2005年NPR美国国家公共电台五月-NBA Playoff Update: Pacers vs. Pistons

It's Day to Day from NPR news, I am Alex Chadwick.

In basketball, the NBA's second-round playoffs are underway. The defending champion Detroit Pistons¹, playing at home, easily beat the Indiana Pacers last night 96 to 81. The Pistons and the Pacers clashed in one of the NBA's uglier games of this season, maybe ugliest ever, a fight broke out in November between the Indiana players and Detroit fans that led a player's suspension and criminal charges. Here to look at the match-up for us is Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman. She is an analyst² on ESPN and NBA TV and a women's basketball coach.

Alex Chadwick: Nancy, is there still tension between these two teams the Pistons and Pacers following that fight?

Nancy Lieberman: I think what's happening now is they're trying to put the past in the past and leave it there. I think for the good of the game, they have to move forward. We're talking about the playoff now, so we're talking about a different mentality³. I think both teams have done a very nice job with that.

Alex Chadwick: So they can get on the court, smile at each other and no, no hard feelings.

Nancy Lieberman: I didn't say they were smiling, I said they are getting on the court and they are playing basketball. You know, something that you don't forget, but you have to move forward.

Alex Chadwick: OK, let me ask you about Reggie Miller⁴. Now, this is a future hall of famer for the Pacers, but he's retiring after this year. Last night, it almost looked like he's already retired⁵, he's six points, this is not what they need from him, is it?

Nancy Lieberman: No, they really do need Reggie Miller's offence. He is the all-time leading 3-point shooter in the history of the NBA. He's been averaging over 20 points a game this far in the playoffs, really belying⁶ his age. But it's a tough matchup for him because he has to guard Rip Hamilton who's the shooting guard of the Detroit Pistons.

Alex Chadwick: And young, and really fast.

Nancy Lieberman: Very fast, you know, a lot of people have likened him to a young Reggie Miller 'cause he is so good moving without the ball and really running the defender⁷ off a myriad⁸ of picks. It's very tough to defend and takes a lot of energy.

Alex Chadwick: If you look at the playoffs overall this year, Nancy, there is no Los Angeles, there is no New York, there's no Chicago team playing really big media markets. What would the NBA like the finals to be in order to keep fans watching?

Nancy Lieberman: Oh I think it would be easy if you had some of your marti names. Certainly if the Phoenix⁹ Suns who led the league, they had sixty-two wins this year. They have the MVP Steve Nash if they played against Miami and Shaquille O'Neal. If they played against the defending champions um the Detroit Pistons,or even if the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan, and Tim was MVP of the league a year ago and they've won a couple of championships. I think those are the teams at least have star power and have championships under their belt.

Alex Chadwick: And have really good basketball comment.

Nancy Lieberman: Oh, my gosh, the best of the NBA is happening right now. You're seeing the great players take their game up another level, you're seeing good players play at an even higher intensity¹⁰ level. Irretrievably, this is the most fun part of the year for me. I love watching the execution and the excellence¹¹.

Alex Chadwick: Hall of Fame basketball players Nancy Lieberman, a professional women's basketball coach and analyst for ESPN, Nancy, thank you.

Nancy Lieberman: My pleasure, thank you.

1 pistons   

活塞( piston的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some pistons have seating rings of metal or leather. 有些活塞上有金属或皮革的密封环。
• A pump uses valves and pistons. 泵使用阀和活塞。

2 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

3 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

4 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 belying   

v.掩饰，与…不符，使…失望；掩饰( belie的现在分词 )；证明（或显示）…为虚假；辜负；就…扯谎

参考例句：

• Belying its simple graphic design, a T-shirt is now a symbolic medium for designers. 在T恤上面充满简洁的设计，现在已经成为设计师的一个符号化的媒介。 来自互联网
• Gordon Brown, belying his clunking image, has brought tech-savvy communications staff into Downing Street. 布朗已经把精通技术的通讯工作人员带到的唐宁街。 来自互联网

7 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

8 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

9 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

10 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

11 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。