LeBron James doesn't play games. LeBron James orchestrates cultural events. And Sunday night's game was the beginning of a societal whirlwind that will define this Los Angeles Lakers season.

勒布朗·詹姆斯打的比赛，不简简单单是一场篮球比赛，而更像是大型的文化活动。而周日晚上的比赛则是一个社会旋风的开始，它将定义洛杉矶湖人的这个赛季。

As we arrived in the city Saturday afternoon, the energy was unavoidable. LeBron James is all people were talking about in sunny San Diego, from the beach to the streets to the bars and the hotel bars.

当我们星期六下午到达这个城市时，能量是不可避免的。在阳光明媚的圣地亚哥，詹姆斯是所有，从海滩到街道，到酒吧和酒店酒吧的人们所谈论的对象。

James jerseys¹ were part of the fashion statements that fans wore to the CRSSED Music Festival (featuring Duke Dumont and Kiiara) in town during the weekend.

球迷们穿着詹姆斯球衣，成为周末在城里举办CRSSED音乐节（包括杜克杜蒙特和基亚拉），所展示的时尚态度的一部分。

Every time James even dribbled² the ball, people stood up. Kids with phones raced to the aisles³ to record the moment.

甚至每次詹姆斯运球时，人们都会站起来。拿着手机的孩子们跑到过道前记录这一时刻。

“Western Conference finals this season,” said the Uber driver, “or it's a disappointment for me.”

“这个赛季至少得打到西部决赛，”这位优步司机说，“否则我会失望的。”

Each time James scored points (nine) or logged a rebound⁴ or an assist, a roar washed over the arena⁵. As a franchise⁶, the Lakers have always worked best when celebrity⁷ drove its success — and there's not a bigger household name in basketball than No. 23, the three-time All-Star Game MVP.

每次詹姆斯得分(9分)或拿下一个篮板或助攻时，一阵欢呼声就会席卷整个场馆。作为一支球队，湖人队在超级球星推动球队取得成功的时候总是表现得最好——在篮球比赛中，最家喻户晓的名字莫过于那个获得过三次全明星比赛MVP的23号。

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As expected, the crowd in San Diego's Valley View Casino Center (capacity 16,100) was overwhelmingly pro-Lakers. The lines to get in featured fans in a dizzying array of jerseys, T-shirts and other purple and gold ensembles⁸, and there was an irrefutable excitement not felt since the final days of Kobe Bryant's 20-year reign⁹.

不出所料，圣迭戈谷景赌场中心(可容纳16，100人)的人群压倒性地支持湖人队。特点鲜明的粉丝阵容，由一系列令人眼花缭乱的球衣、T恤衫和其他紫色和金色的组合组成，这是自科比·布莱恩特结束20年统治的最后一战后，人们从未感受到的一种不可辩驳的兴奋。

The expectation of a championship, even if many don't expect it this season, is a feeling Lakers fans haven't felt in half a decade. And that's an eternity¹⁰ in the franchise Jerry Buss helped transform into a pop culture stalwart.

对总冠军的期望，即使很多人本赛季并不期待，也是一种过去五年湖人队球迷都没有感觉到的期待。球队长久以来的赢球氛围也在老巴斯的努力下，融入到了球迷文化当中。

This is the spirit James brings with him wherever he goes. It also makes you wonder. If all this happened in San Diego, then imagine the insanity¹¹ of the Lakers' home opener, 18 days away, against a legit title contender.

这就是詹姆斯无论走到哪里都带着的精神。这也让你好奇。如果这一切都发生在圣迭戈，那么想象一下湖人18天后主场首场比赛对一个真正的冠军争夺者的疯狂。

Celebrities¹² will pack courtside and settle to be peppered among the rows closest to the floor. Rabid collectives of Lakers fans from near and far will make the trip to their revitalized mecca.

名人们会挤在场边，在离地板最近的几排中间安顿下来。来自四面八方的湖人队球迷将前往他们复兴的麦加。

Beyond that, though, the Lakers will of course struggle at many points — it's a team that was largely pieced together on the fly. They'll have their chapters of dominance and of controlled chaos¹³, but regardless, Staples¹⁴ Center will be the vibrant¹⁵ cultural hub that, at its foundation, it has always been. Both scenarios¹⁶ can and will be honest representations of an evolving Western Conference powerhouse.

除此之外，湖人队当然会在很多方面苦苦挣扎-这是一支匆忙拼凑在一起的球队。他们将有他们的统治和控制混乱的篇章，但无论如何，斯台普斯中心将是充满活力的文化中心，在它的基础上，它一直是如此。这两种情况都可以而且将是一个不断发展的西部强队的真实代表。