[外絮] 丹佛金塊：真正的相信過程

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The Denver Nuggets are here because they trusted the process harder than
anyone else
金塊隊之所以在這裡，是因為他們比其他任何人都更加相信這個過程。

Ryan Blackburn

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There were plenty of times for the Denver Nuggets to jump ship.

有好幾次，丹佛金塊都可以選擇放棄。

One win away from the first championship in franchise history, an awful lot of reminiscing is taking place. There’s reflection, looking back upon the good
moments, the bad moments, the what-ifs, and much more. The butterfly effect is very real, and it’s easy to get carried away with how one different move
from the Nuggets could have changed the course of the franchise’s history.

離隊史首冠只差一步之遙，有很多回憶如跑馬燈浮現在眼前。
人們會反思過去的美好時光，痛苦時刻，如果做了另一個抉擇會如何等等。

蝴蝶效應是真實存在的。
你很容易陷入一種想像：如果金塊隊做出了不同的抉擇，就能改變歷史走向的狂想。

Like, what if the Denver Nuggets traded Nikola Joki to the Boston Celtics
for the third pick in the 2016 NBA Draft for the right to draft Jaylen Brown?It was a real rumor, and the Nuggets ended up saying no to the Celtics, who
were canvassing the league for trade options at the time.

就好比說，如果金塊隊在2016選秀中將 Nikola Jokic 交易給波士頓賽爾提克，
換取第三順位籤來選擇 Jaylen Brown 會變成怎麼樣呢？

這個傳聞是真實的，當時賽爾提克正在聯盟中尋找交易對象，
而金塊隊最終拒絕了賽爾提克的提案。

Some in Boston media clearly felt like the Nuggets were insane to say no to
such a rumor.

波士頓媒體中的某些成員明顯覺得金塊隊拒絕的傳聞實屬瘋狂。

I don’t need to tell everyone how different the Nuggets would be if they
simply traded their former 41st overall pick in 2014 for the third pick in the 2016 draft.

我現在不用告訴各位，如果他們用2014年的41順位選到的球員，
去交換2016年第三順位選秀權，金塊隊會變得有多不同了吧。

What if the Nuggets acquired Kevin Love during the 2017 NBA Draft? A three-
team trade between the Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and Cleveland Cavaliers was
bandied about and nearly sent Paul George to the Cavaliers to pair with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Instead, the Pacers backed out last minute, and the
deal that would have sent Indiana native Gary Harris back home fell through.

如果金塊隊在2017年選秀間得到 Kevin Love 會怎麼樣？

金塊隊、溜馬隊和騎士隊曾經有一筆三方交易的傳聞，
幾乎能把 Paul George 送至當時由 LeBron James 和 Kyrie Irving 搭檔的騎士隊。

然而，溜馬隊在最後階段退出了交易，
原本將印第安納本地球員 Gary Harris 送回家打球的交易也隨之破裂。

The Nuggets acquired Paul Millsap in free agency a week later, with Harris
leading the charge in his recruitment. Millsap taught the Nuggets how to be
professionals and played a part in one of the most important moments in
franchise history.

金塊隊一周後在自由市場上簽下了 Paul Millsap，

而 Harris 在招募他這件事發揮了關鍵作用，Millsap 教導金塊隊如何成為職業球員，
自身也在球隊歷史上最重要的時刻之一，扮演了屬於他的角色。

The Nuggets used this scuffle to refocus themselves down 3-1 in the bubble tothe Los Angeles Clippers, and with 17 points and great defense in Game 5,
Millsap helped begin Denver’s second straight 3-1 comeback, giving the
Nuggets the confidence they needed to stay the course in the coming years.

在泡泡賽期間，金塊隊利用一場爭執重新凝聚起注意力，當時他們以3-1落後快艇隊。

Paul Millsap 在第五戰貢獻了17分和出色的防守，幫助金塊隊完成第二次的1-3大逆轉，給予了他們在未來幾年堅持下去所需要的信心。

What if the Nuggets had traded Jamal Murray before his bubble breakout? He was an interesting prospect and clearly talented, showing promise in his first
three years but not quite enough to be a “set-it-and-forget-it” type of star
. The Nuggets would need to continue developing him, and there were plenty ofstars on the trade market that the Nuggets avoided. From the aforementioned
George, to Kawhi Leonard, to Anthony Davis, to Kyrie Irving, even Blake
Griffin or DeMar DeRozan. Plenty of players changed teams, but the Nuggets
remained status quo.

