BOSTON — Pau Gasol wants the ball.
That’s no surprise. All big guys think their team should throw it into the post more often.
But perhaps the Lakers should make sure he gets those touches, and while they’re at it give a few more to Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom too.
The Lakers had stretches of good ball movement Tuesday night in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but also one quarter when the ball kept getting stuck and forced Kobe Bryant to hoist up too many shots.
Los Angeles rediscovered its offensive flow in time to hold on for a 91-84 victory but knows it must keep the ball moving against the Celtics in tonight’s Game 4.
“Sometimes we get a little stagnant and we don’t form our offense,” Odom said Wednesday.
That might be the only reason Game 3 ever got close. The Lakers opened a 17-point lead in the second quarter by getting everyone involved, with Bryant contributing little scoring to the flurry that gave them that big cushion.
Then the Lakers stopped throwing it inside, and suddenly their big lead was gone almost as quickly as it was built.
Gasol has made the same complaint previously, but it’s obvious why he wants the ball now. He and Bynum outplayed their Celtics’ counterparts in the first two games, but never really found steady work in Game 3, with Gasol taking only 11 shots.
“Sometimes we do get away from getting the ball in the post and attacking the team from there,” Gasol said. “Sometimes we do, we tend to do that pretty often. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes, most times, I don’t think it helps a lot, especially when we have been as effective and both of our bigs, shooting over 57 percent in the whole playoffs. So you’ve got to make a conscious effort on getting the ball in there.”
The Lakers’ Game 3 victory was their third straight in the TD Garden.
NBA Finals
Celtics vs. Lakers
Best-of-seven series; * — if necessary
All games on KMGH-7
Lakers lead series 2-1
L.A. Lakers 102, Boston 89
Boston 103, L.A. Lakers 94
L.A. Lakers 91, Boston 84
Today: L.A. Lakers at Boston, 7 p.m.
Sunday: L.A. Lakers at Boston, 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Boston at L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.*
Thu., June 17: Boston at L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.*
