The Chosen

  

在一篇來自於 The Wallstreet Journal NBA外電專訪中（該文撰寫者為 Kevin Clark）
看完後讓人印象深刻，特別翻譯一小段，有興趣的人可以往下翻頁，
我有把原文放上，你們可以慢慢欣賞。

Corey Brewer 對於 Dirk Nowitzki 的奇怪投籃姿勢，所回應的心得蠻誠實的：
"It's amazing to me that he makes these shots consistently, like a regular jump shot."

這篇刊登於美國時間的昨天，也就是六月七日。（總冠軍賽第四戰開打前夕印出來的）

我在報紙上看到後覺得很有趣，想說透過網路找找看，果然有全文，貼過來與各位分享。

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（簡單聊一下，並且稍作翻譯我印象深刻的這幾段文字）

現任 Dirk Nowitzki 於球隊的投籃教練 Holger Geschwindner 表示，
當 Dirk 才十六歲的時候，已經習慣使用單腳投籃（尤其是只用左腳）並且以此成為他的必殺技。

隊友 Corey Brewer 說：
Dirk Nowitzki 給了自己一整套訓練「轉身」，還有「模擬笨拙出手」的訓練動作套餐。
（為了騙過防守者以為自己防守成功的出手動作）

直到晚上七點，另一位隊友 Brian Cardinal 還依然看到 Dirk 在場內的每一個角落，
持續進行自主訓練，在這樣的動作下出手。

直到現在，Dirk Nowitzki 每天兩次例行練球後，
都會各進行一次循環訓練（表示一天至少會兩次）關於他個人腳步的使用。

Udonis Haslem 曾經這樣聊過 Dirk Nowitzki 的這些動作：

"When any player takes shots like that, you think you've got him.
  When he takes a shot like that, he's got you,"

大意是說：在場上，當你迫使對方這樣出手時，表示說「你搞定他了」，
但對 Dirk Nowitzki 而言，當他這樣出手時，則表示「他搞定你了」。

練習時，與 Dirk 對守的 Brian Cardinal 也曾經這麼回應：

「當 Dirk 持球時，你的第一個念頭是『救命啊！』
   你會嘗試著防守逼他做出一個難看、看似不能瞄準、出力的投籃動作，
   但是在 Dirk 的觀點中，這樣的投籃反而輕鬆，因為他總是一直練習如此出手。」

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（以下為外電原文，與各位分享）


  

A Shot So Ugly You Can't Stop It

Dirk Nowitzki's Off-Kilter Game Makes Defenders Crazy; Practicing a One-Legged Routine.

By KEVIN CLARK

One of the few common bonds among players in the NBA is that many have, at one point
or another, thought they had Dirk Nowitzki under control, only to learn the same indelible
lesson. He can be smothered, poked, jostled and out-jumped, but rarely can he be stopped.

This is because Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks' wild-haired 7-footer from Würzburg, Germany,
is perhaps the most peculiar superstar in the league. Armed with what players say may be
the most unguardable shots in the game, Nowitzki specializes in an area few dare to explore:
He has become the master of the awkward shot.

Nowitzki has made 53.2% of his jump shots in these playoffs, which is, according to Synergy
Sports, the best performance by any player whose team advanced past the first round. He
also made 55% of his post-up shots during the regular season, which was good for second
in the NBA behind Denver's Nenê among players with more than 100 attempts. For
comparison's sake, none of the Miami Heat's "Big Three" topped 46%.

As pretty as the numbers may look, the moves Nowitzki uses to collect them are often akin
to someone trying to skateboard the Tour De France: a chain of one-legged jumpers,
off-balance spin moves and fadeaways that might get you benched in junior high. "When any
player takes shots like that, you think you've got him. When he takes a shot like that, he's
got you," said Udonis Haslem, the Heat forward who is guarding Nowitzki this series, which
Miami leads, two games to one, heading into Tuesday's Game 4.

