After losing game one of the quarterfinals to New Orleans, 109-100, the Lakers recovered in game two with a narrow 87-78 victory. In these two games, the Lakers have seen consistency and inconsistency in strange places.
So far, Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum have been the most consistent Lakers, Artest scoring at least 15 ppg and Bynum getting double-doubles in both contests. The Lakers’ model of consistency and efficiency, Pau Gasol, has been anything but.
Now, Kobe Bryant, so far, gets a pass because while he only had 11 points in game two, Bryant had a nearly perfect game one—34 points and 5 assists on 50% shooting. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Bryant had converted down the stretch and helped the Lakers win game one.
Gasol is a darling of the media, and he has made wonderful on and off the court contributions to the Lakers organization, which is why this is so difficult to write. Gasol should get most of the blame for the uninspired way in which the Lakers have played their first two games. If right now Gasol is healthy enough to play, and he’s playing like this, the Lakers have real problems. Gasol is averaging 8.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and shooting 21.1% against Carl Landry, Emeka Okafor, and the Hornets.
Not only is Gasol getting owned by Landry, who is putting up 14.5 ppg and 6.0 rpg, but Gasol is looking weak to his other potential western conference opponents.
If the Lakers make it through the series with the Hornets, in the semifinals the Lakers will likely face the Dallas Mavericks, who boast a frontline of Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler, and Brendan Haywood (off the bench).
In the western conference finals, the Lakers would either have to face the San Antonio Spurs—Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair—or the Oklahoma City Thunder—Serge Ibaka (2.4 bpg) and Kendrick Perkins.
Gasol is capable of so much more than he’s given the Lakers thus far in these playoffs. Can he turn it around and be the great power forward we’ve seen in the past? Is it the spacing? Is it the Hornets’ defense? Is it Gasol’s aggressiveness? Whatever is missing, the Lakers need to find it, fast.
If Pau Gasol cannot get himself in gear, the Lakers may still stumble their way through this series with the Hornets. But, if he’s not in gear for the next rounds, the Lakers’ title hopes could be in serious jeopardy.
Rob S. De France is a College and University instructor of English Composition living in Los Angeles. He has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Rhetoric, Composition, and Writing. De France has played, coached, and officiated competitive high school basketball in California for many years. Recently, De France, his wife, and another colleague started an internationally read magazine at Shwibly.com.
