The Grizzlies' twin towers left everyone dumbfounded. No one could believe that, in this small-ball era, someone was actually running a retro twin-tower lineup.
More importantly, it was actually working!
Of course, the Grizzlies' twin towers were anything but "traditional."
Back when the Lakers won championships with their twin towers, Pau Gasol being able to hit mid-range shots was already considered enough to space the floor.
But now, both Gasol Jr. and Jokic had range extending beyond the three-point line. And they shot it with remarkable consistency.
On top of that, both men were outstanding passers and highly skilled low-post scorers.
Looking across the entire history of the NBA, there had practically never been a twin-tower pairing like this.
Big men who could shoot, facilitate, and play with skill were every team's dream. Even during the golden age of centers, players like that had been extremely rare.
Therefore, no team had ever been luxurious enough to possess two such centers at once.
But the Grizzlies had done it.
Of course, a ten-point deficit was nothing to the Warriors. The Grizzlies had quickly erased an eleven-point gap in the second quarter, and people believed the Warriors could do the same.
Besides, whether those two behemoths, Jokic and Gasol Jr., could maintain their stamina through an entire game was still unknown.
Jokic in particular—he barely had any visible muscle definition. He did not look like a player with exceptional endurance.
This game was far from over.
When the third quarter began, the Grizzlies continued to deploy their twin-tower lineup. The Warriors, meanwhile, made no adjustments. Kerr refused to add height to his lineup!
So far this season, Varejao had averaged only 6.5 minutes per game, while McGee had averaged just 9.6 minutes.
And the Warriors' actual starting center, Zaza Pachulia, who was