2016

The NBA’s end-of-season awards are a neat time capsule to look back on decades later, with the benefit of perspective . Take 2003-04, for example, when Kevin Garnett was the MVP, LeBron James the Rookie of the Year, Ron Artest the Defensive Player of the Year and Zach Randolph the Most Improved Player. That’s intense and fun, and indicative of a weird transitional year in which the Detroit Pistons won the title.

回顾以往NBA常规赛的各大奖项的感觉像是在十年后打开了精美的时间胶囊，得益于不同的视角，这些奖项看来别有一番趣味。以2003-2004赛季为例，凯文·加内特荣膺最有价值球员奖，勒布朗詹姆斯成为了最佳新秀，罗恩阿泰斯特夺得最佳防守球员的称号，而扎克兰多夫则是当年的进步最快球员。这样的结果让人感到紧张又有趣，而且暗示了当年联盟有些奇怪的转型，而底特律活塞队赢下了当年的总冠军。

So, the four of us here at Ball Don’t Lie — Dan Devine, Kelly Dwyer, Eric Freeman and Ben Rohrbach — figured snapshots from our coverage this season would be the best way to tell the story of our ballots. Consider this a timeline of moments that helped shape our decisions during an entertaining 2016-17. Keep in mind: these awards are completely subjective. So they also happen to be 100 percent accurate.

所以篮球不会说谎栏目（Ball don’t lie）的四位嘉宾丹·迪瓦恩﹑凯利·德怀尔﹑埃里克·弗里曼和本·罗赫巴赫齐聚一堂，引用不同时间节点的报道预测各大奖项花落谁家，这也是我们眼中最好的方法。观众可以将本文当作一条汇总的时间线，这条时间线串联起了我们的奖项预测。请记住：这些都是完全主观的预测，正因为是主管预测，反而会碰巧成真。

EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

年度最佳总经理

Bob Myers, Golden State Warriors (unanimous)

金州勇士队 鲍勃·梅耶斯 （全员赞成）

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER

进步最快球员奖

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (unanimous)

密尔沃基雄鹿队 扬尼斯·安特托昆博（全员赞成）

COACH OF THE YEAR (To be continued …)

年度最佳教练（未完待续）

Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs (Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach)

圣安东尼奥马刺队 格雷格·波波维奇（凯利·德怀尔﹑本·罗赫巴赫）

Dec. 5, 2016: “His philosophy — shaping young minds so that they might contribute to a greater society in the future — is no different than the one that has served Popovich so well, whether on the basketball court or in his wine business. It is the so-called Stonecutter’s Credo from Jacob Riis: ‘When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it — but all that had gone before.’ Hammer home the importance of being prepared, educated, respectful, disciplined people, and eventually it might sink in, person by person, so that together we avoid repeating history and meeting a disastrous end. And if Popovich wins a sixth NBA title along the way, that would be nice, too.”

2016年12月5日：“‘塑造年轻人的思想以便他们日后为社会壮大做出贡献’是他所秉持的哲学，这种哲学与另一种让波波维奇在篮球场和红酒生意中受益良多的观点不谋而合。这种由雅各布·里斯提出观点被称之为‘石匠信条’，其具体内容为：‘每当一筹莫展之时，我都会去观看石匠锤石，也许经过百次挥锤，石头上也不会出现半道裂纹，锤子第一百零一次落下时，石头却裂成了两半。我知道敲裂石头的并非第一百零一次锤击，真正起到作用的是之前的一百次锤击。’如果我们反复强调准备充分，接受教育，心怀敬意与自觉自律之人的重要性，最终可能会收获大批追随者，于是便可避免重蹈历史覆辙，逃过灾难性的结局。而倘若波波维奇沿着这条道路赢得自己的第六个总冠军，那便再好不过了。”

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

年度最佳防守球员奖

Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz (Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach)

犹他爵士队 鲁迪·戈波特（凯利·德怀尔﹑本·罗赫巴赫）

Dec. 20, 2016: “Gobert has been on the cusp of that stardom ever since making his reputation as a top rim protector in the second half of the 2014-15 season. The big man has remained a very solid player and recently signed a deserved four-year extension that could be worth as much as 102 million dollars. That new deal hasn’t kept Gobert from improving — in fact, he’s having what looks to be a breakthrough season.”

2016年12月20日：“从2014-2015下半赛季开始，人们眼中的戈波特已经是一名顶级的护筐球员，一位准明星。这位大个子球员非常可靠，最近还与爵士队完成续约，签下了一份长达四年总额为1.02亿美元的大合同。这份大合同并未延缓戈波特的进步速度，实际上本赛季似乎就是他的突破之季。”

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors (Dan Devine, Eric Freeman)

金州勇士队 德拉蒙德·格林（丹·迪瓦恩﹑埃里克·弗里曼）

Dec. 21, 2016: “It speaks to Draymond’s unrivaled defensive versatility that he ranks among the frontrunners for this award even as more and more fans and media members acknowledge that he can cost the Warriors wins with his antics. The Warriors have enough talent to withstand any injury, but Green might be the difference between a very good team and a championship favorite.”

2016年12月21日：“即使越来越多的球迷和媒体人都承认格林荒唐的球场行为会影响勇士队的战绩，他在前锋位置上所具备的无与伦比的防守多样性配得上这一奖项。勇士队有足够多的天赋球员抵御伤病，不过有了格林，勇士队才称得上是一支总冠军热门球队，而不只是一支非常不错的球队。”

SIXTH MEN OF THE YEAR

最佳第六人

Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets (Eric Freeman, Ben Rohrbach)

休斯顿火箭队 埃里克·戈登（埃里克·弗里曼﹑本·罗赫巴赫）

Dec. 21, 2016: “The former Clipper and Hornet/Pelican is shooting 43 percent on 8.4 3-point tries per game — essentially the same prolific efficiency as Stephen Curry’s first MVP season. Only the Lakers’ Lou Williams and Jordan Clarkson have scored more points from the bench, and neither has been as impactful as Gordon, who has done his work in lineups that consistently outscore opponents and operate on an elite offensive level.”

