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Toronto Raptors: 5 things we’ll remember the most from Marc Gasol

By Alexandro Fidanza

Toronto Raptors - Marc Gasol (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
Toronto Raptors - Marc Gasol (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /
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If you haven’t already heard, Marc Gasol is going to finish his career at FC Barcelona, meaning it puts an end to his wonderful time for the Toronto Raptors.

2772 minutes. That’s how many total minutes Marc Gasol has played in a Toronto Raptors jersey and we’re going to be reviewing 2579 minutes and 15 seconds of it. In his short stint here, Gasol played a vital piece in the Raptors’ first-ever championship. He did everything he was asked of and more on both ends of the floor and without him, we can’t be so sure that the Raptors see the same kind of success in 2019.

This is where Masai Ujiri doesn’t get enough credit for the acquisition of Marc Gasol. Yes, it was hard to see the long time Raptor Jonas Valančiūnas leave Toronto. But Marc’s play and character made that break-up easy to deal with.

It’s with great pleasure that I’ll remind every Toronto fan why we’ll forever be grateful for his time here counting every big moment and every minute starting with a fan favorite.

Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors – Gasol defending Embiid (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

5. Marc Gasol holds Embiid to 0 points (34 minutes)

This was probably the moment Gasol got the most attention from the NBA while in a Toronto Raptors jersey. Marc Gasol held one of the best centers in the league to zero points. Embiid went 0/11 from the field, 0/4 from three, and even failed to score at the free-throw line missing all three. Most importantly they would go on to win the game 101-96.

This moment was very historic because this was the first time Embiid has been held to zero points in an NBA game and probably the last time it will ever happen. Embiid is a spectacular talent and the fact that Gasol is one of the few defenders who can always shut him down made Raptors fans comfortable when playing against the 76ers.

Let’s also not forget the 2018-2019 playoffs, where Gasol held Embiid to 32 percent shooting on 47 field goal attempts and pretty much kept Embiid from getting any sort of momentum. Even in the most recent season, Embiid has only scored one, I repeat one field goal when defended by Gasol — that is on 16 field goal attempts resulting in a 6.3 percent field goal percentage.

Matchups against the 76ers won’t be the same anymore and who knows who will defend Embiid at the level Gasol did. All we know for sure is that Embiid and 76ers fan will be delighted having not to face future Hall of Famer Marc Gasol.