<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Good riddance. That's what Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol thinks about the three-game funk he's now remedied with strong play over the past few games. Good riddance. That's what the 7-foot Spaniard must be thinking about the coarse culture old teammates often created in the locker room whenever his game went south. Ask Gasol to analyze reasons for his revival on the court, and he touts 13 as a lucky number. That's how many teammates Gasol enjoys because -- thanks in part to them -- he's playing with renewed confidence. "A lot of guys approached me and reminded me that I'm the guy," Gasol said. "My teammates are supporting me a lot, telling me, 'If you're going to shoot 20 shots, shoot 20 shots. You're our guy. You're our man, and nobody's going to say anything to you. You're supposed to carry us.'" Gasol put the Griz on his back and carried them out of a season-long skid when they lost to Dallas, Indiana and the Los Angeles Lakers. Heading into tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls, Gasol's averaged 27.5 points on 57-percent shooting along with 12.5 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in his last two outings. "It feels good mentally because if I can continue to play at this level, it gives us a better chance to win games," said Gasol, whose aggressive play has led to the Griz winning two of their past three. "Hopefully, I can continue to bring the same intensity and aggressiveness. "I kept telling myself that I needed to let go of the negativity. I knew I could play much better. It was just a matter of doing it." Gasol appeared feeble, frustrated and flustered through his early season slump. Albeit three games, it was a startling decline from the eye-popping performances he'd routinely manufactured since the season opener. It's well documented that former teammates constantly berated Gasol when times got rough. Imagine the treatment during that three-game losing streak when he averaged just 11.3 points on 30-percent shooting. Not these revamped Grizzlies, who are nothing but bullish on Gasol. Take away Ben Wallace and Zach Randolph, whom Gasol excelled against this week, and veteran guard Eddie Jones has been perhaps Gasol's most ardent defender. Jones often chastised Gasol critics for what he considered knee-jerk reactions to the mini-slump. Mike Miller constantly reminded outsiders that execution was the key, and their strategy wouldn't change. "Our plan is always to get the ball to Pau," Miller said. "He's a guy who has to deliver for us, and he's done a great job." </div> Source
