Pau Gasol of the Lakers taking shots at Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson?

When things start to unravel -- like they clearly are with the Los Angeles Lakers -- perspective can be a funny thing.

Kobe Bryant seems to think there's nothing wrong with the first three-game losing streak in more than two years. After all, he scored 39, 26 and 34 points, respectively, in those three games.

Pau Gasol, who has averaged less than 14 points in the three losses, has a different take. He believes the defending NBA champions have been thrown out of sync because one guy again has become too dominant in the offense.

And guess who that guy would be?

"Kobe is a great player, the best offensive player out there ... but at the same time, we need to find some balance with our interior game, develop it a little more, moving the ball and changing sides,'' Gasol said gingerly, knowing he was treading on sacred territory by questioning Bryant and the offense of coach Phil Jackson. "We need to get focused on that a little more, to find balance, to find some flow.''

Gasol has grown frustrated recently by his lack of offensive opportunities. He was speaking Sunday after the Lakers had lost, 96-94, to the Magic in a rematch of last season's NBA Finals.

In the fourth quarter alone Sunday, Bryant took 16 shots and hit seven. Gasol made three of his four, yet three of those four shots came only after offensive rebounds from Bryant misses. His only other shot was a dunk off a Bryant pass. There was hardly any offense run through him in the fourth.

Watching the Magic run their offense through center Dwight Howard in the low post -- and beat the Lakers -- just accentuated his belief that the Lakers need to tweak their attack, or risk more losing that could threaten their defense of the title.

"I've always been a big believer that you work the game from inside out, and it becomes easier. The Magic do it with Dwight, and he's not a player with the best post moves, but it gives you balance."

-- Pau Gasol

"I've always been a good post-up player, getting looks for myself, but also finding cutters, passing the ball out. It's a good way to attack,'' Gasol said. "I've always been a big believer that you work the game from inside out, and it becomes easier. The Magic do it with Dwight, and he's not a player with the best post moves, but it gives you balance. I think we need that.''

Gasol was key last season in the Lakers' drive to their NBA title. He played in his second consecutive All-Star Game last month. This is the first three-game losing streak since he was acquired midway in the 2007-08 season. It wasn't until his arrival that the Lakers found the balance they needed for Bryant to lead them to a title.

He has seen that balance erode.

He averaged 18.9 points last season, which is two points more than he is averaging this season. He is getting fewer shots, too. In these three losses -- in Miami, in Charlotte, in Orlando -- he took a combined 38 shots. Bryant, conversely, took 79 shots.

Bryant also took and missed the final shot, a 20-foot jumper that could have tied the game with :01.2 remaining.

Bryant believes that even in defeat Sunday, the Lakers regained the intensity they will need to win games later this season and into the playoffs.

The Lakers (46-18) still have the best record in the Western Conference, but their recent struggles have given hope to the surging Dallas Mavericks, who are riding a 11-game winning streak.

Can the Lakers regain the form and become NBA champions again with a disgruntled big man in Pau Gasol? That remains to be seen.

Blog – 2 years, 2 months ago by Megatron to Basketball. 1955 views, 2 responses, 2 comments.