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The Toronto Raptors starting big man Marc Gasol finished Game 1 with 20 points (on 6-of-10 shooting, 2-of-4 from the outside, and a perfect 6-of-6 at the charity stripe), seven rebounds, two steals, a block, and without a single turnover, en route to a 118-109 drubbing of the Golden State Warriors at home.
When asked how he felt, the 7-foot Spaniard downplayed his performance.
Gasol, after scoring 20 in Toronto's Game 1 win, on taking in the moment of playing in his first NBA Finals:
"No, my brain doesn't function that way. You're out there playing basketball like you did your whole life and it's the most fun. You lock in … You got to stay poised."
— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) May 31, 2019
Not bad for a guy who, before the NBA Finals started, was written off on almost every preview piece as a liability in the series and will be a little-used member of the rotation. It was an educated prediction based on Gasol's slow-footed plodding style against the faster and smaller defending champions known for their “Death lineup”, pace-and-space, and propensity for utilizing picks to punish old school centers either by popping or rolling.
Nick Nurse, however, made sure that the 34-year-old was going to make his mark – and they often had no choice given how the team superstar Kawhi Leonard was taken out by the Dubs with early double teams and traps. The team regularly played through Gasol, feeding him the ball at the block and punishing mismatches with his post scoring and excellent facilitating. When left open behind the arc, the Raptors elder statesman was more than happy to fire away with triples – a relatively new addition to his steady repertoire.
With Gasol now a factor, Warriors coach Steve Kerr will certainly be going back to the drawing board paying close attention to the center as well as containing the unexpected explosion of Pascal Siakam, as they move on to Game 2.
