Taking center stage will be the renewed brotherly rivalry shared between Pau and Marc Gasol.

When Mitch Kupchak pulled the trigger on the trade that added the final piece of the championship puzzle, most were crying foul. While Marc Gasol might not be the global icon his older brother is, he certainly is making that trade seem a little less lopsided than previously thought (Kwame Brown notwithstanding).

Coming off a career year, Marc Gasol is making a name for himself as one of the NBA’s up and coming big men. A 7-footer with legit post game, the younger Gasol is dispelling a lot of myths about European bigs. The Barcelona native is a beast on the boards averaging 11 a game, while also being a defensive stalwart in the middle. He’s got a soft shooting touch but won’t shy away from contact in the paint.

Perhaps instead of learning that tough lesson from Kevin Garnett in the finals a few years back all Pau needed to do was go on-on-one with his little bro more often. Marc has quickly adapted to the physical style of play in the NBA and is thriving in it.

Give GM Mitch credit too. After all he was the one that brought Marc to the NBA in the first place. Sure, Kupchak never thought drafting one Gasol would lead to acquiring another but he sure has played his cards right.

Naturally there are always bragging rights on the line but there is little doubt that both of these brothers value winning above all else. Pau has proven himself to be a champion. His competitive nature was on display in Memphis years before his younger half arrived in the same city.

Beyond the irony of their Grizzly connection, the Gasols are also linked by their service to the Spanish national team, playing for a country that boasts of the best hoops in Europe. A family with this type of shared success is a rarity in any sport. Now all that remains is for Marc to grab hold of one of those rings Pau has in his collection.

Survey says that Memphis won’t be hanging any banners in the near future but with Gasol Part Deux as a building block there is hope for a playoff filled future.

So, without further adieu. Let’s play the feud!

Goatee = Bad Travolta. As Sheed would say, "facial hair don't lie."

Yesterday, Phil Jackson took the Lakers on one of his famous playoff “field trips.” When I heard about it, nobody had any clue what that field trip was going to be. Now, we all know. The Zen Master took the team to the movies. From the O.C. Register:

Sensing something even more oppressive than the humidity in the air, Phil Jackson told his players upon returning to the hotel after practice that everyone would reconvene downstairs to catch the team bus again at 7:30 p.m. Attendance was mandatory.

And come nightfall, Jackson lifted his team out of this foxhole, freed them from the constant, constant, constant stress … and took them to the movies.

The Lakers watched “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,” Denzel Washington’s new thriller and a mainstream flick that could serve as escapism for one and all. Without worrying about how the next ball might bounce, they bonded as a team – detaching the players from their distracting families who are allowed on this one NBA Finals trip of the season.

This is a helluva strategy by Phil. Watching bad John Travolta — and, really, is there any other kind of Travolta at this point? — works miracles for one’s confidence. Personally, when I ever get down on myself about my creativity or writing, I just pop Battlefield Earth into my DVD player. Ta-duh! Confidence restored. That man is a walking, talking Razzie waiting to happen.

In all seriousness, watching Travolta ham it up for a couple hours with one of the best actors alive in a poorly reviewed Tony Scott ‘splosion fest — ridiculous action, incoherent plot and a lots of scenes that are shot/lit to look that blue color he has a hard-on for — is probably a pretty good way to escape and move past a loss. Let’s just hope the Lakers don’t emulate Travolta’s filmogrophy over the last decade during the rest of this series, because if that happens we will be crowing Orlando as the new NBA champs. My guess is that tonight will be the Taking of Orlando 123 (with only one more win to go).