While the Boston Celtics swept the Los Angeles Lakers in their two regular season matchups this year, fans can throw out that statistic for one reason.

Center Pau Gasol played for the Memphis Grizzlies when those two games were played.

Gasol came to Los Angeles in a Feb. 1 trade. Or is "trade" the right word?

"I don't use the word 'trade' because that implies equal value, and there was no equal value going on there," ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy says of the deal that sent Kwame Brown, rookie Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks to the Grizzlies. "Memphis donated Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers for whatever reason; I'm not sure what the Grizzlies' reasons were. Maybe they wanted out from under his contract."

Van Gundy calls the deal "life-saving" for the Lakers after the mid-January knee injury of center Andrew Bynum. "With Bynum hurt, think about where they'd be without Gasol," Van Gundy says. "They'd have been on the road to start the playoffs. At worst, they could've missed the playoffs."

Celtics forward Kevin Garnett says Gasol gives Los Angeles an inside presence who demands the double-team. "He has a flurry of moves on the block; he's not a cupcake by any means," Garnett says. "His presence opens up for not only Lamar (Odom) but Kobe (Bryant) and their other shooters. His presence is definitely an impact.

"He's the reason why they're better."

The two teams met in Boston on Nov. 27 (a 107-94 Celtics win) and Los Angeles on Dec. 30 (Boston won 110-91).

"Bynum was a post presence who was flourishing," Garnett says of the Lakers at the time. "Pau is very similar, probably a little more seasoned and experienced. They seem to have a better flow; they play with a sense of urgency and they understand everything goes through Kobe. They understand what it is, and they're unselfish."

ESPN analyst Greg Anthony says he doesn't expect anything tricky defensively from the Celtics. "I think they'll try to play Gasol straight-up as much as possible," Anthony says. "The big challenge for them will be taking quality shots and getting back defensively.

"They haven't faced a team with the offensive firepower and transition ability of the Lakers. Their last two series were against walk-it-up teams. If they can control tempo, they'll have a great chance to win."