Lakers' Gasol, Odom Providing Assistance Worthy of a Champion

Kobe's Supporting Cast Keys 2-0 Finals Lead

LOS ANGELES, June 8 -- All the talk about Kobe Bryant trying to win an NBA championship without Shaquille O'Neal obscures something more important this season: Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers wouldn't be two more wins from a 15th title if not for the players acquired -- directly and in a roundabout fashion -- for O'Neal.

Reserve forward Lamar Odom was a principle part of the trade that shipped O'Neal to Miami in 2004, along with Caron Butler, who was traded to Washington in 2005 for Kwame Brown, who was traded last season to Memphis for Pau Gasol. Odom and Gasol, the maligned starting front line last season, both were blamed for the Lakers' shortcomings against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

Gasol was dubbed "Gasoft" after getting pushed around and intimidated by Boston's front line of Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins. Odom was deemed unreliable because he was occasionally brilliant and occasionally bad, his energy oscillating like a sugar high.

Never mind that it was a new stage for both Odom and Gasol, who had never won a playoff game in three postseason trips before joining the Lakers. "I fell short at the end," Gasol said of his forgettable Finals debut. "I ran out of strength. I ran out of energy and couldn't deliver."

That's not the case this time around, as the Lakers have a 2-0 lead over the Orlando Magic in this best-of-seven series, with Game 3 Tuesday in Orlando. During the Lakers' 101-96 overtime victory against the Magic in Game 2 on Sunday, Gasol and Odom combined to score 43 points with 18 rebounds and four blocked shots, leading the Lakers to victory when Bryant had 29 points on an "off" night.

Gasol carried the Lakers offensively in the extra frame, scoring seven of his 24 points and connecting with Bryant for the decisive three-point play. Bryant caught Gasol cutting down the lane and slipped a pass to Gasol, who split Dwight Howard and Rafer Alston and dropped a short hook as Alston fouled him with 1 minute 14 seconds left. Gasol watched the ball fall then howled, sweat dripping from his floppy hair and scraggly beard. The guttural scream was almost like a gust of wind to brush back all the critics of his playing style. "It tends to be that . . . because a guy has a set of skills is more of a finesse player, that he's labeled as a soft player," Gasol said. "I'm not bothered by it because I know I'm a competitor, I'm a winner. I've competed my whole career, and nobody has given me anything. I had to earn everything I got, and I'm proud to be where I am."

But the all-star 7-footer from Spain truly showed his toughness and resolve on defense against the physically more imposing Howard, who was limited to just five field goals. Gasol said he spent more time in the weight room than any other season in his eight-year career. The Lakers needed Gasol to hold his ground against Howard with center Andrew Bynum, the supposed missing physical piece, collecting cheap fouls and limited to just 16 minutes. Despite giving up almost 15 pounds to the 265-pound Howard, Gasol had a block, two steals and 10 rebounds. He wasn't overly physical but savvy enough to help turn Howard into a spinning, flailing, turnover machine (Howard finished with seven) by constantly directing Howard into double teams. "They're doing some crazy things and it's frustrating me a little bit," said Howard, who scored 17 points on Sunday and has converted just one dunk through the first two games.

Gasol admits he likely wouldn't have been able to hold off Howard last season. "I think I've improved," Gasol said of his defense. "I just feel stronger. I feel like the work that I put in this year has paid off and is paying off. I've improved physically to be able to hold my ground a little better. I worked hard for it all year long and continued working to show I can be effective against bigger guys. So far, so good."

Odom recently revealed his fascination for candy but now he is also showing that he can play focused and consistent basketball for an extended stretch. The enigmatic sixth man has scored in double-figures for the fourth consecutive game and it is no coincidence that the Lakers have won all of those games, with Odom averaging 17.3 points and 11 rebounds.

He has been gutting out his best performances this postseason despite suffering a back injury in Game 4 of the conference semifinals against Houston. Playing through pain is nothing new for Odom, whose 6 1/2 -month-old son died in his sleep three years ago. "Nothing in my life has been easy, like from Day One," Odom said after scoring 19 points with eight rebounds and three blocks in 46 minutes on Sunday. "I don't expect it. I've got a nice big house, I expect the door to break. I expect something to go wrong. That's life."

Odom has been up and down this postseason, going from 17.8 points and 11 rebounds in the first round against Utah, to 8.3 and 8.9 against Houston, to 11.5 and 9 against Denver. Part of the problem is that the Lakers don't run plays for Odom, who usually generates offense through aggressive bursts, attacking the rim on power drives or fighting for offensive rebounds. He was especially focused on Sunday, as he scored eight of the Lakers' first 10 points in the fourth period and made 8 of 9 field goals. "You've got Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, those guys are perennial all-stars," Odom said. "I've got to take advantage when my opportunity comes."

Odom will become a free agent this summer, but he swears that his motivation is not money but righting the wrong of last season in the Finals. "It was a tough year for us last year, getting embarrassed in Boston," Odom said. "You know, me and Pau have a lot of experience. Experience is the best teacher of them all."