The Paint on the Free Throw Line Has Worn Off

James Harden drew a foul on Gasol right at the start, giving Joerger a major headache.

The Grizzlies' frontcourt depth was already quite thin. If Gasol had to sit because of foul trouble, the Grizzlies would be in an even more passive position.

Gasol could hold out for a while against Howard. But if Ezeli had to face the enraged "Beast" alone, the Grizzlies' interior would likely get torn apart.

Though Howard no longer possessed the dominance he had in his prime, he was still a player who averaged close to 20 points per game on a 60 percent shooting percentage.

He was still capable of killing a game.

Joerger was already considering the worst-case scenario. If the interior truly became a problem, he had to find another way through it.

Indeed, there was no need to fight tooth and nail for every regular-season game. Especially after the Grizzlies had won 74 games last season, they no longer needed to prove anything in the regular season.

But if this problem went unresolved, every team would use this method against the Grizzlies in the future.

Losing one or two games might not affect the bigger picture. But if they failed to solve it and kept losing, the Grizzlies' outlook would become truly worrying.

While Joerger considered his options, the Grizzlies had already pushed the ball upcourt.

Calling the Rockets' defense last season a complete mess would not have been an exaggeration. That was mainly because of Harden's lack of effort on defense and the overall weakness of Houston's defensive lineup.

But this year, the Rockets' defense had improved considerably. Beverley went without saying; his tenacious style was what had earned him a place in the NBA.

As one of the league's few elite 3-and-D players, Ariza had no major flaws on