Pau Gasol is Ready for Kenyon Martin
While I don’t think Pau Gasol is in danger of ending up on this list any time soon, I do think he’s probably more of a gamer and a little bit tougher than most people would expect. And he doesn’t seem the least bit worried about dealing with Kenyon Martin and his tactics in the Western Conference Finals.
The media was ready with Kenyon questions for Pau after yesterday’s Game 7 victory. From the L.A. Times:
As Gasol walked down the Staples Center hallway Sunday, stopping every so often to sign autographs, to take pictures, to accept congratulations on his 21-point, 18-rebound effort against the Rockets, he answered every question about Martin’s behavior like a man not going to be intimidated at all.
“You play through it,” Gasol said. “You raise your aggressiveness level. You’ve got to try to be smart. At the same time, you’ve got to play through it.”
Many remember last season’s NBA Finals, when the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett seemed to back Gasol down, when all the Lakers seemed to wilt.
Martin tries to be as hard-edged as Garnett is.
Martin is a good defender, Gasol acknowledged.
But Gasol didn’t sound like someone who would back down against Martin in the best-of-seven series.
“He’s kind of like their post-up stopper,” Gasol said. “You’ve got to play hard. Don’t back down. Don’t expect any calls. Try to play through it and be aggressive.”
Then Gasol even took a little dig at Kenyon:
When the Nuggets beat the Mavericks, Martin was all over Dallas’ All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.
In Game 1, as Nowitzki drove baseline midway through the first quarter, Martin bumped the forward hard, knocking him down to the court. Martin was called for a technical foul on the play.
It was Martin’s way of trying to intimidate Nowitzki.
A day after the incident, the NBA upgraded Martin’s foul to a flagrant 1 and fined him $25,000
Gasol was asked about Martin’s tactics and whether he thought Martin would try the same against him.
“And Dirk averaged 30-something points,” Gasol said, smiling.
It should probably be noted that Pau won’t just have to deal with Martin – he will also be the target of the waves of goons that George Karl sends his way in the form of The Birdman, Nene, etc.
Source: L.A. Times
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May 18th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Tbone says:
“Wave of goons” haha
Get ready for a little reality check Lakernation!!!
I heard people talking on KS107.5 this morning about how it’s gonna be the Lakers in 5 games. Wow, I guess that guy slept through the last 7 games WITHOUT Tmac, and the last few without Yao.
See you in June LeBron.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Metropolitan's Finest says:
This is going to be the best series to watch…Can’t WAIT!
May 18th, 2009 at 11:55 am
that_dude says:
THUGGETS in the building….!!! hahahaha
hoping for a fight between, the machine vs jr smith or dantay jones…
May 18th, 2009 at 11:56 am
karizmatic says:
This should be an interesting series..it will really test Gasol the “waves of goons, is correct Martin, Nene, Birdman and probably Melo will all have cracks at guarding Gasol. It will also be interesting to see what kind of lineup Phil Jackson decides to go with. Odom is also going to be an interesting matchup for Denver. In a lot of ways Denver is like the Lakers lite.
May 18th, 2009 at 11:59 am
POPPI GEE says:
Tbone for some reason “Wave of goons” was comical to me too lol.
I got the Lakers to win but I don’t like Pau so I hope Kenyon makes him pay for his crimes.
All the way from not showing up in the playoffs for the most part against K.G. to that lil stunt in the Olympics with the eyes.
Get em Kenyon, Get em!
Still think the Nuggs will explode once things don’t go their way.
It’ll be interesting to see how Coach Billups has his squad ready.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
doc says:
We’ll see.Talentwise,Pau second to none as a big.Heartwise,now is the time to get them ratings up on 2k10.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Bigdoggchad says:
Has there ever been a player more perfect to do charmin commercials then gasol?
May 18th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Blue says:
@ bigdoggchad…
i think all three of the lakers’ bigs can star in the commercials.
pau says that dirk averaged 30-something PPG, but pau isn’t nearly as creative a scorer as dirk is.
nuggets & magic in 6!!!
May 18th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
I think the Nuggets and Lakers are almost opposites. The Lakers are a smart team that lacks the physicality. The Nuggets are a physical team that lacks the smarts. I think it all falls on Billups for the Nuggets.
