| [hide]">Two weeks ago, I discussed the meaning of the team names in the National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference. This week we move on to the Western Conference. TheMemphisGrizzlies: Giant "grizzly bears" range the Rocky Mountains in the US and Canada. They do not live anywhere near the city of Memphis, which is on the Mississippi. Then why the name "Grizzlies"? The reason is that the Grizzlies were originally based in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canada's Pacific coast, where grizzly bears do live. TheMinnesotaTimberwolves: Minnesota, like Memphis, takes its team name from wildlife, but the Timberwolves' name actually makes sense. Minnesota, which is located on the border with Canada, contains large expanses of forested wilderness where timberwolves make their home. TheSanAntonioSpurs: The mythology of the "cowboy", solitary, tough and self-reliant, has long been an important part of the American national identity, particularly in Texas, where San Antonio is located. While the average Texan today is far more likely to work in an office than on a horse, the cowboy remains an important cultural symbol in Texas. Spurs are sharp metal devices attached to a cowboy's boots. By jabbing a horse's flanks with the spurs, the cowboy can encourage his mount to run faster. The Spurs' team logo includes a picture of a spur. TheDallasMavericks: The name of the Dallas team also reflects Texas' cowboy past. A "maverick" is a rebellious person who refuses to obey social norms. The word is derived from the name of Samuel Maverick (1803-1870), a Texas rancher who refused to brand his cattle. TheHoustonRockets: The NASA Mission Control Center is located in Houston; hence the name "Rockets". Ironically, no actual rockets are ever launched into space from Houston -- launches take place at a separate facility in Florida. TheUtahJazz: Jazz is a uniquely American musical style invented by African-Americans in the South. Utah is a deeply conservative Rocky Mountain state with few African-Americans and no connection to jazz music. The reason for the name? The team started in New Orleans, one of the birthplaces of jazz, and subsequently moved to Utah. TheDenverNuggets: The city of Denver, Colorado, arose during a gold rush in 1859. Searching for nuggets of gold and silver was important in a Rocky Mountain state where even today mining plays a significant role in the economy. TheLosAngelesLakers: A look at a map of the Los Angeles area shows that there are virtually no lakes in the metropolitan area. Why then the name "Lakers"? The name only makes sense if you know where the team was originally located -- Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" thanks to the abundance of small lakes within its boundaries. Minnesota is also on the world's largest freshwater lake, Lake Superior. The Lakers' move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles parallels a general demographic trend in America over the last several decades: the nation's South and West have boomed, while the population in the North has grown relatively slowly. In fact, all of California's NBA teams (the Lakers, the Clippers, the Warriors and the Kings) originally played in Northern cities and then moved to California. ThePortlandTrailblazers: During the 1800s, the United States expanded westward to the Pacific. As the pioneers traveled west, they blazed trails for others to follow. One of the most famous of these trails was the Oregon Trail, which led from the state of Missouri in the center of the country to the state of Oregon in its northwestern corner. Today Portland is the largest city in the state of Oregon. The name of its NBA team honors the pioneers who traveled on the Oregon Trail. TheSeattleSupersonics: As a result of its association with Boeing, Seattle has long been a center of the airplane manufacturing industry. Although Boeing recently moved its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago, it maintains a large manufacturing presence in Washington State. The Boeing 747 and other jetliners are built in Seattle. The name "Supersonics" honors Seattle's contribution to the jet age. TheLosAngelesClippers: During the mid-1800s, fast sailing ships known as clippers transported goods and passengers across the oceans. Before the building of transcontinental railroads, California too relied on such ships for much of its trade. The clipper ship era ended with the advent of steamships, but their memory lives on in the name of one of Los Angeles' two NBA teams. The Clippers first acquired the name when they played in the oceanside city of San Diego. The team later moved up the coast a bit to LA, but kept the name. ThePhoenixSuns: The natural environment of Phoenix is a torrid desert. For its existence as a big city, Phoenix depends on the air conditioner and imported water. The team's name recognizes Phoenix's hot, sunny climate.
