NBA Playoffs: 30 best Game 7 performances in NBA Playoffs history

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Pau Gasol (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) /

Best Game 7 performances in NBA Playoffs history: 23. Pau Gasol (2010)

Stat line:

19 points
18 rebounds
4 assists
2 blocks

Maybe it was the nerves of a big game. Or maybe it was because no one wanted the blame to be pinned on their shoulders. Whatever the reason was, just about everyone in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in 2010 between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers played poorly. While Pau Gasol didn’t shoot the ball particularly well either from the field, he was incredible that night.

The big Spaniard had been castigated by the media and fans for playing soft in the 2008 Finals against this same Celtics team. The word soft stuck with Gasol for years as Kevin Garnett essentially took his lunch money. This time around, two years later, Gasol would hear none of it. The multiple-time All-Star scored 19 points and grabbed 18 boards. Even more eye-catching, of Gasol’s 18 boards, 9 came on the offensive end. He simply dominated Garnett in that department as he was only able to muster three all night.

Gasol also registered four assists and two blocks as well. While most of the team struggled in the plus/minus department, Gasol had no such issues as he was the only Laker starter to register a positive mark with +7.

Sure Garnett was able to dominate Gasol in the past, but he redeemed himself in a major way.