Along the lines of #5′s comment, I think that although the Lakers will be tested by the physicality of the Nuggets, the Nuggets will also be tested by the talent and headiness of the Lakers. When calls start falling the Lakers way, are they going to blow up? I can see JR Smith or even Melo abandoning ship and gunning if they’re down by 10+ points. And Kenyon’s just a bad call away from reverting back to his rookie year days. Billups has to hold them all together.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
SWAT says:
@ Kermit…good post. i agree. its funny tho that gasol is talking ish now…haha like gee said go get ‘em kenyon. i think the series is gonna be who can better motivate their sqaud…chauncey or kobe? and i wonder will they sick dahntay jones on kobe? he seems to get under the skin of who ever he defends
May 18th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
calvin brodus says:
I got a feeling kmart will be ready for gasol as well.
here’s hoping kmart puts gasol on his ass in the first three minutes of game 1. we’ll see how ready pau is for that.
id take a bet right now that pau will average under 15 pts for this series.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Big Shot BOB says:
Lakers is soft as fuck and got punked by the Rockets that are half as physical as the Nuggets. The most intimidating team in the playoffs. Plus they have no one to that can guard Chancey.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
YOUNGFED..."Bawse!!!!" says:
3 words for all the doubters…”The Gawd K-Hova!!!”
May 18th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
calvin brodus says:
@swat
dantay will be the main kobe defender. that’s from the horses (karl) mouth.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Scott says:
Interesting that the Lakers have to go through 2 teams this year that have real defensive stoppers. Artest/Battier now KMart.
With Dahntay Jones being the Nuggets starter does Kobe become the Billups stopper?
Who’s gonna stop Kobe??
Whoever said Dirk is more ‘creative’ than Gasol needs to pay attention to Gasol’s plethora of moves in the post.
How much longer before Phil tries to get the lineup of Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Ariza and Kobe going?
KMart is a big man’s version of Ron Artest, just not as crazy. IF I’ve just played a series with Artest on the other side, KMart really isn’t going to phase me.
Who does KMart want to see less Gasol or Odom?
Will Bynum finally be the difference maker?
May 18th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
dragonyeuw says:
This will be a great series, and I won’t be shocked if Denver pulled it off. Denver has perimeter scoring, heady point guard play,an assortment of big men with different attributes, and 2 late game clutch shooters in Melo and Billips.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
chaos says:
Pau is talking a lot of shit right now to go seven games with an undersized team missing 2 of its big men and main scorer. The series would have been different if Deke were around because there would have plenty of finger waving goin on. And the goon squad is just as tought as houston but with more athletic players and better offensive firepower. Who is gonna defend nene in the post? Will kobe start jacking when someone just as if not more athletic is on him? Can derek fisher or farmar stay with chauncy? Can LA find an answer for Melo?….on the flipside, can chauncy keep his team under control? Can they defend kobe? Can they deal with the size of LA? All the intangible questions need to be answered…..Denver in 7
May 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
weng santos says:
Go ahead, Laker Nation. Pencil in the Lakers. Make Kobe and his crew just a little bit more too arrogant for their own good.
The Nuggest would just love to be underestimated.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
LAballer says:
where did all these nuggets bandwagoners come from? or are you guys just laker haters? haha been thru enough of you fools..listen to what shane battier said in the post game 7 interview..nuggets went thru NOH who was as useless as can be and had zero heart..then went thru dallas who had no howard..(who was HUGE in the first round defeat of the spurs)..which means no one to try to stop melo and they lost the 20 something ppg he brought them..they havent exactly been tested yet have they?
now you’re all going to say..oh well the lakers had houston with no yao ming or tmac..tmac hasnt been there all year really..and houston played us better without yao..even when he was in the series..we just ran him back n forth..when they went with the smaller line up..they came back in games against us..anyway..thats all over..
fish has the best match up he can possibly have against billups..he can actually guard billups..no one like battier/artest combo to stop kobe..odom creates some match up problems..and nowhere do i see gasol “talking shit” all he said was he has to be more aggressive to match kmarts intensity and that was that..he stated facts..dirk did go 30ppg even after kmart tried to punk him..and if you dont think kmart trying to punk the guy he is going against is a major part of his game..then ur just being silly..he tries to out “thug” you and intimidate his opponent..thats obvious..thats what gasol cant let happen..
cant wait for this series to start!!!!!!
