You Don’t Have to Forgive Kevin Durant,But You Do Have to Appreciate Him

By Ben Golliver

Durant chose to leave Oklahoma City for a 73-win team. His decision ended a budding Thunder-Warriors rivalry before it really got started.He registered those burner1burner暫時的，一次性的，通常指匿名的。accounts,liked all those tweets, and took those unnecessary shots at his former team. He joined a Warriors organization where he would never be as beloved as Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. He publicly ceded leadership duties to Curry. He taped those podcasts, bemoaned those“Blog Boys2杜蘭特創造的新詞。他近期做客Bill Simmons的播客節目時表示，自己很不喜歡什么高階分析，只在乎基礎數據。同時，他也對blog boys（寫文章的體育記者）嗤之以鼻，表示這些所謂的記者和球迷應該認真看看比賽，不要只在網上空造文章。此言在Reddit上引起廣泛熱議。” and pushed back against analytics, even as his own game and team represent high-efficiency, high-IQ basketball. And he has avoided making waves at the podium, mumbling through clichés instead of launching into LeBron James-like soliloquies while wearing Nike sweats instead of tailored suits.

當年，杜蘭特選擇離開俄克拉何馬城，加盟一支一個賽季獲得73場勝利的球隊。這一決定令雷霆與勇士之間鋒芒乍現的競爭戛然而止。在雷霆時，他曾經注冊了一些隨時可棄的“馬甲”賬戶，喜歡發送推文，也拍了些可有可無的照片。加盟勇士之后，他永遠不可能像庫里和格林那般受人擁戴，他公開將領袖職責讓于庫里，錄制了一些播客，抱怨那些“博客男”，又與那些籃球評論員開撕，似乎只有他自己的比賽和球隊才體現了籃球中的高效和智慧。站在臺上時，他一身運動衣，而非正裝；他從不揮手致意，說起話來，口齒不清，老套無趣，而不像詹姆斯那樣侃侃而談。

[2] On this, though, everyone should also begin to acknowledge: Durant has been the best player in the 2018 NBA playoffs besides James.

[3] For the second straight year, he’s raised his level of play in the postseason,looking unfazed and unguardable in high-pressure situations and hostile environments. He’s been more consistent than James Harden, he’s carried a heavier offensive load than Al Horford, and he’s still playing, unlike Anthony Davis.

[4] “Kevin is the ultimate luxury,”Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He can get you a bucket3bucket投籃得分。as well as anybody on Earth. This is why anybody would want him on their team. A couple of years ago, we’re in the Finals and we couldn’t quite get over the hump. Kevin is the guy that puts you over the hump. I don’t know what you do to guard him. He can get any shot he wants.”

[5] Durant has become the anti-James. When Cleveland wins, James gets the credit. When Cleveland loses,James’s teammates usually take the blame. However, when Golden State wins, Durant’s teammates usually get the credit. And if Golden State ever loses big in the playoffs, Durant would surely be first in line for the blame, punchlines and memes mocking his next free-agency decision, and all the rest.

[2]盡管如此，大家也都應該承認：杜蘭特是2018年季后賽中，除了詹姆斯之外最優秀的球員。

[3]連續第二年，杜蘭特在季后賽中進步明顯，在高強度比賽中和充滿敵意的對抗中，他處變不驚，所向披靡。他比哈登表現得更加穩定，比霍福德更具進攻性，而且，他還在比賽，而不像戴維斯那樣已遭淘汰。

[4]“凱文真是千金難求！”勇士隊主教練科爾說，“他投籃得分，無人能比，所以，人人都希望他能加盟自己的球隊。幾年前，我們進入決賽后，并沒有多大把握過這道坎兒，但凱文能夠幫助我們邁過這道坎兒。我不知道人們怎么能防守住他，他真是想投就投。”

[5]杜蘭特與勒布朗·詹姆斯截然相反。騎士隊獲勝時，功歸詹姆斯，失敗時，通常則由隊友擔責。但是，勇士獲勝時，功歸隊友，在季后賽中一旦大敗，杜蘭特則必然首擔其責，同時，對其未來轉會的譏笑嘲諷也不一而足。

[6] It would be a shame for this dynamic to continue indefinitely. Durant can’t take back his decision, he can’t go back in time to do a better job hyping the move, and he really shouldn’t apologize any more for his silly social media behavior. Despite the baggage, he is still a 29-year-old MVP—a possible top-five alltime scorer and a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer—at the height of his powers,cutting through the noise4cut through the noise能夠吸引他人注意，以此與人溝通。to make one of the league’s best defenses look hopeless.He’s now averaging 28.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 4.6 APG without really forcing the issue5force the issue迫使某人迅速行動。, aside from loudly expressing his frustration at Kerr when he was taken out of the game in the third quarter.

