San Antonio smartly decided that they weren’t going to guard Clint Capela, leaving him open constantly from five feet and betting their defenders could psych him out enough to render those possessions ineffective for Houston.

　　圣安东尼奥马刺做了个很机智的决定，他们没有去防守克林特-卡佩拉，放他差不多五英尺的距离，他们赌这种方式可以使卡佩拉丧失信心，致使传到他那里的球都不会转化成得分。

　　Capelashot 3-of-11 for 15 points,many of his points coming off Harden passes.

　　卡佩拉那场比赛11投3中，得了15分，他大部分的得分都是来自于哈登的传球。

　　At other times, Harden saw the gaps closing on him and flung the ball out to the perimeter instead, passes that often got tipped or in a couple cases picked off.

　　在其他时间，哈登受到包夹后，就会把球传到外线，这些传球经常被防守队员碰到，有些时候会被直接抢断。

　　The Spurs baited him with an open player around the rim, and he couldn’t help himself.

　　马刺会通过故意漏掉一个外线球员来引诱哈登传球，而哈登总是忍不住把球传过去。

　　

　　It wasn’t working,and those aren’t excuses. Instead, Harden needed to be taking those drives directly to the rim and powering into defenders, drawing fouls or finishing despite contact.

　　这种打法没有用，那些说法也都不是借口。哈登应该直接杀向篮筐，和防守者对抗，制造犯规或者进球。

　　Houston couldn’t score, and instead of trying a last ditch takeover and attempting to overwhelm San Antonio’s tactically sound defense with his sheer talent, he deferred.

　　火箭不能得分时，他没有试图接管比赛并用他的天赋来打破马刺的防守策略，他站出来的太晚了。

　　It’s a flaw he has,where he can’t help himself from making the smart play even if it isn’t the right one, even if it’s a noble one.

　　这算是他的一个缺点，他忍不住想要打得聪明，即使那不是正确的，即使那是毫无作用的。

　　We’re still riding high off the Kobe era of superstars, and Harden is the one who passes too much. Who’s to say one is worse than the other?

　　我们现在仍然对非科比时代的明星们多加溢美之词，而哈登就是那种会常常传球的球员。我们怎么能说哪种更好呢？

　　

　　Still, it’s not like Harden was some train wreck once the regular season calendar was torn offthe wall and a playoff one replaced it.

　　哈登不是那种季后赛会比常规赛表现差的球员。

　　In 10 postseason games, before this total dud,Hardenhad a point more than the regular season, shot 1.5 percent less, assisted about three times fewer but also decreased his turnovers.

　　除了这场彻底哑火，在他之前的10场比赛里，他的得分比常规赛还多，命中率降了1.5，助攻差不多少了三次，但是失误也减少了。

　　The Rockets were fine, and so was Harden,He had a couple 40-point games.

　　火箭表现很不错，哈登也是。他有两场比赛拿了40+。

　　Houston’s two postseason opponents geared up around him to reduce his impact, and he still had about the same one we saw during his 81 regular season games played.

　　火箭的对手们围绕他做了很多准备来减少他的影响，但是他仍然打出了和81场常规赛一样的表现。

　　

　　If you had Harden as your MVP, or as your MVP runner up,neither of those things should change. Why would they?

　　如果你原本认为哈登应该是MVP，或者是MVP的第二名，那么你的选择现在也不应该改变，为什么？

　　Harden had his worst game of the season in the postseason, losing in six games to a team with a better record and coach in the Western Conference semifinals.

　　哈登在季后赛里打了他整个赛季最差的一场比赛，在西部半决赛里，经历了六场比赛之后，输给了比火箭战绩更好并且教练也更出色的球队。

　　It’s a regular season award, anda game doesn’t make a season.You all know this, and using it just to support a certain counter MVP narrative is so reactionary.

　　MVP是一项常规赛的奖项，并且一场比赛也不代表整个赛季的表现。这个道理大家都懂，因为这场比赛就去支持那些反对哈登MVP的言论是不对的。

　　

　　(This feels like a timely moment to remind everyone that Russell Westbrook,another perfectly acceptable and brilliant MVP candidate,lost to Harden’s Rockets in five games.)

　　（这似乎是个合适的时机去提醒大家一下，另外一个被热议的、表现亮眼的MVP候选人拉塞尔-威斯布鲁克，在第一轮中以1:4被哈登淘汰。）

　　

　　We should flip this narrative in the opposite way, too: Game 6 doesn’t go awaybecause Harden was really, exceptionally good during the regular season.

　　我们应该将这件事用一个相反的方式表述：人们对于哈登第六场比赛的表现耿耿于怀，是因为他在常规赛表现的太过出色。

　　It can’t happen again. Harden shouldn’t go into the summer with no cares because he did a good job leading Houston to the league’s third-best record.

　　这种事情不会再次发生。哈登不应该丝毫不被关注地结束这个赛季，因为他做得足够好，他带领火箭获得了联盟第三的成绩。

　　This embarrassment ought to motivate him. Certainly, he still has improvement left to be done, like his struggles when games get tight late.

　　这场比赛尴尬的表现应该成为他前进的动力。当然，他仍然有需要改进的地方，比如他在比赛的关键时刻会表现的很挣扎。

　　All those things are perfectly valid things for Harden himself to worry about. But Game 6 isn’t a referendum on him, or the Rockets, or,c’mon damnit, their modern style.

　　对于哈登来说，那些关于投票、人们的评议之类的事情都不是他需要去担心的。他需要思考的是，第六场比赛的结果可不是人们对他、对火箭以及对他们的打法投票的结果。

　　It’s a bad game at a worse time that unfortunately mars the end of one of the most unstoppable seasons we’ve ever seen. That’s all. You can leave it at that.

　　这是场糟糕的比赛，发生在了糟糕的时间，使这个伟大的赛季收尾的不够完美。仅此而已。何必在乎它呢？

　　

　　Tips

　　1.crash into 意为闯入，撞到...上。文章中采用引申义，意为失败。

　　2.stand out原意为突出，站出来，坚持到底。在文中意为消失。

　　3.be accused of.. 意为因为....受到指责

　　4.wear down 原意为磨损。后引申为使疲劳，使厌烦，克服，说服等多种意思。

　　5.lit up意为点火，点灯。文中为引申义点亮。

　　6.allow for 意为考虑到，虑及。

　　7.bail...out 帮助...脱离困境的意思。也可当保释讲。

　　8.can't help...from doing意为情不自禁做某事。

　　9.torn off 原以为撕下，扯掉。文中使用引申义，表达失去出色表现的意思。

　　10.c'mon damnit这是Come on,damnit.的缩写形式，意为得了吧。

　　感恩，我们在一起，做美好的事物

　　Enjoy The Process