May 18th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Big Mike says:
I think alot of you are underestimating Gasol in the post. He is very skilled in the post and K-Mart didn’t exactly stop Dirk either. The problem for Denver will be when they put K-Mart on Kobe, who will guard gasol then. Jones will be in foul trouble after 3 minutes. After Artest and Battier, do you think Kobe will be phased against a smaller Jones, really??? Melo usually doesn’t have, or in the past, haven’t had great games against LA. Lastly, I’ll say this again: STERN WILL NOT LET K-MART, BIRDMAN AND JR SMITH GET TO THE FINALS WITH ALL THOSE TATTOOS… It’s against company policy..lol.. Plus Stern is heading to the bank with Kobe vs Lebron finals.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
AY says:
Nothing against the nuggets, but Carl Landry came back from getting shot in mid march, ron artest fights entire arenas, chuck hayes plays against guys a foot taller than him on a regular basis and luis scola took the spear from derek fisher like a man. Denver has a guy with giant lips on his neck, and another guy who fought by slapping someone and running to the lockerroom. they are not tougher than the rockets. Just because you have more tats doesn’t mean you’re tougher, if that was the case then nba legend Cherokee parks would be throwing guys out of windows instead of good ol’ chuckster. I would worry about the nuggets big men being better if i were the lakers, i wouldn’t worry about them being tougher than the rockets.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
rodnets says:
nice pick of Pau watching the sunset, he is really tough
May 18th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Mike says:
Lakers in 6, Cavs in 6
May 18th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
BERN BROGDEN aka BINO BROWN STR8 UP N DOWN says:
I can’t wait for this SERIES!!!!
IT’s like a better HOUSTON-LAKERS MATCH UP!
C’mon, only difference ROX aint have a vet point or a PURE SCORER like MELO.
IT’S GONNA BE BANANANAS.
Funny thing about LA – they CAN actually be PHYSICAL in the WORST way. They just aren’t all the time.
Funny thing about Denver – they CAN actually FIRE ON ALL CYLINDERS in the BEST way. They just don’t do it all the time.
I predict Dahntay and Shannon BOXIN’ IT OUT and I aint talkin’ gettin’ position down low…don’t ask me why I picked those two…two no-names fightin’ for a name, eh, that’s good enough reason for me.
May 18th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
LakeShow84 says:
WHO the hell said Dirk is more creative than Gasol??
LMAO at the haters.. Gasol is a POST player and Dirk is a JUMP shooter.. trying to defend Kenyon Martin now just to make YOURSELF believe Gasol aint going to carve up Martin?? same bigs from last year right?? oh yeah you got Camby Jr out there now.. So what did Gasol average last year against Denver?? Shhhhiiiiiitttttt…
And the only person i see being effective on Kobe is Billups.. Dahntay Jones can TRY to guard Kobe but remember, you get up in Kobe’s shit and you about to be icing elbow bruises all night.. and he aint a vet defender.. he just vultured Chris Paul’s injured ass..
Im still ACHING to see how Melo does in this series.. we not only have the defender but the help big men.. like i said he is probably the smoothest scorer but he aint mentally strong enough and he aint ran into what we have defensively.. plus he doesnt do well againt Odoms length so we will see how far he has come..
They can still do it but it’ll be ROUGH.. Like they need to play perfect basketball rough..
May 18th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Blue says:
I said Dirk is more creative than Gasol!
Dude, I live in LA…so I’ve seen way more Laker games than I’ve wanted to. Pau uses his length more than anything to get his shot off. What makes him dangerous is that he’s accurate as all hell! Dirk has more moves in his arsenal although his post-up isn’t quite like Pau’s.
I’m a tried and true Laker hater since Bitch Mitch chose Kobe over Shaq! Pau isn’t the ‘carve up’ type of player. He was having a tough time against Scola up until the last game.
Still say Nuggets in 6!
May 18th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ AY..
Yeah that whole “Denver is tougher than Houston” thing is pretty funny.. Shit if you want to get technical Denver has played the SOFT teams this postseason..
Please call Utah AND/OR Houston soft in a sports bar and tell me how that goes.. New Orleans playing 6’8-9 West at Center?? SOFT.. Dallas SOFT..
Denver just have a bunch of talkers on they team.. JR Smith is a talker, Kenyon Martin is a talker (remember last year?? PLEASE let him get Kobe going cuz that’ll work out beatifully for Denver), and Melo makes looks like he is about to cry when the going gets tough..
they got a chance but please dont call an apple an orange..
