Bryant, Lakers anxious to end layoff with series vs. Jazz
科比和湖人迫不及待地希望结束休息，开始与爵士的系列赛
http://www.miamiherald.com/859/story/520146.html
When the Staples Center crowd chants "MVP! MVP" in Kobe Bryant's direction Sunday, it won't simply be based on sentiment.
当斯台普斯中心球迷本周日对着科比高喊“MVP！MVP！”时，那就不再仅仅是心理情绪的发泄了。
While the Los Angeles Lakers' players were watching the finale of the Houston-Utah first-round playoff series Friday night at a Hollywood restaurant, Bryant received an e-mail informing him he had won his first Most Valuable Player award.
当湖人的球员们周五晚上在好莱坞的一家餐厅里观看火箭和爵士的系列赛最后一战，科比收到了一封电子邮件，信中透露他已经获得了自己的首个MVP。
While it hasn't been made official, the honor has been expected since the completion of the regular season 2 1/2 weeks ago, when the Bryant-led Lakers finished with a Western Conference-best 57-25 record.
虽然这一消息还未得到官方确认，但是自从常规赛在2个半周前结束，湖人队以57胜25负的战绩高居西部榜首时，大家就一直期待科比可以获得这一荣誉。
The word came through a Los Angeles Times report, which quoted sources as saying NBA commissioner David Stern would be in Los Angeles this week to present the MVP trophy to Bryant. That's expected to happen Wednesday night before Game 2.
消息通过洛杉矶时报透露出来，据消息人士表示NBA总裁斯特恩本周将会莅临洛杉矶出席科比MVP的颁发仪式。这一切都有望在下周三湖人系列赛第2场比赛前进行。
League spokesman Brian McIntyre declined to confirm or deny the Times report, and wouldn't comment further.
联盟发言人McIntyre拒绝对洛杉矶时报的消息进行评论，他没有对这一报道的真实性作出答复。
"The game tomorrow is a beast sitting on my shoulders," Bryant said after practice Saturday, referring to the opener of the second-round series against the Jazz. "I'm reserving judgment until I hear from David Stern."
“明天的比赛就像坐在我肩膀上的巨兽。”科比在周六训练后谈到与爵士的第2轮季后赛系列赛揭幕战时表示。“在我知道斯特恩的表态前，我保留意见。”
That being said, the 29-year-old Bryant didn't need much prodding to share his feelings.
即便这样说，这名29岁NBA球员还是掩盖不住内心的喜悦。
"I'm very excited about it. I didn't know if it was going to happen in my career," he told reporters. "It's a great honor. It means a lot. To me, it's very special. It's very special to share it with these guys."
“我对此非常激动。我并不知道我的职业生涯能否获得一个MVP。”他告诉记者，“这是一项巨大的荣誉。这意味着很多。对我来说，这很特别。能够与我们的队友分享这一荣誉非常特别。”
Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic said Bryant informed his teammates at the restaurant.
湖人后卫沙沙说科比在餐厅里把这一消息告诉了他的队友。
"We congratulated him," Vujacic said. "He deserved it. He told us how proud he is of the whole team."
“我们向他表示祝贺，”沙沙说，“他应该获得这一荣誉。他告诉我们他为整支球队自豪。”
Vujacic smiled when asked if Bryant's teammates went into an "MVP! MVP!" chant upon hearing the news.
在问及是否科比的队友会在听到这一消息也对着科比喊“MVP”时，沙沙笑了笑。
"When he paid the bill, we did. Not before," Vujacic said.
“当他掏钱买单时，我们喊了。但是之前没有。”沙沙表示。
"I bit the bullet," Bryant confirmed when asked if he picked up the check.
在问及是否由他买单时，科比表示，“我只好这样做了。”
Tipoff Sunday will be some 38 1/2 hours after the Jazz beat the Rockets 113-91 to win the series 4-2 and reach the second round. The Lakers haven't played since Monday night, when they completed a first-round sweep of the Denver Nuggets.
周日的比赛在爵士以113：91击败火箭，从而以4：2晋级后开战。自从周一以4：0横扫掘金以来，湖人队还没有打过比赛。
"Let's play. Let's get this under way," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
“让我们比赛吧！让我们开始这一切吧！”湖人主教练杰克逊表示。
"We're ready to go. We're excited about the opportunity," Bryant said.
“我们已经准备好行动了。我们对能有这次机会非常兴奋。”科比说。
Utah coach Jerry Sloan waxed philosophical regarding the quick turnaround.
尤他爵士队主教练斯隆在谈到即将来临的比赛时言语间充满了哲学意味。
"We'll just have to go play, that's the way the rules are," he said before the Jazz flew to Los Angeles. "They've had a chance to prepare for us. Their energy level should be as high as it can get, but we still have to play the game."
“我们只需要打好比赛。”他在球队飞往洛杉矶前表示，“他们有机会准备比赛。他们的能量已经达到至高点，但是我们仍然需要打好比赛。”
Jackson had a different take, saying: "We just have to come out and match their energy. We've been sitting around for six days."
杰克逊则有不同的立场，他说，“我们只需要站出来，要跟上他们的能量。我们已经6天多没有比赛了。”
Sloan and Jackson are meeting in the playoffs for the first time since Jackson coached the Chicago Bulls to victory over Sloan's Jazz in the 1998 NBA finals.
