Pau Gasol: Round 1 Recap of Eurobasket 2011
Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol watched the final game of the first round of Eurobasket 2011 from the sidelines after aggravating his left ankle in the second quarter of Sunday's contest versus Lithuania.
Without the Lakers star in the middle, Spain lost to an inspired Turkish team on Monday who clinched a spot in the next round with a 65-57 victory and emerged from Group A.
Spain finished atop Group A—going 4-1 in group play—and will face a Dirk Nowitzki-led German team on Wednesday to kick off the second round of Eurobasket 2011.
Pau Gasol's Ankle
The 7'0'' Spaniard landed awkwardly on his left ankle after blocking a shot from Toronto Raptors' center Jonas Valanciunas during Sunday's match versus host country Lithuania. The official diagnosis is a mild ankle sprain. Gasol holds a day-to-day listing.
Pau assured fans he intends to play in Wednesday's showdown versus Germany, tweeting:
""I'm better. I had some pain in the ankle but I'll be ready to go on our next game on wednesday. Thanks for your support #Eurobasket2011"
"
Laker fans fretting about the severity of this injury should note that Pau continued to play and finished the game after spraining it Sunday—a good sign that it may simply be a minor tweak.
Pau Gasol's First Round Performance
To this point, Pau has played exceptional basketball as the leader of the tournament-favorite Spanish squad. Pau has used his quickness and length to find easy buckets near the hoop and has showcased some serious shooting touch, knocking down three-pointers and deep range buckets like a Spanish Larry Bird.
Pau put up 29 points, 20 points, 21 points and 17 points through the first four games of the tournament. With Pau registering the baskets, brother Marc Gasol has been cleaning up the glass—averaging a team-high 8.0 rebounds per contest.
The Gasol Brothers have been a joy to watch this tournament as their complementary playing styles and cohesiveness on the court translate into delightful basketball. Pau's inside out finesse game works particularly well with Marc's physical post presence. The tandem's familiarity with one another also gives them a keen advantage over the competition.
It was important for Pau Gasol to play well this summer after a disappointing performance during the 2011 NBA Playoffs. Laker fans have been anxiously waiting to see how the Spaniard would rebound: will we see a re-energized Pau or the out-of-sync player from the Dallas series?
So far, Pau appears to have recaptured his elite form. It's obvious the European style game is Pau's bread-and-butter.
Barring any setbacks to his ankle, Pau looks primed to lead his country again to back-to-back European Championships.
The Spain-Germany match can be seen live Wednesday at 8:30 A.M. EDT on ESPN3.com.
