猛龍將"預定"總決賽席位?

Since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, this year's NBA Finals matchup appeared all but preordained.

NBA 2016/17賽季開始後，總決賽的對決似乎又被提前“欽定”了。

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers would inevitably meet for the third straight time, battling in the rubber match to end all rubber matches.

金州勇士和克里夫蘭騎士，看上去將不可避免的第三次在總決賽相遇，用他們的系列賽結束整個季後賽。

It only took an hour Tuesday to throw that outcome into jeopardy.

不過週二，兩小時內發生的兩件事就讓這個結論不那麼肯定了。

First, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced All-Star power forward Kevin Love underwent arthroscopic surgery "to remove a loose body from his left knee," which is estimated to sideline him for the next six weeks.

首先，克里夫蘭騎士宣佈他們的全明星大前鋒凱文-樂福將進行關節鏡手術“移除左膝的一部分”，並預計將缺席接下來6周的比賽。

Shortly thereafter, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski dropped one of his patented #WOJBOMBS, reporting the Toronto Raptors were sending Terrence Ross and the lower of their two first-round picks (their own or one from the Los Angeles Clippers) to the Orlando Magic for Serge Ibaka.

不久，The Vertical的Adrian Wojnarowski通過他的專欄#WOJBOMB，報道了多倫多猛龍用特倫斯-羅斯和兩個首輪籤中較低的那個順位（他們自己的和通過洛杉磯快船獲得的）從奧蘭多魔術那裏換來了塞爾吉-伊巴卡。

As a result, the Cavaliers' once-predetermined spot in the Finals suddenly appears to be up for grabs.

結果是什麼呢？騎士在總決賽中“預定”的席位看上去面臨猛龍的爭奪。

Even if Love fully recovers heading into the playoffs, Toronto significantly bolstered its chances against the Cavaliers by acquiring Ibaka.

即使樂福能在季後賽階段復出，多倫多通過得到伊巴卡也明顯增加了同騎士競爭的機會。

No team has gotten less production from its power forwards than the Raptors this season, according to , which could have proved fatal against Love and Cleveland in a seven-game playoff series.

這個賽季，根據數據顯示，猛龍的大前鋒對球隊的貢獻排名倒數第一，如果在七場系列賽階段對上樂福和騎士，這將是致命的。

With Ibaka in tow, what once was a weakness for Toronto has now become a strength.

在有了伊巴卡之後，猛龍這個位置曾經的弱點現在會變成強點。

Having spent years in Oklahoma City alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Ibaka is also used to serving as a complementary offensive option, which will be a mammoth boon for a Toronto team that has stagnated in recent weeks.

在俄克拉荷馬城同凱文-杜蘭特和拉塞爾-威斯布魯克並肩征戰了多年，伊巴卡已經習慣於作爲輔助的進攻火力點，這對於最近幾周停滯不前的猛龍來說，無異於巨大的福音。

Heading into Tuesday, the Raptors had lost 10 of their last 14 games, and both Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan had begun voicing their frustration.

在週二之前，猛龍輸掉了最近14場比賽中的10場，凱爾-洛瑞和德馬爾-德羅贊都表達了他們對球隊的失望。

DeRozan, meanwhile, told TSN's Josh Lewenberg "Help is always welcomed, for sure" following Toronto's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 8. After the Raptors' collapse Sunday, he echoed those comments, saying, "If help is an option, why not?"

同時，德羅贊在2月8日負於明尼蘇達森林狼的比賽後，告知TSN的Josh Lewenberg“如果有補強，我肯定是表示歡迎的”。週日的潰敗後，他重複了自己的觀點，說：“如果補強是一個選擇，爲什麼要拒絕呢？”

One look at the Raptors' clutch-time metrics speaks to just how much Ibaka can help.

看看猛龍決戰時刻的表現，你就明白伊巴卡能帶來多少幫助。

Heading into Tuesday, when the Raptors are either ahead or behind by no more than five points with five or fewer minutes remaining, Lowry and DeRozan have combined to shoot 72-of-160 (45.0 percent). All other Toronto players combined have gone 20-of-64 (31.3 percent).

截至週二，猛龍在所有進入最後五分鐘且分差不超過5分的比賽中，洛瑞和德羅贊兩人合計160投72中（命中率45%），而猛龍其他球員加起來64投20中（命中率31.3%）。

The Raptors are wise to rely predominantly on their two top scorers in close-game situations, but without a third consistent offensive threat, opposing defenses can load up on DeRozan and Lowry late and force other players to beat them.

