Rose hit a three, which surprised Kevin Harlan.
Before the game, he had specifically compared Jokic and Gobert's average stats from their head-to-head matchups.
But now, he realized that Jokic was not the Grizzlies' savior today at all.
Rose was!
Rose had always been a guard who played as the centerpiece. The Grizzlies had put him in the starting lineup precisely to maximize his impact.
So of course Rose was the offensive focal point!
So far, Mudiay had no way whatsoever to contain Rose.
Although Mudiay was much younger than Rose, he looked more like the aging veteran instead.
For two straight possessions now, Mudiay had been blown by Rose's speed.
Mudiay felt utterly humiliated. He no longer expected to become the super-prospect he had once been, but getting torched like this by an old veteran was just too miserable.
Fortunately, Mitchell had already taken the initiative to switch assignments with him. From here on out, Mudiay could leave the work to someone else.
The score was tied again, and Mitchell grew anxious.
The game had only just begun, so it was normal that neither side could pull away.
But the flow of the game was drastically different from what Mitchell had imagined. On the next possession, he drove in isolation with simple, brute force. All he wanted now was to take the lead again.
But Dillon Brooks was no pushover.
Against opponents like Paul George, who was a full size bigger than him, Brooks could seem helpless.
But against Mitchell, who was roughly his own size, Brooks was nowhere near as overmatched on defense.
Mitchell tried to force his way through Brooks' defense, but Brooks was not afraid of contact.
On the contrary, he was exceptionally good at using contact to stop his opponents.
Mitchell gritted his teeth. Brooks'