Will Cavs look like champs against Lakers on Xmas?圣诞大战战湖人，骑士的表现会像总冠军吗？
Just in time for Christmas, here comes the matchup that was on the NBA's wish list in June. 马上来临的圣诞大战，也正是NBA所希望看到的在六月决战的那两支球队。
The Kobe Bryant-LeBron James showdown didn't pan out last season,but now it arrives in Hollywood with the addition of basketball'sbiggest supporting actor: Shaquille O'Neal, formerly Bryant's teammate,now James' sidekick. 科比—勒布朗的对决在上赛季没能如期上演，不过今年有了科比前队友，詹姆斯现役队友，NBA的好莱坞级活宝球员奥尼尔的加入，圣诞大战将更有看点。
The Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Los Angeles Lakers on ChristmasDay, claiming top billing on a five-game schedule. And while themeeting is loaded with subplots, it also comes with a question. 骑士将要在圣诞节当日造访斯台普斯中心，这也是5场赛事中最引人期待的一场大战。这么富有看点的一场比赛，它当然会让我们想到一个问题。
Could this really be an NBA finals preview? 这会是今年NBA总决赛的预演吗？
``Without a doubt. Definitely,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.``They're going to be an elite team. They got off to a slow start, theyhad some issues with new personnel to blend in and they're going tostart playing well. Too talented a team not to pay attention to.'' “毫无疑问，这是肯定的”湖人教练菲尔说“他们是一支精锐完美的球队。虽然他们开局状态一般，一些新援的加入也使得他们在磨合上有一些问题，但他们会越打越好的。他们是那么的有天赋，所有人得注意了。”
But while Jackson's team leaves no doubt of its championshippotential, Cleveland has been ordinary too often, more hype than hope,for some critics. Charles Barkley essentially pronounced the Cavaliersdead two weeks ago on TNT, saying there ``are only two dogs in that(Eastern Conference) race. Orlando and Boston are by far the best twoteams in the East.'' 不过当菲尔的球队毫无疑问的成为总冠军的有力争夺者时，骑士却经常表现的很普通，他们的表现没能像宣传的那样，失望大于希望吧，有一些评论家就发话了。两周前巴克利就在TNT中宣告了骑士的死刑：东部只有两只狗在进行赛跑。目前为止凯尔特人和魔术是东部最佳的球队。
What about that, LeBron? 那么勒布朗怎么看呢？
``It's too early,'' James said. ``Boston, Orlando are playing well.Miami's played great at times. There are a lot of good teams. We'rehappy we're in the position we are. There's a long way to go until itall shakes out.'' 他说：“现在说这些太早了，凯子和魔术是打的很好。热火有时候也有上佳表现。这里有很多好球队。我很高兴我们在这个集团内。不过要想进入到终极决战赛场大家还有很长的路要走。”
The season is nearly two months old, but Christmas is traditionallywhen the NBA makes its first big splash. The league and ESPN areheavily promoting the Cavs-Lakers game, which follows Boston at Orlandoon ABC. 赛季已经进行了2个月了，不过作为NBA的传统节目，圣诞节还是被视作联盟的第一波高潮。联盟和ESPN将推出重磅级的骑士—湖人对决，这之前呢？ABC也将同样转播凯子与魔术间的强强对话。
New York opens the schedule with its return to Christmas competitionby hosting the Heat. The Los Angeles Clippers visit Phoenix laterFriday before Northwest Division rivals Denver and Portland meet in thenightcap. It's the second straight year the NBA has staged five gameson Dec. 25, the most it's scheduled on the holiday. 重回圣诞大戏的尼克斯将坐镇主场迎战热火。在夜场的比赛丹佛和开拓者后，快船也将在稍迟些的周五造访太阳。这将是NBA连续第二年在12月25号安排5场赛事，这也是在假期最长的赛程表。
The Knicks will be decked out in green jerseys for their league-high45th appearance on the holiday, having played in the first set ofChristmas games in 1947. The Trail Blazers will try to improve theNBA's best Christmas winning percentage, having gone 13-2 thus far.
Still, the most attention goes to the biggest names, and that's Bryant, James and O'Neal. 尼克斯将身着绿色球衣上阵圣诞大战以纪念他们在联盟假期中最高的上镜率——45次。他们在1947年就首次参加圣诞大战。开拓者则要继续推进他们的圣诞胜率——13胜2负。不过这一切都是小菜，真正的大餐还是以下这些伟大的名字：科比，詹姆斯，奥尼尔。
The defending champion Lakers returned from a five-game road tripwith a 22-4 record, looking like a heavy favorite to get back to thefinals for the third straight season. Even with Bryant nursing a brokenfinger, they appear even stronger than the team that overwhelmedOrlando in five games in June. 卫冕冠军湖人在5个客场后回家，同时他们还保持了22胜4负的记录，现在他们被极度的看好将连续第三个赛季杀入总决赛。即使科比伤了一根手指，他们看上去依然比六月份4：1战胜魔术时还要强大。
Cleveland improved to 21-8 by handing Phoenix its first home losswith a 109-91 rout Monday, a dominant performance on both ends of thefloor that was a reminder of how good the Cavs can be. 周一，骑士109-91送给了太阳第一个主场败仗，他们也将战绩提升到21胜8负，攻防两端的统治级表现也提醒着人们这支骑士有多么优秀。
``Contrary to what anybody may think, to get to the EasternConference championships, you are going to have to go through Clevelandat some point,'' Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. 太阳主帅金特里说：“与大多数想法相反，想要在东部拿到冠军，你必须得迈过骑士这道关。”
Yet the Cavs were only good enough for fourth place in the Eastbehind Boston, Orlando and Atlanta after that win, with their mediocreroad play, occasional offensive droughts and lack of productivity fromO'Neal reason enough to question them. 不过这场胜利也只让骑士继续呆在凯子，魔术，老鹰后位列第四，他们的客场表现一般，偶尔还会进攻失常，奥尼尔的效率也大大降低，这些因素都足以对他们产生质疑。
Nobody doubted the Cavs last season, when they posted a league-best66-16 record behind James' MVP campaign. But Orlando beat them in theEast finals, wrecking what could have been a highly anticipated seriesagainst Bryant and the Lakers. 上赛季可没人质疑骑士，当时詹姆斯拿到了常规赛MVP，骑士也取得了66胜16负的联盟最佳战绩。没曾想魔术竟在东区决赛击败了他们，在总决赛相会湖人挑战科比的美梦也随之破灭了。
Cleveland responded by trading for O'Neal and adding Anthony Parkerand Jamario Moon, but all the newcomers' numbers are down from lastseason - especially O'Neal's. It was telling that he spent the entirefourth quarter Monday on the bench while the Cavs were breaking open aclose game against the Suns. 本赛季骑士交易来了奥尼尔，引进了安东尼帕克，月亮男作为回应，可惜的是所有新加盟的球员的数据相较上赛季全下降了——尤其是奥尼尔。在周一同太阳的胶着一战奥尼尔整个第四节都坐在了板凳上。
His 10.3 points per game and 50.3 field goal percentage are by farcareer lows, and he can be a liability on the defensive end with hislack of quickness. So was the trade even worth it? 他目前10.3分50.3%的命中率均为职业生涯最低值，而且他速度的匮乏也使他在防守端成为全队的累赘。那么这个交易到底值不值呢？
``I said it when the trade was made, I didn't think that it madethem a better basketball team because I didn't think it solved theirproblems. To me their problem was wing play, their problem wasinability to defend the pick-and-roll, and that's why they goteliminated by the Orlando Magic, and Shaq did not answer thoseproblems,'' said ABC analyst Mark Jackson, adding that Boston's big menwere better pick-and-roll defenders. ABC分析员杰克逊就说了：“我说过即使这个交易发生骑士也不可能变的更好，因为引进奥尼尔并不能解决他们的问题。我认为他们的问题在于侧翼面以及对挡拆防守的无力表现，这也是他们被魔术完暴的原因，而且奥尼尔的到来也确实没能解决这些问题。”他还补充凯子的大个子们都是很好的防挡拆选手。
``I don't think that the Cavs have that type of player, and that'stheir biggest problem as far as I'm concerned, and that's why I don'tthink they're a better basketball team. They're a disaster waiting tohappen. Depends on the matchups.'' “我不认为骑士有这种类型的大个子，我也确信这是他们目前为止最大的弊病，所以我认为他们不是一支优秀的球队。就凭借这些比赛，看着吧，他们在等待着灾难的来临。”
Jeff Van Gundy, who will work with Jackson and Mike Breen onFriday's telecast, said Boston has been the East's best but insistedthe Cavs are still finals material. He believes O'Neal proved his valuewhen he got Dwight Howard in foul trouble in Cleveland's victory atOrlando last month. 范甘迪，他将在周五的电视直播中与杰克逊和Breen合作，他说凯子是东部最好的球队，不过他也坚持认为骑士依然是总冠军的有力争夺者。上个月骑士战胜魔术的比赛奥尼尔使霍华德陷入犯规麻烦，所以他相信奥尼尔会在以后的比赛中展示出他的价值。
``This idea that they have to make some tremendous jump in play Ithink is a little bit overstated,'' he said. ``I just think they haveto play a little bit better.'' “要说他们应该打的产生质的飞跃是不现实的，我只是认为他们会打的更好一点。”
Christmas would be a good time to start. NBA fans will be watching. 圣诞大战会是一个很好的开始。我们球迷们就擦亮眼睛看好戏吧。
