Since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, this year's NBA Finals matchup appeared all but preordained.
NBA 2016/17赛季开始后,总决赛的对决似乎又被提前“钦定”了。
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers would inevitably meet for the third straight time, battling in the rubber match to end all rubber matches.
金州勇士和克里夫兰骑士,看上去将不可避免的第三次在总决赛相遇,用他们的系列赛结束整个季后赛。
It only took an hour Tuesday to throw that outcome into jeopardy.
不过周二,两小时内发生的两件事就让这个结论不那么肯定了。
First, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced All-Star power forward Kevin Love underwent arthroscopic surgery "to remove a loose body from his left knee," which is estimated to sideline him for the next six weeks.
Shortly thereafter, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski dropped one of his patented #WOJBOMBS, reporting the Toronto Raptors were sending Terrence Ross and the lower of their two first-round picks (their own or one from the Los Angeles Clippers) to the Orlando Magic for Serge Ibaka.
As a result, the Cavaliers' once-predetermined spot in the Finals suddenly appears to be up for grabs.
结果是什么呢?骑士在总决赛中“预定”的席位看上去面临猛龙的争夺。
Even if Love fully recovers heading into the playoffs, Toronto significantly bolstered its chances against the Cavaliers by acquiring Ibaka.
即使乐福能在季后赛阶段复出,多伦多通过得到伊巴卡也明显增加了同骑士竞争的机会。
No team has gotten less production from its power forwards than the Raptors this season, according to HoopsStats.com, which could have proved fatal against Love and Cleveland in a seven-game playoff series.
With Ibaka in tow, what once was a weakness for Toronto has now become a strength.
在有了伊巴卡之后,猛龙这个位置曾经的弱点现在会变成强点。
Having spent years in Oklahoma City alongside Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Ibaka is also used to serving as a complementary offensive option, which will be a mammoth boon for a Toronto team that has stagnated in recent weeks.
DeRozan, meanwhile, told TSN's Josh Lewenberg "Help is always welcomed, for sure" following Toronto's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb. 8. After the Raptors' collapse Sunday, he echoed those comments, saying, "If help is an option, why not?"
One look at the Raptors' clutch-time metrics speaks to just how much Ibaka can help.
看看猛龙决战时刻的表现,你就明白伊巴卡能带来多少帮助。
Heading into Tuesday, when the Raptors are either ahead or behind by no more than five points with five or fewer minutes remaining, Lowry and DeRozan have combined to shoot 72-of-160 (45.0 percent). All other Toronto players combined have gone 20-of-64 (31.3 percent).
The Raptors are wise to rely predominantly on their two top scorers in close-game situations, but without a third consistent offensive threat, opposing defenses can load up on DeRozan and Lowry late and force other players to beat them.
With Ibaka in the fold, that won't be the case any longer. The big man has struggled in clutch time this season, going 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) to date, but he also wasn't playing alongside two All-Star talents in Lowry and DeRozan.
During his final three seasons in OKC, Ibaka went 13-of-25 (52.0 percent), 10-of-29(34.5 percent) and 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) in such situations, respectively, suggesting he's plenty capable of picking up a complementary load.
If he emerges as a third reliable option for the Raptors in clutch time, their late-game offense will become far less predictable, making them even more dangerous once the playoffs roll around.
如果他能成为猛龙决战时刻第三可靠的得分点,他们比赛末段的进攻将更不可预测,他们在季后赛将更有威胁。
Giving up Terrence Ross and a late-first-round pick for what could be a four-month rental in Ibaka carries inherent risk, but Toronto didn't have a choice.
If the Raptors re-sign Lowry, they wouldn't have enough cap space to bring in a free agent of Ibaka's caliber as well.
如果猛龙选择同洛瑞续约,他们将没有足够的薪金空间签下像伊巴卡这样的自由球员。
In essence, trading for Ibaka is the Raptors' big free-agent splash, as they do reportedly plan to re-sign him as well, according to Wojnarowski.
本质上,这笔交易相当于猛龙提前在自由人市场上签下伊巴卡,而根据Woj透漏,他们的确计划同他续约。
(Citing "sources close to the situation," Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler reported on Feb. 7 the Raptors were a "favorable situation for Ibaka long term, but it's unclear if he'd give assurances of re-signing there.")
Re-signing Ibaka and Lowry will plunge the Raptors into luxury-tax territory, pending other trades, but that's a price worth paying for now.
如果同时续约伊巴卡和洛瑞,且没有其他交易的话,猛龙将在下个赛季起支付奢侈税,但这是值得的。
Lowry and DeMarre Carroll are each turning 31 over the coming months, and DeRozan will be 28 by the time next season starts.
洛瑞和德马雷-卡罗尔都即将年满31,德罗赞下个赛季开始时也将28。
With their core all firmly in the midst of their respective primes, now is not the time for the Raptors to cheap out and cut costs. The emergence of Norman Powell should also help soften the blow of losing Ross.
While this trade condemns Orlando to another year of rebuilding, it solidifies the Raptors' place as a legitimate Eastern Conference contender and should help them recover from their recent tailspin.
Given the news about Love's extended absence, the timing of the move couldn't be much better for Toronto, as Ibaka can use the All-Star break to familiarize himself with his new digs and hit the ground running.
It's too early to crown the Raptors as the new favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals, but this trade put them one step closer to dethroning LeBron James and the reigning-champion Cavaliers. As usual, Toronto general manager Masai Ujiri stays winning.