Andrew Bynum may not be the most important piece to a Los Angeles Lakers' repeat, but as he demonstrated in Sunday's first round win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, his presence sure doesn't hurt.
Bynum made an emphatic return from a strained achilles' tendon, teaming with Pau Gasol to score a combined 32 points, and 25 rebounds, and blocking six shots in a dominant post performance from the pair.
On a night where Kobe Bryant again struggled with his shot, Bynum and Gasol showed why they are just as important to the Lakers' chances of repeating, and maybe even more so.
Bryant went 6-19 from the field and scored 21 points, but he took a back seat to Gasol and Bynum who dominated the smaller Thunder players with their strong play on both ends of the floor.
Bynum showed little rust from his injury and the two looked more comfortable playing together than they have at any point in the regular season, and just maybe since last year's NBA Finals.
Bynum and Gasol proved to be a perfect contrast in styles as Gasol operated mostly from the high post with finesse and footwork, while Bynum was over-powering at the rim.
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Article written by Hadarii Jones
The LA Lakers’ Title Defense Rests with Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol
April 19th, 2010 by Hadarii Jones Leave a reply »
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