Perhaps Pau Gasol has been bitten by the complacency bug. Whatever it is, Gasol certainly isn’t playing up to his standards. The big man was crucial to L.A.’s recent playoff runs, and he put up pretty much the exact same numbers in the regular season as he has the past few years with the Lakers (18.8 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game).

Unfortunately, Gasol has seemingly left his A-game in the regular season. The Spaniard scored just 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his first two playoff games combined. Gasol was just 4-for-19 in those first two games against the Hornets. He’s certainly shot the ball better since then, hitting 50 percent of his field goals, but his play hasn’t been difference-making. Gasol has yet to score more than 17 points in the playoffs, and he has just a single double-double to his credit.

With Gasol mailing it in, some fans are questioning if the club can win a third straight title, especially with Kobe Bryant having a topsy-turvy postseason (three games with less than 20 points). Andrew Bynum has stepped up, averaging 15.2 points and 10.3 rebounds, but he can’t play much more than 30 minutes a night because of his surgically-repaired knee.

Game 1 of the Lakers-Mavericks series tips off Monday, and it will be a big test for Los Angeles. Will Gasol turn around his game? Can Bryant find any sort of consistency? Is the team as a whole hungry enough to push through another month of basketball?

The Lakers currently trail Miami with 27/10 odds of winning the NBA championship.

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