成爲了金州勇士隊總決賽中的代理主教練。“這是生活的輪迴，”布朗說道。

So it seems that a perfect script is ready to make history. “This is something that will be talked about long after us,” Green said. “So just to be a part of this is amazing. Be careful – right now, you’re witnessing greatness.”

所以，這個完美的劇本似乎已準備好要創造歷史。“這是一件我們的子孫後代都將談論的事情，”格林說道。“所以參與其中真的太棒了。注意了 —— 現在，你正見證着偉大的時刻。”