J.J. Redick had seen Chris Paul in pain before—and, more often than not, he'd seen him fight through that pain and keep playing.
这已经不是J.J-雷迪克第一次看到克里斯-保罗受伤了——在大多数情况下保罗会带着伤继续作战。
It wasn't until the second half of the Los Angeles Clippers' Martin Luther King Jr. Day game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when Paul didn't emerge from the tunnel at Staples Center, that Redick began to worry.
但让雷迪克开始担心的事发生了，在马-路德-金日开打的快船对雷霆的比赛中，保罗受伤下场后就再也没有在斯坦普斯球场的球员通道出现。
Perhaps a second-quarter tangle with Russell Westbrook had done more than tweak something in the point guard's left hand.
这或许是因为第二节与拉塞尔-威斯布鲁克缠斗比用左手拧东西要花费更多的力气。
Perhaps Paul's fit of anger on the way to the locker room pointed to a repeat of what happened during Game 4 of the Clippers' first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2016 NBA playoffs.
这又或许是因为这次的受伤让保罗在回更衣室的路上想起了去年季后赛首轮对阵开拓者的第四场发生的令人痛心疾首一切。
"I'm not assuming the worst by any means," Redick said following L.A.'s 120-98 win,
“我无论如何都不会想着会出现最糟糕的情况，”雷迪克在快船120比98赢得了比赛后的采访中说道。
"but I recognize there's probably a good chance he's maybe out a game or two, best case. Worst case, we'll deal with that."
“
但我意识到他有可能会缺席一到两场比赛，这是我能想到的最好的结果。如果是最坏的结果的话，我们会努力去应付的。”
The Clippers now face that worst case.
现在快船要应对最差的情况了。
The results of Paul's MRI on Tuesday revealed a torn ligament in his thumb—the same thumb he sprained during the preseason.
保罗的核磁共振报告显示他的大拇指的韧带撕裂了——正是他在季前赛扭伤的那根手指。
with surgery slated for Wednesday and six to eight weeks of recovery after that, according to the team.
根据队医报告，他将会在星期三进行手术并需要六到八周才能回到球场。
Paul's latest setback comes at a tough time in the schedule. After hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, L.A. will play away from home 11 times over its next 13 games.
这次伤病恰恰发生在了在快船赛程最艰难的时期。在周四主场打完森林狼之后，快船将在接下来的13场比赛中打11场客场的比赛。
That stretch includes three matchups with the Golden State Warriors, two with the Atlanta Hawks and away dates against the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celticsand Utah Jazz.
其中还包括三次与勇士的对决，两次和老鹰的缠斗和与猛龙，凯尔特人和爵士的三场背靠背。
And that's before the Clippers host the San Antonio Spurs on the return leg of a back-to-back that begins in Oakland, California, coming out of All-Star Weekend.
上述的都是主场对阵马刺前的赛程，而在全明星周末之后，快船又将面临一段从奥克兰开始，在洛杉矶结束的连续背靠背之旅。
Can the Clippers remain contenders despite Chris Paul's latest injury?
在保罗受伤以后快船还能保持在冠军竞争者的阵营中吗？
A six-week retreat would put Paul back in uniform March 1—when theHouston Rockets come to town—after a 16-game absence.
如果保罗可以在六周后康复，他会缺席16场比赛并在3月1日对阵休斯顿火箭的比赛中披挂上阵。
If he needs eight weeks to recover, he would miss 24 games before returning to face the Milwaukee Bucks on March 15 in L.A.
如果他需要八周才能康复，那他将缺席24场比赛并在3月15日主场对阵雄鹿的比赛中回归。
The All-Star break will mitigate some of the damage that might have otherwise been done to the Clippers' record, though it will come at the cost of Paul's suiting up for the Western Conference squad in New Orleans.
全明星周末可以减小保罗的伤病对快船战绩的影响，尽管保罗只能穿着西服参加新奥尔良的全明星周末了。
His 17.5 points, 9.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game and .471/.395/.876 shooting splits had all but assured the North Carolina native of a 10th straight All-Star appearance.
他每场17.5分，9.7助攻，2.2抢断的数据和47.1%，39.5%，87.6%的命中率足以确保这个来自北卡罗纳州的控卫第十次入选全明星。
So did Paul's impact on L.A.'s fortunes, from his league-leading real plus-minus (9.27, per ESPN.com) to the Clippers' 27-9 record with him in the lineup this season.
他对快船队的影响和他的数据一样优秀，他联盟领先的正负值（据ESPN统计高达+9.27）和快船有他出场时27胜9负的出色战绩都说明了这一点。
LAC has had to survive without its floor general before: He was sidelined seven times over an eight-game stretch from late December to early January with a nagging hamstring strain.
快船之前就应对过没有他们的球场指挥官出场的困境。保罗因为左腿筋的拉伤在十二月末到一月初的八场比赛中缺席了七场。
His absence touched off a six-game skid that preceded the team's current seven-game winning streak.
而他的缺席导致了快船迎来了一波六连败，在这之后快船则是打出了一波七连胜。

That dip came without Blake Griffin, as well. The 27-year-old power forward has been out of action since he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Dec. 20.
