Ben Taylor Breaks Down Pau Gasol’s 2010 Game 7 Performance | Thinking Basketball

[@elilast9010]

Ben Taylor is the best! we need these more fully in depth play by play. Maybe even a livestream to watch as an alternative to the regular boroadcast.

[@JDOGFTW]

There was a livestream on this nba channel this week. Bro where you been I don't know if they saved the stream it was on twitch and nba channel with ben taylor.

[@mitchellholcomb1561]

Give Ben a featured series on national TV and you make the next generation of players better

[@David-iv6je]

I've been saying for 13 years now that Pau should have been Finals MVP in that series. But the numbers were close, Kobe is the archetypal Lakers hero and voters are politically aware. It was always going to be Kobe.

[@dylankirkpatrick9522]

I remember in the two Kobe championships Kobe one fmvp Phil’s strategy for winning was using their length(Bynum and especially Gasol) as the biggest advantage. It was definitely close for the finals but they rarely care about efficiency in their voting.

[@krguda09]

Pau was the best player of the game, but Kobe definitely led the team the entire series.

[@kaksmirknight5318]

@david You've been saying it wrong for 13 yrs. Where was Pau from Games 2-5 of the NBA finals in 2010? Oh wow! I watched that whole playoffs mam. And don't start with your lies. It was Kobe who's even the MVP of that regular season and The playoffs. Even in game 7 when Kobe was hounded he still managed to squeeze 23 pts and grab 15 rebs and chasing Ray all game. Pau was there yeh, 19 and 18 but he was not responsible alone for the comeback and the finishing touches and keeps missing free throws in the 4th

[@David-iv6je]

@@kaksmirknight5318 Who cares about reg season or the rest of the playoffs? It's FINALS MVP, not some other MVP. Besides, Kobe was 6 for 24, 0 for 6 from 3. Classic Kobe: would sometimes shoot his team out of the game. Kobe was unambiguously the best player on either team in general. But he wasn't in the Finals. The Triangle ran through Gasol because of his height and passing skill.

[@Henry-fn1zw]

kobe is fmvp, he was the best player in the finals

[@princemjbp695]

People bash Pau with his jersey retirement and hall of fame induction when he literally carried the Lakers whenever Kobe was playing like sh*t.

[@tkinsey3]

Yes Ben Taylor! The GOAT of these breakdowns. Keep him here, NBA!

[@ReturnoftheMaRc]

Damn, 57 point in 4th quarter.. Insane how the games have changed.☝️💯

[@zachcushing-murray2663]

This is still my favorite game of all tine, defense wins championships

[@nosrellom]

Just what happens when the rules/refs make it so you can't play real defense

[@rockysalvatore435]

​@@nosrellomno, they don't call violations on offense moreso

[@pleaserewind295]

@@nosrellom The Lakers got several foul calls in this quarter.

[@smoothjulio]

@@rockysalvatore435it’s both.

[@coreyshafarman8918]

Ben Taylor is the goat. He’s so good at breaking down the game, and so entertaining to listen to. I listen to his podcast, “Thinking Basketball”, as soon as a new episode drops. I hope the NBA gives him more and more stuff to do

[@datsapaddlin]

Pau’s impact wasn’t gonna always have big numbers but he was good at a bunch of things all in one where it left a big impact on the game.

[@zennihilator3724]