2016年12月21日：“戈登此前曾先后效力于快船队，新奥尔良黄蜂队/鹈鹕队，本赛季他场均出手8.4个三分球，命中率为43%，如此多产而高效率的三分投射表现可与斯蒂芬·库里首夺最有价值球员的赛季相媲美。本赛季戈登在替补球员得分排行榜上仅逊色于湖人队的路易斯·威廉姆斯（译者注：后威廉姆斯被交易至火箭队）和乔丹·克拉克森，但是此二人的影响力难比戈登，也无法像戈登一样持续在得分上压制对手，并打出精英级的进攻表现。”

Andre Iguodala, Golden State Warriors (Dan Devine, Kelly Dwyer)

金州勇士队 安德烈·伊戈达拉（丹·迪瓦恩﹑凯利·德怀尔）

Dec. 29, 2016: “After the whistle, Iguodala jumped in the air, put the ball between his legs, around his back and alley-ooped it to an awaiting Shaun Livingston for the dunk.

2016年12月29日：“在比赛中，某次（杜兰特遭到）犯规哨响后，伊戈达拉在空中胯下换手，从背后送出一记妙传，等在一旁的肖恩·利文斯顿完成了一次空接扣篮。”

“As the events unfolded, the announcers dubbed it ‘the greatest fast break that never happened.’ It was a sequence you might see practiced at a Harlem Globetrotters game, Rucker Park or the AND1 Mixtape Tour, and yet the Warriors pulled it off randomly with the relative ease of a layup drill. Of course, the NBA features the best basketball players in the world, and in a few short seconds the Warriors were happy to remind us all of the fact they have a handful of them, even if they were working after a whistle.”

“空接完成后，现场播音员直呼这是一次‘前无古人的空接’。在哈林篮球队的比赛中，在洛克公园里，在AND1公司举行的全美街头篮球巡回赛上，你也许都看到如此表演。然而勇士队队员却不时献上类似表现，仿佛上篮训练一般轻而易举。当然，NBA标榜自己拥有世界上最优秀的篮球运动员。勇士队的队员非常乐于用短短几秒的时间提醒世人，自家阵中就汇聚了数位天才，尽管他们在哨响后才会一展身手。”

ROOKIES OF THE YEAR

最佳新秀

Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (Eric Freeman)

费城76人 乔尔·恩比德（埃里克·弗里曼）

Malcolm Brogdon, Milwaukee Bucks (Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach)

密尔沃基雄鹿队 马尔科姆-布罗格登（凯利·德怀尔﹑本·罗赫巴赫）

Dario Saric, Philadelphia 76ers (Dan Devine)

费城76人 达里奥·萨里奇（丹·迪瓦恩）

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER

最有价值球员奖

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (unanimous)

俄克拉荷马雷霆队 拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克（全员赞成）

March 25, 2017: “At this point it is fair to conclude that we’re looking at Russell Westbrook, fully formed. After a near-season of telling anyone who would listen that we’d probably never see anything along Westbrook’s lines, he’s come to remind us to take it in now as we can. A prime Westbrook and his fitful team may never look like this again, the setting may never reveal itself in such a way to lead to this sort of end times-style of performance, and the onus is on us to properly document what has and will continue to be a season for the ages.”

2017年3月25日：“现在可以说大家都在围观威斯布鲁克的表现了，这颇为公允。流传了将近整个赛季的‘不看威少会后悔’的言论犹在耳旁，威斯布鲁克又用自身的强势表现提醒世人趁当下铭记这一点。威震天带领着他不时哑火的队伍打出了如今的表现，堪称绝无仅有，而威斯布鲁克注定会为观众献上一个划时代的常规赛，其中的具体情节恐怕永远不会自发示人。我们有责任记录下代表着这个时代性的常规赛季已然发生和即将发生的种种景象。”

COACH OF THE YEAR (Part II)

最佳教练（续）

Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets (Dan Devine, Eric Freeman)

休斯顿火箭队 迈克·德安东尼（丹·迪瓦恩﹑埃里克·弗里曼）

“His Rockets, estimated to be a 45-win oddity by most and a flameout by some, are on pace for a 57-win record while working with the No. 3 seed in the West. James Harden reacted fabulously to D’Antoni’s insistence that he act as a point guard, he’s well on his way toward acting as the MVP favorite heading into April (voting season), and no star has paired as seamlessly with his new coach as Harden has in 2016-17 since Derrick Rose’s MVP turn with Tom Thibodeau in 2011 or, perhaps, Steve Nash during his MVP runs under Nash in 2005 and 2006.” — March 29, 2017

“外界原本预计火箭队最多只能赢下45场比赛，有人甚至预测火箭队将度过一个惨淡的赛季。然而如今火箭队却在向着57胜的记录迈进，同时牢牢把控着西部三号种子的宝座。在德安东尼的坚持下，哈登本赛季出任控球后卫，打出了上佳表现，成为了四月份最有价值球员票选的大热门。哈登本赛季和新教练的配合可谓天衣无缝，历史上可与之比肩的也只有2011年的最有价值球员德里克·罗斯和其当时的教练汤姆·锡伯杜以及2005年和2006年两夺最有价值球员殊荣的史蒂夫·纳什，而当时执教纳什的正是德安东尼。”