The early season storyline for big men has been Anthony Davis this and DeMarcus Cousins that. Sure, LeBron James and Chris Paul are still part of the MVP conversation. Kevin Durant has not gotten started and Derrick Rose has had his false starts. Davis and Cousins are it — the guys that have blown everyone away at the beginning of the season.
But who has the best record in the NBA?
That would be the Grizzlies.
Who might be their best player? That would be Marc Gasol.
Long the “lesser Gasol,” he has truly begun to blossom. Gasol will be the most sought-after free agent in this year’s free agent class.
Gasol is going to earn every penny that he gets paid this summer. It is hard to argue that after the performance he put on in dispatching the Clippers. This was a primetime matchup relegated to a Sunday afternoon. And while the Clippers have stolen all the headlines and left the Grizzlies in their glitzy dust.
A team that will grind and whittle you away has progressively gotten better offensively and would have been a higher seed in the Playoffs last year if not for Gasol’s injury.
So Sunday was a big statement of how “real” the Grizzlies are. The “Grit and Grind” might finally be ready to compete for a championship.
Gasol scored 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He bullied the Clippers celebrated front line, particularly the star Blake Griffin, and frustrated this Clippers team that still feels a bit off. A 107-91 victory is both the statement of the Grizzlies defensive mantra and how good this Grizzlies offense might be too.
| Score | Off. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
| L.A. Clippers | 91 | 96.5 | 46.1 | 11.1 | 10.6 | 36.4 |
| Memphis | 107 | 106.9 | 53.5 | 30.8 | 17.0 | 27.1 |
Chris Paul (LAC) — 22 pts.; Jamal Crawford (LAC) — 19 pts.
Marc Gasol (MEM) — 30 pts., 12 rebs.; Courtney Lee (MEM) — 13 pts.
Game to Watch (11/24): Suns vs. Raptors, 7:30 p.m.
The team is nearing the 15-game mark and the Grizzlies have little reason to believe they will slow down.
Gasol is averaging a career-high 19.1 points per game and is posting a solid 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He and Zach Randolph make a very difficult duo for big men to handle around the league. Gasol is a skilled passer and screener and a former Defensive Player of the Year.
Is he putting up the prolific numbers that Davis and Cousins are putting up? No. Gasol is not a MVP candidate.
But his Grizzlies? They are probably ready to announce themselves as part of the 2015 championship race.
For Memphis, the team needs to be serious about it because the sharks are circling for this star upcoming free agent.
