It’s a single-elimination， winner-take-all tournament for $1 million.
　　这是场只能赢的比赛，胜利者将带走所有的一百万美元。
　　Dylan Murphy recalls his experience as head coach of Ants Alumni in "The Basketball Tournament，" a single-elimination， winner-take-all tournament for $1 million.
　　迪伦·墨菲回忆了他作为蚂蚁校友主教练带队征战“篮球锦标赛”的经历。这一项单败淘汰赛制的比赛，最终的胜利者将拿走100万美元的所有赛会奖金。
　　With under eight minutes to go in the second half， the Notre Dame Fighting Alumni led Ants Alumni by seven points. It wasn’t quite time to panic， but it was certainly time to kick things into another gear①.
　　距离下半场比赛结束还剩8分钟，圣母大学校友队领先蚂蚁校友7分。还不到恐慌时间，但我们显然该再努把力了。
　　That’s because $1 million was on the line. Played at DePaul University in Chicago， the winner of this game advanced to the final eight of "The Basketball Tournament，" a single-elimination， winner-take-all tournament originally featuring 97 teams and a slew of talent from a variety of backgrounds.
　　那是因为，100万美元就在我们眼前。比赛在芝加哥的德保尔大学进行，胜者挺进“篮球锦标赛”八强，这是单场淘汰制、冠军赢得全部奖金的赛事。共有97支球队参加，球员来自不同背景的不同行业。
　　Ants Alumni is a group of former Fort Wayne Mad Ants players（most continue to play professionally overseas or for the Mad Ants in the NBA Development League）， six of whom won the 2013-14 NBA D-League championship with Fort Wayne. Garrett Martz， vice president of sales for the Mad Ants， put the team together and asked myself and Kevin Bloom， another Mad Ants assistant coach， to lead the squad.
　　蚂蚁校友队的球员都是前韦恩堡疯狂蚂蚁队成员（大多数人仍在海外打职业联赛，或者仍为发展联盟的疯狂蚂蚁队效力），其中六个人跟随疯狂蚂蚁拿到过2013-14赛季发展联盟的冠军。疯狂蚂蚁的销售部副主管贾雷特·马茨组建了这支球队，邀请我、凯文·布鲁姆和另一个疯狂蚂蚁的助教担任球队教练。
　　Getting to this point wasn’t easy. Martz saved us from back-to-back-toback games by compiling enough fan votes for a first-round bye before TBT started， but NBA Summer League commitments and various overseas tryouts trimmed our roster down to five players for the first weekend.
　　走到这一步并不容易。马茨积攒了足够的球迷投票，让我们跳过了首轮，避免了背靠背。但NBA夏季联赛以及很多海外联赛的试训，导致我们球队的球员数量迅速减少。第一周时，我们只剩5名球员。

　　Although there was a big cash prize on the line， many of our players had to balance the potential of a quick payday versus playing in front of scouts at summer workouts to advance their careers in the long term.
　　尽管潜在的奖金数额很高，但我们的很多球员必须在迅速挣钱，在球探面前试训、以及自身长久的职业生涯之间做出平衡。
　　Most of our players have played all over the world—Europe， Asia， Australia， South America， the D-League and even the NBA. Though they might not be household names anymore， they were all once big-time players at major colleges. The vast majority of college basketball players don’t play in the NBA. Most follow the path of our players， shuttling across the world to make a career out of playing basketball professionally. 　　我们的大多数球员在世界各地打过比赛——欧洲、亚洲、澳大利亚、南美、发展联盟，甚至是NBA。尽管他们不出名，但他们都曾是主流大学里的球星。绝大多数大学球员不会进入NBA。很多人追随我们的脚步，以篮球为职业徘徊在世界各地。
　　Coaching only five players brings its own set of unique challenges. We practiced the day before our first game to install some game-plan basics： five offensive sets， a baseline out-of-bounds play， a sideline out-of-bounds play， pick-and-roll defense and various thematic strategies.
　　仅仅执教无名球员对我来说也是特别的挑战。第一场比赛前一天，我们进行了训练，确定了几个基本比赛计划：五个进攻战术，一个发底线球战术，一个发边线球战术，挡拆防守以及其他策略。
　　With only one short hour to organize， we had to trim down our Mad Ants playbook （anywhere from 150-200 plays） to only a fraction of what our players are used to running.
　　因为只有一小时组织时间，所以我们必须把疯狂蚂蚁的战术手册（150到200种战术）缩减到球员经常打的一小部分。
　　Without the luxury of substitutions， we had to slow the pace of the game to conserve energy. When it came to timeouts， I couldn’t burn them to stop opponent runs； I had to wield them as tools for energy conservation， spacing them out every six to seven minutes to buy our players a moment of rest.
　　因为没有替补，我们还需要放慢比赛节奏，从而保存体力。至于暂停，我不能为了防守而浪费，我必须将暂停当作保存体能的工具，每6到7分钟就叫一次暂停，为我们的球员赢得一些休息时间。
　　And then there was the dilemma of fouls. Put simply， nobody could foul out. In our first game， fouls were not an issue. Against stiffer competition like Houston Live， both of our bigs， Chris Porter and Will Frisby， picked up four fouls with 14 minutes to play.
