Marc Gasol knows what he is. And what he isn’t.

He also knows who to thank and blame for each.

The veteran Raptors centre, as versatile a ballhandler and offensive facilitator as there is in the NBA, credits the men who’ve coached him and allowed him to develop myriad skills for getting him to where he is today.

“I’m lucky that growing up all my coaches taught me everything they taught me and allowed me to do — they put a lot of tools in that tool box,” Gasol said Thursday. “And now that’s what I’m able to do, adapting depending on the situation and what the team needs. I can adapt to that.”

Gasol faces a tough matchup with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid in the series but the variety of skills he possesses will come in handy.

“He’s a very physical, smart defender,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of Gasol. “I would imagine they are going to test him, I’d imagine we are going to test (Embiid) out as well.”

For all that Gasol can do, he knows his limitations. And where they came from.

“The one thing, I’m not going to be a lob threat,” he joked. “I know that. I’m not going to put that in the tool box. That was my parents more than anything. But all the other stuff has to do with basketball, I’m pretty certain I can do.”

FAMILIAR VOICES: The Raptors are getting special dispensation from the NBA to stick with their usual home broadcast crew in the second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The other three series are solely available on national networks in the United States — TNT, ESPN and ABC — but because the league considers TSN and Sportsnet as “national” broadcasters, the trio of Matt Devlin, Jack Armstrong and Leo Rautins will continue to call games with the usual supporting cast providing TV hits.

Sportsnet, or Sportsnet One, has Games 1, 3, 5 and 7, if necessary, and TSN has Games 2, 4, 6, the team announced Thursday. Sportsnet 590 The FAN will have Games 1, 2 and 6 on the radio; TSN 1050 will have the others.

ENDGAME: Getting away from the game is a key part of this time of year for NBA players. Toronto guard Danny Green found a way to get his mind away from basketball during one of three nights the Raptors had off before the second round.

“I got a chance to see the Avengers movie, which was pretty fun,” Green said. “I suggest you guys go see that. Worth every three hours.”

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