A behind-the-scenes look at the Miami Heat's intense culture.
热火强硬球队文化的幕后观察。
When Miami Heat president Pat Riley met with unrestricted free agent Dion Waiters last summer, the nine-time NBA champion made the 24-year-old shooting guard a promise.
去年夏天迈阿密热火总裁帕特·莱利与完全自由球员迪昂·维特斯会面时，曾经拿过九个NBA总冠军的莱利向24岁的得分后卫做出了一个承诺。
"We're going to get you in world-class shape," Riley told Waiters. "Not good shape. Not great shape. World-class shape. Give us a season, and you'll see." Riley has made this promise to other free agents over the years, and he has an iPad full of before-and-after pictures that serve as success stories to back up his claim. When a player joins the Heat, it doesn't take them long to realize that this organization does things differently.
“我们会为你打造出世界顶级的身材。”莱利对维特斯说，“不是好身材，不是很好的身材，而是世界顶级的身材。给我一个赛季，你就会明白了。”莱利这些年对其他自由球员也做过这样的承诺，他的iPad里有球员前后的对比照片，用来支持他的说法。加入热火后，不用太久，球员就会明白这支球队与众不同的做法。
Prior to joining the Heat, Waiters thought he was already in excellent shape after playing four years in the NBA. James Johnson, who had been in the NBA for seven seasons and can literally kick the rim on a regulation hoop, thought the same thing prior to signing with Miami last offseason.Most players have this reaction. Then, they show up for the team's workouts.
加入热火前，在联盟打了四年的维特斯自以为已经有了很不错的身材。在NBA效力了七年的詹姆斯·约翰逊，可以踢到常规高度的篮筐，上个休赛期加入热火前，他也以为自己的身体已经到了最好状态。大多数球员都是这种反应，直到他们参加球队的训练。
"After one week, my body [was] shot," Waiters recalled. "I was damn near throwing up in trash cans like in the movies."
“一周后，我的身体瘦下去了。”维特斯回忆道，“就像电影里那样，我差点抱着垃圾桶吐了。”
The Heat's offseason workouts, training camps and practices are the stuff of legend. Players work extremely hard, spending a ton of time on conditioning and weight training. This year's team was still doing full-contact practices in the final week of this season-even when a playoff berth was a realistic possibility.
热火的休赛期健身，训练营和常规训练已经成为传奇。球员训练得极为努力，大量时间被用在体能和体重训练上。本赛季即便到了最后一周，球队还在进行全对抗训练——即便打进季后赛只有理论上的希望。
"They had us come in early during the offseason to prepare for training camp," said one current Heat player, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "We did sprints and other conditioning drills, and we even went outside to push some sleds and flip tires and stuff like that. This was all to get ready for training camp.
“休赛期他们让我们提前回来，为训练营做准备。”一个现役，不愿透露姓名的热火球员表示，“我们练短跑冲刺和其他体能项目，我们甚至会去户外推车翻轮胎什么的。这些都是为了准备训练营。”
"When camp started, it was definitely different. With other teams, they may have veterans who can't run as much so the training camp is kind of built to accommodate those guys. In Miami, we were all trying to make a name for ourselves so it was competitive and we were all ready to work hard. We had sayings like, 'No fake gym rats,' 'No excuses,' and, 'Always get one percent better.' If you came to the gym, it wasn't to make an appearance so the coaches can see you. You're coming to get better. We don't want any fake gym rats.”
“训练营开始后，又不一样了。其他球队，可能有跑不动的老将，所以训练营只是为了配合他们适应。在迈阿密，我们都想打出名声，所以竞争性很强，我们都做好了努力的准备。我们有一种说法，‘没有假的体育馆耗子。’‘没有借口。’还有‘永远争取再强1%。’你来训练馆，不会为了只露一面让教练看到你。来就是为了提高。我们不想要任何假的体育馆耗子。”
While intense, the work paid off. Sources say that Waiters trimmed his body fat percentage by nearly five percent from the start of the season to now. He was so proud of the transformation that he posted a copy of his before-and-after picture on Snapchat after the season ended.
