Dec. 25--Pau Gasol won't pretend it's just another game.
Asked what it will be like to face the Lakers on Christmas, he replied: "Emotional. Weird. Hard to focus. But at the same time, I look forward to it, to see some of the people I've been through a lot with."
Gasol said he hopes to chat with Kobe Bryant before the game.
Bryant, in his 19th NBA season, was rested Tuesday -- and the Lakers responded with a 115-105 victory over Golden State, handing the Warriors just their fourth loss of the season. The Lakers' leading scorer was Carlos Boozer (18 points), and the unheralded Ronnie Price had 17.
Bryant has been flat-out terrible of late for the 9-19 Lakers. On Sunday at Sacramento, he shot 8-for-30 and turned it over nine times. The previous game, he shot 3-for-15. The one before that, he was 8-for-26.
"It must be hard for him to lose most of the games, but they have a pretty new team -- new faces, new coach, a lot to adjust to," Gasol said. "And the Western Conference, you get no break. Everybody wants to beat the Lakers, so it's hard. But they'll improve. As long as they don't beat us, it's good."
Gasol won two NBA titles over six-plus seasons with the Lakers, but he's more than satisfied to have moved on to Chicago, where he is averaging 18 points and a career-high 11.4 rebounds. He even knocked down a 3-pointer Tuesday against the Wizards, beating the first-quarter buzzer.
"It was just accidental, pretty much," he said. "I was open. Aaron (Brooks) found me and I got it out because the shot (clock) was running out. Overseas I shoot a lot more and look for it more."
Said Thibodeau: "He has great touch, a highly skilled guy. There is not much he can't do. He can score in the post, he can shoot the ball, put it on the floor, pass. The best thing about him -- he plays to win."
