Division rival admits Spurs are his favorite team to watch, says Boban can do something he can't

Tony Parker accelerates past Marc Gasol as the Spurs play the Grizzlies at the AT&T Center on November 21, 2015. Tony Parker accelerates past Marc Gasol as the Spurs play the Grizzlies at the AT&T Center on November 21, 2015. Photo: TOM REEL, STAFF / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Photo: TOM REEL, STAFF / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Division rival admits Spurs are his favorite team to watch, says Boban can do something he can't 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

Battles between Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol and the San Antonio Spurs date back to 2008.

More often than not, the 7-foot-1 Spaniard has come out the loser. Gasol's Grizzlies have won just 11 of 38 matchups, though four of those wins came during the first round of the 2011 Western Conference playoffs, when No. 8 Memphis shocked No. 1 San Antonio.

As far as shining series moments go, that's a pretty solid one.

Still, an 11-27 record can be discouraging, but apparently not enough to prevent Gasol from enjoying Spurs basketball.

In a recent interview with ESPN's Zach Lowe, the two-time All-Star and 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year admitted that the Spurs are his favorite team to watch.

"They make you turn your ahead a lot," Gasol said. "It's hard to scout, when you pass the ball like that. Everything is read and react. And you cannot read somebody else's mind, or at least you cannot read five minds at the same time."

Gasol is one of the best passing centers in the league, so it's only natural that he appreciates the Spurs' ball movement.

Lowe also asked him about the impressive offensive stylings of rookie Boban Marjanovic, particularly the fake pass he fooled Philadelpha 76ers center Jahlil Okafor with.

Boban going on the And1 mixtape for this. https://t.co/uwFKvT6wpX — Eric Harris (@EricHarrisUA) December 8, 2015

"I've never done that," Gasol admitted. "I have done the thing where I put the ball behind their back a couple of times, but I'm not as tall as Boban to just do that over someone's head."

Marjanovic, who towers over most of the world at 7-foot-3, would be lucky to have half the career Gasol has had, but for now, he can stake a claim to a nifty little ability the Memphis big man doesn't have.

nmoyle@express-news.net

Twitter: @NRMoyle