The Lakers have now advanced to the second round and will now face the Dallas Mavericks. They had a little trouble getting through the Hornets and partly because Pau Gasol was not playing like his usual self, especially in the first couple of games. As the series went on he began to hit some strides, but in order to be successful and and for the Lakers to continue to pursue their third straight title they need Pau to be his usual self. Ever since Pau arrived to Los Angeles he has been such a phenomenal player that has taken a great load off Kobe Bryant. It is easy to forgot how dominant he has been in the past, so this week we will take a look at Gasol’s top playoff performances for the purple and gold and hopefully we will have a few more performances to add after this season.
5.
The Lakers faced the Nuggets in the first round of the 2008 playoffs and in Pau Gasol first playoff game as a Laker he would delivered a great performance by scoring 36 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. His debut in the post season was extraordinary and it set the tone for the series as they would beat the Nuggets in four straight games.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3uRT0SnneY&feature=related
4.
In 2010, the Lakers ran into the Utah Jazz in the second round of the playoffs and had a 3 games to nothing lead in the series. Smelling blood, the Lakers went into Utah trying to complete the sweep and did so behind a strong performance from Pau Gasol. The big Spaniard had a game high 33 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers and more importantly the win gave the Lakers some much needed rest and recovery time for the next round.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH3ej8TBhLQ
Next: Clutch!
[phpbay]Los Angeles Lakers, 3, “”, “”[/phpbay]