　　还有犯规这个两难问题。简单地说，没人能被罚出去。在我们的第一场比赛里，犯规不是问题。面对更强硬的对手，比如休斯敦现场队时，我们的两个内线克里斯·波特和威尔·弗雷斯比在比赛还剩14分钟时都四犯了。
　　Notre Dame was a far tougher test， but the addition of former D-League MVP Ron Howard， championship team starter Trey McKinney Jones， former NBA player Stephen Graham and athletic， rim-protecting center Tommy Smith gave us much-needed relief and flexibility.
　　圣母大学是更难缠的对手，不过有了前发展联盟MVP罗恩·霍华德、冠军球队首发特雷·麦金尼·琼斯、前NBA球员史蒂芬·格拉汉姆以及运动能力超强的篮筐保护者汤米·史密斯的加入，我们的阵容得到了急需的灵活性，大大松了一口气。
　　Still， we were down seven points late in the second half. We shuffled our pick-and-roll coverage at halftime， opting to switch every ball screen from the point guard to center position instead of having our bigs drop back and our guards fight over top. Notre Dame was bombing and connecting from threepoint range， and we gambled that their players were not talented enough to individually carve up mismatches.
　　不过在下半场，我们还落后7分。我们在半场休息时挑战了挡拆防守，我们要求控卫和中锋换防，而不是中锋撤后由控卫挤过防拆防守。圣母大学的三分球开始发飙，我们赌的是他们的球员个人能力不够，无法应对错位防守。

　　The switching initially worked. After falling behind early， we took a lead in the second half and seemed to have everything under control. Then we turned it over， and they banged a three. We missed another shot， and they punished us with a transition layup. Another three-pointer by Notre Dame， and things were spiraling the wrong way.
　　这个方法最初起到了效果。我们在开始时落后，不过在下半场，我们重新夺回了领先优势，似乎一切都在我们的控制之中了。然后我们出现了一个失误，他们进了个三分球。我们投篮不中，他们又用一次攻防转换的上篮惩罚了我们。圣母大学又进了一个三分，局面开始朝着糟糕的方向发展。
　　Porter， our de facto captain， urged everyone to lock in and get stops. Every player knew we were now in what was effectively a straight man-to-man defense with little help. The onus was on them， individually， to shut down the men in front of them.
　　作为事实上的队长，波特督促每个人都集中精力做好防守。每个人都知道，我们实际上处于一对一防守阶段，几乎得不到协防。责任在于每个人，他们要防住自己眼前的人。
　　Once again， our resolve prevailed. We fought to take a late-game lead before Ben Hansbrough nailed a game-tying three-pointer to send it to overtime. The crowd， due to South Bend’s proximity to Chicago， was clearly in Notre Dame’s corner. But it had been clear in the final moments of the game that we were in control， and in overtime we pounded them to take a resounding five-point win.
　　我们的意志又一次取得了胜利。我们在比赛末取得了领先，但本·汉斯布鲁投进了扳平三分，将比赛带进加时。由于南本德邻近芝加哥，所以观众都支持圣母大学。不过到了比赛最后时刻，掌握控制权的显然是我们。我们最终在加时赛取得了五分的胜利。
　　The journey toward the $1 million continued on， and we could start to see the money on the horizon.
　　争取100万美元的旅程还在继续，我们几乎能看到远处的现金了。
　　Team 23， our opponent， had blown out everyone it faced. With a week to get ready， Coach Bloom and I prepared a written personnel scout and some offensive and defensive keys to our players—more in-depth scouting normally reserved for the D-League season. But with so much cash on the line， we were leaving nothing to chance.
　　我们的对手Team 23打爆了之前的所有对手。有了一周的准备时间，布鲁姆教练和我准备了一份手写的球探报告，将进攻和防守关键点告诉球员——这种深度的球探报告一般只用在发展联盟里。不过奖金那么高，我们绝不愿意放弃任何机会。
　　Once again， our players’ experience in high-pressure situations came to our rescue. We came out flat， falling behind by 18 points in the first half. Davin White， Team 23’s best player， knocked down four three-pointers in the first half. Despite our bigs greeting him at the level of ball screens and doing our best to contest his shots， he extended his range far beyond the three-point line and couldn’t miss.
　　我们球员在高压状态下的经验，又一次拯救了我们。我们的状态非常糟糕，上半场落后了18分。Team 23最好的球员达文·怀特在上半场投进了四个三分球。尽管我们的大个子从掩护开始就去防守，而且尽全力干扰他投篮，他的投篮点甚至比三分线还远，但他就是投得进去。 　　$1 million was on the line."The Basketball Tournament" is a single-elimination， winner-take-all tournament originally featuring 97 teams and a slew of talent from a variety of backgrounds.
