Since the NBA Finals began on June 2, fans have been seeing something that has never happened in the history of the game. For the first time ever, the same two teams are facing off in three consecutive¹ NBA Finals.

自NBA总决赛6月2日开赛以来，球迷们已经见证了赛史上史无前例的事情。两支队伍共创历史，连续三年会师NBA总决赛。

But if the biggest trilogy in the league’s history – which is seeing the Golden State Warriors² play against the Cleveland Cavaliers – were a movie, who would be your choice for lead actor?

但如果NBA赛史上这一出最盛大的三部曲 ——金州勇士队对战克利夫兰骑士队 —— 是部电影，你会选择谁来领衔主演呢？

LeBron James may be a good starting point. The popular player created the biggest buzz (热点) weeks before the Finals started. He’s a sporting giant, and incredibly, he’s still at the peak of his powers at 32 years old.

勒布朗·詹姆斯或许是个不错的出发点。这位大热球星在总决赛开赛的几周前便成为了最大热点。他是体育界的一大巨头，而令人难以置信的是，32岁“高龄”的他依然保持着巅峰状态。

“Yes, this is the best version of LeBron,” his former coach Mike Brown said.

“是的，这是勒布朗的最佳状态，”他的前教练迈克·布朗说道。

And even better, with Kyrie Irving as his capable co-star, James probably has the best team he’s ever had around him.

而更理想的情况是，有出色的凯里·欧文与他携手，詹姆斯或许已经拥有了职业生涯以来最棒的队员阵容。

So the Cavaliers must be favorites, right? Not really. They’re underdogs because James, the best player of his generation, is facing the most successful team of his generation.

所以克利夫兰骑士队看来就是本赛季的宠儿了？并非如此。他们正处于劣势，因为尽管詹姆斯是他这一代最棒的球员，但他同时也面对的是他这一代最成功的球队。

In June 2015, in Act 1, the Warriors celebrated³ a 67-win season with a title over the wounded Cavaliers. In Act 2, the Cavaliers rose from an impossible 3-1 Finals hole to defeat the Warriors. It was the first championship for the title-starved Cavaliers in more than a half-decade.

2015年6月，在第一回合的较量中，金州勇士队击败了伤痕累累的克利夫兰骑士队，以67胜的赛季成绩获得冠军头衔。在第二回合中，克利夫兰骑士队在总决赛3-1落后的局势中，上演不可能的逆转并击败了金州勇士队。那也是渴望荣誉的克利夫兰骑士队五年多来所获得的第一个冠军头衔。

The loss only makes the Warriors more hungry to win – they created history again by becoming the first team to ever go 12-0 on their way to the Finals. “It was taken,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “They took it. We want to take back the championship. That’s just the nature of a competitor. Take back what they took from us.”

这场失利令金州勇士队更加渴望获得胜利 —— 他们成为了首支以12胜0负的战绩挺进总决赛的队伍，再次创造了历史。“冠军被夺走了，”金州勇士队前锋德雷蒙德·格林说道。“他们夺走了它。我们想把冠军拿回来。这就是竞争对手的本能。把他们从我们这里夺走的东西拿回来。”

That story by itself is just perfect. But even the best movie franchises⁴ don’t keep the same cast. Just look at the Fast and Furious movies. As the popularity of a series grows, more and more stars want to be part of the action. It’s the same here. Kevin Durant and Mike Brown arrive as the new major figures in Act 3.

这个故事本身很完美。就连最棒的系列电影，也不会一直保持原班人马。看看《速度与激情》系列就知道了。随着这一系列的热度上升，越来越多的明星想要加盟这部动作片。篮球场上也是如此。凯文·杜兰特以及迈克·布朗在第三回合中作为新的主要人马加入战局。

In 2012, at the age of 23, Durant battled James and lost in his first and only NBA Finals. In the five years following, Durant ran into a wall of continual roadblock on his way back to the Finals. So he famously joined the Warriors in July 2016. As the series begins, there’s no shortage of Durant drama.

2012年，23岁的杜兰特与詹姆斯展开对决，却输掉了他首次也是唯一一次NBA总决赛。在接下来的五年里，杜兰特在进军总决赛的路上接连遇到重重障碍。所以，众所周知，他在2016年7月加入了金州勇士队。随着战幕的拉开，杜兰特的好戏也必不会少。

But Mike Brown’s role is all the more interesting. Brown coached the Cavaliers twice, and now – in an unlikely twist of fate – he’s the Warriors’ acting⁵ head coach in the Finals. “It’s the circle of life,” Brown said.

但迈克· 布朗的角色则更加有趣。布朗曾两次执教克利夫兰骑士队，而现在 —— 在不大可能的命运转折之下 —— 他成为了金州勇士队总决赛中的代理主教练。“这是生活的轮回，”布朗说道。

So it seems that a perfect script is ready to make history. “This is something that will be talked about long after us,” Green said. “So just to be a part of this is amazing. Be careful – right now, you’re witnessing greatness.”

所以，这个完美的剧本似乎已准备好要创造历史。“这是一件我们的子孙后代都将谈论的事情，”格林说道。“所以参与其中真的太棒了。注意了 —— 现在，你正见证着伟大的时刻。”