费根搜狐专栏：火箭只害怕湖人首轮最佳打掘金-搜狐体育

搜狐体育讯导读：乔纳森-费根，是休斯顿惟一一家日报《休斯顿纪事报》的首席篮球记者，也是整个赛季跑满全部比赛的惟一一位记者。在国内许多做NBA的媒体中，费根的名字恐怕是最耳熟能详的了，因为他的稿件的翻译版本充斥在各大网站和报纸上，是绝对的火箭专家。近日乔纳森-费根已经签约搜狐体育，搜狐也是目前国内惟一一家获权使用费根专栏文章的媒体。在以后的日子里费根将通过搜狐专栏与广大中国网友一起进行交流。

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　　火箭队像一场风暴一样在黄蜂队的面前拿下了这场实实在在的胜利，这场比赛对于缺少姚明的火箭队来说，是一场必须拿下的比赛，因为他们对面的是同区的竞争对手，所以在比赛的最后几分钟拿下对手，是一件非常值得庆祝的事情。

　　在这场比赛的最后几分钟，保罗在底线附近丢球，然后洛里送给了沃弗一个漂亮的助攻，后者一个快速突破让火箭队领先的优势达到了14分（应该是93-81的一球，应为12分，译者注），于是，火箭队就在周一的比赛中拿下了黄蜂队，在季后赛的争夺上再一次的领先。

　　火箭队在西部第三名的竞争中紧紧地把握住了一场左右的领先优势。而黄蜂队在上一场比赛输给了芝加哥公牛队之后，遭遇了两连败，已经跌落到了西部第六的位置。如果季后赛从现在就开始，那么火箭队将会和黄蜂队进行第一轮的争夺，在本赛季两个球队的交手中，火箭队以两胜一负占据着优势。

　　在这对假象敌的对位预演比赛中，火箭队似乎发现，自己需要找到更加弱一些的球队作为自己的竞争对手，因为这次比赛的胜利，并不能说明黄蜂队是火箭队可以选择的对手中间最合适的那个。

　　倒不是说火箭队现在已经可以选择自己的季后赛对手了，而是说黄蜂队并不是对火箭队最有利的一个选择项，因为哪怕你是在常规赛的每场比赛都拿下了对手，也不能给季后赛带来任何的指导性意义。

　　“我们总是在谈论在季后赛我们可以走多远，我们可以在多大程度上变成总冠军的竞争者，”前锋斯科拉在战胜黄蜂后说，“好吧，这些类型的比赛只是这些球队所做的，这些比赛可以提升你在这个混乱的排名上的地位，作用是很大的。”

　　这场比赛虽然并不能保证你现在具有进入季后赛的优先权，但是现在，要是不让我们考虑季后赛第一轮的各个对手的可能性，也是非常困难的。

　　如果现在我们考虑火箭队在季后赛的潜在对手的话，我们可以大胆的假设，火箭队不想在任何的时候面对湖人队，也基本上不会在第一轮就面对这个早早就确定了西部头号种子的球队。火箭队更希望对阵第八名的小牛队，可是这是不可能的事情。同时，我们也可以大胆的假设太阳队现在基本上进入不了季后赛了。

　　在这几个前提下，面对现在这样的排名，想要做出选择似乎还是很困难的一件事情。

　　于是事情又绕回到了新奥尔良，重新开始了。

　　两个球队所在的城市非常的接近，飞行距离很短，有着相同的时区，火箭队对黄蜂的两场胜利也可以稍微提升了一下他们的信心。

　　即使对手本赛季增加了詹姆斯-波西，黄蜂队的阵容缺少深度的问题还是成为了他们现在最大的短板，这会让他们在季后赛停止前进的脚步，这也是火箭队能够取得胜利的一大原因。

　　他们同样也有在比赛中容易急躁和鲁莽的趋势，当比赛的情况变得比较糟糕的时候，钱德勒和韦斯特往往会让他们的性格变成比赛的终结者。

　　除了那些，黄蜂队相对的缺少季后赛成功的经验会让他们的对手--另外一个同样在季后赛缺乏成功经验的球队（你可以猜到我说的是谁）--更乐意在第一轮就碰到他们。

　　然而，黄蜂队现在是一个在联盟最好的球员之一所领导下的球队，季后赛的比赛往往非常的激烈，当比赛的随后时刻，也就是球队的执行力成为决定一切的最终因素的时候，火箭队想要保罗利用高位挡拆来撕碎自己的防守，然后传给钱德勒一个空中接力或者自己跳投来终结比赛吗？