这次的连败中布雷克-格里芬同样没能上场。这个27岁的大前锋在去年十二月接受右膝关节镜手术后一直缺阵至今。
Griffin, though, could be back in the rotation soon. The Clippers originally pegged his recovery time at four to six weeks, the latter of which would put him in uniform for a Feb. 1 road date with thePhoenix Suns.
但格里芬很快就可以回到轮换阵容中去了。快船原本预计格里芬的恢复时间会是四到六周，如果他休战六周，那么格里芬将会在客场对阵太阳的比赛中复出。
He's recently been seen working out at L.A.'s practice facility in Playa Vista and going through his pregame routine on the court at Staples Center.
最近我们已经可以在快船队在普莱亚维斯塔的训练场地看到格里芬训练的身影，他也会参加斯台普斯球场的赛前热身。
Griffin's return—along with his 21.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game—would go a long way toward mitigating Paul's absence.
格里芬以及他场均21.2分，8.8板，4.7助攻的优异表现的回归，会大大减小保罗的缺席给快船带来的压力。
For now, though, the Clippers can't sit around and wait for their younger franchise star to pick up the slack. They also cannot put it all on his shoulders once he's ready to go.
但目前来看，快船不能仅仅指望这个年轻一些的超级球星带领他们度过困境。他们不能让这个刚刚复出的大前锋承担所有的压力。
"Next guy up, I guess," Redick said. "We've dealt with this quite a bit lately, and we'll continue to plug away."
“我猜我们需要有下一个人站出来，”雷迪克说。“我们最近一直在跟伤病对抗，我们会继续坚持下去。”
In the meantime, L.A. will need more from everyone on the roster, especially its remaining guards. Austin Rivers was the first to assume Paul's position,
同时，快船队需要每一位球员都贡献更多的力量，尤其是剩下的后卫们。奥斯汀-里弗斯是接替保罗位置的第一人选。
and he helped the Clippers maintain a double-digit cushion during the second half while racking up 16 points, six assists and a game-best plus-minus of plus-29 against the Thunder.
正是依靠他的出色表现，快船在对阵雷霆的下半场一直保持着两位数的领先，小里弗斯全场得到了16分6助，正负值全场最高，达到惊人的+29。
"We asked him to guard Westbrook for 98 percent of the game, and then we didn't know he was going to have to run the team, too,"
“在比赛的98%的时间，他被我们安排去防守威斯布鲁克，但我们没想到他在进攻端也打出carry全场的表现。
L.A. head coach Doc Rivers said. "That was asking a lot, but he came through for us, so that was big."
快船主教练里弗斯说道。“这对他来说要求有些过高了，但他为我们克服了这些困难，这是他的夜晚。”
The younger Rivers won't be asked to fill Paul's Jordans on his own, however. Raymond Felton, a sturdy veteran presence off the Clippers bench, started at the point four times during Paul's last sideline stint.
小里弗斯不能成为唯一一个代替保罗给小乔丹喂球的人。雷蒙德-菲尔顿，快船板凳席上的强壮老将，在先前保罗缺席的比赛中曾经担任过四场的首发控卫。
Jamal Crawford can assume some of his creative duties, too, and he might be better off doing so amid his recent shooting woes (20.5 percent from the field, 8.3 percent from three-point range over his last five games).
贾马尔-克劳福德也可以发挥一下他的创造力，但他最好先改善一下自己最近挣扎的投篮表现（过去的五场比赛中他的两分命中率只有20.5%，三分命中率更是只有8.3%）
All three figure to see significant jumps in playing time, just as they did when Paul was previously out of commission.
如果和之前保罗缺席后几场比赛的情况相似，这三个球员上场时间会出现大幅的增加。
What you won't see the Clippers do is heed any nagging calls to break up their core.
快船绝不会考虑那些交易的电话来拆散自己的核心。
They'll need a healthy Griffin to help them survive sans Paul and might not have their leader back until after the Feb. 23 trade deadline.
他们需要一个健康的格里芬来克服没有保罗的困难时期, 而且在2月23号交易日截止前他们可能都会处于一个无核的状态。
At least both should be fine well before the postseason starts in mid-April.
但这些问题到了四月中旬季后赛开打的时候，应该都不会再困扰快船了。
The more immediate concern will be L.A. holding steady in the standings. Just four games separate the fourth-place Clippers from the sixth-place Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies on the Western Conference ladder, and the Jazz (two games back) are lurking in between.
快船眼下的当务之急是保持自己的排名的稳定。快船西部第四名的战绩只比第六名的雷霆和第七名的灰熊领先4个胜场，而只以两场落后的爵士也是虎视眈眈。
L.A. will play as many as 19 games against teams currently in the playoff hunt by the time Paul heals. That brutal swath could jeopardize whatever slice of playoff home-court advantage the Clippers had been eyeing.
在保罗恢复前，快船将和现在处于东西部的季后赛竞争者打多达19场比赛。这种地狱模式的赛程很可能将快船一直觊觎的季后赛主场优势生生夺走。
Not that they are going to concede to the doom and gloom.
但这不意味着他们会向厄运屈服。
"We just have to keep attacking and keep moving forward," Austin Rivers said. "I know we can keep this win streak going if we take it game by game and keep stepping up."
“我们需要做的就是保持侵略性并且不断向前，”奥斯汀-里弗斯说道。“我知道，只要我们一步一个脚印不断提升自己，我们将会延续现在的连胜。”

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