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NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: SUNS v LAKERS


May 24, 2010


Pau Gasol


PHOENIX, ARIZONA: Practice Day

Q. What are you working on to try to take care of what they've been doing?
PAU GASOL: Kind of the zone, you know, forced us to go away from them going inside and it limited touches in there. But we've got to create, like I said last night, we've got to create more penetration off the gray wall and be sharper with our passes. So we make the ball move, we make the defense shift, and then things will open up.

Q. You still think you should get more shots?
PAU GASOL: No, I never said really to get more shots. Just a matter of putting the ball inside, creating penetration like that, and things will open up. It doesn't mean I necessarily have to shoot it all the time because I like to make passes and just make the right play.

Q. (Indiscernible)?
PAU GASOL: The zone invited us to settle from the outside, and we never really got the ball to move where we wanted it to go. And it was a mistake that tends to happen when you're facing the zone, especially when you're not used to facing the zone, like we're really not.
So in today's practice, I'm sure we'll emphasize that and we'll make adjustments and we'll realize how important it is just to create penetration by, like I said, off the dribble and by putting the ball in the air and kicking it out and wide open shots.

Q. When the stakes are this high, is it a gamble for a team to play zone that much?
PAU GASOL: Well, if it works, it works. If it gives you a lead and it gives you a win on Game 3, helping in the playoffs, you play it all day long.

Q. Were there some soft spots in the zone that you guys saw or were you just taking what they gave you?
PAU GASOL: Obviously, the zone's got a lot of soft spots. You've got to make sure you find them and you look for them. And you're aware of them.
So something that I'm sure we're going to go over today and just be -- just be ready for tomorrow.

Q. Is this something that can be rectified where you can have success in just one practice, one full session?
PAU GASOL: Yeah, I think so. I think it's not that hard to figure out. It's not really complicated. It's something that guys need to know, you know, positions and openings and how to get the ball to certain places and how to use ball fakes for the defense to not intercept them and turn the ball over, which was a key from last night from their success.
So I think it takes, you know, short practice to figure it out.

Q. A guy like Lopez, his effort on the court (indiscernible).
PAU GASOL: They ran it with him or without him. And obviously, with a guy of more length and size, it will be more effective because you protect the middle more, which is one of the weak spots of the zone.

Q. Does the Bynum thing bother you a little bit? You don't know if he's going to play 20 minutes. He played seven last night. This whole knee injury, Phil said he might sit him again when he was asked about it last night?
PAU GASOL: I don't know exactly the specifics about Andrew's situation and how he's handling it and how our coaching staff is going to handle it. Obviously, I think he's a big presence for us. And he's effective and really will make a big impact in the game.
So I would like to see more of him out there and then be as aggressive as he is. But again, I don't know how much his knee is bothering him, has limited him and how much Phil wants to use him.

End of FastScripts




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