Pau Gasol wasn’t the first nor will he be the last to be posterized by Blake Griffin. Now Pau’s particular poster might be the most popular of Blake’s collection but in the grand scheme it means little to the Spaniard.
Gasol’s been there and done that when it comes to bullying. He was baptized in the most unflattering manner by the Boston Celtics during his first trip to the finals. But as George W. Bush would say, “fool me once, not gonna get fooled again.”
Griffin’s got the poster props. He’s also got a long way to go until his resume looks anything like Gasol’s. Pau might not have a highlight reel featured on NBA.com but he’s got accomplishments featured year-round in Staples in the form of championship banners. You don’t get to be a major part of championship teams by fearing embarrassment.
Getting dunked on in the most emphatic fashion then turning to the ref for a bail out is embarrassing. But getting blown out, beaten and bruised in the NBA Finals is just shameful. Gasol has lived through both having gotten his revenge on the Celtics two years later. No telling when he’ll get back at Griffin. For now the scoreboard will have to suffice.
Blake might have put Pau into the highlight reel on a couple of occasions in one evening. He also might have been a little more effective in helping his team to beat their Staples rivals. On the final night of the Battle of Los Angeles for the regular season Griffin wasn’t exactly a dominant force. His antics deflected attention from an otherwise pedestrian night for the All-Star.
In the big picture the Clippers are the ones with egg on their face. They’ve done a complete overhaul seemingly adding new talent each month only to find themselves still looking up at the Lake Show. Their longest winning streak in over a decade disappeared as did their chance at getting a tiebreaker over the Lakers should it become necessary.
All things being considered, Gasol showed he’s unfazed by Griffin by simply challenging him when others would simply cower. The results were expectedly inevitable. Still the scoreboard is all that matters. Griffin can have the fleeting glory. Gasol is working on a steak unconcerned with the sizzle.