Mike Dunleavy: Lakers’ Gasol led the way

Mike Dunleavy, former coach and general manager of the Clippers, is The Times’ guest analyst on the NBA Finals. Dunleavy has coached four NBA teams — the Clippers, Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers. He was NBA coach of the year in 1999 with Portland.

The Lakers won their 16th banner Thursday, and do you know whom they have to thank for it?

No. 16.

It was Pau Gasol, their big man in the middle, who came through in a huge way down the stretch. The Celtics couldn’t match up with him, and the Lakers kept going to him.

Gasol has been capable of this kind of series all along. This was a night when Kobe Bryant would typically take over, but he didn’t have it going in this one. The Lakers needed somebody else to step up, and Gasol did what he was supposed to do.

This was bigger than one game, and even bigger than one championship. The Lakers finally beat Boston in a Game 7 after losing five in a row. If the Lakers didn’t win this game, there probably would be a lot of changes. The team spent a lot of money and it would have to make some hard decisions about which players to keep. Now, it’s more likely that they will bring guys back for a run at a three-peat.

Remember, the Celtics had never lost a Game 7. They were 7-0 in those. This one was historic.

That’s not to say it was a pretty game. Both teams were feeling the pressure of the seventh game and struggling to make shots. The thing that kept the Lakers in it early was their rebounding. They didn’t always convert their opportunities on the offensive end, but they denied Boston a lot of second chances. Ron Artest was particularly tough with his ability to board and create turnovers.

Rebounding is always important, but it was especially pivotal in this series. For the seventh time in seven games, the team that boarded better wound up winning.

It wasn’t just Gasol in the fourth quarter. Kobe was attacking the basket too, and both Derek Fisher and Artest hit huge three-pointers that helped take the pressure off.

In the end, though, it was the big man who had the biggest impact. The Lakers can thank No. 16 for No. 16.

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