Reid Forgrave

The Minnesota Timberwolves won i n t h e m o s t u nTimberwolves way possible .

Heading into the fourth quarter， the Wolves were down nine points to the Portland Trail Blazers in a game that would determine which team would hold fourth place in the Western Conference -- the top of the nonWarriors/Rockets/Spurs tier. For the Timberwolves this season， being down nine points going into the fourth quarter would seem a death knell. Whatever the reason --and many basketball pundits have decided the reason is the same old Tom Thibodeau narrative， where an over-reliance on his starting five means his best players are gassed by the end of games -- the Wolves have not been a good fourthquarter team. By some metrics， in fact， they are the worst fourthquarter team in the NBA.

明尼蘇達森林狼用最不森林狼的方式贏下了比賽。在一場決定誰能拿到西部第四，也就是除勇士，火箭，馬刺集團外的第一位置的比賽中。森林狼在第四節(jié)開始時落后波特蘭開拓者9分。本賽季大多數(shù)時候，如果森林狼落后9分進入第四節(jié)，這基本等同于輸?shù)舯荣?。無論原因到底是什么——太多專家將原因歸結(jié)于湯姆·錫伯杜的老問題，即過度依賴首發(fā)，最好的球員在比賽最后精疲力盡——森林狼一直打不好第四節(jié)。事實上，他們是NBA第四節(jié)最差的球隊。

Check out the numbers： In the first three quarters of games， the Timberwolves ought to be considered among the NBAs elite. Their net rating through three quarters of games is plus-4.8. If they were able to keep that net rating for four quarters， that would rank fourth in the NBA -- behind the Warriors， Rockets and Raptors and virtually tied with the Celtic

看看數(shù)據(jù)：森林狼的前三節(jié)可以說是聯(lián)盟頂尖水平。他們前三節(jié)的正負值為+4.8。如果能把這個數(shù)字延續(xù)到第四節(jié)，他們就能在聯(lián)盟排在第四，僅次于勇士，火箭和猛龍，與騎士并列。

Its in the fourth quarter of games where they fall apart. The Wolves net rating in fourth quarters is minus-10.1. Thats the worst in the NBA， and drags what would have been an impressive overall net rating all the way down to a middling 11th.

森林狼總是在第四節(jié)崩潰，他們在第四節(jié)的正負值為-10.1。這在全NBA排名墊底，直接導(dǎo)致球隊整體正負值下滑到聯(lián)盟中游的第11。

This is not a new problem. Last seasons Timberwolves lost 22 games in which they held doubledigit leads. They lost 11 games when they led by 15 or more points， a feat that hadnt been accomplished by an NBA team since the 1996-97 season. If just half of those blown 10-point leads had turned into wins， the Wolves would have morphed from one of the worst teams in the NBA into a playoff team.

這不是新問題。上個賽季，森林狼有22場輸?shù)舻谋荣惱镌?jīng)有過兩位數(shù)的領(lǐng)先。有11場比賽，森林狼在領(lǐng)先15分或更多的情況下輸?shù)袅吮荣?，?996-97賽季開始，還沒有第二支球隊打出過這么差的表現(xiàn)。如果浪費兩位數(shù)領(lǐng)先優(yōu)勢的比賽能贏下其中一半，森林狼就能從NBA最爛球隊之一轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榧竞筚惽蜿牎?/p>

The Wolves knew this， which is why their big offseason splash was to acquire one of the leagues best players in crunch time： AllNBA wing Jimmy Butler. Butler is a beast for 48 minutes， but most important， he would be the beast when the Timberwolves need him most. Last season Butler averaged 4.3 points in the final five minutes of games where the margin was five points or less. That was the third-best mark in the league， behind Russell Westbrookand Isaiah Thomas. At the end of games， on offense as well as on defense， its hard to pick a better player to have on the floor than Jimmy Butler.

森林狼當然明白這個問題，這也是他們休賽期引進聯(lián)盟關(guān)鍵時刻最強球員——全明星側(cè)翼吉米·巴特勒的原因。巴特勒能在48分鐘里保持強勁狀態(tài)，但最重要的是，當森林狼最需要他的時候，他能化身為猛獸。上個賽季，比賽最后五分鐘兩隊分差不超過5分時，巴特勒能夠拿到4.3分的平均得分。這在聯(lián)盟排名第三，只比拉塞爾·威斯布魯克和伊塞亞·托馬斯低。比賽最后階段，不論是進攻還是防守，很難找到比吉米·巴特勒更優(yōu)秀的球員。

What we saw was the team the Timberwolves front office was daydreaming of when it put together that monster offseason trade. Butler simply took over. He scored 11 of the Wolves final 16 points in their comeback， including four clutch free throws in the final minute. It was a perfect Jimmy Butler game； he played 35 minutes， scored 37 points， got six rebounds and five assists and thieved three steals. Most of all， he gave his team a fourth-quarter intensity and focus that it lacked last season. One more un-Wolves-like positive note from that game： Offseason acquisition Jamal Crawford came off the NBAs least-used bench and scored a season-high 23 points in 23 minutes.