The biggest boon the Lakers had over teams in this period was having the best frontcourt in the league. Pau is basically a Center-sized forward there in terms of his agility and footwork. Just too skilled and mobile for most 7-foot oafs and too big and long if you played old Sheed and Big Baby Davis on him... Matchup nightmare. Odom was basically a 6'10 PF/SF hybrid with a very unique skillset and mobility most players didn't have at his position. Again, another player that has enough size to bother guys like KG on offense but also enough quickness to stick on them on the perimeter and switch onto others. Ron Artest was a miniature version of that. Obviously he was renowed as an elite defender before he came to the Lakers because he was stronger than most Forwards but also had the quickness and hands to bother perimeter players... When teams ran into this Gasol/Odom/Artest lineups, it was just so difficult to exploit them defensively. All of them were big, physical and moved very well for their size. All of them could switch onto bigger or smaller guys and still be effective... Also, this video reminded me why i hated Rondo and had to battle his stans for years on how overrated he was on both ends of the floor... The dude was a complete non-factor out there on offense. He suppose to be the lead guard/playmaker of the Celtics but couldn't do anything with the ball. When he didn't have the ball he was basically not defended at all... So you had to deal with the Gasol/Odom/Artest situation, but then also add the fact that Kobe didn't have to defend Rondo at all and could afford to sag off him to shrink the floor and offer help (should've probably do it more aggressively too)... So the Celtics were essentially playing with 4 players on offense in this video. Not to mention his reputation as an elite defender, but in this video again he doesn't do anything. He doesn't even take on the challenge of guarding Kobe when he knows they're gonna run the offense through him. He lets 34-yr old Ray Allen guard Kobe while he tries to hide on Fisher...

[@boston_jorge]

Kobe led this game in scoring and led both teams in 4th quarter scoring in game 7. Kobe led both teams in scoring for 6 out of 7 games.

[@David-iv6je]

I've been saying for 13 years now that Pau should have been Finals MVP in that series. But the numbers were close, Kobe is the archetypal Lakers hero and voters are politically aware. It was always going to be Kobe.

[@davis2k1234]

@@David-iv6je Kobe avg 10+ more points per game then anyone on either team stop it Gasol was 18/10 had zero case for FMVP

[@David-iv6je]

@@davis2k1234 We give FMVP only to the guy with the most points? And here I thought it was the most valuable. FYI, Kobe was shooting poorly. So let's give the award for the guy who almost shot his team out of a championship!

[@chidori5399]

57-53 at the start of the 4th is craaaaazy

[@dontundra2259]

The defensive intensity by both teams was extraordinary in this game 7.

[@chidori5399]

@dontundra2259 one of my favorite games of all time

[@peace_of_mind_00]

That was normal in the playoffs in the 00s & early 10s before the warriors style of ball took over in the mid 2010s.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

@@peace_of_mind_00 Nah, that was never really normal. Most 4th Quarters start in the low 70s back then. That was a low scoring game even for the time.

[@marcussims1615]

​@@TheGeorgeD13yup back then first to 100 normally got the dub

[@nesimatbab]

I swear people who say Kobe was one of the best defenders should watch more of his games. The guy got all those all def team on reputation. He runs around and blames teammates who miss rotation, while he guards a non shooter Rondo whom he can just give space anytime.

[@driiifter]

i thought MWP was better lol.

[@nesimatbab]

@@driiifter Kobe was never the best defender on any of those Lakers winning teams. His defense basically is putting an intense face and grimacing from time to time. He can play defense if he wants to turn it on, but we can't really say he is better than kawhi as a 2way player.

[@davis2k1234]

@@nesimatbabGo watch the 3peat Lakers 🤡 he was the best permitter defender in the league in early 2000s yeah when he was older and had to Avg 30PPG and be the main facilitator and carry the offense himself yes he was probably got a couple repudiation awards but he was still always a 2way player period

[@jacoblee5796]

Kobe was crazy overrated as a defender. He chased the ball around the court forcing bad switches and putting his teammates in bad positions defensively. Kobe at times was a liability on defense, probably why he has a negative box defensive +/- for his career.

[@emmapeel38]

Outside of a 3 year window (under Phil's defensive schemes), Pau sucked on defense. He even sucked Phil's last year. Horrific. And Kobe's the most overrated defensive player ever (in all of the 4 North American major sports); with LeBron being not far behind.

[@loganmcgee18]

Yo, Garnett passing at 12:05 when FISHER was on him for the switch... that's wild. He had to be so gassed..

[@efrenjancorpuz]

15:47 that move with 3 excellent defenders is insane.