　　100万美元就在我们眼前。“篮球锦标赛”是一个单场淘汰制、冠军赢得全部奖金的赛事。共有97支球队参加比赛，球员分别来自不同背景的不同行业。
　　From a coaching perspective， the toughest part of these situations is the tactical reaction. Do you make significant lineup changes？ Do you scrap the game plan？ Or do you ride it out and tighten up the execution？
　　站在教练的角度，这种局面最麻烦的部分，就是战术上的应对。你需要对阵容做出明显调整吗？你应该抛弃比赛计划吗？还是说继续坚持，增强执行力？
　　Especially in a single-elimination tournament， it’s difficult to resist the impulse for wholesale changes. There’s simply no time for things to go wrong.
　　尤其是这种单场淘汰赛，我们很难抗拒从整体上做出改变的冲动。根本没有出错的时间。
　　Our choice fell somewhere in the middle—we knew we needed a change， but we didn’t want to completely break character and show signs of panic. We kept coverages mostly the same but shifted Rojas， who had previously been guarding Team 23’s small forward， Larry Owens （a D-League player who had a brief stint in the NBA）， onto White.
　　我们在两者之间做出选择——我们知道自己需要改变，但我们不想彻底打乱计划，表现出自己的恐慌。我们维持了大部分防守计划，不过让之前防守Team 23小前锋拉里·欧文斯（发展联盟球员，短暂地在NBA打过球）的罗哈斯去防守怀特。
　　Rojas was our team’s best defender and pound-for-pound rebounder. It’s hard to imagine a 6’4" power forward dominating the glass， but that’s exactly what Rojas does.
　　罗哈斯是我们最好的防守球员，也是个每球必争的篮板手。我们很难想象一个身高1.93米的大前锋能统治篮板，但罗哈斯确实如此。
　　The initial choice to stick him on Owens was twofold. Rojas could match his physicality in the post and be nearer to the glass should a shot go up. White， who is completely perimeter-oriented， would drag him out too far from the rim.
　　最初让罗哈斯防守欧文斯有两层意义。罗哈斯在低位能用身体扛住他；他还能更接近篮下，有机会出手。而怀特完全是个外线球员，他会让罗哈斯离篮筐很远。
　　Rojas， who was arguably the fiercest competitor on either team every time he stepped on the court， answered the challenge and completely changed the game. An 18-point lead evaporated. We were down three points with all of the momentum and almost 10 minutes still to play.
　　罗哈斯大概是两队最有活力的球员，他接受了挑战，彻底改变了比赛走势。18分的劣势缩小了，比赛还剩10分钟时，我们只落后3分，而且形势对我们很有利。
　　Team 23， however， was full of pros as well. Most of the teams that made any type of significant run in TBT had a team of professional basketball players.
　　不过Team 23也满是职业球员。任何能在这个锦标赛里走得远的球队，都有职业球员。
　　Although the NBA has most of the best talent in the world， the line between the NBA and other professional leagues—the D-League and Spain’s ACB， for instance—is pretty thin. 　　NBA拥有最有天赋的球员，但NBA球员和其他职业联赛——比如发展联盟、西班牙ACB联赛——之间的差距其实很小。
　　Sometimes a player hits his peak too late in his career； NBA teams tend to favor youth and potential. Sometimes an overseas player is probably good enough for an end-of-the-bench minimum contract but can actually make more money， have more financial security and see more minutes playing overseas.
　　有时候一个球员在职业生涯后期进入巅峰；而NBA偏爱年轻和有潜力的球员。有时候一个在海外打球的球员也许足够优秀，能够以底薪填补一支球队最后的名额，但他们在海外能赚到更多钱、得到更多经济保障，还能得到更多上场时间。
　　Team 23 was not going to fold easily. They responded to our run with two free throws and a three-pointer， extending the lead back to eight. Once again， I faced a decision： stick with the lineup that helped us crawl back into the game， or bring in fresh legs to combat Team 23’s countersurge.
　　Team 23不准备这么轻松放弃。他们回敬了两个罚球和一个三分球，把优势重新拉开到8分。我又一次要做出选择：坚持使用帮助我们追上比分的阵容，或者换上有体能的人对付Team 23。
　　I opted for the latter and played small ball， hoping to get our stagnant offense going. But the game held at a 10-point edge for Team 23 until they closed it out to end our run.
　　我选择了后者，换成小个阵容，希望能带动停滞的进攻。但Team 23一直把比分差距维持在10分左右，他们最终赢得了比赛。
　　We were obviously very disappointed to lose， especially with the $1 million within our grasp. But we were proud to reunite as a group， and you’ll definitely be seeing Ants Alumni in next year’s TBT.
　　输掉比赛，我们当然非常失望，特别是100万美元就近在咫尺。但重新集合在一起成为一个集体，我们非常自豪，明年的锦标赛，你们绝对能看到蚂蚁校友队的身影。
　　①kick into gear是英语俚语，意思是get started（开始）。更常见的说法是kick into high gear，也就是全力以赴。