The Real Truth: Lakers' Zone Wins Game, Gasol MVP in a Runaway
The game is over. The fans dispersed. The images still popular. Gasol the MVP. At least this is what we saw. And the Zones proved the difference, as we said before this game.
Gasol Real Truth MVP
That Pao Gasol is not the MVP shows the Real Truth about Hollywood and sports. Stars are made MVPs, not peasants. Sure, there is a breakthrough now and then. And sure, Gasol is no disrespected peasant in the scheme of things. But this will always remain Kobe's Fifth, not Gasol's win.
This is why sports are not fair.
There were few reasons why Game 7 should not have decided the MVP. It was the end game in an even series. The talent was about the same, if not more in favor of the Celtics. The pressure was there for everyone, although Kobe will tell you his was the greatest pressure. And through it all Artest and others baked their place in the record books.
Gasol scored 23, 25 and 21 in Games 1, 2 and 4, respectively, and earned praise for added toughness and his burgeoning game. But he wasn't able to keep his sneaker on Garnett's neck and by Game 5, even Bryant and the Lakers were ignoring him offensively (12 points, six of his nine shots coming off offensive rebounds). It's hard to envision a) the Lakers firing back to win the title and b) Gasol outshining Bryant as they do so, and both things would have to happen for the refined 7-footer to be Finals MVP.
The Lakers won and Gasol outshined Bryant in the Finals and in Game 7. At worst, Gasol was even with Bryant in the running for MVP. And in the last game, with all on the line, the statistics and facts do not lie. Indeed, perhaps a single rebound decided this NBA Championship.
For the game and series? Kobe shot slightly more than 40% for the Finals. Gasol shot nearly 48%. Kobe and Gasol had almost identical assists in the series. Gasol had more blocks, fewer personal fouls and more rebounds. Only in scoring, where in Game 7 Kobe was six of twenty-four, did Kobe exceed Gasol.
And in that Game 7, Gasol had nineteen points and eighteen rebounds. Phil Jackson says rebounds win championships. Hard to argue this point. Without Rodman, MJ can there be any doubt that he would have fewer rings?
Yet Hollywood again prevailed. Star power. What else is new?
Lakers' Zone Better Than Celtics' Zone
In the end, the Real Truth is that the Most Valuable Attribute of Game 7 and the Playoffs was the Lakers' zone. Time after time, when teams began to get to the Lakers, their zone was the superior force in the game and series. Without Artest, this would not be true. Indeed, often applauded Derek Fisher was perhaps the weakest link in the zone when on the floor. And the best was Gasol.
And, unlike championships in the past, the zone has finally caught on. As good as the Celtics played the zone (their zone killed Orlando), they were not as good as the Lakers. Another article contended that this difference is partly fostered by the triangle offense. All zone offenses make it easier to zone on the defensive side.
So it is, 2010 and on. The era of the zone.
