On Saturday, an era ended for the Lakers when big man Pau Gasol signed with the Chicago Bulls, ending a seven-year run with the Lakers. During that team, we saw Gasol and teammate Kobe Bryant go to three straight Finals, win two of them, and flourish together. In that time together, over the course of the regular season and playoffs, Gasol would finish with a 355 – 220, the large majority of those games with Bryant.
With over 500 games to examine, there were obviously many memorable moments in Gasol’s Laker history. There were multiple Game 7s, a handful of triple-doubles, and more dazzling passes than we can count. He was misused, abused, and taken for granted. Yet, he has etched his name in Laker history and the case could be made for his jersey to be hanging in the rafters after he retires.
Making a list of his greatest games is nearly impossible. There are too many and everyone will have their favorites. But I’ll give it my best shot, with controversy likely.