[@bierdlll]

Single pump right at the top to beat 3 defenders, and the release right before he hits the ground, this is the shot of the game!

[@rav781]

You can't teach height. And that was enough. He is much taller than anyone else around him. If he was 2" shorter, he wouldn't have pulled it off.

[@ryankayombya7576]

​@@rav781so 😂?? If my grandmother had wheels she wouldve been a bike

[@EntertainingRunner-vd3bn]

For anyone that doesnt know, Ben Taylor runs the ThinkingBasketball channel here on youtube, there is much quality content on there

[@yulintsai562]

Any Ben Taylor basketball content is a must-watch

[@ur_wrong1209]

I love Ben’s channel, more networks/shows should have him on

[@Anthony-ru7sk]

I love how @2:12 Jeff Van Gundy says a mid-range contested jumpshot with 11 seconds on the shot clock is good shot selection. Would sound crazy in 2023😂

[@dobz746]

Kobe had a bad Game 7 and Pau stepped up big time along with Artest. And they said Kobe did not have a great team smh

[@boston_jorge]

Kobe with a bad game still led both team in 4th quarter scoring and led the game in scoring.

[@jacoblee5796]

@@boston_jorge What does it mean to lead the team in scoring when you shoot 70+ more shots than the next closest person for the series and do it on garbage splits!? It doesn't mean what you think it does.

[@xosece]

Gasol wasn't underrated, but his contribution was superb to those Lakers' titles. Btw, with all due respect, as much as he played like MJ, watching Kobe Bryant play isn't nowhere near as watching MJ. Kobe lacked the quick first step Jordan had, the aerial control, the skills, hands..., and it shows in these games

[@emmapeel38]

Yes. It's like a feathery-downgrade.

[@mattvalin1958]

Hiring Ben Taylor is the best thing the NBA can do. He's a real analyst and to me differentiates the NBA from ESPN which is more into making basketball into a soap opera....leaning into the E in ESPN.

[@spencerrubino-finn923]

so funny around 6:15, seeing that ray allen pindown but its for a long 2. crazy how that was normal even 13 years ago

[@marcussims1615]

It's a dumb shot now... Why he that close to the line without being beyond it

[@spencerrubino-finn923]

@@marcussims1615 dumb as hell🤣

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

we can also see how instrumental and decisive Kobe was, always making the right play, grinding for rebounds, and although they never let any scorer get in rythm in this game in both teams, he managed to make a great shot and grind for freethrows, legendary effort from Kobe and Pau

[@rockysalvatore435]

That play where rondo was on Pau he quick triggered bc either he makes it or Pau gets to rebound on rondo. Smart play. Cavs in 15 still had a chance if they kept missing pnr bc Tristan was boarding. Lbj and deli just stopped shooting and missing the shots for Tristan to clean.

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

@@rockysalvatore435 exactly, and people have the nerves to say Kobe was a ballhog

[@99dfresh]

God this game was basically a stalemate in a game 7. Hard to say either team was better, someone just had to win.

[@MVPhurricane]

even in a cast this old Jeff Van Gundy showing why he's the actual commentator GOAT

[@rightybricks1582]

Thank you NBA for featuring legit basketball analysts. I'm tired of listening to Skip Bayless and his ilk.

[@Lilbluepenguin10]

Bro Kobe was shot, playing through injury but still having a quick first step to get by his defender and not missing a single free throw. Him and Gasol were an unbeatable chemical reaction

[@injusticeanywherethreatens4810]

Aha! So Pau next episode on Greatest Peaks confirmed!!!11!

[@driiifter]

So happy I got to see the Pau era. He was like a top 10 player, I don't care what anyone says. He was also stretching out to the 3 point line before he even left the Lakers, they just didn't want him there for obvious reasons, it wasn't his strength. But his skill was literally growing after those rings, the only thing that stopped him was his age and health.

