DeAndre Jordan sends Pau Gasol to early retirement with poster (Video)

When Pau Gasol found himself matched up with a rolling DeAndre Jordan Friday night, it did not end well for him.

Pau Gasol had a Hall-of-Fame worthy career during his 15+ years in the NBA, but thanks to DeAndre Jordan, it’s all over now.

No one should be surprised by Jordan throwing down another monster dunk over a helpless defender. After all, Brandon Knight probably still has nightmares about the best in-game dunk the NBA has seen in a decade.

But with the Los Angeles Clippers taking on the San Antonio Spurs Friday night, Jordan made sure to put Gasol and the rest of the world on notice that this team is still deadly, even with Blake Griffin out 4-6 weeks.

Midway through the first quarter, Jordan came way out past the three-point line to set a screen for Chris Paul, as is the Clippers’ bread and butter whenever Griffin is on the sidelines.

With Los Angeles spreading the floor with shooters, CP3 expertly manipulating the defense with his nonchalant drive to the basket, and a slick bounce pass to the rolling Jordan, the stage was set. That stage ended with curtains closing on Gasol’s prestigious NBA career:

This isn’t quite Jordan-on-Knight status, but it’s not far behind. The 36-year-old Gasol stood no chance, even if he wasn’t one of the worst interior defenders in the NBA right now.

DJ was simply merciless in throwing down that dunk, although we still need a term for those unbelievably impressive plays where the scorer gets so far above the rim he throws it through the cylinder without actually dunking the ball.

The Clippers took a 57-45 lead into halftime, with Jordan accounting for eight points, five rebounds and two blocks. Chris Paul led the way for the Clippers with 13 points, five rebounds, five dimes and two steals.

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Reminder to those poor rim protectors who find themselves facing a rolling DeAndre Jordan for however long Griffin is out: Just get out of the way.