Prepare Yourselves to Love the Pau

So Pau Gasol will define these playoffs, and it's about time you get familiar in droves. Thanks, Long Beach Press Telegram, for helping us grasp the personal nuances of this most ferocious seven-foot "beach bum."

My favorites:

This, after all, is a guy who once joined an amateur 3-on-3 streetball tournament in a village along the Costa del Sol, then went for tapas with the guys afterward, who shakes hands with reporters after an interview, and personally introduces himself to autograph seekers.

Pretty dope, no? You've got to love it when, after one of the more scintillating playoff performances of the last decade, Gasol's in the papers being described as laid back and maybe even a little lazy. Off the court, of course. Makes sense, too, that both he and Odom have taken their play to new heights this second half: They're really two peas in a pod:

"He's a great guy. Real laid-back and easy going, easy to talk to," Odom said of Gasol. "We get along really (well). He surprises me sometimes, though. Like I know Pau was from Spain, but I always catch him over there listening to the newest R&B song, or the newest rap song and it catches me off guard."

Let's hear for these new Lakers, whose most dynamic players outside of Kobe are decidedly non-ruthless, non-lethal, about half the time in their lives. Just goes to show: Athletes at a high level all want to kill someone, no matter how placid they may be on the inside. You just have to convince them they're within striking distance. Kobe, he always feels he's there. I don't think it's a bad thing that Odom and Gasol need to be able to take it easy while gearing up for all-out war.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.