Everyone has a Dirk story: Juwan Howard, a Heat forward, said he is blown away by
Nowitzki's ability to use just one leg—either one—to make a shot off the backboard from as
far as 22 feet. Teammate Brendan Haywood can't believe the one-legged jump shots or the
running hook shots that Nowitzki hoists up in his most unbalanced moments—even when he's
using just his left leg.

Haywood said Nowitzki's specialty is scoring from 15 to 17 feet. Usually, he'll start with a few
fakes, lean his shoulder into his defender, take one dribble and then quickly make himself
off-balanced and fade away from the helpless opponent. "It's probably the most unguardable
shot in the league; it won't get blocked, he'll either make it or miss it," Haywood said.

There are a few predictable nuances of Nowitzki's game—he much prefers driving left, though
that's assuming he'll drive at all. Haslem said one of the biggest challenges for opposing teams
is to not get discouraged when Nowitzki shakes off solid defense to get two impossible points.
Haslem said that not biting on pump fakes is the most basic element of defending him, but
smaller defenders get understandably jumpier when the athletic 7-footer begins to move
toward the basket.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said that from an opponent's perspective, Nowitzki, who turns
33 years old this month, must be denied the ball at all times. Haslem said that there's no way to
stop him—except "be 7-foot-5." Haslem is 6-foot-8.

Nowitzki's unusual talent is a rare marriage of athleticism, improvisation and height. His personal
shooting coach, Holger Geschwindner, said last week that Nowitzki has had the ability to shoot
from one leg since he was 16. Nowitzki practices the shots at least twice a day: once at the end
of practice, where teammate Corey Brewer sees Nowitzki go through a whole routine of spin
moves and simulated awkwardness, and again around 7 p.m. when teammate Brian Cardinal
says he has seen Nowitzki practice an array of wacky shots in every spot on the court.

Cardinal, who joined the Mavericks this season and mercifully no longer has to guard Nowitzki,
said Dirk would simply shoot over him instead of applying any moves. Cardinal said the most
intricate moves are reserved for those players who are tall and wide enough to throw their body
into the German.

"Whenever he catches the ball, your first thought is 'help!' " Cardinal said. "I guess you try to
force him into a tough shot, but in his mind, tough shots are really easy shots because he's
been practicing them."

Nowitzki trying a shot in Game 1 of the Finals in Miami.
.Nowitzki is the second-best scorer of these playoffs, with 28.4 points a game, behind only the
now-eliminated Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City. His shot has helped him go on some spectacular
runs in these finals. In the Mavericks' Game 2 win over the Heat, he scored nine straight points
to cap off a 22-5 run to complete a dramatic comeback. Two of his crucial shots in the last three
minutes were jumpers of longer than 18 feet.

In Sunday's Game 3 loss in Dallas, Nowitzki scored 12 straight points for the Mavericks. His
13-foot jumper with 1:39 left, which tied the game at 86, was a typically unhinged shot: He
swung the ball above his head, dribbled, pump-faked twice on Haslem, his defender, whom
he then shot over with success.

His luck ran out as time expired, however, as he missed a potential game-tying shot, a
spin-and-fadeaway near the free-throw line at the buzzer, to give the Heat an 88-86 win.

Afterward, Nowitzki said that Haslem "stayed down and made me shoot a contested shot—
and a shot I can make." He then added, "But unfortunately, it didn't go."

"It's amazing to me that he makes these shots consistently, like a regular jump shot," the
Mavericks' Brewer said. "I've defended it a few times, I guess it might be possible to stop but
—a step-back, fadeaway jump shot by a 7-footer? No, I don't think you can stop that."

Write to Kevin Clark at kevin.clark@wsj.com

 

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推薦影片：科學分析 Dirk 的投籃為什麼難以封阻

（原始來源：SC，翻譯：IMBC躍動籃球學院）

https://www.facebook.com/IMBCampus/videos/1164745163582343/