Celtic Pride

CLEVELAND - The fans began booing Celtics forward James Posey profusely every time he touched the ball Saturday night. Fouling Cavaliers star LeBron James hard, like Posey did in Game 3, a 108-84 Boston loss, can make people here turn on a Cleveland native quickly.

球迷開始毫不吝惜地噓Celtics前鋒James Posey的每次持球。狠狠地犯騎士隊的明星LeBron James規，就像Posey在第三戰作的，可以讓人們對這個克里夫蘭土生土長的人很快地就採取敵意。

But just a mile away from Quicken Loans Arena, at an inner-city recreation center nicknamed "The Bath House," Posey is a beloved role model whose popularity eclipses that of even King James. It's there that the Celtics forward affectionately known as "Mikely" reigns supreme.

但是就在騎士隊主場一哩遠，貧民區裡一個綽號叫”澡堂”的運動中心，Posey是一個大家喜愛的模範，他的人氣甚至比King James還高。在那裡，這個以”Mikely”之名為大家所知的前鋒是比較佔優勢的。

"I got pictures with him. He sends [the kids] tickets when he comes to town. I got mixed emotions now. I'm a Cleveland fan. I've been a Boston hater all my life. But it takes Mikely to make me a Boston fan," said Buddy King, who coached the young Posey at the center.

“我收到過他的照片。當他來比賽時，他寄球票給這些小孩。我現在有些錯綜複雜的感覺。我是一個克里夫蘭的球迷。我的一生都痛恨波士頓。但是Mikely讓我變成一個波士頓球迷。”Buddy King說，他是Posey年輕時在這個中心的教練。

James Mikely Mantell Posey Jr. was born Jan. 13, 1977, in Cleveland to James Posey Sr. and Rosetta Moore. During his youth, his parents never lived together and he split time living with both. Moore lived in the heart of the inner city while Posey Sr. lived in the suburb of Shaker Heights before moving to Twinsburg, another suburb.

小James Mikely Mantell Posey在1977年1月13日出生於克里夫蘭，他的爸爸是老James Posey，媽媽是Rosetta Moore。在他小時候，他的雙親就分居了，所以他有時跟爸爸住，有時跟媽媽住。Moore住在貧民區的中心，而老Posy住在Shaker Heights郊區，稍後搬到Twinsburg，另一個郊區。

To find positive things to do when staying with his mother, James Posey often went to the Central Recreation Center. It was nicknamed the Bath House because when the building opened in 1919 it was named the Central Avenue Baths, where people living without plumbing in the nearby projects could take a shower or bath. It eventually was converted into a recreation center by the parks and recreation department, where all sports and activities are free.

為了要在他跟媽媽一起的時候找些正面的事作，James Posey常常去中央運動中心。它的綽號叫”澡堂”，因為在1919年開幕時，它叫做中央大道澡堂，住在附近的人家裡如果沒有水管，可以來這裡淋淋浴或是洗澡。它後來被公園和娛樂部門改建成運動中心，這裡所有的運動和活動都是免費的。

"The rec center gave an opportunity for us to play all sports like soccer, softball, baseball, and basketball," Posey said. "That's what we had in our little 'hood right there. That's where it all started.

“運動中心給了我們個機會可以從事所有運動，像是足球、壘球、棒球和籃球。”Posey說”這就是我們小小的生活裡僅有的。那就是所有事情的開始。”

"We didn't have to pay. It kept a lot of us out of trouble. We'd go to the Bath House and play basketball all day. We'd go on [field] trips and things like that. It was great for me."

“我們不用付錢。這讓我們很多人遠離麻煩。我們會去澡堂打一整天的籃球。我們會去郊郊遊之類的。對我來說很棒。”

When he was with his dad in the suburbs, everyone called him James. But at the Bath House he went by Mikely.

當他和爸爸在郊區時，每個人都叫他James。但是在澡堂，他叫做Mikely。

"People call me Mikely in Cleveland," Posey said. "When people call me that, I know where they know me from."

“人們在克里夫蘭叫我MIkely。”Posey說”當有人這樣叫我時，我就知道他們是在哪裡認識我的。”

Bobcats guard Earl Boykins, a Cleveland native and longtime friend of Posey's, said, "I remember when he was in high school they said, 'There is a guy that is good and he says he knows you. He said his name is James Posey.' And then when I saw him I said, 'That's Mikely. I didn't know him as James.'

山貓隊後衛Earl Boykins，是個克里夫蘭土生土長的人，也是Posey很久的老朋友，他說”我記得他在高中時，有人說’有一個很棒的傢伙，他說他知道你。他說他名字是James Posey。’然後等我看到他時，我說’那是Mikely啊。我才不知道他叫James。’”

King first noticed Posey at the rec center when Posey was about 11 years old. While Posey was taller than most of the kids his age and a great athlete, it was his respectful demeanor that stood out to King.

King第一次在運動中心注意到Posey時，他大約只有11歲。Posey比大部分同齡小孩都高，而且運動力很好，但是他有禮貌的舉止特別吸引了King。

"Here there are a lot of kids with talent, but you got to get in their head," King said. "You got to [hoot] and holler at them. The first thing I remember about him was he was a breath of fresh air. He was a kid who had [an involved] father and was really groomed."

“這裡有很多小孩都有天份，但是你要能進入他們的腦袋。”King說”你得對他們大吼大叫，對他們大喊。我記得他的第一件事，就是他像是一股清新的空氣。他是個受到父親好好管教的小孩，受到很好的照顧。”

King said Posey was talented in football, soccer, and track, but "hated basketball" until he was given a pep talk.

