Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol has warned his teammates that they must find consistency ahead of the playoffs as nothing will magically change for them in the post-season.
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Gasol has been in the NBA for 14 years and has won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers prior to arriving in Chicago last summer, and so his words should certainly hold some weight.
While the general consensus has been that the Bulls will turn it up when the playoffs come around, the Spaniard has warned his teammates and all concerned that the process has to start now as there is no “magic button” to hit which will ensure they do as soon as the playoffs get underway.
The Bulls are currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference which could potentially pair them with the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
The Bucks defeated the Bulls on Wednesday night while Gasol and Co. almost blew a winnable game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
“There’s not a magic button here,” Gasol said, ESPN reports.
“What you see in the regular season is what you’re going to get in the playoffs. So we have to try to be more consistent in the last six games that we have and that’s going to determine what we’ll see probably in the playoffs. Now every game, it’s meaningful, and that we have to be aware of that because you can’t expect things to click when it’s crunch time, when everybody is on. So you just got to do whatever you have to on a daily basis to put yourself in the best place regularly so you get to the playoffs and maybe try to turn it up like everybody else.”
While his sentiments weren’t entirely echoed by other members of the team, it is clear that Gasol wants the talking to stop and for everyone to get on board.
The Bulls have been hit with injury setbacks throughout the year, the biggest of all being Derrick Rose’s latest knee injury which has sidelined him since February.
However, the point guard is expected to return to action before the regular season ends, and his return will certainly be a huge boost for all concerned in Chicago as they gear up for what they hope will be a strong championship push this year.
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