面對開拓者的那支球隊，正是森林狼管理層利用休賽期驚天交易組建球隊時夢想的樣子。簡單地說，巴特勒接管了比賽。在森林狼反敗為勝的這場比賽里，球隊最后的16分有11分由巴特勒拿下，其中包括最后一分鐘的四次關(guān)鍵罰球。那是一場完美的吉米·巴特勒式的比賽：上場35分鐘，拿到37分，6個籃板，5次助攻和3個搶斷。最重要的是，他給球隊在第四節(jié)帶去了緊迫感和專注力，而這正是森林狼上賽季欠缺的。那場比賽還有一個很不森林狼的積極方面：作為NBA上場時間最少的板凳球員，休賽期森林狼簽下的賈馬爾·克勞福德在23分鐘里拿到了23分。

This is where that old Tom Thibodeau trope comes in： He runs his best players into the ground. National media have started beating this drum again in the past couple weeks， especially after Thibs played all five starters 38 or more minutes in an overtime loss to the 76ers， including 48 minutes for young franchise cornerstone KarlAnthony Towns. Deadspin published an anti-Thibs screed with the overwrought headline， "Tom Thibodeau is Destruction."

這里就要提到關(guān)于湯姆·錫伯杜的一個“老調(diào)”了：他會累垮自己最優(yōu)秀的球員。過去幾周，全美媒體又一次開始提出這種說法，特別是在森林狼加時輸給76人的比賽里，錫伯杜讓所有五名首發(fā)球員的上場時間都超過38分鐘，年輕的基石球員卡爾-安東尼·唐斯的時間達到了48分鐘。Deadspin網(wǎng)站發(fā)表了一篇標題冗長的反錫伯杜文章：錫伯杜就是毀滅。

All this criticism for a team that， if the season ended today， would be hosting a first-round playoff series in a city that hasnt sniffed the playoffs since the 2003-04 season， which also happens to be the only season in franchise history where the Wolves won a playoff series.

假如賽季現(xiàn)在結(jié)束，這些批評指向的是一個在季后賽首輪擁有主場優(yōu)勢的球隊。這個球隊從2003-04賽季開始就再未品嘗過季后賽的滋味，那也恰好是森林狼隊史上第一次贏得季后賽系列賽的賽季。

So what of it？ Is minutes management by Thibodeau the only thing keeping this team from the NBAs elite？ Or is it a chicken-egg scenario， where Thibs has failed in his role as the teams president of basketball operations in getting a competent bench， so Thibs the head coach has to deal with a bench that he doesnt trust？

所以到底是什么呢？錫伯杜的時間管理是阻止森林狼成為NBA頂級球隊的唯一原因嗎？或者說這是一個雞生蛋，蛋生雞的問題，錫伯杜作為球隊籃球事務(wù)總裁沒能做好工作，沒能打造一個有競爭力的替補陣容，所以作為主教練的錫伯杜只能面對一個他無法信任的替補陣容？

Thibs is playing his starters a lot， period. Minnesotas bench averages a paltry 25.5 points， 27th in the league. And zero coaches in the league use their bench less than Thibs does in Minnesota. Minnesotas bench players average only 13 minutes at each position-- 2.6 fewer than the 29th-ranked bench， the New Orleans Pelicans. Amazingly， its nearly a full minute less per player per game than Thibs used his bench a year ago. Butler is third in the NBA in minutes per game； Andrew Wiggins is eighth and Towns is 13th.

錫伯杜讓首發(fā)打的時間很長，這毫無疑問。森林狼的替補球員只能得到可憐的25.5分，這在聯(lián)盟排名第27。聯(lián)盟中再沒有教練比錫伯杜更不愿意用替補了。森林狼每個位置的替補球員只有13分鐘上場時間——這比排在第29的新奧爾良鵜鶘還要少2.6分鐘。令人驚異的是，這比錫伯杜上賽季給替補球隊的時間還要少接近一分鐘。巴特勒的場均上場時間在聯(lián)盟排名第三，威金斯排在第八，唐斯則是第13。

"Like all teams， you play to your strengths， you cover up your weaknesses，" Thibs told me. "If you have young guys -- when you look at the wings， the wings usually play-- you look at LeBron and Harden， all those guys， theyre gonna play. Unless the guys older or hes injured， then you dont play him as much."

