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NBA FINALS: CELTIC v LAKERS

June 2, 2010

Pau Gasol

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Practice Day

Q. Can I ask you about how you view this match-up? Does it still annoy you the last championship game you played against them which was that huge loss? Do you think about that as a rivalry? And is there payback involved in your mind?
PAU GASOL: Obviously, I mean, first of all, it's the NBA Finals. You know, even though we're playing against a rival that there's a lot of history behind this match-up and there's a personal history from 2008, you know, our main focus is to do what it takes to beat them in this series and come out as NBA champion at the end of the series.
Taking all that aside, which is really important, obviously there's feelings involved and there's memories that are in there, which should help us, should help us to push through and to battle even harder. You know, it'll be very tough. We understand that. That's no secret, but we think we're ready for it.

Q. How has Kevin Garnett's game changed after his knee surgery? Do you see a difference?
PAU GASOL: Yeah, I see a little bit of a difference. I mean, but he's still very effective and he's still one of their team leaders. You know, still a very hard competitor, and he's going to give all he's got for his team.
You know, so knowing that, you've just got to respect everything that he does and what he brings to the table, the leadership, the aggressiveness, and he's going to compete no matter what. He's proven that through the injury, and so you've got to play him.

Q. Andrew had said just now that the fluid is basically back from when he got the knee drained and he's basically the same as he was going in. What do you think he'll be able to do and then what does his presence do for you on the floor even if he's not a hundred percent?
PAU GASOL: I'm not sure how he's going to be able to do. I think he's going to give everything he's got again just like he's been doing. There's an injury there, and it's just a matter of hopefully not aggravating it too much and just playing through it and knowing that the pain probably is going to be there. I'm talking without even knowing what he's feeling, but I can imagine a little bit, and it's tough because obviously at this point of the year you want to be as healthy as possible.
But it is what it is, we're all a little banged up but we've got to play through everything pretty much at this point and just leave it all out there.

Q. In terms of his presence, what he gives you?
PAU GASOL: He's going to give us size, defensive presence, and I think he can still be aggressive and finish close to the rim. Like I said, he's going to be aggressive, I think, and he's going to try to do as much as he can do out there while he's out there. Hopefully, like I said, he'll stay as healthy as possible so he can do that for us throughout the series.

Q. Phil just said the match-up on court that most intrigues him is you and Garnett. What do you have to do to make it go in your direction?
PAU GASOL: I think, again, one of the main things is just to be aggressive, just to be in the attack mode, understanding their defense, how they help each other and how they don't allow easy stuff or points in the paint and they challenge you. But I think you still have to be aggressive. You've still got to attack. You can't be hesitant. You can't be reluctant to get into the paint. I think that's one of the main things, just keep attacking them.

Q. Just how comfortable or really uncomfortable were you two years ago only having played 27 games in the regular season before these Finals, and when did you find of all fit in for you to be comfortable with this team with the triangle, et cetera?
PAU GASOL: I was so excited to be here and just so thrilled about the opportunity, and with destiny playing for me that I just fit in, I think, greatly from the beginning. It was just pretty simple to know the basics of the triangle. Little by little I started to get more used to the wrinkles and the variety of options. But the basic stuff is pretty basic, especially the center position, which I was playing all the time since Andrew was out at the time.
So it was really comfortable from the get-go. We really won a lot of games until the very end, which we obviously couldn't finish the season up against Boston. But we won the championship last year, and we're giving ourselves another chance to win another championship now. It's been pretty fantastic run so far.

Q. Amar'e and KG are two very different players. You talk about being aggressive. You need to change your approach based on how those guys play?
PAU GASOL: Yeah, obviously they're different players. Amar'e was a tough challenge because of how much offense runs through him and how many isolations he gets and the pick-and-rolls and all that. Kevin, you've got to be aware of his pick-and-pops because they look for him a lot, and those pin-downs that they run for him which he gets a lot of clean jumpers, you've just got to make sure he's not a factor and just be aggressive with him all the way around.
You know, you've got to change it up. The whole team changes up, just not an individual match-up. You've got to be aware of all the five players out there.

Q. You spoke earlier about the recent history between these two sides from the 2008 Finals. How much has that made the build-up to this Finals feel different for you as a player?
PAU GASOL: It feels different because there's nothing really new anymore to this team and to myself. I've been through this. We've been through this as a team. We know how it feels being defeated in this situation, and we know what it takes to be successful in doing it. So that gives you another level, another step which we have now. And you know, obviously the home-court advantage should play a little bit of a factor, too. That's a little different than it was two years ago.
But we've still got to go out there and play, and we want to start off the series on the right track tomorrow, and that's the bottom line. That's our first thing, and that's the only thing we're focused on right now.

Q. You talked about Rondo's growth since seeing him in The Finals the last time. What do you think about him just overall as a player and a threat?
PAU GASOL: I think he's their motor. They run as he runs, and he gets a lot of shots for a lot of guys. His activity, his energy carries him a lot of times, and he's developed a great sense for the game, gets into the lane with a lot of facility, and you know, he's really good at what he does. So you've got to be alert and constantly on him, know that you've got to invite him to take some jumpers so he doesn't get into the lane and get everybody else going.
He's a challenge. Obviously he's going to be a guy that we try to get out of his game.

Q. How did you view him two years ago? Was he much different then?
PAU GASOL: It was a little different. He wasn't as good a player as he was today, I can say that. But he still was a plus, a big factor and a big surprise because I think a lot of people questioned him, and couldn't see the Celtics as the champions that year because of the point guard position. But he proved everybody wrong and stepped up and gave them the lift, and he's played great since.

Q. You're a level-headed guy, he's a vet, been around a lot of years. I'm wondering, when you face off with KG, who's known to get in guys' heads, how do you handle that? Does he get to you or do you guys just play?
PAU GASOL: Not lately. I don't feel like he talks that much to me. I think it was -- at an earlier stage he did because that's kind of his game to certain guys, that he likes to intimidate you like that verbally or physically. But I haven't felt that.
But like I said, we'll be ready for whatever. I'm not sure. You know, to be honest I don't pay really a lot of attention to that. I'm just trying to play my game and don't let any of that -- if anything, I try for that to motivate me and actually get me pissed, pissed off and really attack him. You know, okay, because I'm not that -- I guess I'm not that kind of player. I don't talk trash. I don't need to talk to you to do anything. But that's just me. I guess that's my personality and my game, how I grew up and I developed.
But anyways, it doesn't matter. Rasheed does that a lot, and he does that all the time against anybody. You know, a lot of guys do. Like I said, you've just got to forget about all that and just play your game, and make sure you still focus on what you need to do out there in order to be effective and help your team.

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