Toronto Raptors forward Marc Gasol has been in the NBA for 11 years, but this is the first time that he will be part of an NBA Finals series. The seven-foot Spaniard played his best years with the Memphis Grizzlies, but he was unable to lead that franchise to a championship. He was traded to the Raps back in February, where he became a vital part of the team's playoff run.

But Gasol still feels like he never left Memphis. In an interview with Grind City Media's Michael Wallace, he admitted that he still feels like he still carries a part of the Grizzlies with him.

“I still run into a lot of people from Memphis, all around the NBA. I feel like they’re with me every game. I feel their love, their support, their pushing. I know they still cheer for me. They let me know they cheer for me. And there’s a part of them with me in every game I play.”

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Gasol was the cornerstone of the Grizzlies' Grit and Grind era, which spanned from 2010-2015. He was able to lead the team to the Western Conference Finals, but they were unable to get past that stage. Memphis decided to go on rebuild, which led to them trading the former All-Star to the Raptors.

He's no longer the best player in Toronto, but Gasol still carries the grit and grind mentality and he always tries to incorporate it with his teammates, and they will need that smash-mouth type of play against the Golden State Warriors if they want to end up with the championship.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven Finals series will be tomorrow night.