LakeShow
02-23-2010, 08:16 PM
Updated: 4:28 a.m.
Gasol didn't man up like a main man
http://images.onset.freedom.com/ocregister/reporters/1028.jpg
By KEVIN DING
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
[email protected] ([email protected])
LOS ANGELES – Those snippy comments from two weeks ago in Memphis notwithstanding, Pau Gasol (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Pau_Gasol) has great respect for Kobe Bryant (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Kobe_Bryant).
Gasol's respect should've grown a bit greater Thursday night, when he got a refresher on how it's not real easy to create points in the clutch against strong defense.
http://images.onset.freedom.com/ocregister/article/ky395w-ky3989celticsfebgasol.jpg
Pau Gasol helped the Lakers to consecutive victories over Portland, San Antonio, Utah and Golden State without injured Kobe Bryant, but the streak ended against Boston.
JASON REDMOND/AP
It's also something for Lakers fans to bear in mind before they let fly again, whether they fully mean them, with offhand remarks about the Lakers not needing Bryant anymore.
Derek Fisher (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Derek_Fisher) missed the last shot, breaking off the set play the way Bryant sometimes will, but looking awful while flailing about with the expectation Boston would try to burn its foul to give. Fisher hoped to draw a shooting foul and did a swan dive instead of staying balanced and strong. Before that, Shannon Brown (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Shannon_Brown) missed two pivotal jumpers down the stretch as he occupied Bryant's spot on the floor.
Yet Gasol is the second All-Star, and he made the crunchtime play you could tell really annoyed Phil Jackson (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Phil_Jackson).
"He opted to pass the second-to-last one," Jackson said about Gasol, adding that he wanted to see the replay of Gasol's pass to Brown that resulted in a turnover with 31.3 seconds left. "I'll have to look at that to understand it."
The Lakers' best remaining player surrendering the ball and the opportunity while down by one point? Jackson called it "a curiosity to me."
Gasol's the one who said after carrying the load in the Lakers' third victory in this stretch while Bryant heals the peroneal tendon in his lower left leg: "I'm very comfortable with the role I've been playing the past couple games."
(Gasol said that in the very same Utah visiting locker room where he'd been snippy back in December after Bryant, not yet having figured out how to deal with his fractured finger and depleted by a stomach virus, shot the Lakers out of the game. Said Gasol then: "I don't get that many looks offensively, so I need to hit the boards to get some points. Otherwise, I only get like five shots a game.")
Yet carrying the full load means having the power to plunge across the goal line, and there were no touchdown dances for the Lakers on Thursday night. As Lamar Odom said: "We were right there. We didn't go through 'em at the end."
On Tuesday night Gasol had gotten a late rest from Jackson and came back with six consecutive points to extend a one-point Lakers lead before Brown slammed the door with a killer jumper. At the door that night, however, were the defenseless Golden State Warriors (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Golden_State_Warriors).
These were the Boston Celtics (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Boston_Celtics), defensive titans hell-bent on avenging their one-point loss to the Lakers on Jan. 31. There were the Boston Celtics who've had Rasheed Wallace (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Rasheed_Wallace) rough Gasol up in both meetings this season with overtures that Ron Artest (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Ron_Artest) put plainly last time as "testing Pau."
So there was Gasol, again having gotten a late rest, with the ball and his eye toward the basket Thursday night – until Brown cut under the hoop. Brown later explained his move by saying Ray Allen (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Ray_Allen) "was not paying attention," and Gasol saw Brown flash open. Gasol sent him the ball, which never did get through cleanly and rolled out of bounds.
You simply cannot not get a shot up at crunchtime.
Immediately after the turnover, Gasol tried to blame Brown. Gasol gestured and complained to Odom about how Brown hadn't kept coming to meet the pass. In the same way a wide receiver not completing a comeback route lets the cornerback make up ground and make the quarterback look bad, Brown let Allen recover to the ball.
Gasol intimated the same thing in his postgame comments, vaguely saying Brown was ahead of Allen – but then he wasn't. Gasol was not going to pass the buck again, though.
"I should've held it," Gasol said, "and made sure I took care of that possession myself. That's what happens when you're too unselfish."
Whether Jackson or Bryant had critiqued him privately, Gasol accepted publicly that he hadn't behaved like the main man.
"The right play at that point was keeping the ball and attacking myself," he said. "And I didn't do that."
Welcome to Kobe's world, Pau.
When it comes to Gasol, Bryant continues to offer support, encouragement and appreciation. Bryant was asked about Gasol on Wednesday and said: "Pau is the reason I have my ring. It's as simple as that. Pau came here; we won."
Yes, but Jackson said the other day that if Bryant weren't around, he'd most likely turn to Fisher for a clutch shot. And Fisher said after his failure that he figured he had to be the guy in Bryant's stead to take the shot and the heat: "If there's anybody else on the team who is willing and can take it, it's me."
This was a night to remember that the Lakers are 0-2 against league front-runner Cleveland – with Jackson questioning Gasol's physical toughness after the first loss and Bryant questioning Gasol's physical toughness after the second.
The day before this game, a reporter from Gasol's native Spain approached Jackson for a quick overview on Gasol. Jackson knew the reporter was Spanish – and thus seized the opportunity to brandish a sharp needle.
"He's weak. He's soft," Jackson said, smiling. "But he's a really great player."
If Gasol wants to wonder about Bryant's shot totals after some losses, fine.
Gasol just has to know that the real leaders on this team – Jackson, Bryant and Fisher – still wonder a bit about him, too.
