"Pau Gasol said Tuesday the Clippers must be taken "very seriously." He wasn't joking.

A month ago, there would have been a few chuckles. A year ago, people would have doubled over with laughter.

Not any longer.

The teams meet again Wednesday in a designated Lakers home game, with the Clippers atop the Pacific Division and the Lakers 10th in the Western Conference.

It's far too premature to call this a rivalry. Or is it?

"I think it was always a rivalry but now that they have opportunities to win games against us, it's, like, something else," Lakers center Andrew Bynum said."