Even though Pau Gasol is one of the uggest dudes in the NBA (see above), he should know better than to dunk on the home team when he’s up five points with three seconds remaining (if you didn’t catch the whole game, watch the highlight and read the story here). Run the clock out, dummy. I think Pietrus did the right thing - Ug-Man Magee can have the dunk as long he doesn’t mind a hard foul in his back. Read what super-biased Lakers fans are saying here. What do the HAAP readers think?
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June 12th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Super-biased Laker fans? The super-biased entire rest of the media and public will of course say Pietrus did the right thing. If that were the Cavs though I can guaruntee the outcry for his suspension would be loud and clear. I am usually very anti-dunking at the end of the game like that, but this wasn’t a situation where the other team had conceded victory and they were rubbing it in. The Magic were still playing. Pietrus should be suspended but won’t.
June 12th, 2009 at 8:17 am
Great pic of Gasol by the way.
June 12th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Gasol is lame, but I’m cool with him dunking. Of course, I can’t dunk so I’m of the mindset that if I could dunk I would dunk any time possible. Pietrus is crap for fouling hard like that. That was bush. Take the loss like a man. The Magic only have themselves to blame. Try making a free throw sometime this playoffs and you won’t have to complain about Gasol dunking on you.
June 12th, 2009 at 10:43 am
should Pau have dunked? Absolutely not. Him making that dunk makes the clock stop and causes the magic to inbound the ball. Having said that, I would have dunked it if I was Gasol. Also, I would have fouled as hard as I could if I was Pietrus and when Pau came at me and bumped me..it would be on. People are soft. Especially foriegners. And more specifically Frenchmen (like Pietrus) and Spaniards (like Gasol) are supersoft. I long for the NBA days when the Knicks and Pistons were enforcers. Hell, every team had an enforcer. The NBA and the country have gone soft.
June 12th, 2009 at 11:16 am
My favorite part was when Pau balled up his fist like he was actually going to fight someone.
June 12th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Gasol looks like Big Bird. He’s not fighting anyone anytime soon. I thought Spain and France had good foreign relations? Guess not.
June 12th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
Pau looks dead up like Big Bird. And regardless of what i think about the fall, i wish Pietrus would have punched the hell out of Pau just for how ugly he is. PaU Gasol is arguably the most skilled offensive big man in the league and possibly my least favorite player in the league…… wait, that is Kobe, second is Sasha Vujacic, then Ugly Pau
June 12th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
I think Pietrus did the right thing, up until the point that he didn’t knock Gasol out. Up 5 with the ball and 3 seconds left, you don’t stand under the basket waiting to dunk. If you do, you better expect to get jacked by someone from the other team.
On the other hand, where does Pau Gasol rank on the NBA’s list of worst shoulder bump-givers? Top 10? Top 3? Top 1? He looked unbelievably awkward after his fast break dunk with 20 seconds or so remaining.
June 12th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Top 3 awkward celebrators.
3. Any white (American or foreign) basketball/football player trying to do leaping shoulder bumps.
2. Any white golfer doing a fist bump.
AND #1. Tiger Woods and caddie Steve Williams sharing in any celebration. For example, missing every high five they attempt or the awkward guy hugs they always do.
June 18th, 2009 at 12:09 am
Pau Gasol should have DEFINITELY dunked the ball and I’m glad he did. I’m not only saying that because I’m a huge Lakers fan, but also because Gasol had received the ball with three seconds left while he was standing underneath the basket. He was going to get fouled by a Magic player and he had no choice but to either get rid of the ball (by a dunk or shot) or get fouled with a last minute unnecessary foul when the game was already decided.
I’m also glad that he got in Pietrus’ face. That foul was completely unnecessary and he should have let the time run out. But because he was going to foul Gasol, Gasol had no choice but to try and get rid of the ball (through a dunk). The game was already over and a foul with that little time left wouldn’t have saved the game. It was about time that Gasol showed some toughness and at least got in his face.
June 30th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
I am surprised this question was even ASKED….of course he should have dunked. When they got possession, there were EIGHT seconds on the clock. When it was passed to Gasol, there were still just over five seconds left. You think he can run it out, with the 3-second violation? Gimme a break. There was nobody in sight, LA was up by five points (not fifteen), which allowed more than enough time for Orlando to tie it again.
Gasol did the right thing, and Pietrus was a little pissant for taking out his frustration on Gasol’s back.
July 1st, 2009 at 7:39 am
I started this, so I’m grading the comments. The best comment goes to Family31 - I fully support Pau dunking as long as he knew it was going to result in a hard foul. I still maintain that it’s bad sportsmanship, but if he wants to dunk, he should be ready for the retaliation.
The most ignorant comment is a tie - DJ Santino and WingNut13. They have amazingly one-sided arguements - it’s OK for Gasol to dunk, but not OK for Pietrus to foul. Pau’s only option wasn’t to dunk - he could have passed it out or taken two dribbles (to get out of the 3-second lane, Wingnut) and held it. DJ and Wingnut clearly have never played competitive basketball before (if “the game was over” as DJ put it, good sportsmanship calls for Gasol to dribble it out and shake hands when the horn sounds) and Wingnut seems to believe they have a five-point line in the NBA with which the Magic could somehow tie the game.