如果金塊隊在 Jamal Murray 泡泡賽大爆發之前就把他交易走會怎麼樣呢？

他是一名很有潛力的新秀球員，明顯很有天賦，也在前三個賽季展現了一些潛能，
但這些仍不足以成為一個讓他放手去幹的巨星球員，金塊隊需要繼續栽培他，
而在交易市場上有很多明星球員，但金塊隊最後都避開了這些選擇。

上面提到的 George，Kawhi Leonard，Anthony Davis，Kyrie Irving，
甚至 Blake Griffin 和 DeMar DeRozan 也是。

很多球員都換了所在球隊，但金塊隊維持了現狀。

Even after his bubble breakout, there were rumors of a James Harden trade.
Could the Nuggets have paired Harden and Nikola Joki together? Maybe if they
wanted to. Harden was still an MVP caliber player and showed it in the
immediate aftermath of the trade to Brooklyn. The Nuggets stayed the course
though, believing that Joki and Murray would do great things together and
refusing to put Murray on the table for a Harden deal.

就算在泡泡賽之後，仍有 James Harden 的交易流言傳出。
金塊是否能將 Nikola Jokic 和 Harden 湊成一對雙人組？ 也許他們本有機會這麼做。
Harden 仍是一名有 MVP 實力的球員，在他被交易到籃網之後立刻就展示了這一點。

然而，金塊隊堅持維持現狀，
相信 Jokic 和 Murray 能夠共創偉大成就，並拒絕以 Murray 作為交易 Harden 的籌碼。

Murray’s injury derailed Denver’s best laid plans for a little bit, and some
teams may have traded the injured star if put in Denver’s position. The
Nuggets waited the injury out though, allowing Murray plenty of time to heal.Murray missed the 2021 and 2022 playoffs as a result, but the Nuggets never
pushed him to come back sooner than he thought he could. They appear to be
reaping those rewards with one of the greatest runs for a dynamic duo in NBA
history.

Murray 的傷病稍稍打亂的金塊的最佳計畫，
有些球隊，可能會在這種情況下交易受傷的球星。

然而，金塊堅持等待 Murray 康復，給予他充分的恢復時間。
因為這個緣故，Murray 錯過了2021和2022年的季後賽，但金塊從未催促他提前歸陣。

而他們現在似乎正在豐收以前栽下的因果，
兩人展示出 NBA 歷史上，最傑出雙人配合的優異表現之一。

Then, there’s Michael Porter Jr., who’s been through a lot since being
drafted in 2018. He’s sat out full seasons, had to manage multiple surgeries, and deal with an immense amount of pain while playing basketball. Many teamswould have tried cashing in on his talent to get immediate help. Instead, theNuggets stayed the course, even paying Porter a big contract for his trouble,and trusting that a healthy Porter would impact winning at the highest levels.

然後，再來是 Michael Porter Jr.的狀況。

從2018年選秀之後她經歷了很多困難，他曾經掛免戰牌一整季，接受多次手術治療，
以至於在打籃球時需忍受巨大的痛苦，很多球隊可能會利用他的天賦來換取即時的援助。
然而，金塊隊選擇繼續堅持下去，
甚至為 Porter 開出了一份巨額合約，相信一個健康的他會在更高水準隊勝利產生影響。

Porter’s shooting just 3-of-22 from three-point range (13.6%) in the NBA
Finals, and it’s clearly killing him that nothing’s really fallen yet. The
Nuggets are fortunate that they’ve built such a well-rounded team to
withstand that slump, but Porter’s found ways to contribute outside of
shooting. In Game 1, it was his defense. In Game 4, it was his cutting. In
previous rounds, Porter both hit three-pointers and played defense at a pretty high level, giving the Nuggets exactly what they needed to get to this point. Hopefully, he breaks the ice again in Game 5.

