英語新聞周報(二)
摘要：當NBA總裁大衛·斯特恩宣布NBA擴充并劃定新的賽區后，輿論普遍認為東南賽區是最弱的賽區。本賽季開始后，人們卻發現最弱的賽區給他們帶來了最大的驚喜。目前東南賽區有3支隊伍是東部聯盟成績最好的隊伍，并且東南賽區也可能成為戰績最好的東部賽區。
When David Stern announced the NBA's realignment plan last season, many people wondered if the new Southeast Division would stack up with say, the Big Ten.
The Orlando Magic were the worst team in the league, with the Atlanta Hawks right behind, I mean, ahead. The Washington Wizards were a perennial loser, and the Charlotte Bobcats were a soon-to-be expansion team. Only the Miami Heat looked anything like a playoff team, though not at all a serious contender. The question of whether any of these clubs could finish better than .500 was a legitimate one.
Well, quicker than you can say "I love realignment," the Southeast is suddenly the home of three of the Eastern Conference's top teams. Several offseason trades and draft picks – as well as the return and development of some key players – not only have made the Southeast the surprise division in the NBA but also perhaps the East's best division.
The Southeast's transformation began with Shaquille O'Neal's trade to Miami. The Heat went from a nice young team that made the playoffs last season to a powerful club boasting a lethal inside-outside combination of Shaq and Dwyane Wade.
Miami has room for improvement but is still off to a nice start with the East's best record, 16-7. With Detroit struggling and Indiana's roster decimated by suspensions, the Heat would be favored to win the East if the playoffs began today.
Shortly after Shaq's arrival in Florida, Orlando began its rebuilding project by trading league scoring champion Tracy McGrady. The Magic got Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato from the Rockets, and all three have been terrific, adding athleticism and depth to a roster devoid of both.
Francis in particular has been superb, playing at an All-Star level and leading the Magic to a 13-7 start. He has benefited from the return of Grant Hill after his long recovery from foot problems, as Hill has assumed much of the ball-handling responsibility to allow Francis to play as a shooting guard at times.
With the first pick in the draft, general manager John Weisbrod took Dwight Howard, who looks like a star in the making. The rookie averages a double-double and undoubtedly will improve by leaps and bounds the next several years.
Hedo Turkoglu was added to the lineup via free agency, and suddenly the Magic are one of the deepest teams in the league. After a 21-win season in 2003-04, Orlando now is on the verge of being one of the East's elite teams for the foreseeable future. What a turnaround.
But while it was easy to project the improvement of the Heat and the Magic, the success of the Wizards has been totally unexpected.
Washington, which is 12-7 after Monday's loss to Miami, made a major trade of its own on draft day, acquiring Antawn Jamison from Dallas to fortify a weak frontcourt. Jamison has given coach Eddie Jordan the inside scoring to complement the backcourt of Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes. All of a sudden, the Wizards are the third highest-scoring team in the NBA, putting up 102 points per night.
下面是單詞講解和習慣用法：
1. 相信常常看NBA的聽眾朋友對這篇新聞中的一些詞匯會比較熟悉。比如season賽季，NBA：National Basketball Association國家籃球協會，等等。下面我們就集中起來講解一下。
首先是球隊的名字。Orlando Magic：奧蘭多魔術隊。 Atlanta Hawk：亞特蘭大老鷹隊。Washington Wizard：華盛頓奇才隊。Charlotte Bobcat：夏洛特山貓隊，這是一支新組建的隊伍。Miami Heat：邁阿密熱隊。等等。
2. 新聞中出現的球賽中常見的說法有很多，比如inside-outside combination 指內外線配合。新聞中的a lethal inside-outside combination of Shaq and Dwyane Wade意思是奧尼爾在內線的絕對實力和韋德外線的出色發揮珠聯璧合，具有巨大的殺傷力。
league scoring champion：聯盟得分王。
playing at an All-Star level：就是全明星賽成員的意思。
那么NBA場上球員分別要怎么表述呢？下面我們就向您介紹一下場上五名隊員的稱謂和職能。
首先是控球后衛：Point Guard。是球場上拿球機會最多、組織進攻的人。
shooting guard：得分后衛，以得分為主要任務的后衛隊員，身材一般高于控球后衛，以外圍投籃為主要的得分手段。
Small Forward：小前鋒，球隊中最重要的得分者，同時也要有不錯的防守能力。
大前鋒（Power Forward）以搶籃板、防守、卡位為主要任務。
Center：中鋒，一個球隊的中心人物，憑借其強壯、高大的身體，無論進攻還是防守，他們都是球隊的樞鈕。