小托馬斯:人矮就成不了超級巨星?

Somewhere this morning, there's some pint-sized kid, shooting baskets on some dimly-lit outdoor court, his arms barely able to lift the basketball, willing the ball toward the rim.

一天早上，一個略顯矮小的小孩在某處光線暗淡的室外籃球場投着籃，他的手臂僅能剛好舉起籃球，用意志力將球投向籃筐。

He is doing this repeatedly, some shots carom off the backboard, some ricochet off the front of the rim, and others trickle through the hoop.

他反覆地做這個動作，一些投籃飛到了籃板後面，一些投籃打到了籃筐前沿，其他投籃慢慢地從籃網中滑下。

Basketball used to be a big man's game. Those unusually tall kids always were asked if they played basketball. Shorter kids didn't get asked that question.

從前，籃球通常是大個子們的遊戲。這些與衆不同的高個子孩子們經常被問及他們是否打籃球。人們卻從不會問矮小的孩子們這個問題。

They are supposed to pursue some other sport. Short kids play baseball, right? Maybe football? But basketball? There is a ceiling.

他們理應從事一些其他的體育項目。矮個子小孩打棒球，對吧？或許足球？但籃球嘛？要達到身高限度才行。

Twenty years ago, that kid at the schoolyard was Isaiah Thomas and he was constantly told there would be a ceiling to his basketball dreams.

20年前，在操場上打球的那個孩子叫做以賽亞-托馬斯，他一直被人告誡他的籃球夢終會破滅。

Too short to play varsity basketball, he scored 51 points in a state semifinal game and averaged 40 in the tournament.

別人說他因矮而不能打校隊比賽，但他在一場州半決賽中砍下了51分，並在錦標賽中場均40分。

Too short to play Division 1 basketball, he signed with the University of Washington, where the 5-foot-9-inch (with high tops) Thomas was the No. 8 all-time scorer despite playing just three seasons.

別人說他因矮而不能打NCAA的一級聯賽，但他加盟了華盛頓大學。儘管只打了三個賽季，5英尺9英寸（穿鞋身高）（不到一米八）的托馬斯便排在了華盛頓大學隊史得分榜的第八位。

Too short to play in the NBA, he was a 2011 second-round pick by the Sacramento Kings, where he started most of his rookie season, despite being the final pick in that draft.

別人說他因矮而不能打NBA，但他在2011年選秀大會上第二輪被薩克拉門託國王隊選中。雖然他是那屆選秀大會上最後一個被選中的球員，他在新秀賽季的絕大部分比賽中首發出戰。

Too short to be a superstar? He was named to the All-Star team last season with the Celtics.

因矮而不能成爲一名超級球星？上賽季爲凱爾特人隊效力的他進入了全明星陣容。

And finally, too short to be an elite scorer?

最後，因矮而不能成爲精英得分手？

Try Friday night, when he scored a career-high 52 points, including a team-record 29 in the fourth quarter, in the Celtics' 117-114 win over the Miami Heat at TD Garden.

看看星期五晚凱爾特人隊在北岸花園球館以117比114擊敗邁阿密熱火隊的比賽吧，他得到了生涯新高的52分，包括創隊史紀錄的第四節單節29分。

Thomas is the shortest player in the NBA. But he always has been the shortest player somewhere. He wears that perceived slight on a daily basis.

托馬斯是NBA裏最矮的球員。但他在任何地方都幾乎是最矮的球員。他每天都被人輕視着。他已被那些僅因他身型而懷疑他的人們說服。

He is convinced those who doubt him only doubt him because of his size. And he knows those detractors will be relentless because it will always be an issue. Thomas is done growing.

他也知道這些詆譭者們會無止盡地存在着，因爲他的身高的確會是個永恆的問題。托馬斯不會再長高了。在他剩餘的職業生涯裏，他都會是一名身高5英尺9英寸的後衛。

He will be a 5-9 guard the rest of his career, a 5-9 man the rest of his life, and it infuriates him when outsiders say "you're too short to be that good."

在他剩餘的人生中，他都會是一個身高5英尺9英寸的男人。而當外人說“你太矮了，不可能變得那麼優秀”時，他總是會勃然大怒。

"The only reason is I'm 5-9," he said. "That's why they don't talk about me like they do all the other guys. But I'm fine with it."

“唯一的理由就是我身高只有5英寸9英寸，”他說道，“這就是爲什麼他們對我有着不同於其他任何球員的談論。但我已經釋懷了。”

Thomas's 52-point game is the fourth-highest in Celtics history, trailing only Larry Bird (60 and 53) and Kevin McHale (56).

托馬斯的52分是凱爾特人隊歷史上第四高的單場得分紀錄，僅次於拉里-伯德（60分和53分）和凱文-麥克海爾（56分）。

Thomas's 29-point fourth was the most in Celtics history by 5 points. His nine 3-pointers tied Antoine Walker's club record.

托馬斯在第四節得到的29分爲凱爾特人隊歷史之最，高於原紀錄5分。他的9記三分球追平了安東尼-沃克的隊史紀錄。

"Congrats Isaiah on a great performance," Walker said in a text message to the Globe. "Never thought it would be another Celtic to get my record."

“恭喜以賽亞貢獻了一場偉大的表演，”沃克在給《波士頓環球報》的短信中說道，“從未想過會有另外一名凱爾特人追平我的記錄。”

Although Thomas was thrilled at his accomplishment, excited about setting records with such a history-filled franchise, flattered that his teammates would dump an ice bucket on him (and his youngest son) in the locker room, he expected this greatness. And he's serious about that.