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/gasol-235190-bryant-jackson.html
Gasol didn't man up like a main man
http://images.onset.freedom.com/ocregister/reporters/1028.jpg
By KEVIN DING
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
[email protected] ([email protected])
LOS ANGELES – Those snippy comments from two weeks ago in Memphis notwithstanding, Pau Gasol (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Pau_Gasol) has great respect for Kobe Bryant (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Kobe_Bryant).
Gasol's respect should've grown a bit greater Thursday night, when he got a refresher on how it's not real easy to create points in the clutch against strong defense.
http://images.onset.freedom.com/ocregister/article/ky395w-ky3989celticsfebgasol.jpg
Pau Gasol helped the Lakers to consecutive victories over Portland, San Antonio, Utah and Golden State without injured Kobe Bryant, but the streak ended against Boston.
JASON REDMOND/AP
It's also something for Lakers fans to bear in mind before they let fly again, whether they fully mean them, with offhand remarks about the Lakers not needing Bryant anymore.
Derek Fisher (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Derek_Fisher) missed the last shot, breaking off the set play the way Bryant sometimes will, but looking awful while flailing about with the expectation Boston would try to burn its foul to give. Fisher hoped to draw a shooting foul and did a swan dive instead of staying balanced and strong. Before that, Shannon Brown (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Shannon_Brown) missed two pivotal jumpers down the stretch as he occupied Bryant's spot on the floor.
Yet Gasol is the second All-Star, and he made the crunchtime play you could tell really annoyed Phil Jackson (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Phil_Jackson).
"He opted to pass the second-to-last one," Jackson said about Gasol, adding that he wanted to see the replay of Gasol's pass to Brown that resulted in a turnover with 31.3 seconds left. "I'll have to look at that to understand it."
The Lakers' best remaining player surrendering the ball and the opportunity while down by one point? Jackson called it "a curiosity to me."
Gasol's the one who said after carrying the load in the Lakers' third victory in this stretch while Bryant heals the peroneal tendon in his lower left leg: "I'm very comfortable with the role I've been playing the past couple games."
(Gasol said that in the very same Utah visiting locker room where he'd been snippy back in December after Bryant, not yet having figured out how to deal with his fractured finger and depleted by a stomach virus, shot the Lakers out of the game. Said Gasol then: "I don't get that many looks offensively, so I need to hit the boards to get some points. Otherwise, I only get like five shots a game.")
Yet carrying the full load means having the power to plunge across the goal line, and there were no touchdown dances for the Lakers on Thursday night. As Lamar Odom said: "We were right there. We didn't go through 'em at the end."
On Tuesday night Gasol had gotten a late rest from Jackson and came back with six consecutive points to extend a one-point Lakers lead before Brown slammed the door with a killer jumper. At the door that night, however, were the defenseless Golden State Warriors (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Golden_State_Warriors).
These were the Boston Celtics (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Boston_Celtics), defensive titans hell-bent on avenging their one-point loss to the Lakers on Jan. 31. There were the Boston Celtics who've had Rasheed Wallace (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Rasheed_Wallace) rough Gasol up in both meetings this season with overtures that Ron Artest (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Ron_Artest) put plainly last time as "testing Pau."
So there was Gasol, again having gotten a late rest, with the ball and his eye toward the basket Thursday night – until Brown cut under the hoop. Brown later explained his move by saying Ray Allen (http://topics.ocregister.com/topic/Ray_Allen) "was not paying attention," and Gasol saw Brown flash open. Gasol sent him the ball, which never did get through cleanly and rolled out of bounds.
You simply cannot not get a shot up at crunchtime.
Immediately after the turnover, Gasol tried to blame Brown. Gasol gestured and complained to Odom about how Brown hadn't kept coming to meet the pass. In the same way a wide receiver not completing a comeback route lets the cornerback make up ground and make the quarterback look bad, Brown let Allen recover to the ball.
Gasol intimated the same thing in his postgame comments, vaguely saying Brown was ahead of Allen – but then he wasn't. Gasol was not going to pass the buck again, though.
"I should've held it," Gasol said, "and made sure I took care of that possession myself. That's what happens when you're too unselfish."
Whether Jackson or Bryant had critiqued him privately, Gasol accepted publicly that he hadn't behaved like the main man.
"The right play at that point was keeping the ball and attacking myself," he said. "And I didn't do that."
Welcome to Kobe's world, Pau.
When it comes to Gasol, Bryant continues to offer support, encouragement and appreciation. Bryant was asked about Gasol on Wednesday and said: "Pau is the reason I have my ring. It's as simple as that. Pau came here; we won."
Yes, but Jackson said the other day that if Bryant weren't around, he'd most likely turn to Fisher for a clutch shot. And Fisher said after his failure that he figured he had to be the guy in Bryant's stead to take the shot and the heat: "If there's anybody else on the team who is willing and can take it, it's me."
This was a night to remember that the Lakers are 0-2 against league front-runner Cleveland – with Jackson questioning Gasol's physical toughness after the first loss and Bryant questioning Gasol's physical toughness after the second.
The day before this game, a reporter from Gasol's native Spain approached Jackson for a quick overview on Gasol. Jackson knew the reporter was Spanish – and thus seized the opportunity to brandish a sharp needle.
"He's weak. He's soft," Jackson said, smiling. "But he's a really great player."
If Gasol wants to wonder about Bryant's shot totals after some losses, fine.
Gasol just has to know that the real leaders on this team – Jackson, Bryant and Fisher – still wonder a bit about him, too.
http://www.ocregister.com/sports/gasol-235190-bryant-jackson.html