King說Posey在美式足球、足球和田徑都很有天份，但是”痛恨籃球”，直到他們有段小談話。

"He didn't like basketball. He didn't play basketball," King said. "He was a [heck] of a track kid doing the high jump. Heck of a soccer player and a quarterback for football. I said, 'Boy, you are 5-10 and weigh 32 pounds. Defensive tackles going to make a living out of you.

“他不喜歡籃球。他不打籃球。”King說”他的田徑很好，跳的很高。足球也很棒，美式足球打四分衛。我說’孩子，你5呎10吋，32磅。防守擒殺會讓你掛掉的。’”

"I remember catching [his attention] and saying, 'I'm E.F. Hutton. You listen to me. You will play basketball.' "

“我記得吸引了他的注意，然後說’我是E.F. Hutton。聽我說。你會打籃球的。’”

Posey did just that, but he didn't become a hoops star near the Bath House. With his parents hoping to give him a better education in the suburbs, he attended junior high and high school in Twinsburg while living with his father.

Posey照他所言去作，但是他在澡堂沒有變成個籃球明星。他的父母希望在郊區給他比較好的教育，他在Twinsburg讀中學，跟爸爸住在一起。

Posey was the 1995 Associated Press Ohio Division 2 Player of the Year as a senior at R.B. Chamberlain High School in Twinsburg. Despite academic problems, he still received strong consideration from several colleges before choosing to go to Xavier as a Proposition 48 student. As such, he was not allowed to play basketball his freshman year so he could improve his schoolwork.

Posey在Twinsburg念R.B. Chamberlain高三時，是1995年美聯社俄亥俄州第二級年度最佳球員。儘管有些課業問題，他仍然得到了幾所大學的考慮，而在他去Xavier大學前，他成了Proposition 48學生(見註一)。因此，他在大一不被允許打籃球，讓他能在課業上改進。

The naysayers believed the academic problems would send Posey back to Cleveland early. But he proved them wrong by earning a degree in criminal justice and forensic science.

看壞他的人相信，課業問題會把Posey早早就送回克里夫蘭。但是他證明了這些人的錯誤，得到了刑事和鑑識科學的學位。

"It taught me a lesson," Posey said. "I took school more serious. A lot of people thought when I went down there that I would come home a lot sooner. They said, 'He's a good basketball talent, but college and [high] school is something different.' I said that when I did come home I was going to have my piece of paper [diploma]. And I did."

“那讓我上了一課。”Posey說”我對學校更加認真。很多人在我去的時候認為我很快就會回來。他們說’他很有籃球天份，但是大學和高中是不一樣的。’我說在我最後回家時，我會帶著我那張紙(文憑)。而我作到了。”

Posey never envisioned himself being an NBA player when he went to Xavier. But during the 1999 draft, the Nuggets selected him with the 18th overall pick in the first round.

Posey在Xavier大學時，從來沒預料到自己會變成NBA球員。但是在1999年選秀會，金塊隊用第一輪第18順位選了他。

Nine years later, the 6-foot-8-inch swingman is still in the NBA with a 2006 championship ring with Miami and another shot at a title with the Celtics.

"It feels good due to the path that I traveled to get here," Posey said. "I just weathered the storm and have become an example to some. It's crazy."

Boykins, the NBA's shortest player at 5-6, says growing up in Cleveland's inner city helped him and Posey develop a strong work ethic that has lengthened their NBA careers.

九年後，這個6呎8吋的搖擺人還在NBA裡，手裡有著2006年跟邁阿密一起拿到的冠軍戒指，準備要跟Celtics瞄準另一個冠軍。”因為我一路走來經過的經歷，這感覺很好。”Posey說”我經歷了風風雨雨，變成了一些人的榜樣。這真是很瘋狂。”NBA最矮的球員，只有5呎6吋的Earl Boykins說，在克里夫蘭的貧民區長大，幫助他和Posey培養了強大的敬業感，這延長了他們的NBA生涯。

"When you're growing up in inner-city Cleveland you got to work for everything," Boykins said. "Nothing is given to you. He has that same reputation. It never leaves you."

“當你在克里夫蘭貧民區長大，你要自己努力才有所得。”Boykins說”沒有東西會被送給你。他有同樣的名聲。這永遠不會離開你。”

There are Posey posters inside the Bath House, and King hopes to get one of him as a Celtic soon. There are also pictures taken during his surprise visits there, too. And if everything goes as planned, the Bath House will have "James Posey Day" in the offseason.

澡堂裡有Posey的海報，而King希望很快能拿到他身為Celtics球員的版本。也有他驚喜的來訪時的照片。如果所有事一如計畫，澡堂在賽季結束後會有”James Posey日”。

"I always go to the Bath House to see what's going on there, talk to some of the kids, and keep them going," Posey said.

“我總是會去澡堂，看看那邊怎麼樣了，跟一些孩子說說話，激勵他們。”Posey說

"He still comes in, takes pictures, and he talks to a couple kids right at that border line," said King. "I'm preaching to them, but it sounds better coming from him. I leave them in the room and he talks to them.

“他仍然會來，照照相，跟一些在沉淪邊緣的孩子談話。”King說”我會跟他們說教，但是在他說來效果更好。我會把他們留在房間，讓他跟他們說說話。”

"They're Cavs fans, but you got guys here pulling for Posey. They're kind of split."

“他們是騎士隊球迷，但是有些孩子在心中為Posey拉扯。他們有點分開看待。”