儘管托馬斯對於自己的成就感到十分激動，尤其是在這樣一支充滿歷史感的球隊裏創下紀錄。在更衣室裏，隊友們把冰桶裏的冰水倒在他身上（還有他最年輕的兒子），這使他感到無比欣喜，他期待自己能成爲這樣的偉大。對此他十分認真。

"For me, it feels normal, though," he said. "When I do score or I put the numbers up that I do, I give credit to my teammates and this organization for believing in me, but it feels normal.

“儘管對於我來說，這感覺很平常，”他說道，“當我得分或有着驚豔的數據時，我會把功勞記在我隊友和這支球隊身上，感謝他們相信我，但這感覺很平常。

Everything I've always done in my whole life I felt like I worked that hard for it.

我覺得我人生中做過的所有事都歸功於我曾爲此努力過。

It's never felt like, 'Hey, I'm 5-9 and doing this.' When I'm out there I feel like I'm 6-4, just the same height as everybody else.

我從未感覺過，'嘿，我才5英尺9英寸高，卻達到了這樣的成就。'當我走上球場時，我感覺我有6英尺4英寸的身高，和其他人一樣高。

was different but everything else, it feels somewhat normal."

“（星期五）是與衆不同的，但其他的都與平常並無二致。”

Thomas spent the first four years of his career seeking an opportunity, seeking acceptance. The NBA not so long ago was a regimented league.

托馬斯在他職業生涯的前四年裏都在尋求一個機會，尋求一個認可。NBA在不久以前還是個很傳統老派的聯盟。

Thomas was the size of a true point guard, so he should play point guard.

托馬斯的身高屬於控球后衛範疇，所以他應該打控球后衛。

Smaller players who are more accomplished scorers than distributors were disparaged in this league once upon a time.

過去，在這個聯盟裏，得分能力比分球能力更精通的矮個球員都受到了藐視。

It took until years after he retired — when a generation of little men, including Thomas, changed perception — for fans to truly appreciate Allen Iverson.

在他退役多年以後——當屬於小個子的時代（包括托馬斯）改變了人們的認知時——球迷們才真正欣賞艾倫-艾弗森。

During his prime, he was considered a selfish, score-first, ball-dominant player.

在他的鼎盛時期，他被視作爲一名自私、以得分爲第一選擇的球霸型球員。

Now he is considered a master scorer who put the 76ers on his back and carried them to the NBA Finals. Thomas did not record an assist Friday for the first time this season.

如今他被視作爲一名大師級別的得分手，一個人扛着76人隊前行，並帶領球隊打進了NBA總決賽。在星期五的比賽中，托馬斯本賽季第一次沒有送出助攻。

On this night, he needed to score. The Celtics looked tired and ragged. There was little energy. They were lamenting their loss to Cleveland on Thursday. The Celtics needed to be saved.

在那個夜晚，他需要得分。凱爾特人隊看起來十分勞累和筋疲力盡。球隊缺少活力。他們仍處在星期四輸給克里夫蘭的悲痛之中。凱爾特人隊需要有人站出來拯救他們。

And Thomas's cape fit perfectly. Boston has been a perfect fit for him. The two needed each other.

而托馬斯完美切合這支球隊。波士頓也一直是他完美的棲息之所。兩者需要彼此。

The Celtics needed a star and Thomas needed a team that believed he could be a star. He truly felt nobody in his past did, not the Kings, not the Phoenix Suns.

凱爾特人隊需要一名球星，而托馬斯需要一支相信他能夠成爲球星的球隊。他真切地認爲他的老東家國王隊和菲尼克斯太陽隊都從未信任過他。

So he has embraced the Boston community. He has become a fixture here because of his charitable work with children.

所以他欣然融入了波士頓的社區。由於他在兒童慈善事業上的努力，他已成爲了這裏不可或缺的人物。

In the most sincere way, Thomas still views himself as a kid, and not just because of his size. He still views himself as an underdog.

托馬斯仍十分誠摯地把自己看作是一個孩子，而這並不是因爲他的身高。他仍把自己看作是落魄者。

He still clearly hears his doubters, and the words are piercing and motivating.

他仍清晰地聽到質疑聲，那些話語是如此地傷人卻又催人向前。

He is still that kid hanging around Curtis High School practices as a seventh-grader, seeking a chance to play with the big boys.

他仍是那個在柯蒂斯高中閒蕩訓練的七年級小朋友，尋求着一個與大孩子們打球的機會。

Perhaps now he will finally receive the acceptance he has been seeking, maybe now he will be regarded as more than just 5 feet 9 inches.

或許如今的他終於得到了自己一直在尋求的認可，或許如今的他不再會僅被視爲身高5英尺9英寸的球員。

But maybe if he did, he wouldn't play with that chip, that edge. That's what defines him.

但如果他以前就得到了別人的認可，或許他就不會帶着這樣的身高缺陷繼續自己的籃球生涯並達到如今的水平。這就是他的定義。

And it's in the NBA and for the Celtics. That's not real."

“我以前得過50分，”托馬斯說道，“但那跟（星期五）當時的感覺完全不同。我在NBA做到了這點，作爲一名凱爾特人隊球員。這感覺，很不真實。”

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