虽然强很大，但这样的训练效果也很明显。消息源称，赛季开始至今，维特斯的体脂下降了近5%。为自身的转变倍感骄傲的他，赛季结束后还在Snapchat上发了一张前后对比的照片。
Those around the NBA say it's no coincidence that Miami went 30-11 in the second half of the season. Many credit the Heat's excellent conditioning for their late-season success, as it seemed they were just hitting their stride when other teams were breaking down.
NBA相关人士表示，热火能在下半赛季打出30胜11负并非偶然。很多人将热火赛季末的成功归功于他们出色的体能储备，当其他球队支撑不住时，他们仍能打出良好状态。
While the Heat ultimately missed the playoffs, it's amazing they were even in the postseason mix. They were 19 games under . 500 at one point during the campaign. In fact, they became the first team in NBA history to rally from more than 12 games below . 500 and avoid a losing record (they finished 41-41, missing the playoffs on the final day of the regular season).
尽管热火最终还是与季后赛失之交臂，但他们有能力冲击季后赛，便足以让人惊喜了。赛季期间，他们一度与五成胜率相差19场比赛。事实上，他们是NBA历史上第一支在比五成胜率少12个胜场的情况下最终避免了胜率不足五成的球队(热火的最终战绩为41胜41负，常规赛最后一天才错过季后赛)。
"Their conditioning played a big role in their success over that stretch," one agent said. "This is why they run so much in the offseason, in training camp and during the season. They run like gazelles and work extremely hard to prepare for stretches like that."
“他们的体能储备在这一段中扮演了重要角色。”一个经纪人表示，“这就是他们在休赛期、训练营和赛季中练那么多跑步的原因。他们像羚羊一样奔跑，为了给漫长的赛季做好准备训练得非常刻苦。”
Every player who joins the Heat takes three pictures documenting their progress: one before the season, one during the season and one after the season. This isn't a common practice around the league; in fact, players typically say that this is all new to them.
每一个加入热火的球员会拍摄三张照片记录这个过程：一张在赛季开始前，一个在赛季中，一张在赛季结束后。这并非联盟规定：事实上，球员们一般表示，这是他们第一次这么做。
"I never had done a before-and-after [picture]," Johnson told Anthony Chiang of The Palm Beach Post. "We got in there and they told me I had to take off my shirt. We had to take a before picture. It was weird to me. It was really weird to me."
“我从来没拍过前后对比照片。”约翰逊对《棕榈滩邮报》的安东尼·张表示，“去了之后，他们让我脱掉上衣。我们需要拍一张‘之前的’照片，我觉得这很奇怪。我真觉得很奇怪。”
Every Monday, players are weighed and their body fat percentage is measured. Each player has specific goals that are customized for them, but the team goal is for everyone to fall under 10 percent body fat. What happens if a player doesn't meet his goal? When asked, one Heat player laughed and said he didn't know because every player on the roster met their goals - mainly because they were too scared to find out the consequences.
每周一，球员都会测量体重和体脂含量。每名球员都有专门为他们制定的目标，但球队的总体目标是将体脂含量减少到10%以下。如果有球员没实现这个目标呢？被问到这个问题时，一名热火球员大笑，他表示不知道，因为球队里的所有球员都实现了目标——主要原因在于，他们太害怕，不想知道失败的结果。
Miami has a rule that players can't put their hands on their knees for a breather during a practice or game. Any player who does this is fined $100, according to a league source who's close with several former Heat players. If that's a rule, you can imagine what the penalty would be for showing up overweight…
热火有一个规则，训练或者比赛期间，球员不能用手扶着膝盖喘气。按照和一些前热火球员熟悉的消息源的说法，违反这个规定的球员会被罚款100美元。如果有这样的规定，你可以想象体重超标会有什么样的惩罚……
In addition to working hard in the gym and on the court, the team tries to help players eat right. Breakfast is provided to the players every day and, on gamedays, lunch and a pre-game spread is also available. Players are encouraged to eat home-cooked meals as opposed to going out to restaurants, and they're taught to be conscious of what they're putting in their body. These lessons are especially important for young players or former D-League players since they're accustomed to eating cheap foods (AKA fast food and processed junk).