May 18th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
LAballer says:
you know what..fuck y’all..ill take a SOFT ASS GASOL in my line up any day..
after we beat the nuggets and Gasol shows some fire..what will you amazing bball critics on this site come up with next to talk shit about? does it make you feel that good hating on the lakers? really..does it? do you go about your day happy cause you got to call Gasol soft, or you got to say Bryant is an asshole? now you can be happy in your suburu and rock your kmart (the store not the pink lips on the neck dude) t shirts? come on now..keep hating..keeeeeeeep hating..and while you are..you can see my smiling mug at the parade and hate some more on that
May 18th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ Blue.. Once again..
Pau is a POST player.. he sets up on the block and uses hooks and can use BOTH hands for those Hooks..
Dirk is a JUMP shooter.. he sets up on the block and spins to the fade away.. otherwise he goes from the top of the key..
U watch Laker games out of hate so you shouldnt watch them.. Bitter, bitter man..
May 18th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
AY says:
@22, nice. you go pau, watching that sun.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
dragonyeuw says:
Billips has gone through Chris Paul and Jason Kidd, going against the likes of Derek Fisher and Farmar is like a day off by comparison. Melo when hot can pretty much go shot for shot with Kobe. As for the bigs, Bynum’s an unknown at this point, Gasol is skilled but can be pushed around, Denver’s bigs are athletic enough to overcome any size deficiencies.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
LAballer says:
right cause j kidd was on the all defensive team this year…do you watch basket ball? your grandmother on crutches can cross kidd over at this point in his career..
May 18th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
dat dood says:
if anyone is actually arguing that gasol is more creative than dirk they should think about coming over to my house and eating my doo doo.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
dragonyeuw says:
‘right cause j kidd was on the all defensive team this year…do you watch basket ball? your grandmother on crutches can cross kidd over at this point in his career..’
Who cares, he’s still an upgrade overall over Fisher. And I notice you only commented on Kidd, no comeback on Paul? Like I said, Fisher and Farmar? Day off compared to who he’s already seen….
May 18th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Blue says:
@LakeShow84
haha…i watch the laker games because I’m a basketball fan. the only other choice is the clippers and I’d much rather watch a competitive game. don’t call me out as “bitter, bitter man” as if you know anything about me.
the fact that pau can hook with either hand is not creative!
i’m not arguing which player is better, i’m just arguing how they get the baskets. as ugly as dirk’s moves can be, he still has moves other than just post moves.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
LAballer says:
@ 33..
Who cares? your whole point was billups was able to work over chris paul and j kidd..which means their defense was not able to slow him down..correct?
he is bigger than paul and was able to post him and use his strength while the lanes were plugged by their bigs and paul’s supporting cast could not hit a shot if their life depended on it..point? billups looks great..paul looks horrible
kidd is known as the second worst defensive pg in the league behind only steve nash..i mean anyone can blow by kidd..point? kidd couldnt guard dick bavetta if they played one on one..
derek fisher throughout his career has been known as a good defensive pg..a very good one actually..however due to age he is much slower than he was and could not stay in front of brooks or deron really..
billups is an older point guard known to use his power to post up or hit pull up j’s..fisher is too strong to post up for billups and billups is much slower than brooks or deron and will not be able to blow by fisher as easily..
that was my point my non basketball watching friend..this is a great match up for fisher..therefore your point is useless..go back and think of something new and cool to say now..k?
May 18th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
dragonyeuw says:
at 35:
I love the arrogance coming from a person who’s team took 7 games to beat another without their TWO best players. Reality is Houston shouldn’t have won another game after Yao went down.
Billips is a top 5 point guard, and able to adapt to point guards of different styles and abilities. That’s what makes him a great point guard. So I appreciate your boundless faith in your team, but please don’t try to sell me or anyone else with a brain that billips won’t have his way with Fisher. K?
May 18th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
LAballer says:
riiite..so i was making a basketball observation..saying so far..billups would be better defended by fisher than paul or kidd..you however are just talking shit without a point..and since you had nothing to really say you resort back to the “oh well houston took you to 7″..umm we werent even discussing that..how about we wait n see k? billups is a superb pg..i agree..fisher can play him better than the other two he has had to face so far is my point..read much?
May 18th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
dragonyeuw says:
I mention Houston because you are amazingly cocky for your team considering they barely scrapped past a vastly overmatched Rockets team.
