威斯布鲁克75大巨星档案
前作:
英文摘自国外NBA官网Archive 75:Russell Westbrook
2022.02.03
作者:Mark Medina
侵删
登上拉塞尔威斯布鲁克过山车,速度飞快,感觉异常颠簸,使你有些困惑。
你会惊叹威斯布鲁克是如何在几乎每场比赛获得三双的,他像短跑健将一样奔跑,具有无与伦比的坚韧和竞争力。但是你也对威斯布鲁克差劲的投篮、低效的防守和草率的控球感到头疼。
不过,在一件事上威斯布鲁克的球迷和批评家可以达成一致。他理应被列入NBA最伟大球员的前75名。威斯布鲁克已经成为NBA历史三双数的领头羊。威斯布鲁克在2016-17赛季赢得了NBA常规赛MVP,成为自奥斯卡·罗伯逊以来第一位赛季场均三双的球员。威斯布鲁克九次入选NBA全明星正赛,其中两场获得了MVP奖。威斯布鲁克还在2012年伦敦奥运会期间获得了一枚金牌。
维斯布鲁克的优秀不仅仅体现在统计数据或奖杯上。是什么使威斯布鲁克伟大且使人印象深刻?是他在球场上目空一切的求胜心,惊异的运动能力和飞快的速度所带来的冲击力。来看看下面威斯布鲁克14年职业生涯中最精彩的20次体前变向过人集锦。威斯布鲁克的无数对手都知道将要发生什么,但是仍然无法阻止他。
他前11个赛季中俄克拉荷马城度过。在威斯布鲁克在2012年与凯文·杜兰特首次亮相总决赛。四年后,杜兰特离队加盟金州勇士队。威斯布鲁克坚守在俄克拉荷马城,但是接下来的三个赛季中他从未突破季后赛首轮。
接着,威斯布鲁克从本土天才变成了短期效力的游子,辗转休斯顿火箭队 (2019-20) ,华盛顿奇才队 (2020-21) 和洛杉矶湖人队(现役)。在所有的站点中威斯布鲁克凭着他炽热的求胜心和职业精神对球队产生了积极的影响。但这些影响最终并没有换来成功。
尽管如此,威斯布鲁克值得更多对于他成就的赞赏,而不是对他缺点的嘲讽。
威斯布鲁克可能会对于对手和记者表现强硬。但是他也有轻松的一面,而且是一个好丈夫好父亲,并坚定拥护他的社区。下面这段视频记录了他职业生涯中爱玩的一面。
不过,别误会。威斯布鲁克仍然在NBA球员和球迷中引人注目,那大抵是因为在今天,他仍然是强硬、速度和运动能力的代名词。看看下面视频中显示的片段。在威斯布鲁克在生涯第二年的全明星周末联盟新星挑战赛中获得40分之后,勒布朗·詹姆斯、凯文·加内特和保罗·皮尔斯都在球队大巴上谈论了他的英雄事迹。
那时威斯布鲁克才刚刚起步。雷霆队作为八号种子在季后赛对阵西部头名洛杉矶湖人队。
雷霆队和湖人队对阵六场之后科比·布莱恩特预测威斯布鲁克,杜兰特和詹姆斯·哈登未来将会给他带来很大挑战。
布莱恩特的预测仅在两年后就成为了现实。雷霆队在西部半决赛淘汰了湖人队,最终在2012年NBA总决赛对阵迈阿密热火队。
尽管雷霆队在五场比赛后输给了迈阿密,但NBA球迷预测俄克拉荷马城将会重返总决赛。
以资深主持人艾哈迈德·拉沙德在2012年NBA季后赛期间采访威斯布鲁克为例。威斯布鲁克感受到了夺冠窗口,他必须为冠军奖杯而奋斗。
威斯布鲁克完全不知道那个赛季就是他在俄克拉荷马所能达到的最高点。一年后,雷霆队同意与休斯顿火箭队签换送走哈登。五年后杜兰特转投金州并在三次总决赛之旅中赢得了两个NBA总冠军。
这与杜兰特和威斯布鲁克在俄克拉荷马城的经历形成了鲜明对比,当时他们在四次西部决赛中输掉了其中三次。
即使这样,这支雷霆队仍爱威斯布鲁克,爱他不屈的斗志和不渝的忠诚。他们尽力用一份续约和更多优秀队友(保罗·乔治和卡梅隆·安东尼)来嘉勉他。但是在杜兰特离开后,雷霆队从未突破季后赛首轮。
无论好坏,威斯布鲁克都按照自己的方式进行比赛。至少在某种程度上,他为何这么想是可以理解的。
西雅图超音速队在UCLA打了两个赛季后,在2008年以第4顺位选中威斯布鲁克时,很少有人想到威斯布鲁克会在NBA产生影响。然而,下面的视频显示了威斯布鲁克在他的新秀生涯中就展示了让他成为球星的所有元素。威斯布鲁克拥有华丽的步法,对篮筐的敏锐嗅觉和无与伦比的信心。
但是你能够从这些高光时刻推断出威斯布鲁克能够成为NBA历史三双王么吗?不可能。一小撮NBA传奇,包括魔术师约翰逊和贾森·基德,在下面的视频中坚称奥斯卡·罗宾逊将会永远保持NBA历史三双数记录(181次)
威斯布鲁克证明他们错了。威斯布鲁克不仅成为了历史上仅有的两位达成赛季场均三双的球员之一。威斯布鲁克在四个赛季达成了这样的壮举(2017年,2018年,2019年,2021年)
威斯布鲁克的三双产量从11次(2014-15赛季)上升到18次(2015-16赛季),是1982年魔术师约翰逊之后的最高纪录。看起来很难在整场比赛中集齐10分,10篮板,10助攻。想象几乎在每场比赛都达成这种数据,下面的高光集锦展示了威斯布鲁克是如何把这种很有挑战性的壮举变得轻而易举。
