Marc Gasol ultimate Finals highlights with defense - Toronto Raptors championship 2019 

Gasol's positioning is fantastic. I agree, all centers should watch tons of tape on him.

Without Gasol we would’ve never got that championship, we miss big Spain so much in Toronto 😥 don’t think we’ll see another centre like him for a long time in the nba.... most of these young centres just want to run, dunk and block shots, no iq whatsoever

Al horford he's great at it to lol somebody should show Nikola jokic how to defend 🤣

@@ultimatecharisma2822 is that why he had 11.5 rebounds pg last season or was behind only Draymond in DPBM?

@@ultimatecharisma2822 this didn’t age well

- Championship Parade MVP

2 year ago hes finished

@@rgncal4872 In not sure we'll see

Well summarized. The Raptors would have taken the Magic anyway, but Gasol from the jump absolutely smothered Vucevic. The Magic had to change their whole offensive game plan away from playing through Vuc, who was an all-star that year. Needless to say when the low seed has less talent and now can’t even run their regular offence they are burnt toast. The Raptors lose the Sixers series without Gasol, there is no doubt in my mind. Gasol was bar none the best defender in the NBA against the amazingly talented Embiid. It was all the little things: didn’t bite on his fakes, great footwork to keep him infront, staying strong on the drive, getting a hand up on the shot, muscling him all the way out to deny post position. As far as post defence, it was some of the best I’ve seen. And “old man” Marc hung in there in Game 7 matching Joel minute for minute, 45 of them in total, and he wasn’t the one grabbing his shorts at the end. I’ll never forget when for an encore the next year he shockingly kept Embiid to zero points. He kept EMBIID to ZERO points! Then in the Bucks series, Gasol helped build the wall. It was also Kawhi and other guys, but Gasol had a lot to do with it. Don’t forget that Giannis was the league MVP on an NBA-best 60 win squad. They looked totally unstoppable at times, but the Raptors executed a game plan that actually turned the tide. Not just the wall but also strategic doubles - making him think. He never knew where the help would come. Giannis himself was profuse with credit afterwards. He said “every time in my head I’m seeing Gasol double-team me. You think I’m joking, but I’m not. All I’m seeing is Kawhi, Gasol coming.” No praise like having the MVP say that about you. Then in the finals the Warriors were the first team that was actually weak at the centre position. Gasol outclassed Boogie, Looney etc. but on top of that, he played outstanding help defence on Curry. It’s almost unfathomable to me that a relatively immobile, plodding player like that can have any impact whatsoever on someone with the unmatched skill, motor and quickness of Steph. My mind is conjuring up bad memories of JV getting cooked, roasted, fried and blended on the perimeter by speedy guards like Kemba. By all rights a guy with Gasol’s measurements should have been played off the floor in the first quarter. But again, the combination of the man’s meathook hands getting a mitt on the ball, his knowledge of angles to stunt and recover, his awareness in knowing when to send help, his ability to read the game so quickly and call out rotations - these were all instrumental in slowing the Warriors. Yes KD was out but they still had Steph, Klay and Draymond - the vaunted big three of this era. (Klay was banged up, then again so was Kawhi). Gasol helped anchor a defence that unsettled the Warriors and gave them little margin for error. They were used to playing free and easy, even against great teams like the Rockets and Cavs - getting into high-powered offensive arms races, not the muddy slog of a defensive war. I’ve never seen another team, other than the Kawhi Spurs (during the infamous Zaza series) put this level of defensive pressure on the Warriors. Not only did the Raptors win but they looked like the better team throughout this series - I still have to pinch myself when saying that. On top of all that, I didn’t even mention his three point shooting which among other things broke Bud’s drop coverage defense, his fundamentally sound blockouts, quick passing off of rebounds, and the crafty vision to find guys on cuts. It turned out to be just a few months of basketball, but truly it was some of the most beautiful basketball I’ve ever seen. Everyone was on a string. Great creative coaching, skilled pros who played elite unselfish team ball, and awesome roster construction with few holes on either end and the flexibility to play different combinations and styles. They closed out the Sixers series playing a Gasol-Ibaka front court - and it worked. And then against the Dubs they brought in Van Vleet to guard Steph and it worked again. It seemed like whatever you threw at the Raptors, they’d come up with a lineup and game plan that could do you one better. They beat three elite teams to earn the chip. If you are bored one day, go back and look at the playoff path of championship teams over the years - that is quite rare actually, to go through this level of quality competition. What an incredible joy to watch as a basketball fan and as someone who spent a lot of long years watching a lot of bad and mediocre Raptors teams. PS: thank you for this compilation - it is still my favourite. Brings a smile to my face every time I come back to relive it.

i would say he took and eleite defense to legendary because that raptors defense heald team to -11 of there regular season average and only 5 other defenses nba history did that

I think the key to these Raptors success truly laid on their defense, compared to the other teams and their peremetered game. The Raptors already had a great defense, but the addition of Gasol, one of the greatest defenders in the league, they really took the defense to the top level. Key performance by Gasol, without him the Raptors probably wouldn't have won the ring. But also, fabulous performance by the whole team on the defensive aspect.

