Pau Gasol Feels He Has Nothing to Prove After Playoff Meltdown

Pau Gasol briefly addressed his (and the Lakers’) shortcomings in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, and feels that it was just one of those years when everything went wrong. But there’s no reason to freak out. From the LA Times: “In the playoffs last spring Gasol and the Lakers were run ragged by Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers power forward was also besieged by unsubstantiated rumors of a rift with his girlfriend, and was the subject of finger-pointing by fans disappointed with his play, and a jab to the chest by coach Phil Jackson during the Western Conference semifinal sweep. ‘I do not think there’s anything to prove on my side,’ Gasol said via email when asked if he was eager to put the Lakers’ postseason behind him. ‘Last season we didn’t perform during the playoffs as we were supposed to. . . . You cannot win every year; there are a lot of very good teams in the league.'”