It's one thing to win. It'sanother thing entirely to do it after overcoming an offseason ofdiscontent in which you asked to leave Los Angeles, a request fueled byyour concerns about getting older, your teammates' talent and yourfractured relationship with the Lakers, who -- in your eyes -- lied toyou about rebuilding this franchise and left you hanging as thescapegoat in the aftermath of Shaq's departure.
夺得总冠军是湖人要去做的一件事，同时也是在他们解决休赛季不满后要做的整件事。休赛期科比曾说要离开湖人，这主要是因为他担心自己年龄越来越大，因为他觉得队友的能力还不够，因为他和湖人关系的破裂，而在科比看来是湖人骗了他，湖人没有为他重建球队，让自己成为沙克离开后的替罪羊。
Bryant is quick to say, "That's the past now. I don't even talk or think about that stuff anymore."
科比很快回应：“现在那都过去了。我真的不想再去谈论和回想那些事情了。”
The fact is, far too many of us still do.
现实中，还有很多事情我们没有完成的。
It's time for us all to move on, too.
是我们大家向前迈进的时候了。
Last May, when Bryant said theLakers weren't doing a thing to help him, he was right. Prior to thisseason, the only thing GM Mitch Kupchak had to show for all histeam-building efforts was a pair of former superstars, Karl Malone andGary Payton, whose declining skills were just enough to help the Lakersmake an appearance in the Finals in 2004. Presently retired, they nowawait their inductions into the Hall of Fame.
去年五月，当科比说湖人没有做任何事情来帮助他，是对的。这个赛季以前，总经理米奇-库普切克仅仅做了一件事去重建球队，那就是换来两位前超级巨星卡尔-马龙和加里-佩顿，不过他们退化的球技仅仅只能帮助湖人闯入2004年NBA总决赛。现在他们俩已经退役了，就等着进入名人堂了。
Once Shaq split for SouthBeach, the L.A. story centered on Kobe Bryant's pounding the hardwoodas a virtual solo act, being vilified and accused of everything fromsexual assault to selfishness.
沙克离开湖人，去了东南海岸（即迈阿密热火队）后，洛杉矶的故事就聚焦在科比球场上的个人打法，还有关于性侵犯和自私的诽谤、指责。
The hits kept coming: Shaqraised questions about Bryant's involvement in his departure … and theLakers lost games. A book authored by Phil Jackson labeled Bryant"uncoachable" … and the Lakers lost more games. Shaq won a championshipin Miami, but Bryant, despite all of his greatness as a player, becamea modern-day pariah on and off the court, stigmatized as someone whosurrendered the wealth of future championships for the glory ofindividual scoring titles (two).
科比所受的打击还在继续：沙克说他离开湖人是跟科比有关的…湖人还输掉了很比赛；一本杰克逊所写的、关于科比“不可执教”的书面世了…同时湖人输掉了更多比赛；沙克在迈阿密获得了NBA总冠军，而此时的科比呢，尽管他作为球员获得了很多伟大的成就，但是他成为了球场内外的现代贱民，被人污蔑为只想获得个人得分王称号（两次）的荣誉而放弃总冠军的财富。
And then this season arrived. As did Pau Gasol.
然后这个赛季就开始了，后来加索尔也到来了。
"Like I said, that's all inthe past now," Bryant said. "The fact is, regardless of anything, Ididn't like the direction we were going in. But it's also a fact thatMitch Kupchak did a great job getting Pau Gasol here.
“就像我曾经说过的那样，这些东西现在都已经过去了。”科比说，“不管怎么样，事实就是，我不喜欢我们球队以前所处的方向。但是米奇-库普切克换来加索尔，真的是做了一件非常伟大的事情。”
"My teammates have done agreat job of elevating their games. I shouldn't even call themteammates. We're like brothers because we're all that close. So nothingelse matters right now. The past is the past."
“我的队友也在提高自己的比赛能力上做得相当不错。哦，我不应该再叫他们队友了，我们现在就像是一帮兄弟因为我们非常亲密。因此现在其他事情都不重要了，过去的就让它过去吧。”
Can't blame Bryant forfocusing on the present one bit. After years of being maligned -- evenbeing booed at the Lakers' home opener this season -- he averaged 28.3points, locked up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs,captured league MVP honors, catapulted the Lakers to the NBA Finals,shut up the naysayers and resurrected a once-pristine image.
不能再去责备科比目前所做的事情了。在经历了几年的诽谤（甚至在本赛季湖人主场揭幕战中被球迷嘘）后，科比在常规赛中场均得到28.3分，还帮助湖人在西部季后赛中夺得西区冠军，获得了联盟常规赛MVP荣誉，帮助湖人闯入NBA总决赛，他还让那些反对者闭上了嘴，恢复了曾经质朴的个人形象。
"He's the leader on thisteam," Bryant's backcourt mate, Derek Fisher said recently. "To see thegrowth, the maturation, that's taken place over the last few years issomething special to witness. He's come a long way."
“他是球队的领袖。”科比的后场搭档德里克-费舍尔近来表示，“看到他的成长、成熟，过去几年里发生的事情真的是一些非常特别的东西。他已经走过了一个漫长的道路。”
Call it redemption. But redemption isn't a word you'll ever hear come out of Bryant's mouth.
把这个漫长的道路称为救赎。不过在科比说的话中，你是永远不会听到“救赎”这个词的。
To admit such a thing would beto acknowledge that he fell from grace. That he manufactured thedisintegration of a dynasty, leading to those three miserable seasonsin which the Lakers, second to only the Celtics in championshiptrophies, were reduced to mere spectators.
如果承认他说过这样一个词，那就等于承认他从优雅中坠落。他让一个王朝瓦解，直接导致后来湖人队（获得总冠军次数仅次于凯尔特人队）经历三个悲惨的赛季，让湖人只能成为总决赛的看客。
As far as Bryant is concerned, none of us knows the whole truth, and we're not about to. At least not from him.
至于科比所担忧的，我们没有人会知道那一整个事情的真相，我们将来也不会知道，至少不会从他那里知道。
"It's called moving forward, bro," Bryant declares. "That's what I'm doing. Life is so beautiful right now."
“兄弟们，这就是所谓的前进。”科比宣称，“我现在所做的就是帮助球队向前迈进。现在生活是多么的美好啊。”
Perhaps Bryant won't look backbecause he doesn't have to. His plan is to let his game make the onlyhistorical statement that matters.
也许科比不会再回顾过去的事情了，因为他用不着。他现在的计划是让自己的比赛去使得这个意义重大的历史宣言成为现实。
"He should," said ShaquilleO'Neal, reaching out to offer a few words about Bryant this pastweekend. "He's been great all year. He was great in the playoffs andhe's showing everyone what he's made of. He's on the verge of being thelatest great one with four rings.
“他应该会的。”沙克奥尼尔在过去这一周曾评价科比，“他整个赛季表现的都很出色。他在季后赛中表现出色，并向大家证明了他的实力。他现在即将成为最近的拥有四枚总冠军戒指的伟大球员。”
"He's come a long way. All I can say is, I'm happy for him. And I'm proud of him."
奥尼尔继续说：“他走过了漫长的道路。我所要说的就是，我为他感到高兴，我为他感动自豪。”
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=smith_stephen&page=Kobe-080603 |
發表於 2008-6-5 04:35 AM
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