歐文親筆 致親愛的年輕人

Youngbloods,

年輕人們：

Do me a favor, turn down the music for a second? The hippity hop can wait. We've got to talk about your game.

幫我老人家個忙，能不能把音樂先關小一點？你們那些嘻哈音樂等得起，我們得先聊聊你們打球的問題。

I'm sure the last thing you want right now is a lecture from an old man.

我知道，你們現在最不想幹的就是聽我這個老頭叨叨。

Tough luck.

那你們可真不走運。

I may be old and gray, but I could still take you to the rack.

我也許老了，不中用了，但要打爆你們還是綽綽有餘。

The legends of the game showed me how to get buckets — and get ‘em the right way. Now it's my duty to look out for the next generation. That's the code.

這項運動的傳奇們教會了我如何進球——以及如何以正確的方式進球，現在輪到我挖一挖下一代苗子了，祕籍在此。

This game has always been and will always be about buckets. Pure and simple. That's just as true today as when I first learned it damn near 60 years ago.

無論過去、現在還是將來，這項運動永遠都是一個得分遊戲，簡單而純粹，這一點即使是今天，也跟我將近60年前第一次接觸它時沒啥兩樣。

But today's game has changed. Half the time, I'm shaking my head at what I see. Y'all want to look good before you play good — but you've got the order flipped. With the flashy fadeaways that never fall. The dribbling to nowhere.

然而如今，這項運動卻發生了改變，我有一半的時間都在爲自己的所見搖頭嘆息——你們總是沒學會走就想着跳舞，順序搞錯了啊孩子們！無一命中的華麗後仰，不知所蹤的蹩腳運球。

The shooting sleeves and the high-tech shoes and what not. There's a lot of noise out there. At the end of the day, getting buckets is first and foremost about one simple thing: the fundamentals.

還有什麼高科技的投籃護臂和球鞋之類的……太多雜七雜八的東西了。說到底，進球纔是最關鍵的，而這有關於一件小事：基本功。

The fundamentals will set you free

基本功能讓你放飛自我

I'm telling y'all. The fundamentals will set you free. It's like the jazz records my pops used to play on Sunday afternoons. First you master the fundamentals. Then you get to forget about ‘em. You're improvising. That's why I always say: streetball is an art form.

我跟你們講，基本功真的能讓你們放飛自我，就像我父輩們喜歡在週六下午放的爵士樂唱片一樣。首先你要精通這些基本功，然後忘掉它們……恭喜你，你已經可以即興創作了。這就是爲什麼我一直說：街球是一門藝術。

You feel me, youngbloods? I need to see more jazz in your game.

懂了沒，年輕人？我要在你們的比賽中看到更多爵士樂。

"Be ready"

做好準備

By that, what I mean is, Be ready to wait. The game starts before the game starts, if you know what I mean. Streetball ain't orange slices and everybody-plays.

我這樣說的意思是，做好等待的準備。真正的比賽在比賽開始前就已經開始了，不知道你們懂不懂我在說啥。街球可不是隨便誰都能玩的。

You'll need to master the virtue of patience or you'll get chewed up and spit out before you get your shoes tied. Here's the truth: You won't get respect when you think you should. They're gonna say you're too short. Too fat. Too skinny. Too ugly (I'm lookin at you, Dax).

你必須先具備耐心，否則就等着鞋帶還沒繫好就被生吞活剝吧。這就是殘酷的現實，你以爲你足以得到尊重了？差得遠呢！他們會說你太矮，太肥，太瘦，太醜（說的就是你，Dax[Dax爲《德魯大叔》中的角色，由著名美國演員里爾-萊爾-哈瓦瑞飾演，是德魯大叔的好友兼隊友。]）。

That's just the basketball gods taunting you. That's the guys up above saying, Go home. Give up. Try out for volleyball.

這就是籃球之神對你的嘲弄，那些高高在上的傢伙們會對你說：滾回家吧，去你X的籃球夢，去排球隊試訓吧！

Your opportunity will come, but it won't come when you want. That's not how opportunity works — always when you least expect it. So before you learn to Euro Step, go ahead and learn some patience.

你終究會得到屬於自己的機會，只是它不會在你希望的時候到來。機會的原理不是這樣的，它只會悄然降臨。因此在學習歐洲步之前，先好好學學怎麼保持耐心吧。

"There is no offseason"

休賽期？不存在的

Streetball season doesn't ever stop. It's all year, any weather. You can't measure it in 82 games or 48 minutes.

街球的賽季沒有終點，全年無休，無論颳風下雨，你無法用82場比賽或者48分鐘來衡量。

You playing for stats? Triple-doubles don't count for nothin'. Get a YMCA card. Playing for the cameras? Catch a bus to Hollywood. Playing for the crowd? Take a comedy class.

你在爲了數據打球？三雙在這裏屁用沒有，不如去基督教青年會，辦張卡隨便嗨。你在爲了鏡頭打球？不如抓緊時間去好萊塢，晚點趕不上2路汽車了。你在爲了觀衆打球？不如報個喜劇班，那才最能取悅觀衆。

The only audience you'll have out here is the other guys waiting to send you home to your mama. You gotta do this for the love. The only question you need to care about is, What's the count? Check the ball up.

上了場，你唯一的觀衆就是對面那羣等着把你打到回家找媽媽的對手。你必須是在爲了熱愛打球，你唯一需要關心的問題就是，幾比幾了？現在輪到你了。

"Get tough"

硬起來

The first time you play at a new spot, pick out the biggest guy on the other squad. Take dead aim at him. Go to the rack. Rise up and keep your elbows sharp. You'll get fouled, but don't say a word. We don't call fouls out here. Just finish strong. It's going to hurt.

每當你第一次去到你個新的球場，記得挑對面最大隻的那個傢伙對位，給他來個致命一擊，拿出視死如歸的態度，大步向前，架起肘子。你會遭到犯規，但是別吱聲，在我們這裏沒有犯規這一說，你要強硬地把球擱進去。這注定不會輕鬆。

If you've got a million dollar move and a five-cent finish... how much are you really worth?

如果你的動作值一百萬，但終結能力只值5分錢，那你這人我看也值不了幾個錢。

"Never quit"

永不放棄

Now that I'm an old man, people ask me when I'm gonna hang it up. This is what I tell ‘em: You don't stop playing because you get old. You get old because you stop playing.

現在我是個老頭，人們總是問我啥時候退休養老。我的回答是：你不能因爲老了就不打球，你只會因爲不打球而變老。

Look at it this way — I've been driving the same van since 1968. It's beat up. The paint job's fading. But you know what? That van still purrs like a cat. It's what's under the hood that matters.

這麼說吧，我從1968年以來一直開着同一輛貨車，早已破爛不堪，車頭都蹭掉漆了。但是你猜咋着？那輛車還是能發出貓一樣的咕嚕咕嚕聲，隱藏在引擎蓋下面的東西纔是關鍵。

So, please. I'll quit the day you can check me.

所以，拜託了，等到你們能打贏我那天，我會走人的。

But until then, youngbloods... Get Buckets.

但是在那之前，年輕人們……還是多練練球吧。

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