除了认真训练，球队还在帮助球员确立正确的饮食习惯。球队每天都会为球员提供早餐，比赛日还会提供午餐和赛前餐食。球队鼓励他们在家烹饪肉类，而不是去餐馆吃饭，他们学会有意识地关注自己摄入的食物。对年轻球员或前发展联盟球员来说，这是非常重要的经验，因为他们习惯了吃便宜的食物(也就是快餐和经过处理的食品)。
While Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra obviously played a huge role in creating this culture, Heat strength and conditioning coach Bill Foran deserves credit as well. Foran has been with the organization for 29 years, and this was his 19th season in his current role as strength and conditioning coach. His son, Eric, is now the team’s assistant strength and conditioning coach after two years learning from his father as an intern. Several players cited the Forans as the reason for their weight loss and improved play.
莱利和主教练埃里克·斯波尔斯特拉在创建这种球队文化中自然扮演了重要角色，但热火的力量及体能教练比尔·弗兰也配得上同样的赞誉。弗兰已经为热火工作了29年，今年也是他担任力量和体能教练的第19年。他的儿子埃里克经过两年在父亲手下的实习，现已成为球队的助理力量与体能教练。一些球员表示，弗兰是他们减重，表现提高的原因。
The organization trusts Foran and his process so much that, over the years, they've been willing to take risks on players who had weight issues - from Dexter Pittman to Eddy Curry to Shaquille O'Neal. When Curry was in Miami, he lost 100 lbs. and got back to his high school weight.
热火对弗兰极为信任，这些年里，他们甚至愿意在体重有问题的球员身上冒险——从德克斯特·皮特曼到艾迪·库里再到沙奎尔·奥尼尔。库里在热火效力期间，他减掉了45公斤，恢复到了高中时的体重。
Their process is also what helps them develop their diamond-in-the-rough players into key contributors, with Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, Willie Reed and Josh Richardson being perfect examples.
正是这个流程，帮助热火将“遗珠”培养为核心球员，哈桑·怀特塞德，泰勒·约翰逊，威利·里德和约什·理查德森就是最好的例子。
"Miami is a world-class organization," another agent said. "I've dealt with a lot of teams, but they're one of the best. They know what they're doing, they're organized, and it translates to the court.
“迈阿密是世界顶级球队。”另一个经纪人表示，“我和很多球队打过交道，但他们是最好的之一。他们知道自己在做什么，他们很有组织，这都转变为球场上的表现。”
"This culture is real," Johnson said. "We have the kind of practices where you can't go out and hang out all night and think you're going to be able to come to practice and really go hard because I'll call you out, everybody on this team will call you out. We won't leave it to the coaches to call you out. We take care of that ourselves."
“球队文化是真的。”约翰逊说，“我们的训练，你不可能出去玩个通宵还能再加我们的训练，因为我会指出你的问题，全队都会指出你的问题。我们不会把问题留给教练，我们自己就会解决。”
One thing several people told HoopsHype is Riley treats all of his players the same way and ensures they stick to their goals.
很多人都对Hoopshype表态，莱利对所有球员一视同仁，确保他们实现目标。
One former player told a story about Dwyane Wade reporting to camp weighing around 230 lbs. and telling Riley that he bulked up. Riley responded, "No, you're fat." This was during Wade's prime and the players were surprised to hear Riley talk to Wade like that. But it sent the message that everyone – with zero exceptions – would be held accountable.
一个前热火球员讲了一个韦德前往训练营报到时体重达到104公斤的故事，他对莱利说，他是练出肌肉了。莱利回答：“不，你胖了。”这件事发生在韦德的巅峰时期，听到莱利这样对韦德说话，球员们很惊讶。但这给所有人发出了一个信息——所有人都要负起责任，没有例外。
"Who would have the balls to tell Wade that, other than Riley?!" the former player said. "This was when D-Wade was Flash!"
“除了莱利，还有谁有胆子敢这样对韦德说话？！”前热火球员说，“还是在韦德是闪电侠那会！？”
No matter who you are, if you're donning a Miami jersey, you're expected to do things the Heat way.
不论是谁，只要穿上热火球衣，你就要按照热火的方式做事。
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