Sticking to your point, just because Fisher can defend Billips better than Kidd or Paul doesn’t mean he has any shot at stopping or even slowing him. I can’t believe I’m even here debating Billips vs Fisher, so I’ll end it here. Wake me up when you have something worth debating about.
May 18th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
LakeShow84 says:
@ Dragonyeuw
Paul is and has always been a defensive liability as witnessed by Spurs fans as Tony Parker scored on Paul more than a Jenna Jameson highlight reel in their playoff matchup.. He gets his steals but thats from jumping passing lanes and gambling..
And dont switch it up and say “Kidds an upgrade overall” over Fisher because the arguement was about defense.. Kidds on fixed knees and got 2 years left as bench player (if hes smart and wants a chip)..
Im going to go LABaller and say Fisher is a better defensive upgrade over Paul and Kidd.. But he’ll still get hit up pretty hard by Billups.. Hopefully Dahntay Jones sees a lot of PT so Fisher can guard HIM while Kobe guards Billups..
@ Blue
Once again.. Pau is a POST player and Dirk is a JUMP shooter.. has anyone ever seen Dirk use a great move in the pivot and hit a lefty hook/flip shot?? take it even further and say has anyone watched Pau go head to head against Dirk?? Pau be woopin Dirk’s ass.. If Pau had the freedom Dirk had Pau would be even harder.. The triangle keeps him where he is at but the man got a fade away too and runs the court much harder than Dirk.. shit Gasol got a crossover.. Dirk got a jab step and a spin and that sums up his open court moves..
And anyone who crys out “I’m a tried and true Laker hater since Bitch Mitch chose Kobe over Shaq!” on accident is a bitter, bitter man.. so i know that much about you..
May 18th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
dragonyeuw says:
Lakeshow, I agree with you. At the least you can debate without sounding like a pompous ass. And I’m glad you acknowledge that he will still get hit up by Billips. That’s my main point.
May 18th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
dk says:
@15 Dont be a fool man. Everyone knows that K – Mart ( great nick name for a fake thug ) is going to guard Bynum, Gasol, Odum and Bryant.He is a def. beast, name a year he wasnt first team all NBA D.
May 18th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
ash says:
comparing dirk and pau is beyond stupid.
dirk averaged 27 a game this year, is a formar MVP.
dirk’s mavs swept pau’s grizz in 06.
dirk is only one of five players in the HISTORY of the NBA to average 25 and 11 in the playoffs.
gasol is a very good player, dirk is on another level. see averaging 35 and 11 against denver as proof.
May 18th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Blue says:
Gasol has a crossover?!? i didn’t know he was the second coming of Tim Hardaway. Dirk can take guys off the dribble much better than Pau can! Even when Pau was with Memphis and had “more freedom” he only averaged about the same PPG as now. Clearly i’m not gonna get anywhere because you’ve used the same “Pau is a POST player and Dirk is a JUMP shooter” about three times now.
and me talking about Bitch Mitch was not an accident, and it doesn’t make me bitter…everybody has players/teams that they don’t like. it’s part of the passion of the sport
May 18th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
dragonyeuw says:
Are we really debating Dirk versus Pau here? WOW is all I can say.We’re talking one of the best players of his era against a ,at best, solid second option on a good team?
May 18th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
dk says:
I just was thinking back to the days when rap music was bearable ( not idiots with a robot voice carrying on about strippers ) Check out Thug Life album, song under pressure and youll see why
May 18th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
dk says:
and hear why Cuban / Kmart are bitches…
May 18th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
AB_40 says:
wave of goons?! wow
and thuggets is realy lame.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Spreefor3 says:
K-Mart is overrated as a defender, didn’t big Timmy almost get a quadruple double on him in Game 6 of the 2003 Finals? It was pretty funny how he kept trying to block Duncan on every play and Duncan just shot right over him. He plays hard but lacks the height to defend bigger players. Guys like Timmy, Dirk, Pau, KG can shoot over him anytime because of their length.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Big T says:
The Nuggets haven’t even played anyone yet in the playoffs… they should’ve just gotten two byes. They have above average interior defense, but their perimeter players are a joke. Lakers in 6… Fuck Kenyon.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Lol funny how people come to Dirk’s defense now once he is compared to a player for the Lakers..
Otherwise its a bunch of haters getting on Dirk.. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. u peeps need to make up your minds.. Gasol is much more versatile than Dirk.. Spare me..
