One more victory in the NBA finals and maybe Pau Gasol can finally shed the 'soft' label. He's already won over a former critic: his coachPhil Jackson wasn't sure Gasol was the kind of player who could help him win a championship, and he couldn't have been convinced after the way the Spaniard played in last year's finaGasol and fellow forward Lamar Odom have rebounded from their Looking for an inside presence to complement Kobe Bryant's scoring, Jackson and general manager Mitch Kupchak began considering Gasol, who was frustrated by the losing in Memphis and wanted a trade.
Jackson said they discussed a trade during the 2006-07 season, but he wasn't sold on Gasol.uneven performances in that series, a major reason the Los Angeles Lakers have a 3-1 lead over the Orlando Magic and a chance to wrap up a 15th championship Sunday.ls.."I was dubious, although I really admired Pau's capabilities and ability," Jackson said Saturday. "I thought maybe he didn't have the physical strength and stamina to play against the kind of players that here he is playing against, the (Kevin) Garnetts, obviously (Dwight) Howards, and he's shown me to be wrong.
Gasol averaged 14.7 points and 10.2 rebounds, and Odom chipped in 13.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in last year's finals, all decent numbers. But the Lakers' frontcourt appeared "Pau and Lamar had a difficult time last year against Boston because they had not ever experienced that type of intensity and it was something they were still learning, but I'm sure they've learned their lessons well," Lakers special assistant Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said. "If you look at it now this year, they understand what's happening and how to cope with various situations."overwhelmed by Garnett and the more physical Boston frontline in the six-game loss.
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