Jan. 13--The sequence went like this:
Pau Gasol blocked Luc Mbah A Moute's first layup attempt. When the Clippers forward regained control of the ball and tried again, the Bulls center deflected it from behind. The third time Mbah A Moute found the handle and attempted to score, Gasol swatted the ball away while right in Mbah A Moute's face.
Gasol then punctuated the defensive stand during the Dec. 10 game at the United Center with a primal scream.
Three blocks in one possession?
"Yeah, but they only gave me two," Gasol said with a grin.
The statisticians may not have been on the ball that night, but Gasol's display was a textbook example of not only how blocking a shot can disrupt an opponent's offense, but what has made him one of the premier shot blockers in NBA history.
"It's definitely a good feeling to stop someone from scoring, especially when they have a good look or a close look at the basket," Gasol said. "I try to get my teammates going as well and let them know if they do get beaten by their guy that I'll be there to protect the rim most of the time."
Most of the time is right. Officially, Gasol stands 26th in NBA history with 1,712 blocked shots, and this season he ranks fifth in the league averaging a career-high 2.3 blocks per game. That interior defense has helped the Bulls hold opponents to an NBA-low 42.2 percent field-goal percentage.
Being 7 feet tall, Gasol is bound to block shots based on his height alone. But the 35-year-old said there is more to blocking shots than just being tall and being able to jump.
"There's a technique," Gasol said. "There's timing about it. There's a sense of how to block shots. There's more than length and height, though that does help for sure -- it helps me a lot. If you're athletic and you have great timing and you pursue the blocks, then obviously all those are pluses.
"But there is a certain mindset as well. Certain players go more after blocked shots and other players go more for steals or charges. It depends on your ability. I just try to protect the rim. It's not that you look at a specific point on an opponent, you time it up and try to meet the guy and try to get a piece of the ball.
"Because of my length and athleticism -- especially when I was younger -- and good IQ and good timing I've been able to be one of the top 35 shot blockers in the history of the game."
Gasol isn't the only Bulls big man who has displayed the ability to make an impact via the block. Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson each average a block a game. As a team, the Bulls rank second in the league with 6.6 blocks per game.
"It's having good timing, it's being patient and being athletic and knowing when to get the ball," the 6-9 Gibson said. "We do practice it as years go by in the NBA by learning technique. Everybody in the NBA is a specialist in something and that's one of my jobs."
Gasol added that it also takes a knowledge of the game and certain situations that occur during games to be a good shot blocker.
"It has helped me be a good shot blocker in my career," he said. "Other guys have other qualities, but definitely my IQ and understanding of the game and smarts have helped me."
Part of that know-how is when to be aggressive in going for the block.
"It depends what position we're in," Gibson said. "If we have fouls to give, OK, you can foul. If we don't, we have to be smart and try to get the right kind of shot block."
Noah believes that at least altering an opponent's attempt is just as important as actually getting a piece of it.
"Shot blocking is important, but it's a little bit overrated," said the 6-11 Noah. "What's important with shot blocking is contesting shots. It's not on the stat sheet, but being able to make a shot difficult is just as big.
"It's just playing basketball and being competitive," Noah added. "You contest everything. It's a mentality."
ckuc@tribpub.com