“和所有球隊一樣，你要發(fā)揮自己的優(yōu)勢，掩蓋劣勢?！卞a伯杜告訴我，“如果有年輕球員——觀察側(cè)翼球員，側(cè)翼球員通常是重點——你會看到勒布朗和哈登這些人，他們都會上場。除非他們年齡大了或者受傷了，那些才不會讓他們打太久?！?blockquote>"IVE PLAYED PLENTY OF MINUTES THROUGHOUT MY CAREER，" BUTLER TOLD ME. "WE TRAIN HARD ENOUGH IN THE SUMMER FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN IT. ITS ALL ABOUT TAKING CARE OF YOUR BODY. THE MAJORITY OF IT IS MENTAL， FOR ME AND FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. IF YOU THINK THAT YOURE TIRED， YOU WILL BE TIRED. OTHERWISE， JUST FIGHT THROUGH. IM PRETTY SURE THERES A LOT HARDER THINGS THAT IVE ENDURED IN MY LIFE THAN PLAYING A COUPLE EXTRA MINUTES."“我整個職業(yè)生涯的上場時間都很多?！卑吞乩崭嬖V我，“我在夏天的訓(xùn)練足夠刻苦，足以讓我保持體能。重要的是照看好自己的身體。對我，對很多人來說，很大一部分還是心理上的問題。如果你覺得自己累了，你就累了。否則，只要挺過去就行。我相信我在人生中經(jīng)歷了比多打幾分鐘更艱難的事情。”

Interpretation： Of course Thibs the coach is going to play his best players a ton of minutes. Thats what he believes gives his team the best chance to win. For Thibs the coach， winning today is the most important thing.

換句話說：作為教練的錫伯杜當然會讓他最好的球員打很長時間。他認為這能給球隊贏球的最大機會。對教練錫伯杜來說，贏在當下是最重要的事情。

But thats why teams generally have a different person in the front office whose role is to look out for the teams long-term future as the head coach looks out for the immediate future. The dual role Thibs has for the Timberwolves is increasingly rare in todays NBA， and perhaps this is why： He has to balance in his mind the coachs win-today mentality with the executives win-more-tomorrow mentality. Fair or not， Thibs and his overreliance on starters took much of the blame for the injuries and wear and tear that severely hampered the careers of Derrick Rose， Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. Some even blame Thibs for overplaying Zach LaVine and causing his ACL tear last season.

主教練為球隊不遠的未來負責，這也正是球隊通常會在管理層安排另一個人負責球隊未來發(fā)展的原因。錫伯杜在森林狼承擔雙重角色的情況在如今的NBA越來越稀少，也許原因如下：他必須在主教練“贏在當下”的思維及管理人員“未來贏得更多”的思維中找到平衡。不論是否公平，錫伯杜和他過于依賴首發(fā)的做法，被外界看作是德里克·羅斯，喬金·諾阿和盧爾·鄧遭遇傷病，職業(yè)生涯受到嚴重影響的主要原因。有些人甚至指責錫伯杜，說他過度使用扎克·拉文，才導(dǎo)致后者上賽季前十字韌帶撕裂。

I asked a couple Wolves players the same question： Is playing too many minutes affecting them late in games？ Perhaps they were observing the locker room code to keep internal issues behind closed doors， but two of this teams stars seemed to relish in playing those heavy minutes.

我問了幾個森林狼球員相同的問題：上場時間太多是否影響了他們比賽末段的表現(xiàn)？也許他們遵守了更衣室規(guī)則，把內(nèi)部問題留在內(nèi)部，但還是有兩個明星球員似乎喜歡打很長時間的比賽。

"At this moment， it hasnt hit me，" Wiggins said with a shrug. "I dont feel tired or nothing like that."

“現(xiàn)在沒有影響到我。”威金斯聳了聳肩，“我沒覺得累?！?/p>

"Ive played plenty of minutes throughout my career，" Butler told me. "We train hard enough in the summer for me to be able to maintain it. Its all about taking care of your body. The majority of it is mental， for me and for a lot of people. If you think that youre tired， you will be tired. Otherwise， just fight through. Im pretty sure theres a lot harder things that Ive endured in my life than playing a couple extra minutes."

“我整個職業(yè)生涯的上場時間都很多?！卑吞乩崭嬖V我，“我在夏天的訓(xùn)練足夠刻苦，足以讓我保持體能。重要的是照看好自己的身體。對我，對很多人來說，很大一部分還是心理上的問題。如果你覺得自己累了，你就累了。否則，只要挺過去就行。我相信我在人生中經(jīng)歷了比多打幾分鐘更艱難的事情?！?/p>

The NBA is different today. From 1990 until 2011， the NBA leader in minutes averaged more than 40 minutes in every season but one. Since 2011， the number of minutes played for the league leader has steadily crept downward. LeBron James led the league with 37.76 minutes last year； a decade ago， the top 20 players all averaged more. The "rest revolution" is here and only growing in support.

現(xiàn)在的NBA是個不同的世界。從1990年到2011年，除了一個賽季，其余每個賽季NBA上場時間最多的球員出場時間都會超過40分鐘。從2011年開始，最高上場時間逐年下降。上個賽季，勒布朗·詹姆斯以37.76分鐘領(lǐng)銜全聯(lián)盟；十年前，上場時間最多的前20名球員都比這個時間多?！靶菹⒏锩本驮谘矍?，而且支持者越來越多。

We wont know the lasting effects of Thibodeaus current minutes management until years down the road. By then， if damage has occurred， itll be way too late to fix.

直到賽季結(jié)束，我們才能知道錫伯杜現(xiàn)在時間管理的持續(xù)效果。但到了那時，如果真出現(xiàn)損害，想要修復(fù)便為時已晚。