Rockets make quick work of Nets
http://goo.gl/K5hYV
13th victory in 17 games offers lesson in energy conservation
火箭在 17 戰 13 勝的好成績中學到的課題：「節約能源，人人有責」
NEWARK, N.J. — By halftime, the Rockets had one goal left.
在中場休息的時候，火箭隊的眼中只有一個目標。(謎：一定是皮卡丘！)
They knew there was little the New Jersey Nets could do to stop them. They
were certain not only that they would win but that there would be no reason
for the game to be close.
他們腦子裡面很清楚，今天的籃網已經不可能挽回頹勢。
這場比賽不但大勢已定，就算想演劇場都不太可能。
That was not enough. The Rockets wanted to have the victory safely tucked
away before the fourth quarter began, early enough to rest aching body parts
before the team boarded the busses for Philadelphia.
這樣不夠。火箭要在第四節來臨之前把這場勝利牢牢地鎖住，
然後輕輕鬆鬆地休息等交通車。
In the latest mark of how well the Rockets have played since the All-Star
break, they were far from their best Tuesday night, but their 112-87 rout of
the Nets was still a mismatch. The Rockets cruised to an eighth consecutive
win in New Jersey to pull within two games of the Memphis Grizzlies for the
No. 8 playoff seed in the Western Conference.
在明星賽之後，火箭不斷地展現出極佳的戰鬥力，
但任何一場都沒有週二傍晚來得人爽身體勇：
火箭以 112-87 的比數慘電了籃網，
但這實在稱不上是一場勢均力敵的比賽。
火箭到此時已經拉出了八連勝，
與前面的灰熊勝差剩下兩場，
更讓西區老八爭奪戰的情勢進一步加劇。
“Between the starters, we talked,” said Kevin Martin, who had 12 of his 20
points in the third quarter and led the Rockets in scoring for an eighth
consecutive game. “We wanted to play 12 (second-half) minutes hard and have
a 20-plus lead going into the fourth. We wanted to rest.”
「在我們先發球員之間稍微透可了一下，」
Kevin Martin 在第三節拿下了當天 20 分中的 12 分，
同時也是八連勝期間的得分主力，
「我們決定要 (在下半場) 狠狠地打個十二分鐘，
然後再狠狠地休息個二十分鐘。我們得休息一下。」
They had reason to want to make relatively quick work of the Nets, who were
missing point guard Deron Williams because of a sprained right wrist. With
eight games left, the Rockets tonight face a 76ers team that has given them
fits, while the Grizzlies play host to the Golden State Warriors.
他們想要對籃網速戰速決也是可以理解的，
畢竟主將 Deron Williams 手腕扭傷缺戰中，
而且隔天還要對付之前讓他們不甚舒爽的七六人。
而另一方面，灰熊則是正在家裡準備好好招待來訪的勇士。
The Rockets also wanted to get Kyle Lowry packed in ice as quickly as
possible. Battling a sore left foot that had him questionable to play at all
on Tuesday, Lowry quickly eased concerns, scoring 14 first-quarter points to
set the tone. By the time he was through for the night, he had 16 points, 10
assists and seven rebounds in just 29 minutes.
火箭的另外一個重要任務則是盡快替 Kyle Lowry 冰敷。
Lowry 本來因為左腳痠痛而不確定能否出戰，
但他在第一節就拿下了 14 分盡掃疑慮。
他今晚只花了 29 分鐘就貢獻了 16 分、10助攻加上 7 籃板。
“Right now, it’s really tender. It’s really sore,” Lowry said. “But it’
s a good team win for us. It’s worth it.”
Said Rockets coach Rick Adelman: “I just think he took the shootaround off.
I don’t think he is hurt at all.”
「現在超沒力，痠到不行，」Lowry 表示，「不過贏了就值得啦。」
而教練 Rick Adelman 則是認為，「他只是休一次練習而已吧？這樣哪像受傷啊！」
‘Getting something going’
『大伙進攻囉』
Lowry showed few signs of it, and with him rarely slowing down to call a
play, the offense continued to roll. The Rockets, who returned to a
season-best four games over .500 with their 13th win in 17 games, have
averaged 109.3 points in that stretch to move past New York into second in
the NBA in scoring.
