Basketballogy -- The Science of Basketball (#3): Rollin'

Seven games into the regular season, the defending NBA champions Los Angeles Lakers are still undefeated, 7-0. They have dominated their opponents during the course of the young season. Anchoring this relentless wave of dominance is the Lakers' All-Star duo of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Of course, while Kobe showed signs of his superstar form looming, he is still not entirely 100% as his knee is still recovering from an offseason surgery, though he keeps saying that his "knee is (insert expletive here) fine". With regards to that, Gasol has been the most consistent player in the Lakers roster so far. He is taking the role of the leader while Kobe is recuperating and Pau has taken that responsibility quite well.
As of November 7, 2010 (Pacific time) Pau has been averaging 24.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.67 blocks a game on 52.7% field-goal shooting. This guy, like the entire team, is on a roll. And if you think the stats are already impressive, try to watch him play and he will awe you some more. For the average fan, greatness is defined by how many points a player scores. To the die-hards, awesomeness happens when a player executes properly and his actions lead to victory. Pau Gasol has so far satisfied the criteria of "greatness" of the average and die-hard NBA fan.
Just a few hours ago, during a Lakers win over the Portland Traiblazers, Pau scored a triple double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. That is just a reaffirmation that all the hype surrounding him (many have been calling him "The Best Big Man in the Game Today") isn't all hype. It's fact. The tall, Spanish guy who initially wanted to follow his parents' footsteps and be a doctor in Madrid, is now among the big names of the game today.
As long as Kobe recovers from the knee issue, the Lakers will rely heavily on Pau. And even if Kobe gets back to Black Mamba mode, Pau will be demanding the ball. He will demand the ball because he has garnered the respect he deserves. And his teammates will give him the ball, and once he gets that ball, he'll back you down, spin and slam it home with an and-1 to boot. Why? Because he (bleep) can.
And if you have forgotten, the entire Lakers team is still not 100% as starting center Andrew Bynum is still out after a knee surgery (and the Lakers still dominate on defense. Yikes!) but is expected to return on Thanksgiving Day (November 25). Everyone knows how deadly the Lakers frontcourt of Bynum and Gasol, the very big guys with freakishly long arms, with their suffocating defense.
The season may be young, but there have been a lot of amazing things happening around the NBA. This justifies the league's catchphrase "Where Amazing Happens". And if your looking for "amazing", look no further than the Los Angeles Lakers, your back-to-back NBA Champions.



Portland Trailblazers @ Los Angeles Lakers (November 7, 2010)



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