Pau Gasol: Maximus Decimus Meridius (Gladiator)
“You can help me. Whatever comes out of these gates, we’ve got a better chance of survival if we work together. Do you understand? If we stay together we survive.”
If I could see one thing in this NBA Finals tonight, it would be this:
Pau Gasol drives down the lane and delivers a thunderous dunk over the top of Kevin Garnett, who falls to the ground and instinctually assumes the fetal position. Pau Gasol then heads to center court and yells to the crowd, “Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?” All the while the rabid Staples Center crowd chants: “Spaniard! Spaniard! Spaniard!”
Would this not be the best case scenario for tonight?
If the Lakers do wind up victorious, they will need that mentality from their Spaniard. He needs to be tough. He needs to be strong. He needs to be a warrior.
A big performance tonight will bury that “soft” 2008 performance deeper in the back of our minds. If he can be the fearless leader in the paint, he will be collecting his second ring in October.
