Grit, Grind, Gasol: Marc shines at the All-Star Game

In what was Marc Gasol's third trip to the All-Star Game, the Grizzlies center almost landed a triple double as he helped the Western Conference to a 192-182 victory in the Big Easy on Sunday night.

His 10 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists were never going to win him an MVP. From a Grizzlies-standpoint, though, it shows just how important Gasol is to the team with what he offers and he got a chance to show that as he rubbed shoulders with the NBA's biggest and brightest stars.

Gasol told USA Today, "I think I represent also the city and not only the style that we play but also the guys we play with" and that was very much on-display on the court as he put in a Grit and Grind performance in an affair that has little to do with Grit and Grind.

A long road to the All-Star break

Marc Gasol drove all 400 miles to the All-Star game in a Tesla but felt no ill-effects on Sunday night. At 32 years of age, after 14 years as a pro ball player, those hard miles are really paying off for the big man from Barcelona.

Comparing his All-Star performances

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In his first All-Star game back in 2012, Gasol recorded just three rebounds, zero assists and just four points in 13 minutes on the floor.

In 2015, he had 10 rebounds, two assists and six points in just under 25 minutes on the floor.

On Sunday night, however, he showed just how far he has progressed this year and improved or equalled every performance stat of import during his 21 minutes on the floor with his 10-10-8 performance. He also had the only block the Western Conference had on the night.