老外直言：NBA篮球球队名字的由来
(本文作者是一名美国律师，是密尔沃基雄鹿队的球迷，现住威斯康星州) 在两周前的文章中，我解释了NBA(全美篮球协会)东部球联球队的名字，本文将转到西部球联。 孟菲斯灰熊队身体硕大的灰熊分布在美国与加拿大境内的洛基山脉，在孟菲斯市(位于密西西比河岸边)附近的任何地方都不是它们的栖息地，那为什么孟菲斯队以灰熊命名呢？因为该队最初是在加拿大的温哥华市打球，温哥华地处不列颠哥伦比亚省，在加拿大西部的太平洋海岸，而那里是灰熊的家。 明尼苏达森林狼队像孟菲斯一样，明尼苏达也用野兽作为该州球队的名字，但是森林狼这个名字的确有意义，与加拿大接壤的明尼苏达州拥有大片森林，荒无人烟，森林狼在那里安了家。 圣安东尼奥马刺队有关独闯天下、吃苦耐劳、自强自立的牛仔的故事一直是美国特征的重要组成部分，而对于圣安东尼奥市所在的得州来说尤为如此。虽说如今得州人多是在办公室而不是在马背上工作了，但牛仔还是得州重要的文化象征。马刺是附在牛仔靴子上的尖尖的金属物，牛仔用马刺戳马的胁部，就可以让马跑得更快。马刺队的队标上就有一个马刺。 达拉斯小牛队达拉斯(位于得州)的队名也反映出得州的牛仔历史。maverick是指拒绝遵守社会规范的反叛之人，该词来源于一个叫Samuel Maverick的人的姓。他是得州的一个牧场主，拒绝按照通则给他的牛打烙印。(中国将达拉斯队的名字译成小牛队有悖原意，译为特立独行者队则更为准确，虽说maverick也可代表没打烙印的离群之牛。) 休斯顿火箭队美国宇航局控制中心位于休斯顿，因此取名火箭队。有意思的是，其实没有一枚火箭是从休斯顿发射的，火箭发射是在佛罗里达州的另一个基地。 犹他爵士队爵士乐是美国南部黑人所发明的一种独特的美国音乐流派，而犹他州是极为保守的洛基山区的州，几乎没有黑人居住，与爵士乐也毫无联系，那么用这个名字的原因何在呢？该队最初在新奥尔良打球，而新奥尔良是爵士乐的发源地之一，后来该队搬到了犹他州。 丹佛掘金者队位于科罗拉多州的丹佛市，是在1859年的淘金热中崛起的。在这个洛基山区的州中，对天然金矿银矿的寻找曾经非常重要，即使是在今天，矿业仍在该州的经济中起着重要作用。 洛杉矶湖人队如果打开洛杉矶一带的地图，在都市地区简直就没有湖，为什么他们有湖人队这个名字呢？这个名字只有在你知道该队最初所在地———明尼苏达州的明尼阿波利斯市———才有意义，明尼苏达州号称“万湖之地”，这是因为该州拥有大量的小湖，并位于世界上最大的淡水湖苏必利尔湖边上。 湖人队从明尼苏达搬到洛杉矶与美国过去几十年人口统计所反映的趋势是一致的：美国南部和西部人口飞速增长，而北方人口增长则比较慢。实际上，加州的NBA球队(湖人队、快船队、勇士队和国王队)最初都是在北部城市打球，后来才迁往加州的。 波特兰开拓者队美国在19世纪向西部太平洋沿岸扩展。当先行者们向西行进时会为后面的人沿路做下记号。这些西行之路中最著名的一条就是俄勒冈之路，这条路引导着位于美国中部密苏里州的人们来到西北角的俄勒冈州。今天，波特兰是俄勒冈州最大的城市，它的NBA球队的名字是纪念当年沿着俄勒冈之路行进的开拓者。 西雅图超音速队由于波音公司地处西雅图，西雅图一直是飞机制造业的中心。虽然最近波音将总部搬到了芝加哥，但大部分制造厂还留在了华盛顿州(注意，不是华盛顿市)，波音747和其他喷气式飞机都是在西雅图造出来的。超音速这个名字是为了纪念西雅图对喷气式飞机时代的贡献。 洛杉矶快船队在19世纪中叶，航速很快的帆船带着货物和乘客漂洋过海。在修建贯穿美洲大陆的铁路之前，加州的大量贸易也依靠这种快帆船进行。快帆船时代的结束是在轮船出现之后，但对它们的记忆还留在洛杉矶两支NBA球队之一的名字上。“快船队”第一次获得此名是他们在海滨城市圣迭戈打球的时候，后来这个队沿海岸北上了一点，来到了洛杉矶，但原来的名字还保留着。 凤凰城太阳队凤凰城所处的自然环境是热带沙漠。它作为一个大城市能够得以存在，靠的是空调和从外面运来的水。该队的名字道出了凤凰城骄阳似火的天气。 [/hide]
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