自从1998年杰克逊执教公牛队在总决赛中淘汰斯隆执教的爵士后，这还是两人第1次在季后赛中碰面。
The Lakers won three of the four regular-season games between the teams, but were without Pau Gasol in all four. Three were played before he joined the Lakers on Feb. 1, and he missed the fourth because of a sprained ankle. Despite playing short-handed, the Lakers won a 106-95 decision March 20 to snap Utah's 19-game home winning streak. The Jazz had an NBA-best 37-4 record at home, but they were just 17-24 on the road.
湖人队赢得了两队常规赛4次交锋中的3次，但是这都是在没有加索尔的情况下。3场比赛是在加索尔2月1日加盟湖人前进行的，而他也因脚踝扭伤缺席了两队最近一次交手。尽管缺兵少将，湖人还是在3月20日以106：95击败爵士，终结了对手的主场19连胜。爵士的主场记录是37胜4负，这是NBA最好的，但是他们的客场记录只有17胜24负。
"Regular season's not playoffs," Jackson said when asked the significance of his team's record against the Jazz.
“常规赛不是季后赛，”在谈到常规赛战绩的重要性时，杰克逊说。
The Jazz are led by Carlos Boozer, who averaged 21.1 points and 10.4 rebounds, and Deron Williams, who averaged 18.8 points and 10.5 assists.
爵士的头号得分手是布泽尔，他平均每场拿下21.1分和10.4个篮板，威廉姆斯平均每场拿下18.8分和10.5次助攻。
"Bad Boy," Bryant said of Williams. "I love his game. He's a little Cadillac, that's what I call him. He's a phenomenal, phenomenal player."
“这是一名坏小子。”科比在谈到威廉姆斯时表示，“我喜欢他的比赛。他有一点像凯迪拉克，我一直这样叫他。他是一名现象级球员。”
Williams made six 3-pointers and had 25 points and nine assists in the finale against Houston.
在与火箭队的最后一战中，威廉姆斯投中6个三分，拿下25分和9次助攻。
While Williams might represent a challenge for the Lakers, Bryant represents the ultimate challenge. He averaged 28.3 points during the regular season and 33.5 points in the first-round sweep of Denver.
虽然威廉姆斯也许会对湖人形成威胁，但是科比才是最大的威胁。他在常规赛平均拿下28.3分，而在第1轮季后赛与掘金的比赛中场均拿下33.5分。
"You tell me somebody in this league that is equipped to guard him," Sloan said. "He's a great player, and you don't stop great players."
“你告诉我这个联盟谁能防守住他？”斯隆说，“他是一名伟大的球员，你是防守不住伟大的球员的。”
Utah's Andrei Kirilenko pointed to the Lakers' supporting cast.
爵士队的基里延科则更加关注湖人其他队员的发挥。
"I don't think we need to pay attention on Kobe only," Kirilenko said. "It's all about team defense. It's all about helping each other defensively. We have succeeded in the past."
“我不认为我们只需要将注意力放在科比身上。” 基里延科表示，“我们需要团队防守。我们需要在防守时相互帮助。我们在过去已经成功地做到了这一点。”
The Jazz were successful last season, reaching the conference finals before losing to eventual champion San Antonio. Lakers guard Derek Fisher was a key member of that team, averaging 10.1 points while playing in all 82 games with 61 starts.
爵士上赛季非常成功，他们进军西部决赛，但是在决赛中不敌当年的总冠军马刺。湖人后卫费舍尔是球队的关键一员，他参加了球队的82场比赛，其中61次先发，平均拿下10.1分。
Fisher played his first eight NBA seasons with the Lakers before leaving to sign a free-agent contract with Golden State, where he played two years before being traded to the Jazz before last season.
费舍尔的前8个赛季在湖人度过，此后他与勇士签了自由球员合同，为勇士打了2年球，然后上赛季转投爵士。
He drew attention last spring when he left the Jazz before Game 2 of the conference semifinals to go to New York, where his 10-month-old daughter, Tatum, was treated for a cancerous tumor in her left eye, but returned in the third quarter and scored all five of his points in overtime of Utah's 127-117 victory over the Warriors.
他在去年春天爵士的西部第2轮季后赛第2场比赛前离开球队奔赴纽约吸引了大家的注意力，在那里他年仅10个月的女儿将接受左眼的肿瘤治疗，但是他在第3节回归，并在加时赛中拿下了个人本场比赛仅有的5分，帮助爵士以127：117击败勇士。
Fisher asked the Jazz to release him from his contract last summer so he could concentrate on finding the best medical care for his daughter, and that turned out to be in Los Angeles.
去年夏天费舍尔要求爵士解除他的合同，这样他能够找到合适的给他女儿治病的地方，然后最终他选择了洛杉矶。
"They're a confident group," Fisher said of the Jazz. "I'm happy they've made it to this point. But they stand in the way of my goal and the goal of my teammates."
“他们是一支很有信心的球队。”费舍尔在谈到爵士时表示，“我很高兴他们能通过第1轮，但是他们现在挡住我和我们队友向前迈进的路了。”
注： 以上原文来自MIAMIHERALD，翻译来自科比中文网，如需转载，请注明来源。
