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LOS ANGELES — The label, distasteful as it was, did not quite stick, other than in Pau Gasol's memory.

It was more of an accusation — used to assign blame for the Los Angeles Lakers' loss in the 2008 NBA Finals to the more brutish Boston Celtics — rather than a way to define him. But Gasol was called “soft,” and no matter how that description is applied, it disparages as few other insults can.

Gasol did not agree with the charge, but he knew he was not at his best. Using that as motivation, he helped the Lakers to the championship last season and dominated the Celtics inside Thursday. The label was applied again, but this time, the Celtics used it to describe themselves.

“To me, it's surprising that that was kind of talked about,” Gasol said. “I understood that I didn't play quite at the level that I wanted to play myself, but at the same time I think we played and I played a really good playoffs until that point, and beating tough teams and physical teams. You have a couple of tough losses or tough games or bad games you could say individually, and all of a sudden you've got a label there.

“I feel like most Europeans, we get that label no matter what. It's just a given. It's like you've got to prove yourself every single game that you're a tough player. It's pretty interesting. But it's more interesting that I keep getting it, which feels like there's nothing better to talk about, which is a little sad.”
‘I think I've grown'

Some of the criticism seemed to come as a reaction to his strength and style, with a soft shooting touch and cerebral approach of a player that chose between basketball and medical school.

“I think I've grown,” Gasol said. “I understand better what is required out there and how hard you have to play and how much you have to work in order to be able to play like that. The game has always ... come to me natural. I've been talented since a very young age, so I didn't really have to work on certain areas to be successful. I still didn't understand everything that I needed to work on in order to be probably one of the top players in the world.”

Tougher is not how the Lakers describe Gasol or their frontcourt as a whole. He's just better. He had never won a playoff series in six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies before he got to L.A. Since then, he has never had a season end before the Finals.

“I think it's just been experience for him,” Kobe Bryant said. “The first year we got him, he hadn't been out of the first round, and all of a sudden we're in the NBA Finals playing against a great team like the Celtics. As he got his feet wet, he started understanding more and more how we need him to play to get to a championship level.”

Gasol was effective against the Celtics in 2008, averaging 18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and hitting 53.6 percent of his shots. He could not, however, control the paint as he did Thursday, when he had an easy 23 points — including hitting five shots at the rim — to go with 14 rebounds.
Praise from Perkins

“I do see a big difference in Gasol,” Boston center Kendrick Perkins said. “I think he got a lot stronger, got a little more aggressive from two years ago. I think he came out and played with a chip on his shoulder. I think he had more rebounds than me, Sheed (Rasheed Wallace) and KG (Kevin Garnett) together (they combined for 11).”

But beyond the numbers, Gasol excelled in the ways it was said he could not. The label had been beaten with last season's championship run, and by Thursday, it just seemed irrelevant, and probably always was.

“I don't take it as a payback,” Gasol said. “Obviously there's some memories there that are hurtful in a good way, and now we're just trying to beat them.”
photo
ROBYN BECK AFP/Getty Images

Pau Gasol took control of the paint, grabbing 14 rebounds and keying the Lakers’ dominance inside.
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