Porter 在總冠軍賽中三分球僅有22投3中（13.6％）
顯然他很難接受進不了太多球的狀況。

而金塊隊很幸運的建立起一隻八面玲瓏的隊伍，來應對這種低迷時期，
而 Porter 也找到了其他貢獻勝利的方式。

在第一場比賽中，是他的防守發揮，在第四場比賽中，是他的突破得分。
在早先的比賽中他既能命中三分，也能在防守端發揮所長，為金塊隊提供在這個階段，
他們所急需的東西。希望他能在第五戰中再次打破僵局。

The Philadelphia 76ers coined the term “Trust the Process” when they were
struggling to see the light back in 2015. General Manager Sam Hinkie entered
the building and revolutionized tanking. He emphasized being as bad as
possible, accumulating as many draft picks as possible, drafting young stars,and developing a team with elite young talent to new heights.

在2015年，費城七六人隊在艱困時期提出了：Trust the Process『相信過程』這個詞。
GM Sam Hinkie 進入球隊，並革新了坦新秀的方式。

他強調盡可能糟糕的戰績，積累最多的選秀權，選擇年輕的明星球員，
並且將這群年輕又才華洋溢的球隊培育到新的高度。

Hinkie wasn’t able to complete his vision and was fired before he got to see
the light at the end of the tunnel, but he laid the groundwork by selecting
players like Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Jahlil Okafor, and Markelle Fultz at
the top of the draft. Embiid proved to be a hit, and Simmons was thought to be something, but Okafor and Fultz were clear busts. There were plenty of
awesome role players added though, like Robert Covington, Dario Saric, T.J.
McConnell, Jerami Grant, and others.

Hinkie 最終沒有能夠完成的宏願，他在看到曙光來臨前就被解雇了。

但他透過選入像 Joel Embiid、Ben Simmons、
Jahlil Okafor、Markelle Fultz 這樣的樂透區球員打下了球隊基礎。

Embiid 是成功之舉，Simmons 仍被認為有潛力，但 Okafor 和 Fultz 則明顯較為失敗，
然而他們也添加了許多出色的角色球員，
如 Robert Covington，T.J. McConnell，Jerami Grant 等人加盟。

There was pressure on the Sixers to get good fast after the Fultz disaster
though, so after winning 52 games in 2017-18, they cashed in some of those
chips and acquired Jimmy Butler, a great move in retrospect. Feeling trade
fever, they doubled down and acquired Tobias Harris, who ended up not being
the greatest fit and has a contract that has proved debilitating.

然而在 Fultz 的災難之後，七六人面臨著迅速取得好戰績的壓力，

因此在2017-18賽季贏得52勝之後，他們將一些籌碼變現，
並且延攬了 Jimmy Butler，事後證明了是一筆很好的交易。

追逐著交易熱潮，他們再次加碼，延攬了 Tobias Harris，
結果發現他並不是最好最適合的人選，並簽下了一份被認為是相當令人沮喪的合約。

After the Embiid-Simmons relationship fractured, the Sixers acquired James
Harden from the Nets, hoping that a new dynamic partner for their superstar
would help get them back on track. The regular seasons have been good, but the playoffs have been disappointing, and the Sixers are left wondering where
things went wrong.

在 Embiid 和 Simmons 的關係破裂後，七六人從籃網隊延攬了 James Harden，
希望為他們的超級巨星找到一個新搭檔，幫助他們重新回到正確的軌道。

季賽成績十分不錯，但季後賽表現令人失望，七六人不禁思考事情到底出了什麼問題。

The Nuggets never blinked when faced with adversity. They certainly could
pivoted like the Sixers did, and nobody would have faulted them. When you have an opportunity to turn a second round pick into a top three selection, why
wouldn’t you? Turn an interesting prospect into an All-Star? You haven’t had
one of those since Carmelo Anthony! Turn a possible star into an MVP caliberplayer at the same position? Who would say no to that?

面對逆境，金塊隊沒有動搖過。
他們當然能像費城七六人隊一樣轉換策略，沒有人會責怪他們。

當你有機會將一個第二輪選秀權換成前三順位選秀權時，為什麼不呢？
將一個潛力新秀培養成全明星球員？ 從 Carmelo Anthony 離隊之後金塊從未有過！

將一個可能成為超級巨星的球員，培養成同位置 MVP 等級的球員？
誰會拒絕這樣的機會？

The Nuggets said no to all of it.

但是金塊隊向所有這些選項都說了不。

Tim Connelly, Calvin Booth, and the Nuggets organization were all confident in the direction of the team. Even in moments of crisis, like losing a game that was the difference between making the playoffs for the first time in five
years or not. Stan and Josh Kroenke stood by the vision laid out and executedby Connelly, Booth, Michael Malone, and others. They knew that Joki, Murray,
and Porter were worth waiting for.

Tim Connelly、Calvin Booth和金塊隊高層都對球隊的方向充滿信心。

即使在緊要關頭，
比如輸掉了一場比賽，這場比賽決定球隊是否能在缺席五年後重返季後賽。

Stan 和 Josh Kroenke 都堅定支持 Connelly、Booth 和 Michael Malone，
以及其他人制定並執行的願景。

他們知道 Jokic、Murray 和 Porter 是值得他們等待的。

Yes, there were trades. Gary Harris had to go to get Aaron Gordon. The Nuggets cried when that happened, an emotional roller coaster for many who saw the
benefit of what was happening and didn’t care because they had to say goodbye to a brother. The Nuggets also traded Monte Morris and Will Barton to acquire Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith, another painful but necessary trade
to make. These were the exact players needed to complete Denver’s vision.
They were the clear next steps of the process, not some chance move that
occurred quicker than the team was actually ready for. The Nuggets waited
until exactly when the trades needed to get done before pulling the trigger,
and they reaped the rewards as a result.

是的，金塊隊還是進行了一些交易。

Gary Harris 被送走交換 Aaron Gordon。對很多人來說這是一次情感起伏的過程。
他們看到了這筆交易帶來的好處，但不得不與兄弟告別，這讓他們感到悲傷。

金塊隊還交易了 Monte Morris 和 Will Barton，
去延攬 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 和 Ish Smith，
這是一筆痛苦但必要的交易。這些球員正是完成丹佛藍圖所需要的人才。

他們是過程中，明確的下一步，而不是未經深思熟慮，碰運氣的行動。
他們等到了最適合的，必須完成的時機點才發動交易，並從中攫取了回報。

Adding Bruce Brown? Part of the process. Drafting Christian Braun? Part of the process. Adding Jeff Green? Part of the process.

延攬 Bruce Brown？ 是過程的一部分。

選進 Christian Braun？ 也是過程的一部分。

加入 Jeff Green？ 仍是過程的一部分。

There’s obviously a bit of romanticizing here, but the Nuggets knew what they had to do and didn’t get distracted. They stayed focused, kept their eye on
the prize, and were able to reach this moment because of their belief in whatthey were doing. There was commitment to the vision from everybody involved,
and the Nuggets are finally seeing the benefits after such an intense few
months. Years really.

這裡顯然有些浪漫化的敘述，但金塊隊確實知道他們必須做什麼，從未心無旁鶩。
他們保持專注，眼光緊盯著目標，並且能夠因為堅持自己的信念，最終達到這一刻。

每個參與到其中的人都對遠景保持著許諾，
經過如此激烈的幾個月，金塊隊終於看見了成果。

而實際上，這是他們多年的努力。

That’s why the Nuggets have an opportunity to become champions tonight:
unshakable, unflappable belief in each other.

這就是為什麼今晚金塊隊有機會成為冠軍，

他們對彼此有堅定不移的信念，不可動搖，且無所畏懼。

沒有抓馬，
沒有氣氛，
沒有打包換超級巨星，
沒有更換教練，

核心球員全部來自自選自養

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真正的Trust the Process

--

沒錯，歷史就是贏家書寫。

附上阿肥把莫雷丟進泳池照