[7] Although it’s sacrilegious to say, Durant has been so consistently excellent in the postseason that Golden State might not need Curry to win the title. This sentiment, if conveyed at all,has come via whisper. The opposite take—that Curry’s Warriors don’t need Durant—is invariably shouted.

[8] Yes, Curry was there first, and the foundation for this potential dynasty was made in his image. But downplaying Durant’s central role in Golden State’s postseason record over the past two years would be inaccurate and disrespectful.To careful observers, he’s erased every question about his value and answered every doubt about his game since arriving in Golden State. He’s climbing to new heights, and he knows it.

[6]長此以往，堪稱遺憾。杜蘭特已無法收回決定，無法讓時光倒流，炒作自己的舉動。他的確不應該再為以前那些愚蠢的社交行為道歉。盡管身背歷史包袱，他卻只有29歲，是最有價值球員，有望位列歷史得分榜前五名，而且必然會進入名人堂。他正處于巔峰時期，會以自己的方式與人溝通，贏得尊重，令聯盟最佳防守束手無策。他每場比賽可以輕松得到28.8分、7.5個籃板球、4.6次助攻。不過，他對科爾在第三節將其雪藏總會失望大吼。

[7]說起來似乎不敬，但杜蘭特在季后賽中表現如此穩定，如此優異，金州勇士似乎沒有庫里也能贏得冠軍。這種觀點絕非空穴來風，但與此相反的論調——庫里的勇士隊無需杜蘭特——也甚囂塵上。

[8]的確，庫里先于杜蘭特進入勇士隊，勇士王朝的根基也由他奠定，但是，杜蘭特在勇士隊近兩年季后賽中的核心作用也不容小覷。仔細觀察就會發現，自從加盟勇士隊以來，杜蘭特已經打消了人們關于其價值的任何疑問，也回擊了人們對其比賽的任何疑問。他正在走向新高，他深知此點。

[9] “I don’t know if we’re at our peak,” Durant said ominously. “I think we could be better.”

[10] Last season, Durant went home with his first ring, his first Finals MVP and little in the way of closure6closure解脫，減輕。. If the Warriors keep rolling like they are now,he could end this season in the exact same fashion. Would a second ring and a second Finals MVP be enough to forgive his original sin of joining the Warriors?For many people, probably not.

[11] If forgiveness is still a bridge too far, start with unqualified appreciation.Durant has taken a year’s worth of lumps with no end in sight. For now, try savoring Durant as he gets to his spot, raises up above the contesting hands, splashes shot after shot, and leaves another coach searching for solutions that aren’t there.

[12] There will be plenty of time to bemoan the NBA’s lack of competitive balance and ponder the endless whatifs of Durant’s 2017 decision during the offseason. Over the next month, the conversation around Durant should be simple: the man deserves his due.

[9]“我不知道我們是不是處于巔峰，”杜蘭特似有猶疑，“我覺得我們還會進步。”

[10]上一賽季，杜蘭特贏得第一枚總冠軍戒指,首次榮膺總決賽最有價值球員，也獲得了些許的自我滿足。如果勇士隊能保持狀態，本賽季結束時他有望再次載譽而歸。但是，第二枚戒指、第二次總決賽最有價值球員的殊榮足以讓大家原諒他加盟勇士嗎？怕是不易。

[11]如果原諒尚難奢望，權以欣賞而始吧。杜蘭特已經經歷了整整一年的郁悶，其胸中塊壘至今無望消解。當下之計，還是盡情地欣賞他的站位，他爭搶時的拔地而起，他唰唰地投籃，他令對手的教練無計可施。

[12]季后賽期間，人們有充裕的時間抱怨NBA缺乏勢均力敵的競爭，也有充裕的時間就杜蘭特2017年的決定展開無限想象。但簡而言之，此后的這個月，圍繞杜蘭特的話題將是：這小子當之無愧！