威斯布鲁克不仅仅通过追逐数据来取得三双,他融合了他的的得分、传球和篮板技术,并凭借坚定的信念和努力创造了记录
一个关键盟友为威斯布鲁克的里程碑提供了有效保障。威斯布鲁克也张开双臂欢迎罗伯森的到来,并对他的比赛给予了积极评价。威斯布鲁克甚至在罗伯森的名字进入球员名单之前不久就与他进行了面对面的交谈。
威斯布鲁克承认他从未想过自己会获得一个利润丰厚的NBA职业生涯,更不用说在联盟打球了。但是,他做到了,威斯布鲁克从不缺乏信心。
当被问及如果几年后得知将成为NBA历史三双王他会说什么时,威斯布鲁克简单地回答:“为什么不呢?”当被问及他是否能用更多的生涯里程碑和冠军奖杯来填补他的名人堂生涯的其余部分时,威斯布鲁克可能会以同样的方式回答。
原文:
Hop on the Russell Westbrook rollercoaster, a ride that goes remarkably fast, feels incredibly turbulent and leaves you somewhat conflicted.
You marvel at how Westbrook collects triple-doubles almost by the game as he runs like a track star with unmatched tenacity and competitiveness. But you scratch your head over Westbrook’s inefficient shooting, ineffective defense and sloppy ball handling.
Westbrook fans and critics can agree on one thing, though. He deserves inclusion on the NBA’s top 75 list of greatest players. Westbrook has become the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles. Westbrook won the NBA’s regular-season MVP in 2016-17, becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for an entire season. Westbrook appeared in nine NBA All-Star games and won the MVP award in two of them. Westbrook also collected a gold medal during the 2012 London Olympics
Westbrook’s excellence is not just measured in statistics or trophies, though. What makes Westbrook great and memorable: The impact he makes on the floor with his relentless competitiveness, freakish athleticism and high-speed motor. Take a look below at a compilation of Westbrook’s top 20 crossovers from his 14-year NBA career. Westbrook’s countless opponents knew what was coming, yet they still could not stop it.
In his first 11 NBA seasons with Oklahoma City, Westbrook appeared in one NBA Finals with Kevin Durant (2012) before he departed for the Golden State Warriors four seasons later. Westbrook stayed in OKC, but never got past the first round of the playoffs for the next three seasons.