　　似乎还有其他更好的选择项

　　波特兰在季后赛成功的经验比黄蜂队还要少，他们虽然有深度，但是缺少球星。格雷格-奥登这个赛季很可能不再上场比赛了，于是他再也无法上来对姚明进行骚扰，而大多数年轻的球员缺少相应的身体，对姚明起不到多大的作用，而且他们甚至还不明白姚明在进攻端到底有多少出色的手段呢。

　　拉马库斯-阿尔德里奇虽然是一个被低估的力量，然而火箭队对付他却做得非常的不错。

　　不过，罗伊却是一个问题。和保罗一样，你如果把他放到比赛的最后时刻，他就可以决定比赛。火箭队不会忘记本赛季他在波特兰那个31英尺彩虹般的跳投，而且不仅仅如此，他还可以做出最正确的决定，同样可以终结比赛。

　　火箭队和马刺队的每一场比赛看起来似乎都很不错，不过，他们是马刺队，没有任何一个球队有他们的冠军经验那么丰富，没有一个球队在压力下的战术执行能够比得上他们，这个球队你应该越晚碰到他们越好，而不是第一轮。

　　爵士？火箭队对他们太了解了，他们没有什么变化，奥库依然可以利用力量来防守姚明，而且他依然可以利用无所不在的投射范围让姚明疲于奔命，爵士依然在前场篮板上不断的伤害着火箭队，火箭队依然痛恨在盐湖城进行比赛。

　　火箭队上下或许会无比的希望在第一轮就痛痛快快的击败爵士，可是这不是他们最希望选择的对手，即使事情像诗一般的而美丽，这也不是任何人想要看到的季后赛的开局。拿下第一轮，然后尝试着灭掉爵士，（这才是大家希望看到的）。

　　那么下面就剩下掘金了，他们确实有一个既聪明又出色的组织后卫，比卢普斯依旧像当年那个总决赛MVP一样，而他的周围围绕着各种各样的天才球员，他们有运动能力出色的大前锋肯扬-马丁和克里斯-安德森，有一个体型充足的中锋，还有得分手，卡梅罗-安东尼和JR-史密斯可以在任何人的面前开火。

　　不过，火箭队最好还是和掘金队进行比赛，火箭队现在已经重新拥有了他们强大的防守，可以限制那些依靠得分来比赛的球队。在姚明尊重内内并且痛恨在丹佛进行比赛的同时，他却在他们的面前可以拿下很多的分数。而丹佛的防守可以给火箭队偶尔虚弱的进攻留下很好的调整空间。

　　火箭队很可能不会去展望和掘金进行一系列的季后赛，不过这就是西部目前的情况，没有任何一个选择项看起来是很迷人的。或许看起来，把年轻并且不稳定的黄蜂或者开拓者作为季后赛的开始，显得很有诱惑力，不过或许丹佛才是火箭队最合适的对位对手。

　　然后下一次季后赛对手是谁，或许就没有什么关系了。

　　如果火箭队的这个赛季已经证明了什么事情的话，那么就是证明了不管谁在打比赛，不管怎么打比赛，都没有什么关系，他们已经展示了自己可以击败任何的球队，他们击败了西部除了湖人之外的所有球队，以及东部的每一个强队，当然，他们也可以输给任何的球队。

　　他们已经连续11个赛季没有进入第二轮了，而第一轮的对手现在也没有很非常明显的选择，如果他们觉得掘金队是他们最好的选择项的话，那么现在的排名对于要进行选择来说，有点压缩的过于紧密了。

　　或许他们让自己达到那种足以赢下季后赛第一轮比赛的程度，会比他们尝试着选择第一轮的对手更加的好一些。

　　（译：搜狐体育少东）

以下是费根特供搜狐专栏原文：

　　By Jonathan Feigen

　　The Rockets had stormed past the Hornets to a certain win, with the final minutes reduced to a celebration of a win as stunning for the triumph over a division rival achieved without Yao Ming as for the comeback it required.

　　With the game in its final minutes, Chris Paul lost the ball in the lane, where Kyle Lowry retrieved it and sent Von Wafer on his way to a breakaway slam that took the Rockets’ lead to 14. Right then, with the Rockets’ win in New Orleans on Monday moments away, thoughts leaped ahead to the post-season.

　　The Rockets’ shaky grip on third in the Western Conference grew one game tighter. The Hornets’ second-consecutive defeat, following a blowout loss in Chicago, dripped them to sixth. If the playoffs were ready to begin, the Rockets would be opening in Houston against the Hornets, a team they had beaten in two of three meetings so far.

