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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SUNS v LAKERS

May 25, 2010

Pau Gasol

PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Game Four

Suns Â– 115
Lakers - 106

Q. Tougher game for you offensively tonight. Did those two early fouls just take you out of your rhythm a little bit?
PAU GASOL: No, not really. Not really. That happened in the first quarter. So then I was pretty safe the rest of the way. So that never got me off rhythm.

Q. Were you surprised that they zoned again so much and what was different about the way you guys attacked it tonight?
PAU GASOL: No, I wasn't surprised. I expected it tonight, as I said after Game 3.
And I think we moved the ball better. Tonight we got better looks. And for the most part, I mean, we gave ourselves a chance in the ball game. They just made huge runs at key points during the game. And then that last run it was hard and it was impossible for us to get back. But we recovered twice. The third time it was just too difficult.

Q. What was the mood like in the locker room? Phil seemed pretty emotional and animated during the game.
PAU GASOL: Yeah, I mean, we obviously -- it was an important game for us that we wanted to win. And obviously when you lose it and you don't reach your goal, obviously it's frustrating.
So obviously we're not happy about the way the game turned out tonight. But things happen like that. And now we've got to be ready for Game 5. And make sure we come out extremely, extremely hard and take the lead again in the series.

Q. As much as we're talking about the zone from the last two games, how much was the defense, really the lapse on defense, the cause for the losses?
PAU GASOL: I mean, basically defensively is what makes a big difference, I think. The zone has had an impact, you could say. But defensively you have to be really on top of your game plan and be aggressive.
But they shot the ball really well, I think, tonight for the most part. And I think one of the key points is definitely the rebounding difference.
18 offensive boards. Way too many. And 15 rebounds differential. I think that's probably one of the biggest keys of the game.

Q. Why do you think their second team was so effective in that fourth quarter?
PAU GASOL: They play well together. They play well together, obviously. And they're accustomed to play that way. And they're very effective. They give a good spark to the game when they come in. So you've got to be aggressive. You've got to make sure you take away the strengths of their players.
Dragic playing a pick-and-roll really hurt, couldn't stop it from getting into the lane and then started driving and kicking, and they made big shots on the kickouts.
So it's something that we have to figure out. I understand we've got to get the ball off the paint and we've got to be aggressive, and at times tonight it just didn't happen. We were again a little late on screen and rolls.

Q. Two-part question. Do you see a similarity to the Oklahoma City series when you guys came home and had a must-win kind of Game 5? And the second part, are you guys getting into yourself the last two years into this situation maybe too much? Houston, Denver last year, Oklahoma City, these, quote, must-win Game 5s kind of?
PAU GASOL: Obviously every series is different. But the result at this point of the series is the same. And now we've got to go back home and make sure we have a really good intense game, where we set the tone from the first second, and we play as hard as possible for 48 minutes.
So we've got to understand they're a team that they're dangerous, as they proved. I think people were overlooking them after the first two games. And just thinking ahead already. And so obviously that's a big mistake.
But they played really well these two games. Give them credit. Now we've got to go home and make sure we play as well as possible.

Q. Pau, obviously both teams hold court. But the 15 rebounding differential was a big difference. How do you recapture that hunger back in Los Angeles under glass?
PAU GASOL: You've got to make sure you're physical. There's going to be a lot of contact allowed and a lot of grabbing, holding. And that's just the way it's going to be. So you have to make sure you're the one who is more aggressive on the boards and pursue them and just continue to box out and continue to be aggressive on the opposite glass.
Just want it more than they do.

Q. Was it part of the game plan to rely on Kobe for so much scoring early in the game, or did you think you guys relied too much on him, especially in the beginning?
PAU GASOL: No, it wasn't really the game plan. I think he's just that aggressive tonight. And obviously he had a pretty -- very good shooting night. Very good shooting night as I'm seeing now, six out of nine 3s, shooting at a high percentage from the field, too.
He was aggressive. He was carrying us offensively. And then the second half they started sending two guys on him even when they were in the zone.
So he made good plays passing the ball out. No, it wasn't really the game plan but he adjusted and he was aggressive.

End of FastScripts

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