@@justtimes9257Who are the others?

@@aidanparrott1810 celtics 2021, bulls 96, pistons 2004, 1988 pistons; there probaly 2 more

@@justtimes9257 Thank you sir 🙏

Makes up for it by always being a step ahead of the play.

He’s not that slow

Get this man out of LA

@@rgncal4872 lmao

@@Malacheeee he doesn't fit too slow and mainly ad is going to get hurt trying to make up for how slow he is, fck his iq if he can't move,its like popavich 500 basketball iq be our C cause you're so smart, we need to start a petition i saw kuz playing the 5 last night after trez had concussion protocol, every time Marc's on the floor its 5 on 4 cmon man retire already, you don't shoot enough to make it gaurd able, you don't pass enough to be point center, smaller wings target you cause you can't jump and blow right by you, wtf does he do?? Honestly? Floaters and alley oops right over his head all the time, no physicality at all, anyone will do marc its over buddy if fans were actually in those seats you'd already be gone. We shipped his brother out at 32 he played 6 more yrs, then we got wes matthews on THE BENCH, Schroder should come off the bench he can't hit 3s and dwight coulda started and got some of that bread and still coulda signed wes probably just split 300k of the bi annual exception up between those 2. Back to gasol , Marc is a mark gtfo of staples, need to make a site for a petition. If marc gasol petition was an app id be rich im sure

THERes no stretch bigman todays. that has passing, and can shoot threes. and can defend faster gaurd, defend lowpost. has postgame. only jokic remains

That's why he has a DPOY in his career.

absolutely!

Na grizzlies gasol was the real deal. Was a top 5 big, perennial all-star, and dpoy. Raptors Gasol was at the tail end of his career and lacked offence.

Elite defence. Literally zero negative defenders in that rotation. Excellent 3 point shooting. Playmaking at almost every position. Superstar that can completely take over any game against any team. Rotation full of two-way talent. Elite point god floor general. Starting calibre centre coming off the bench, They could matchup small or big against any team. Basically switch 1-5 in most situations. Collectively the highest basketball IQ i've ever seen on one team. One of the best head coaches in the league and the entire coaching staff was incredible. Solid mentally tough unit that didn't even celebrate or react at all to going up 3-1 in the finals because their job wasn't done yet. It can't get any better than that can it? That's peak basketball. All brought together by Masai and Bobby, the best executives in the league. wow

Truly an all-time great defense.

@@TooMuchHoops two former DP'sOY and the rest of the team stacked with all NBA defensive level talent. So sick

@@BigSchoolRiley As someone who is new to basketball I always thought that Defence is far better than Offense.. One of my favorite teams is the Detroit Pistons (Bad Boys and also the Bad Boys 2.0 with Ben Wallace)

@@rakuto-kun29 Hell yeah! Having two way players is crucial to winning in the post season. Defence is way cool

He just brings a different skillset. Yes this is pretty boring for fans I know 😂

jokic is only remaining true bigman that has passing, can shoot 3s, has lowpost. that are remain. . but marc gasol is better defender. he can defend curry in that series even in perimiters and 3s. he is slow but his lateral is good

yeah despite on hate on him, i still want him in the lineup, i will take him over drummond, whiteside, cousins

IM FINE WITH THE LAKERS ROSTER, THEY SHOULD SIGN JONES TO THE REST OF THE YEAR CONTRACT

PG-DENNIS SCHRODER SG-KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE SF-LEBRON JAMES PF-ANTHONY DAVIS C-MARC GASOL PG-ALEX CARUSO SG-TALEN HORTON-TUCKER SF-KYLE KUZMA PF-MARKIEFF MORRIS C-MONTREZL HARRELL PG- SG-WESLEY MATTHEWS SF-ALFONZO MCKINNIE PF-JARED DUDLEY C-DAMIAN JONES TWO WAY CONTRACT: DEVONTAE CACOK KOSTAS ANTETOKOUNMPO im fine with that lineup, last year lakers also not making moves they just only add kieff and that's it, they are 4-0 now after the asg

@@rhowj7335 man do i miss this lineup

Gasol is a great passer, spaces the floor, is 1st in the league in defensive box plus minus per basketball reference and per statistics, he and LeBron are also the best duo in the NBA. Different skillsets so we Laker fans need to get used to him, there’s a reason Vogel hasn’t even benched him.

he will be huge in playoffs, i will take him over drummond cousins whiteside all day

@@kotakice its nice to see a not hater of marc, i feel so bad for him for those hates that he receives , lakers have to sign jones to a rest of the year contract, then one roster spot yet