英语新闻周报
(2008-2-22)
摘要：当NBA总裁大卫·斯特恩宣布NBA扩充并划定新的赛区后，舆论普遍认为东南赛区是最弱的赛区。本赛季开始后，人们却发现最弱的赛区给他们带来了最大的惊喜。目前东南赛区有3支队伍是东部联盟成绩最好的队伍，并且东南赛区也可能成为战绩最好的东部赛区。
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.
下面是单词讲解和习惯用法：
1. 相信常常看NBA的听众朋友对这篇新闻中的一些词汇会比较熟悉。比如season赛季，NBA：National Basketball Association国家篮球协会，等等。下面我们就集中起来讲解一下。
首先是球队的名字。Orlando Magic：奥兰多魔术队。 Atlanta Hawk：亚特兰大老鹰队。Washington Wizard：华盛顿奇才队。Charlotte Bobcat：夏洛特山猫队，这是一支新组建的队伍。Miami Heat：迈阿密热队。等等。
2. 新闻中出现的球赛中常见的说法有很多，比如inside-outside combination 指内外线配合。新闻中的a lethal inside-outside combination of Shaq and Dwyane Wade意思是奥尼尔在内线的绝对实力和韦德外线的出色发挥珠联璧合，具有巨大的杀伤力。
league scoring champion：联盟得分王。
playing at an All-Star level：就是全明星赛成员的意思。
那么NBA场上球员分别要怎么表述呢？下面我们就向您介绍一下场上五名队员的称谓和职能。
首先是控球后卫：Point Guard。是球场上拿球机会最多、组织进攻的人。
shooting guard：得分后卫，以得分为主要任务的后卫队员，身材一般高于控球后卫，以外围投篮为主要的得分手段。
Small Forward：小前锋，球队中最重要的得分者，同时也要有不错的防守能力。
大前锋（Power Forward）以抢篮板、防守、卡位为主要任务。
Center：中锋，一个球队的中心人物，凭借其强壮、高大的身体，无论进攻还是防守，他们都是球队的枢钮。