[@zachcushing-murray2663]

Mike D'antoni ruined the end of Pau's time as a Laker

[@sergiolazaromartinez491]

@@zachcushing-murray2663 fax

[@marcussims1615]

Ray Allen Missed some Key easy buckets... Those 4 points at that time in the game wpulda been HUGE

[@rolandorevidizo1757]

Give mea break man. Lakers averaging 5 free throws in the first 3 quarters while in 4th. Lakers took 21 free throws.. Hate me or hate me but this is series was rigged

[@mvaloppies]

That scoreline at the start is insane man, I wasn't an NBA fan back in the day and seeing that scoreline is definitely eye-opening

[@flyflynew]

If this happened to Lebron, people will discredit this championship to him and will always tell people that pau or metta saved his career. Lol.

[@ie5028]

The definitive Pau game and no Perkins game Kobe getting carried again I suppose 😮

[@evolve777]

This is a great vlog. All the "small" things to those that don't know how to appreciate basketball were done by the Lakers in this deciding game 7 between two teams that have historically been at war. Winning a game ofc requires you to have more points when that final buzzer goes off but the way you end up with more points is something a lot do not understand nor appreciate. This game was a gut check. The refs let them beat the shit out of each other. Credit to Gasol for his growth in toughness from the 08' Finals onto this 2010 Finals win. The obvious focal point in this series compared to the 08' Finals is the Defense. Kobe instilled that toughness in Pau evidenced in the 2010 win.

[@badger297]

I fucking love his breakdowns. Thinking basketball is an endlessly entertaining channel

[@therealbs2000]

I always imagined pau gasol here as a giant exotic bird

[@lordran45]

Lakers shot 21 free throws in the 4th of game 7. Both teams were averaging 5 a game in the 4th. Way to go NBA lol

[@barleymepodcast2301]

Oh is this where we finally talk about how Pau shoulda been the Finals MVP that year?

[@MKIVD]

Bro Sasha was not a "bench player-7th, 8th, 9th player" as how you put it. He's called "The Machine" for a reason. He was the main scoring punch for those Lakers teams off the bench as no one would really consider LO to be a "bench player" lol. If you ever watched these Lakers teams, you know how important Sasha was and his solo 5, 6, 7 point scoring runs in short bursts.

[@victorcepeda4757]

Even as a Celtics fan i loved this break down.

[@dime6941]

Perkins didn't play game 7.. they had a backup center starting against Paul to be fair.

[@georgepetrov5669]

The Celtics should be ashamed for not winning a Game 7 in which the opposing team's undisputed superstar shot so poorly. It is a positive reflection on the Lakers' entire supporting cast, including Pau.

[@azneph611]

Every Laker player played hard

[@wyattfriend7360]

They got Ben Taylor content for us!! Thanks nba

[@joshnic6639]

Yeah, I remember this game because Kobe had a horrible game and I will be honest it kind of affected his legacy

[@holidayarmadillo8653]

Such great memories for a kid who grew up watching Kobe whole career. Thanks for bringing the moment back to life sir 💯🙏🏽

[@rockysalvatore435]

That rondo Pau play Kobe shot bc it was a win win. Make it, Pau rebound. 2 options. Cavs in 15 had a chance to still win bc GS couldn't get boards off Tristan pnr where it was w deli or lbj. They stopped running the play bc I'm guessing their stats looked bad so they ended up losing. Sometimes missing on purpose should be a strategy like a more savvy pass. Big will beat small

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

very appreciated from this old spaniard, Ben, I remember very well when Gasol was called very unfairly "Gasoft"

[@JayJ95X]

Oh for a second I thought it was THAT Ben Taylor that Fred VanVleet cussed out 😂😂

[@Splackavellie85]

The Celtics lost that game because they didn’t play Brian Scalabrine.

[@theeggreat4]

Doc Rivers has always been a below average technical coach and this is his magnus opus, why are you doubling Kobe and why the hell are you playing Rasheed instead of Big Baby or Tony Allen

[@redman6790]

I've always said Pau should have won FMVP 2010

[@ChrisSmith-dd9in]

Not a chance

[@boston_jorge]

Kobe led this game in scoring and led both teams in 4th quarter scoring in game 7. Kobe led both teams in scoring for 6 out of 7 games.