　　As potential match ups go, the Rockets would seem capable of finding much worse. Their latest win, however, does not make New Orleans the ideal choice among few attractive alternatives.

　　Not that the Rockets can pick and choose their playoff opponent, but the Hornets might not be the best choice, even if every win over a potential playoff foe does not bring thoughts of the post-season to come.

　　“We always talk about how far we’re going to get in the playoffs, how much we’re going to be a championship contender,” forward Luis Scola said after the win in New Orleans. “Well, these types of games is just what those types of teams do. These kind of games are going to put you up there or right in the mix. It’s huge.”

　　That does not qualify as a statement of preference, but it is difficult to not consider the first-round possibilities.

　　As teams the Rockets would want to play, we can safely assume they would not want any part of the Lakers and likely won’t have to meet the certain top seed in the first round. They might like the eighth-place Mavericks, but that does not seem terribly likely, and it seems safe to assume the Suns won’t get into the playoffs to be an option.

　　After that, the choices seem as difficult to separate as they are in the standings.

　　That brings us back to New Orleans.

　　It is close. Short flights. Same time zone. The Rockets have a pair of wins to inspire some confidence.

　　Even with the addition of James Posey this season, the Hornets’ lack of depth has seemed to be a major shortcoming that would stop them in the post-season, and a big part of the Rockets’ win.

　　There also seems to be a tendency toward hot-headedness. When things go wrong, Tyson Chandler and David West often seem to let their tempers diminish their play.

　　Beyond that, the Hornets’ relative lack of post-season success makes them seem like a team that another team with a lack of post-season success (guess who) might be better off seeing in the first round.

　　The Hornets, however, are led by one of the league’s best players. Playoff games are close. At the end of a game, when execution is everything, would the Rockets want any part of Chris Paul ducking around a high screen and maneuvering through their defense, to an alley-oop lob to Tyson Chandler or pull-up jumper?

　　There has to be a better option that that.

　　Portland has less post-season success than the Hornets. They have depth, but relatively few stars. Greg Oden may not play again this season and there is no telling whether he could bother Yao Ming. Most young players that rely on size take a few whippings from Yao before they get an idea of how to deal with Yao’s offensive talents.

　　LaMarcus Aldridge is an underappreciated force, but the Rockets have done a good job against him.

　　There is, however, the issue of Brandon Roy. As with Paul, you get him at the end of a close game and he makes plays, or have the Rockets forgotten his 31-feet rainbow in Portland this season. More than that, he makes good decisions, the sort that win close games.

　　The Rockets have looked good at times against the Spurs, but they are the Spurs. No team has their championship experience, no one knows better how to execute under pressure. They are the sort of team you play as late as possible, not in the first round.

　　The Jazz? The Rockets know better. Nothing has changed. Mehmet Okur still brings the beef to defend Yao with the shooting range that forces Yao to match up elsewhere. The Jazz still whip the Rockets on the offensive boards. The Rockets still hate playing in Salt Lake City.

　　The Rockets would understandably want to beat no one more than the Jazz in the first round, but that cannot be the opponent they would choose. Poetic as it would be, this is not where anyone would prefer to start the post-season. Win a round, and then try again against the Jazz.

　　That leaves the Nuggets. They do have a smart and greatly experienced point guard. Chauncey Billups still looks like the guy that was a Finals MVP, and there are all sorts of talents around him. The Nuggets have athletic power forwards, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen, a full-sized center, and scorers, Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, that can light it up with anyone.

　　Yet, the Rockets play the Nuggets well. The Rockets have reclaimed their defense, and can limit teams that rely on their scoring. As much as Yao respects Nene and hates playing in Denver’s altitude, he scores well against Nene and the Nuggets. The Denver defense often leaves openings for the Rockets sometimes shaky offense.

　　The Rockets probably would not look forward to a series against the Nuggets, but that’s the way it is in the west. None of the choices seem too inviting. There might be a temptation to consider the young and still-flawed Hornets or Trail Blazers a better way to start, but the Nuggets might be the best matchup.

　　Then again, maybe it does not matter.

　　If the Rockets’ season has demonstrated anything it is that it might not matter who they play as much as how they play. They have shown themselves able to beat anybody, taking wins over every Western Conference team but the Lakers and each of the Eastern Conference powers. They can lose to anyone, too.

　　They have had 11 consecutive seasons end before the second round. There is no obvious choice for a preferred first-round opponent, and even if they thought Denver might be the best option, the standings are too tightly packed to predict choose.

　　They would be better off getting to the point they are playing well enough to finally win a playoff series, rather than to try to determine whom they would play.