Westbrook then morphed from home-grown talent into journeymen with short stints with the Houston Rockets (2019-20), Washington Wizards (2020-21) and the Los Angeles Lakers (present). In all stops, Westbrook positively impacted his team with his fiery competitiveness and work ethic. But those ingredients did not lead to a winning recipe.
Nonetheless, Westbrook deserves more appreciation for what he has accomplished than scorn for his shortcomings.
Westbrook may act prickly toward opponents and reporters. But he has a lighter side and remains utterly devoted to remaining a family man and supporter of his community. The video below captures Westbrook showing his playful side early in his career.
Don’t be mistaken, though. Westbrook still sparked attention among NBA players and fans mostly for the intensity, quickness and athleticism that remains a trademark today. Consider the footage shown in the video below. After Westbrook scored 40 points in his second NBA season during the league’s Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce all talked about Westbrook’s heroics on the team bus.
Westbrook was just getting started. The Thunder appeared in the NBA playoffs as an eighth seed against the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
After the Thunder challenged the Lakers to six games, Kobe Bryant predicted to Westbrook, Durant and James Harden that they would cause problems for him later.
It took only two years for Bryant’s prediction to come true. The Thunder eliminated the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals before facing the Miami Heat in the 2012 NBA Finals.
Though the Thunder lost to Miami in five games, NBA fans anticipated that Oklahoma City would make many return trips to the NBA Finals.
Take, for example, Westbrook’s interview with longtime broadcaster Ahmad Rashad below during the 2012 NBA playoffs. Westbrook sensed the window of opportunity he had to collect championship hardware.
Little did Westbrook know that season marked his ceiling in OKC. A year later, the Thunder agreed to deal Harden in a sign-and-trade to the Houston Rockets. Five years later, Durant bolted for Golden State and won two NBA titles out of three Finals appearances there.
That marked a stark contrast to what Durant and Westbrook experienced in Oklahoma City when they lost three out of four Western Conference finals appearances.
The Thunder still loved Westbrook, however, for his unyielding competitiveness and loyalty. They tried to reward him with both an extension and more talent (Paul George, Carmelo Anthony). But the Thunder could never advance past the first round following Durant’s departure.
For better and for worse, Westbrook has played his way by his terms. And it seems understandable, at least to a degree, why he would think that way.
When the former Seattle SuperSonics selected Westbrook with the No. 4 pick in 2008 after playing two seasons at UCLA, few envisioned Westbrook would make the impact he did in the NBA. Yet the video below shows Westbrook in his rookie career showing all of the elements that made him a star. Westbrook had nifty footwork, a strong nose for the basket and unmatched confidence.
But to see those
highlights and conclude Westbrook would become the NBA’s all-time leader in
triple-doubles? No way. A handful of NBA legends, including Magic Johnson and
Jason Kidd, argued adamantly in the video below that Oscar Robertson would
always remain the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles (181).
Westbrook proved them wrong. Not only did Westbrook become one of only two players in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. Westbrook averaged those numbers in four seasons (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021).
Westbrook also increased his triple-double output from 11 (2014-15) to 18 (2015-16), the most in a single season since Johnson recorded such numbers in 1982. It seems hard enough to compile at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an entire game. Imagine doing that almost every game. The highlight reel below shows how Westbrook made such a challenging feat appear easy.
Westbrook didn’t collect triple-doubles just by chasing stats. He set the record through sheer will and hustle as he blended his scoring, passing and rebounding skills.
A key ally offered validity to Westbrook’s milestone. Robertson, himself, welcomed Westbrook’s arrival to the club with open arms and offered positive appraisals of Westbrook’s game. Robertson even conducted an in-person interview with Westbrook shortly before he moved his name down in the record books.
Westbrook admitted he did not envision he would cement a lucrative NBA career, let alone play in the league. Once he did, though? Westbrook never lacked confidence.
When asked what he would say if he learned years later he would become the NBA’s all-time triple-doubles leader, Westbrook simply responded, “Why not?” Westbrook likely would answer the same way when asked if he can fill out the rest of his Hall-of-Fame bound career with more milestones and championship hardware.
非英语相关专业,翻译难免有很多问题,敬请指出。
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