[@kcbanks3591]

its weird how ppl always talk about kobe shooting bad this game but say pau shouldve been mvp off of one game and he shot 6-18 lol. make it make sense lmao

[@roymacasaet3285]

The jump scare when they realize that they weren't recording with the actual microphone and changed it from the laptop mic

[@finishfirst4580]

Lol and that was the end of the Big 3. Actually Lebron ended them a season earlier 😂

[@waff6ix]

WOW IM JUS NOTICING THIS VIDEO IS 24:08😳💔💔💔RIP KOBE

[@redman6790]

Its the subtle things.

[@badger297]

Crazy how different the game was back then

[@ChrisSmith-dd9in]

Bodies falling down like bowling balls lmaoooo i think you mean bowling pins lol

[@Grievous_]

What a lot of people won’t talk about is how Kobe STILL heavily impacted the game even when he was having an off shooting night, what Kobe did along with Pau Gasol on the glass getting 15+ boards was absolutely huge for the Lakers, also what Kobe brought on the defensive end with his defensive intensity and lockdown ability, he also made the correct reads every time a double team came or when he saw Pau cutting to the rim he found him setting him up perfectly, it’s the little things that a player can still do to impact the game enough when you’re not having the best scoring/shooting game, and THATS what separates greats, legends from everyone else.

[@infinitymixtapes9562]

You sir, know basketball. Respect

[@globaltempo]

Nobody denies that. But if you were absolutely honest you should admit Pau's contributions an impact on the finals were bigger than Kobe's, so he should have been the FMVP.

[@folkscrazyouthere3076]

Kobe shooting 6 for 24 is terrible bruh. The rebounds help but both teams were bricking so everyone had good rebounding numbers this game.

[@boston_jorge]

Kobe led this game in scoring and led both teams in 4th quarter scoring in game 7. Kobe led both teams in scoring for 6 out of 7 games.

[@alexanderminuzzo4839]

6 for 24 is beyond bad.

[@42ultra]

Great analysis but Ben's mic sounds so bad compared to his podcast. Not sure if it's hasty editing or a different setup but this was kind of hard to listen to. Normally Ben's voice is silky as hell.

[@ethangilworth7891]

Y’all did Ben so dirty with this thumbnail

[@delaneylonergan7504]

Never noticed that Garnett grab on the Allen 3 before

[@yeon723]

Ben doesn't think basketball if he thinks lebron is better than kobe

[@princemjbp695]

3:52 To this day, I still can't believe that wasn't a foul 🤣 Garnett got all body

[@TheGeorgeD13]

In the court of law, that'd be ruled an assault lol It was right in front of the ref too!

[@amunra8510]

Why Ben Taylor got the same hair style as Pau Gasol

[@p382742937423y4]

oooooh Ben, invest in microphone. This is horrible.

[@jamesedwards1284]

Can’t believe this is nearly 15 years ago

[@dusk6159]

Historical and clutch performance!

[@NumunuBeats]

This was one of my favorite moments in life so far.

[@marcosrodriguez830]

Love Thinking Basketball

[@cainslawyer8058]

This has to be the most beautiful ugly game of all time

[@CraigsCuts]

Why did they leave ray allen on Kobe ?? 😂😂😂

[@healthyman101]

One my favorite NBA games of all time

[@iii898iii]

Gasol saved Kobes legacy.

[@elmasmiller4371]

this is not beautiful to watch sadly

[@twistedladder3506]

One of my favorite players 😊

[@Kwibinem69]

Bro collabed with the nba🤣🤣

[@pipohemm8726]

When you just look at the rebounding differentials with and without Perkins, it is pretty clear how the Lakers turned this 3:2 deficit around. I truly believe the Celtics would have won with a healthy Perkins. He could have made up for Garnetts struggles on the boards who clearly wasnt at 100 percent after the 09 injury.

