Pau Gasol demands urgency from Los Angeles Lakers following loss against Phoenix Suns – NBA Update
Los Angeles Lakers have had a topsy-turvy season so far. The Western Conference giants have shown flashes of brilliance, and been dominating at times, but they have also looked lacklustre on occasion. The Lakers have perhaps had a tough time remaining focused
with so many distractions this season.
The departure of Lamar Odom, the dumping of Derek Fisher, the tension between super star Kobe Bryant and the coaching staff, as well as the trade rumours about Pau Gasol.
Gasol however has put that behind him, and has fixed his attention on the task at hand. That was visible from his season high display of 30 points and 13 rebounds against the Phoenix Suns. While Gasol was impressive, the Lakers were not.
They bowed out for yet another loss, the most crushing in terms of the margin. It certainly did not help that Kobe had to sit out the game with an injury, but Pau was still not happy with the performance levels of his teammates.
After the game, he did not hold back from stating what exactly was wrong with the Lakers.
"Lately we're not playing with that sense of urgency that I think is needed at this point when there's only nine games left now," Gasol said.
With Andrew Bynum, the starting centre for the Western Conference All-Stars, and new recruit Ramon Sessions on the court, Gasol was perhaps right to question such a devastating loss even if Bryant was missing.
The Lakers power forward and Co-Captain went on to demand from his teammates to up their games, because it was only going to get tougher from here on. With just nine games remaining, the Lakers aren’t exactly for an easy ride. They have 5 games away from
home, and 3 against perennial rivals and current Western Conference top seeds, the San Antonio Spurs.
"We have a pretty tough schedule going into these nine games. So, we have to be aware of exactly what we're playing for and where we are at this point of the season, which is at the very end. Otherwise it's going to really hurt us."
He also took the opportunity to issue a rallying call for the Lakers, asking of the m to pick up their game and get ready for the New Orleans Hornets, whom the Lakers face next, warning them that complacence against the side could cost them dearly.
"We definitely need to regroup and bounce back quickly, starting with New Orleans," Gasol said. "We know how dangerous they are.. So, if we take them lightly it's going to be ugly for us.”
It will now be interesting to see how Los Angeles Lakers react against the Hornets, because it is surely one of the easier clashes this season has left in store for them.
Tags: