Pau Gasol ascends above the thick of the Utah Jazz defense to reach for the rebound. He dribbles up court with Kobe Bryant to his right and Trevor Ariza to his left, goes between his legs, fakes the behind-the-back pass at mid-court—polarizing the defense—and finishes with a no-look scoop pass to Ariza for the slam.
And they say grace and fundamentals don’t make the highlights.
In a span of about six seconds, the Lakers 7-foot power forward (sometimes center), channeled Magic Johnson on the play and showed off a facet of his game that makes him worthy to be in the best-of-the-bigs discussion, all the while causing a buzz in the arena reminiscent of “Showtime.”
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While Gasol and the Lakers, one game into the preseason, haven’t shown anything worth conjuring up murmurs and whispers among the fans in the stands, they now turn their attention to Spain, where they’ll play in Gasol’s hometown against their European counterparts, the 2010 Euroleague Champions, Regal FC Barcelona.
Next: Center-stage in Spain
It’s not a playoff game. It isn’t even a regular season game, but it’s a game the Lakers will want to more than just show-up for, being that it’s on the international stage against a team of highly talented players. The game may hold more weight for Gasol, however, who although makes his third trip back home since joining the NBA in 2001, plays his first against his former team as a two-time defending NBA champion.
“All the motivations in the world, I have them,” Gasol told the press as the Lakers took the floor at the FCB campus in Palau Balaugrana for practice. “It’s a game that I want us to play well, I want us to win, I want us to play at a higher level than we did [Monday]…it’s a game I would hate to lose, pretty much.”
As a kid growing up in the Spanish suburb of Sant Boi de Llobregat, Gasol hung posters he collected from NBA magazines of superstars Michael Jordan, Penny Hardaway, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. You have to wonder how many of the 5,000-plus young fans gathered to watch the Lakers’ open practice have posters hanging of their hometown hero, who since being traded from Memphis to Los Angeles has helped the Lakers hang two banners from the Staples Center rafters.
Many of the same youngsters may show up Thursday night to witness Gasol’s homecoming and perhaps even flashes of what the 3-time All-Star, former Rookie of the Year has in his arsenal.
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The best players are often identified by the time they hit puberty. They are then primed and molded in a bubble free from anything that would deter them from basketball. The eldest of three sons, Gasol would begin honing his skills on the Escola Llor campus at age 9, a school that almost considers itself two schools—one for sport, one for academics. Gasol had the freedom to harness the two; his intellectual curiosity and his appreciation for basketball, living side-by-side in perfect harmony.
The Lakers have come to find, it’s that same intellectual prowess that accelerated the process of learning the triangle offense for Gasol. The triangle offense requires a heady big man because when he catches the ball in the post, it opens up a plethora of offensive options where quick decision-making skills are a plus. Being one of the more efficient power forwards in the league, his incredible court vision and passing skills are tailor-made for Phil Jackson’s offense. The proof is in the ring he now bears and the one he’ll receive in about 20 days. Oh and about those offensive options.
Being above the rest in terms of height has its advantages. Aside from the air at 7-feet being slightly thinner, it allows him to oversee and read the opposing defense to find a cutting Bryant, kick the ball out to Derek Fisher at the perimeter or lob it down to Lamar Odom on the block if double-teamed. He can also keep it, which opens up a myriad of options, given that Gasol can drive left as well as right and finish with either hand. Give him space, and he drains a 16-foot jumper. It’s this skill set that makes it hard to fathom that Gasol still remains some-what underrated.
Gasol isn’t all offense, however, as he proved last year playing a bigger role defensively, raising his rebound rate from 14.7 to a career high 17. He blocked shots, going from one a game to 1.7 and raising his “and-one” percentage from .43 to .57, meaning his time in the weight room building strength allowed him to score more frequently even after absorbing contact.
Not bad for a kid who tackled Tchaikovsky on the piano with the same enthusiasm he had picking up a basketball.
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It’s that kind of presence that along with Bryant has enabled the Lakers to reach the NBA finals three consecutive times, and win the title twice. It’s that kind of player that’ll have a nation glued to the television Thursday night to watch the Lakers game, just like Gasol did two-decades ago when he first fell in love with basketball by watching Magic’s Lakers put on a show.
All that said, the Lakers will need more than Gasol playing at the top of his game to defeat a Spanish team eager to claim they beat the World Champions. After playing basketball year-round for the past couple of years, taking a break this summer has helped in preserving his energy for the long-haul, but unfortunately doesn’t benefit Gasol’s present offensive rhythm.
“I hope Pau performs a little bit better, I know he’ll want to,” Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said after Gasol’s less than stellar performance against Minnesota Monday night in London. “I think there’ll be a more gallant attempt.”
Although the Lakers are not quite in tip-top, regular season form yet, they’ll have to find a way to deliver as a unit for 48 minutes without their starting center Andrew Bynum and a limited Bryant. As co-captain and vocal juggernaut Derek Fisher explained, it’s an issue of pride for the Spaniards, anything enabling them to use a Lakers defeat as a championship measuring stick can’t be allowed.
“I do think we have to take into account what the game could mean for them, more than us, per se,” Fisher said. “The emotion will be tangible in the building, playing against the home team.”
Then there’s also the desire to leave their European tour with a win for their teammate Gasol, who throughout his tenure in the NBA has given rise to the popularity of basketball as a sport in Spain, second to only futbol.
“This is exciting and I’m excited for him because he’s going back home, this is where he grew up and now he’s going back as a two-time champion, so I’m hyped for him,” quipped Bryant.
We’ve grown so used to the big-man’s consistency that we can consider his struggles in London an anomaly, just lingering effects of the off-season. If he and the Lakers are in sync, tomorrow night’s game has the potential of being a preseason masterpiece.