Anyhoo im riding with my boy Gasol on this one.. Sorry! and bringing up a sweeping at the hands of Dirk’s Mavs when they were BAD, Michael Jackson bad mind you, is horrible example.. shit who even played for Memphis back then?? Stromile and Damon Stoudemire??
May 18th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Shit even though he blew me away with his remark last night ask Jeff Van Gundy who is a better player!!
May 18th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
dragonyeuw says:
No-one’s saying Gasol is a scrub. He’s a damn good player, but it’s ridiculous to say he’s in the same class of player as Dirk. And defending him has nothing to do with him being compared to a laker… at least for me.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
doc says:
Lakeshow-U aint got no win saying Pau a better player than Dirk.Cut it out seriously.Let Pau take a team to the chip as the MAIN man before we hype him up for playing with Kobe.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Mase says:
K-Mart, Melo and the rest of the goons have been carved up by the Lakers for days. Look up the history, can’t remember of the top but I don’t think they’ve won at staples center in 2 years +, including playoffs. They absolutely could not do anything to stop the Lakers. But now, all of a sudden the Nuggets are playing with more than half a brain (Billups) and the bandwagon is alive and kickin’!! Yes they are playing better, and yes, the Lakers better be awake when they play this team. But, all this talk here is ridiculous. All of a sudden K-Mart is a defensive stopper to one of the best PF’s in the world in Gasol? Why, cause he barks a lot? All of a sudden George Karl of all people is going to out-coach Mr. Nine Rings? All of a sudden Kobe is going to stop tearing it up in Denver? (pun intended) You gotta be kiddin’ me. When did the dimemag comments section turn into espn’s where the only basketball watched by peeps who are posting is tnt thursdays?
Lakers in 6. Done.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Lady Luck says:
I don’t see anything wrong with Pau’s responses. It wasn’t like he just made random comments, he was responding to a direct question. And he was dead on with what he said about Dirk’s points. Dallas wasn’t going to beat Denver, they don’t have the personnel or offensive power, nor did they have a post presence. This will be a totally different series for Denver. Should Pau have said he was scared to death? Or should he say that you just have to be aggressive and play through it? Seems like a no-brainer.
May 18th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
.K.i.n.G. says:
gotta love them nuggers
May 18th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
LakeShow84 says:
OK DOC & DRAGONYEUW..
But i have to hold it down for my man.. but my main point was as a PF, Gasol is more creative than Nowitzki in the post.. Dirk is a jump shooter.. i cant say Pau is better but as a post player he has more moves at his disposal and TWO hands.. I’ve seen Gasol lead the break go between the legs ala CP3 and throw a no look Dime.. please tell me when have we seen Dirk do that?? Ive watched Gasol dirbble between his legs fake left and hit a SWEET finger roll going right.. when have we seen Dirk do that??
Dirk gets his numbers no doubt but he shoots over EVERYTHING from EVERYWHERE.. Gasol stays in the post area working.. and in the open court he is more creative as well.. Shit i didnt say Dirk wasnt better than Gasol (even though i strayed that way lol) i just said Gasol is more creative than Dirk..
Sheesh..
May 18th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
dagwaller says:
Kenyon Martin won’t be able to stop Pau, plain and simple. I also hope that no one thinks that Pau Gasol is the only guy to ever be “backed down” by future HOFer Kevin Garnett.
May 18th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
doc says:
Lakeshow I give u Pau got better post game and better passes all day.Dirk aint got no flash in his game.Pau a beast and he probably gonna give Kenyon buckets in this series being the pussy he is.To me he a neutered Kevin Mchale.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:42 am
BERN BROGDEN says:
PAU might go through stretches of gettin’ beasted but that’s only when Kobe aint passin’ the rock. LOL When Kobe aint gunnin’ and he’s being a distributor…
Lakers be BALLIN.
PAU be blockin’ shots.
AB be pushin’ young bols to the ground.
Trevor’s YAMMIN’
Shannon’s doin’ sumptin and we just keep sayin’:
“Where he come from?!?”
PAU was EATIN’ SCOLA ALIVE.
And y’all trippin’ Dirk gotta SWEET STROKE but he doesn’t get busy like PAU. Let’s not go THERE! Please.
But, umm, Kenyon DOES have the potential to upstage him with tough D, aggravating feistiness, and some moves. Yes, believe it or not, he DOES have some. However, Kenyon’s offensive prowess PALES in comparison to the Spaniard.
