That was then for Lakers’ Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol hates the question. Despises it, actually.
The Lakers’ power forward would rather endure multiple hamstring injuries, again and again, than face up to the query: What happened two years ago against the Boston Celtics?
The Lakers were steamrollered in the 2008 NBA Finals and Gasol shouldered most of the criticism, looking indecisive in the post, flummoxed on defense, and breaking free with 19 points and 13 rebounds only when beefy Celtics center Kendrick Perkins sat out a game because of a strained shoulder.
Gasol and Lamar Odom showed high-level cohesion in playoff victories over Denver, Utah and San Antonio, but were thoroughly outplayed by the Celtics’ frontcourt, causing Lakers Coach Phil Jackson to say declaratively: “They overran us.”
Flash-forward to last Thursday, when the Lakers enhanced their chances of a successful redemption run against Boston by taking Game 1 of the Finals, 102-89. Gasol had a microcosmic 23 points and 14 rebounds and was the reason the Lakers dominated down low, winning points in the paint (48-30), rebounds (42-31) and second-chance points (16-0). Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday at Staples Center.
One victory for the Lakers, one giant, physical leap for Gasol.
“Two years ago was tough for him,” Lakers center Andrew Bynum said. “He remembers.”
How can Gasol possibly forget? In the three-day span between the first two games, Gasol was often asked to return to 2008 and analyze his difficulties back then.
“It’s something that has really been a question that I’ve gotten the most throughout these last couple years,” he said with a hint of frustration. “It’s pretty amazing to me why it’s so shocking, such a surprise. I understood that I didn’t play quite at the level that I wanted to play myself, but at the same time I think we played and I played a really good playoffs until that point, beating tough teams and physical teams.
“You have a couple of tough losses or tough games or bad games you could say individually, and all of a sudden you’ve got a [soft] label there. I feel like most Europeans, we get that label no matter what. It’s just a given. It’s like you’ve got to prove yourself every single game that you’re a tough player. It’s pretty interesting. But it’s more interesting that I keep getting it, which feels like there’s nothing better to talk about, which is a little sad.”
Gasol definitely got the best of Garnett in Game 1, holding the Celtics’ power forward to 16 points on seven-for-16 shooting and only four rebounds in 35 minutes.
Gasol, 29, complimented Garnett on several fronts Friday but then casually said the 34-year-old had “lost some explosiveness” and was “more of a jump shooter” these days, causing some reporters to hurriedly run over to Garnett to probe for a reaction that never really came. (“I have no comments for his comments,” Garnett said.)
Gasol then called the media “pathetic” on Saturday, saying he meant “absolutely” no harm to Garnett.
“I understand media try to create situations for whatever reason,” he said. “Sometimes I extend my answers too long. Maybe I shouldn’t do that. I should be shorter with my answers and don’t give away just anything so it can’t be manipulated that way and used.
“The way it was played and put down, it was pretty pathetic. But I’ll make no more comments on that because it’s not worth it.”
Media firestorms aside, the Celtics have taken notice of Gasol’s development over the last two seasons.
He has been selected an All-Star twice since 2008 and was a key factor in the Lakers’ championship run last season, averaging 18.6 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting 60% against the Orlando Magic in the Finals, often going head-to-head with center Dwight Howard because Bynum played limited minutes.
Gasol was solid again this season, overcoming early hamstring injuries that cost him 17 games to average 18.3 points and a career-high 11.3 rebounds.
“Of course Pau is a better player,” Boston forward Paul Pierce said. “He’s got more experience under the Lakers’ system. He has more confidence, he has a championship under his belt. I would expect him to be better.”
The Lakers think the current Gasol is the one that will be present the rest of the Finals, even if the Celtics try to knock him around in Game 2.
“He’ll be fine,” Kobe Bryant said. “I don’t think he’ll have any problems. He’ll be OK.”
twitter.com/Mike_Bresnahan
Clicking on Green Links will take you to a third-party e-commerce site. These sites are not operated by the Los Angeles Times. The Times Editorial staff is not involved in any way with Green Links or with these third-party sites.
All things Lakers, all the time.
Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
