Lakers: An interesting fact about MVPau

**Michael Jordan.** · 02-08-2014

Gasol’s impact in that series was what ultimately culminated in the Lakers’ popping champagne bottles in the locker room following game 7. Kobe is seemingly the palpable MVP selection because– well, his name is “Kobe Bryant”, and he averaged 28.6 points per game (let’s give a round of applause), but his performance was subtly disappointing. He garnered nearly 28 points per game by chucking a myriad of shot attempts. Again, his field goal percentage was a rotten 40%, but thanks to his willpower and relentless desire to win, Bryant relentlessly continued to fire away. He’s lucky Pau Gasol was able to measure the projection of his bricks and grab a series-high of five offensive rebounds per game. No one else came close to equaling Gasol’s offensive rebounds per game

MVPau

**Michael Jordan.** · 02-08-2014

Additionally, Kobe was reckless with the ball, and had an inability to incorporate his teammates in plays effectively. Gasol was dropping dimes all over the court, dishing the ball to his teammates out of the high-post, low-post, to double-teams, and to the perimeter. It seems Kobe was exercising his sportsmanship by giving everyone a chance with the basketball, including the Boston Celtics; he recorded a series-high of 27 turnovers. The Spaniard ac ulated 26 assists and turned the ball over 13 times, which was good enough for a respectable 2.0 assist ratio, and mortified Bryant’s 27 assists and 27 turnovers (1.0) assist ratio. Seriously, it’s embarrassing when a primary ball-handler’s big man is a more efficacious facilitator

**Michael Jordan.** · 02-08-2014

In a series that was quite ugly, both the Lakers’ and the Celtic’s offenses struggled to score; defense and rebounding were the deciding factors. Led by Pau Gasol, the Lakers won the rebounding battle by a landslide in each of the four games they conquered. He was the leading rebounder of both teams (11.6 per game) by out-hustling the opponent and pulling down hard fought rebounds amidst traffic

**Michael Jordan.** · 02-08-2014

Kobe was up to his usual specious heroics, only making eleven of his 36 shot attempts in the game’s final periods (31%). The unsung hero from Spain executed most effectively in these situations with a team-high 48% from the field, hitting 43 of 90 attempts. Yes, Gasol was even more “clutch” than Kobe in the Finals, and certainly deserved the Finals MVP award in 2010. NBA greats such as Julius Irving Magic, Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’neal, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade (in his prime), Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant etc. have all advanced in their level of play during the Finals, while Bryant’s level has decayed. Contrary to the common belief that Kobe rises to the occasion and steps up even under the most grueling cir stances, he has struggled in the biggest moments, including his forgettable 6-24 performance in the classic game seven showdown between the Lakers and the Celtics (just 1-4 in the fourth quarter

**Thread** · 02-08-2014

Originally Posted by Michael Jordan.

Gasol’s impact in that series was what ultimately culminated in the Lakers’ popping champagne bottles in the locker room following game 7. Kobe is seemingly the palpable MVP selection because– well, his name is “Kobe Bryant”, and he averaged 28.6 points per game (let’s give a round of applause), but his performance was subtly disappointing. He garnered nearly 28 points per game by chucking a myriad of shot attempts. Again, his field goal percentage was a rotten 40%, but thanks to his willpower and relentless desire to win, Bryant relentlessly continued to fire away. He’s lucky Pau Gasol was able to measure the projection of his bricks and grab a series-high of five offensive rebounds per game. No one else came close to equaling Gasol’s offensive rebounds per game

MVPau

Originally Posted by Michael Jordan.

Additionally, Kobe was reckless with the ball, and had an inability to incorporate his teammates in plays effectively. Gasol was dropping dimes all over the court, dishing the ball to his teammates out of the high-post, low-post, to double-teams, and to the perimeter. It seems Kobe was exercising his sportsmanship by giving everyone a chance with the basketball, including the Boston Celtics; he recorded a series-high of 27 turnovers. The Spaniard ac ulated 26 assists and turned the ball over 13 times, which was good enough for a respectable 2.0 assist ratio, and mortified Bryant’s 27 assists and 27 turnovers (1.0) assist ratio. Seriously, it’s embarrassing when a primary ball-handler’s big man is a more efficacious facilitator

Originally Posted by Michael Jordan.

In a series that was quite ugly, both the Lakers’ and the Celtic’s offenses struggled to score; defense and rebounding were the deciding factors. Led by Pau Gasol, the Lakers won the rebounding battle by a landslide in each of the four games they conquered. He was the leading rebounder of both teams (11.6 per game) by out-hustling the opponent and pulling down hard fought rebounds amidst traffic

Originally Posted by Michael Jordan.

Kobe was up to his usual specious heroics, only making eleven of his 36 shot attempts in the game’s final periods (31%). The unsung hero from Spain executed most effectively in these situations with a team-high 48% from the field, hitting 43 of 90 attempts. Yes, Gasol was even more “clutch” than Kobe in the Finals, and certainly deserved the Finals MVP award in 2010. NBA greats such as Julius Irving Magic, Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’neal, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade (in his prime), Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant etc. have all advanced in their level of play during the Finals, while Bryant’s level has decayed. Contrary to the common belief that Kobe rises to the occasion and steps up even under the most grueling cir stances, he has struggled in the biggest moments, including his forgettable 6-24 performance in the classic game seven showdown between the Lakers and the Celtics (just 1-4 in the fourth quarter

Kobe: 5

the tired old bag Duncan: 4