And take into account he’s Olympic tested, Euroleague certified. Europe aint sweet. They may not be like American ball, but ask Brandon Jennings if it’s tough. He booked his flight home the first chance he got.
Funny, PAU battles ILL MILL, BOOZER and ‘em…prevails and the choir says “He’s not tough.” STRAPS UP AGAIN, takin’ on SCOLA, ARTEST, LANDRY, HAYES…throw in BATTIER. “He’s soft.”
I got it. He aint b**** ’cause he be b****in’ cats – off the dribble, on the block, on the glass, buckets here, blocks there, bustin’ azz everywhere. But when he get b*****d, he looks b*****. So sometimes we say he’s b*****.
Meanwhile, Nuggets take on heartbroken Dirk and lonely CP with their sad sap squads and DENVER’S BANDWAGON IS ABOUT TO TIPOVER!?! Wow – do we remember the regular season? LA didn’t seem to have a problem with Denver. The one game they jumped out and Kobe ended up takin’ 30 shots for 29 points. We know how that usually pans out in W-L column.
I think we should all agree that sometimes the Lakers get MANHANDLED. But they find a way to MANHANDLE back. It’s all about matchups and intensity. Should be fun.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:42 am
QQ says:
Wow, before the playoffs began, there was just 1 or 2 Nugget fans.I guess you are all amoeba or something, cause yall multiplied like shit when the Nuggets won. CAN I SAY BANDWAGON????
Gasol is soft as hell, but he has the fundamentals written down. Even if the Nuggets us all their brawn and teeth clenching, they cannot stop a well executed drop step CONSTANTLY without proper defensive fundamentals.
May 19th, 2009 at 4:09 am
Biggeddy says:
@3
I would love for Sasha and JR Smith to get into a fight. Other then Game 7, Sasha couldn’t throw a basketball into the ocean from a boat. JR Smith is the “Thuggets” best scorer off the bench. I’m praying for that fight right now.
May 19th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Mojoman says:
You have a good point, Pat. Everyone called Duncan soft, and then Teddybear Tim would roll their asses. Gasol can do the same, and he will for a game or two. But I’m kinda hoping your “relentless wave of goons” theory holds sway, because except for Chauncey and Melo (who can revert to the thug thang), they are goonboys, but goonboys who can play nasty, ratscrabble defense. Zenmaster Philwill launch a withering hailstorm of profanity and family curses on his Laykahs, but it will only get their attention for 12-13 seconds and not be enough to beat back the goonian horde that is the Nuggs. I can’t wait until Jack Nicholson gets lippy with K-Mart: Showtime!!
May 19th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
DUBZ says:
kenyon martin is a pout sack and a wanksta. he USED to be good when he played college ball at cincinatti but that was like 10 yrs ago. he cant handle pau gasol maybe he can get mad when he scores on him thats bout it
May 30th, 2009 at 11:44 am
HoopMaster says:
All of you Denver fans, you can now officially kiss our LA a-ss-es. You can take all your players and return them to jail, where you borrowed them for use during the playoffs. D-Jones is the biggest p*ssy of them all. Karl said he models himself after Bruce Bowen. Hahahaha! That is the funniest thing I have ever heard. First of all, Bruce is a man with a real name. A p*ssy with a name spelled “dahntay” is a gaylord waiting to pleasure his cell mate. K-Mart is a third rate a-ss wipe. I can’t even call him a has-been coz that presupposes that at one point, he was something. He was a nothing to begin with, and now, he’s a punk whose only purpose in life is to injure others who can actually play. His armpit likes to hang on to people’s limbs like a gaylord hangs on to well hung dudes. K-Mart is a criminal and Denver needs to return him to his cell. And Carmelo? I’m surprised he didn’t throw a punch. Oh wait, he was too busy crying at the end of the game. I think he’s gonna call his old pal AI and borrow some heat to relieve some stress. Finally, Billups? Welcome to the west, dude. Couldn’t advance to the finals in the East last year, and couldn’t do it in the West this year. Time to hang them up. Nuggets = Knuckleheads, as ESPN’s Skip Bayless calls them. Karl is a sorry hack who got lucky this year, getting to the finals in the West. Next year, the Nuggets advance to the second round at best. Then, they go on a decade-long decline into obscurity, where they belong.