[@danielbulgarelli935]

Great video but wayyyy too many ads

[@themightyruler1319]

These were the golden days for me, defensive juggernauts going at it and doing whatever it took to win. Most fans don't know how incredibly difficult it was for Kobe and the Lakers to even make it to the finals that year, let alone three times in a row, iirc Sasha and Farmar both shot 40% from three this run as well, crazy great team. That was the peak of the west, you needed 50 wins just to make it into the playoffs and every single team was legit or strait up stacked. Another thing to note, Kobe and Jordan are the only players ever to outscore all other players by at least 10PPG in multiple finals series, and Kobe is the only player ever to score 600+ points in three straight playoff runs.

[@kramking6600]

So physical. damn

[@IJudgeYou]

glad to see thinking basketball on the NBA channel

[@pontius_pilatuss]

Great breakdown and ofc Ben couldn't go without making excuses for his boy 😂

[@CaioFehr90]

I know y'all are already aware but just to confirm it, yeah the audio issues suck The video is great tho

[@majklson15]

17:02 imho big Pau's error, he should have sent Odom to Allen immediately.

[@marcussims1615]

57-53 to start the 4th... Sheeesh

[@wealth_wolf]

can we get more of these please

[@pipohemm8726]

Just want to say thank you to you Ben for this great breakdown. You are by far the person I respect most when it comes to breakdowns like these. I wish there were more people like you instead of all these talking heads on the big platforms. Thank you!

[@HectorMurrieta]

If it wasn’t for Pau, Kobe only has 4 rings!

[@josecabrera9610]

3 not 4

[@waff6ix]

LOVE SEEING THIS ON OFFICIAL NBA CHANNEL💯😮‍💨

[@leonangelarevalo2596]

most of even played Game 7s are low scoring ones, also was pre 3 shooting era , 50 point entering the 4th quarter

[@globaltempo]

I remember this game perfectly. Gasol clearly deserved the finals MVP , but it was for Kobe who didn't perform so well. Gasol was so underrated his all NBA career!

[@dribblewithjacob9131]

Woahhh… you can’t say he CLEARLY deserved it lol if you want to say arguably, fine… but clearly makes it seem as if Kobe wasn’t impactful… Anytime you are the #1 priority on a defensive scouting report, you are already making a heavy impact.

[@globaltempo]

@@dribblewithjacob9131 at times Kobe was making a negative impact, specially on game 7, as he missed so many shots.

[@Somm_RJ]

Of course. There are 2 types of Lakers fans: 1. Kobe fans first, Lakers fans second. 2 Lakers fans that became Kobe fans. The first type of fans glorify Kobe so much that they undermine Pau's (and other teammates) contributions on the championship run. For them, for some reasons I don't understand, it lessens Kobe's legacy.

[@Somm_RJ]

​@@dribblewithjacob9131On the scouting report part, true, but since when did we ever use this scenario and say, he was covered so much that he is so impactful, therefore, he is the Finals MVP. Never. In fact, it sounds ridiculous. We know his impact but that's just how it works. Or maybe we can bend some realities if it's Kobe in the picture.

[@globaltempo]

@@Somm_RJ exactly, that is what I thought when they gave Kobe his MVP trophy.

[@hashimaliahmed3675]

Boston Celtics were bested.sweet revenge for the loss of 08. Panick gripped me since the Celtics are reknown for their grittiness

[@zdthekilla6950]

People forget Adam Morrison is an nba champion

[@sudhakarthota4831]

kobe

[@JDOGFTW]

Say his name KOBE

[@chrisguevara]

Ron Artest refused to lose this game. He had a standout performance in this game.

[@nickfowler547]

Thinking Basketball is my fav channel love y’all had Ben on

[@yaomingaunba]

Another Doc classic

[@LEBATO]

Well done NBA, what took so long to get these videos out there!

[@IamAeroDynamic]

Pau arguably should've been the MVP of that Finals

[@loganmcgee18]

Hahah Look at Kobe's reaction at 16:45 oh man