When fans discuss the great centers in Los Angeles Lakers history, Pau Gasol will probably never be mentioned with the same reverence as O’Neal, Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, or Mikan. Those men were behemoths, freaks of nature that clogged the lane, scored and rebounded seemingly at will, and gave no quarter on defense. Physically, Gasol is nothing to sneeze at – 7 feet tall, 250 pounds – yet his play, particularly in recent playoff series, made him seem much smaller. Gasol is a skinny, lanky, floppy-haired man whose gruff facial hair betrays a boyish face. On the court he often seems a boy lost in the woods, especially when roaming the redwood forest directly under the basket in an NBA game. He tends to attack the basket with all the ferocity of a gerbil, and can be seen incredulously looking for charity fouls where there is nothing but tough defense.

In Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Gasol came through for the Lakers and their fans in a manner worthy of O’Neal, worthy of Mikan, worthy of, well, Worthy. On a poor shooting night for his teammate Kobe Bryant, the team’s (and the league’s) best player, Gasol scored 19 points and 18 rebounds. He drove hard, posted up defenders, and ripped down rebounds with authority. It didn’t hurt that the Celtics were without starting center Kendrick Perkins for the game, but that’s not Gasol’s fault. He was one of several Lakers, including Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, and Derek Fisher, who seemed bent on delivering to L.A. its second consecutive championship, and 16th overall – this after falling behind Boston in the series, three games to two. Even Bryant, series MVP, helped his team help him by grabbing 15 rebounds. On a night when the Lakers shot only 32.5% as a team, every rebound and every defensive stand counted.

The Celtics, for their part, were there every step of the way. After laying an egg in Game 6, Boston fought tooth and nail until the finish. The team that stumbled to 50 wins amidst injuries, trade rumors, and simply old age, was but a few seconds from accomplishing the unthinkable. Defeating Bryant and the Lakers would have placed an exclamation point on Boston’s tour de force of a postseason; already they had vanquished Dwayne Wade and Miami, Lebron James and Cleveland, and Dwight Howard and Orlando. Boston has 17 championships as a franchise, each unique. Had they won their 18th on Thursday – Game 7, against the hated Lakers, in Los Angeles – it would have ranked among the top two or three all time in team annals. The Celtics were in front by 13 in the third quarter, and even after relinquishing that lead, they were a threat until the end. When Rajon Rondo’s improbable three-pointer sank with 13 seconds remaining in the game, cutting the L.A. lead to two, the Staples Center gasped in unison. Rondo was the Celtics’ breakout hero in the playoffs, stepping out from under the shadows of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen and taking over games with hustle, grit, and talent. The young guard stands 6’1”, but with his 6’9” wingspan he covers a lot of air and space. Unfortunately for Boston, that three was his last bullet for the season, but his story is just beginning. For now, the Celtics will have to settle for staying one ring ahead of L.A., which won number 16.