Pau Gasol Plans to Play in Game 6 vs Cavaliers

The Chicago Bulls have their backs up against the wall heading into a must-win Game 6 Thursday night, but reinforcements are on their way.

Pau Gasol says he’ll return to the Bulls’ lineup, having missed the previous two games—both losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold a 3-2 series lead—due to a left hamstring strain.

The big fella says he’ll give his team all that he can.

Per the Daily Herald:

“I mean, right now it’s win or go home,” Gasol said. “There’s nothing left but tomorrow’s game. What percentage I’ll be able to play? I don’t know, but whatever percentage I will be, that’s what I’ll give.”

 

The Bulls didn’t do any strenuous practicing on Wednesday at the Advocate Center. They watched film, walked through some things, then shot around. Gasol was one of the last players to leave the floor, which helped illustrate his improvement. […] “I was able to do some good running,” he said. “I was able to do some shooting for the first time and move OK. So made some good progress today. No residual pain from yesterday.”

 

One reason for optimism is the Bulls had two narrow losses while Gasol sat out, so even if he’s not at 100 percent perfect health, maybe he’ll be able to make the difference. Gasol averaged 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in the regular season. […] “Our backs are against the wall, but I think we’re very much alive and I like our chances, to be honest with you.,” Gasol said. “I love our team. I love our resiliency all season long. All season we handled adversity, and tomorrow is going to be a tough game. They’re in a closeout position, which they will try and take advantage of, but it’s up to us to stand up to the challenge and give everything we’ve got and fight for our lives.”