在比分緊咬時，猛龍隊明智的選擇依賴兩個頂級得分手，但是沒有第三個持續的火力點，對手可以將防守集中於德羅贊和洛瑞身上，迫使其他人出手並擊敗他們。

With Ibaka in the fold, that won't be the case any longer. The big man has struggled in clutch time this season, going 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) to date, but he also wasn't playing alongside two All-Star talents in Lowry and DeRozan.

如果伊巴卡在隊中，這種情況不再會發生了。這位大個子在本賽季關鍵時刻的表現也很礙眼，22中6（27.3%命中率），但他身邊並沒有兩個像洛瑞和德羅贊這樣的全明星天才。

During his final three seasons in OKC, Ibaka went 13-of-25 (52.0 percent), 10-of-29(34.5 percent) and 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) in such situations, respectively, suggesting he's plenty capable of picking up a complementary load.

而他在雷霆的最後三個賽季，他在關鍵時刻表現是25中13（命中率52.0%）、29中10（命中率34.5%）和27中14（命中率51.9%），這表明他作爲一個輔助火力點的表現是合格的。

If he emerges as a third reliable option for the Raptors in clutch time, their late-game offense will become far less predictable, making them even more dangerous once the playoffs roll around.

如果他能成爲猛龍決戰時刻第三可靠的得分點，他們比賽末段的進攻將更不可預測，他們在季後賽將更有威脅。

Giving up Terrence Ross and a late-first-round pick for what could be a four-month rental in Ibaka carries inherent risk, but Toronto didn't have a choice.

用特倫斯-羅斯和一個首輪末籤換伊巴卡的潛在風險是，他可能成爲“四個月的租借球員”，但多倫多沒有選擇。

If the Raptors re-sign Lowry, they wouldn't have enough cap space to bring in a free agent of Ibaka's caliber as well.

如果猛龍選擇同洛瑞續約，他們將沒有足夠的薪金空間簽下像伊巴卡這樣的自由球員。

In essence, trading for Ibaka is the Raptors' big free-agent splash, as they do reportedly plan to re-sign him as well, according to Wojnarowski.

本質上，這筆交易相當於猛龍提前在自由人市場上籤下伊巴卡，而根據Woj透漏，他們的確計劃同他續約。

(Citing "sources close to the situation," Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler reported on Feb. 7 the Raptors were a "favorable situation for Ibaka long term, but it's unclear if he'd give assurances of re-signing there.")

（引用Basketball Insiders'的Steve Kyler的“內部消息”，2月7日報道說猛龍是“伊巴卡最好的棲身之地，但目前還不清楚他是否會承諾續約”。）

Re-signing Ibaka and Lowry will plunge the Raptors into luxury-tax territory, pending other trades, but that's a price worth paying for now.

如果同時續約伊巴卡和洛瑞，且沒有其他交易的話，猛龍將在下個賽季起支付奢侈稅，但這是值得的。

Lowry and DeMarre Carroll are each turning 31 over the coming months, and DeRozan will be 28 by the time next season starts.

洛瑞和德馬雷-卡羅爾都即將年滿31，德羅贊下個賽季開始時也將28。

With their core all firmly in the midst of their respective primes, now is not the time for the Raptors to cheap out and cut costs. The emergence of Norman Powell should also help soften the blow of losing Ross.

猛龍的核心球員們都將進入他們的巔峯期，這不是削減開支的時候。同時，諾曼-鮑威爾的成長也會淡化羅斯離隊帶來的衝擊。

While this trade condemns Orlando to another year of rebuilding, it solidifies the Raptors' place as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender and should help them recover from their recent tailspin.

這筆交易讓魔術開始了又一年的重建，它同時也幫助猛龍從近期的失控中恢復、鞏固了他們東部冠軍競爭者的地位。

Given the news about Love's extended absence, the timing of the move couldn't be much better for Toronto, as Ibaka can use the All-Star break to familiarize himself with his new digs and hit the ground running.

考慮到樂福長期缺陣的消息，這筆交易的時機對猛龍來說好的不能再好了，因爲伊巴卡可以利用全明星週末迅速適應他的新環境。

It's too early to crown the Raptors as the new favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals, but this trade put them one step closer to dethroning LeBron James and the reigning-champion Cavaliers. As usual, Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri stays winning.

現在就把東部冠軍的頭銜加給猛龍還爲時尚早，但是這筆交易確實讓他們更接近於“廢黜”勒布朗-詹姆斯、“推翻”騎士的王權。看來這一局猛龍總經理馬塞-尤吉利又贏了。

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