Lowry 展現出了穿針引線的能力，而且就算他不停下來喊戰術的時候，
火箭的進攻流暢度依然不受任何的影響。
火箭在這 13 場勝利之中打出了本季最佳，
連續四場命中率高於五成的比賽，
期間平均 109.3 分的同時，也超越了尼克成為聯盟得分第二隊。
“We’re happy, we’re having fun, and we’re just going out there, and we’
re flowing,” Lowry said. “We know who is going to get the ball, how we’re
going to score and how we want to play. We’re confident. We’re getting
something going.”
「爽，好玩，上場就有感覺。」Lowry 表示，「大家都知道誰會拿到球，
也都各自清楚進攻該怎麼跑、大家想要怎麼打。我們現在充滿了自信，
像是有什麼感覺整個動了起來。」
Even while shifting into cruise control during a few stretches Tuesday, the
Rockets knew the Nets were helpless to stop them.
在禮拜二的比賽中，火箭就算開自動攻擊籃網都擋不住。
The Rockets had 30 assists with just nine turnovers. They hit 46.9 percent of
their shots, with Goran Dragic, Patrick Patterson and Jordan Hill a combined
16-of-23 off the bench. They led by as much as 26 in the third quarter and
never let the lead slip below 18 from there.
全隊 30 助攻而只有 9 失誤，命中率 46.9%，而另一方面，
Goran Dragic、Patrick Patterson 跟 Jordan Hill 還從板凳上支援了 16-23 的砲火。
在第三節中，火箭領先曾經到達 26 分，最接近的時候也只被追到 18。
“Everybody’s playing great right now, especially on the offensive end,”
forward Chase Budinger said. “Defensively, we need to pick it up, but
offensively, everybody’s clicking.”
「每個人都表現很好，尤其是進攻，」前鋒 Chase Budinger 表示，
「防守上我們可能還要加點料，但進攻上我們已經有一頓滿漢大餐了。」
Slow start overcome
克服暖機
The Rockets made sure they brought a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter
when Courtney Lee ended the third with a steal that sent him and Lowry on a
break, which Lee finished for an 83-63 edge.
Courtney Lee 在第三節結束前跟 Lowry 來了一記抄截快攻，
讓火箭在進入第四節之前以 83-63 的比數確保了 20 分的領先。
By then, the Rockets had scored 17 fast-break points, with New Jersey coach
Avery Johnson going rapid-fire through timeouts and substitutions in an
effort to light a charge into his team.
此時火箭已經用快攻拿下了 17 分，
讓籃網教練 Avery Johnson 喊暫停也喊得疲於奔命，
不斷地嘗試調度，想找回一絲絲逆襲的可能性。
If he did, the Rockets did not seem to notice. Though they started slowly,
making one of six shots as the Nets took a four-point lead — their largest —
the Rockets brought the energy they often lacked early in the season against
similar teams. They never had trouble getting open shots and never seemed
challenged.
就算有找到好了，火箭也沒看在眼裡。
一開始暖機有點慢，1-6 的命中率讓籃網有著暫時的四分領先...
不過這也是他們全場領先最多的一次了；
火箭馬上就尋回了這一季經常在開賽時找不到的能量 (沒有靈性嗎)，
對手似乎再也無法阻止他們在空檔進球。
“We are playing well,” Luis Scola said. “It’s been about a month that we
have played well. We are winning games. We are solid. We are focused. Today,
we were focused from the very first minute. We got up on the scoreboard, and
we never let them back in. Everybody was ready to play. Everybody was
concentrating. That’s why we’re winning games.”
「我們打得很好，」Luis Scola 表示，
「大概一個月以來都狀況很棒。我們不斷取勝，而且打得紮實。
我們很專注，而今天我們更是從一開場就保持了專注。
我們超前比分之後就不再讓對手有半點機會。
所有人都蓄勢待發，而且專心致力，這就是我們贏球的方式。」
On Tuesday, the Rockets also won the way they wanted to, saving strength for
the tougher test to come.
這個週二，火箭用他們喜歡的方式贏了比賽，
為即將接踵而至的挑戰養精蓄銳。
