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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SUNS v LAKERSMay 23, 2010Pau GasolPHOENIX, ARIZONA: Game Three Suns – 118 Q. What was the difference tonight in Amar'e defensively was it just aggressiveness going to the hole, what did you think? PAU GASOL: It had something to do with it. He was more aggressive and he made more shots. Q. Did you expect that? Did you expect them to go to the basket? PAU GASOL: We expected that. It was very much expected. But I think we could have done better defensively. I understand what he does. But hopefully we'll be a little more ready for Game 4. Just gotta be more aware of what's going on out there. And the strength of your opponent. Q. How much is Bynum's injury do you think hurting him and you guys? You're out there playing next to him. He says he's fine. He doesn't look fine to us. He looks like he's really hurting. How much does that hurt you and your effort? PAU GASOL: Obviously he's been a key player all year. He can bring a lot to the table. Defensively and offensively. He's a big presence for us and he's been playing really well. Obviously we don't know how much that knee is a factor. Of course I would like him to play more and produce more and help us. Q. What kind of challenge is it trying to guard Amar'e off the drive? PAU GASOL: Challenging. Q. Did you almost have to lay back because of the foul situation as well? PAU GASOL: Early on a little. I didn't try to lay back too much. He was hitting those jumpers and so rather force him into the drive and then expect some kind of help there. So he got his way tonight and we'll try to get our way the next one. Q. Why do you think their offense struggled against the zone in the second quarter? PAU GASOL: Took us a long time to figure it out. And then they stayed with it pretty much for I don't know how long. Over 30 minutes. It felt like it. It was just -- we made bad passes. We weren't sharp with our execution against the zone. And we didn't make the ball work. We really never got it to get inside out. That's how you hurt the zone really well, make the zone collapse and then kick it out and get a better shot. We will probably work on that tomorrow. Understand that it probably worked tonight. I think we finished the second quarter 4 out of 19 possessions, and we did better in the second half. But not a whole lot better. Because obviously they stay with it. They didn't ever really gotten away from it. So we have to be ready for Game 4 and understand that's something that we're going to face. Q. Could you talk about the impact of Robin Lopez tonight on the game? PAU GASOL: He was a big factor, obviously. He's a player that usually averages less than what he averaged tonight, what he put up tonight. And it really hurts you. So he's a long player, playing really well for them right now, and we've got to make sure we contain him and make him take tougher shots and not get looks. Q. The difference in the second and third quarter with their zone, was it just understanding it and attacking it better in the third quarter? PAU GASOL: We obviously did a lot better in the third, attacking, penetrating. You have to penetrate the zone. You just can't expect things to work out and get good looks if you're not aggressive, just passing the ball around from the outside. You gotta make sure you get penetration so the defense turns their heads and then all of a sudden you get wide-open looks. So we're not accustomed to playing against zone. And obviously it was noticeable tonight for the most part. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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