MADRID — The Memphis Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors probably weren't expecting a playoff-like atmosphere when they decided to play NBA pre-season games in Spain.
They're getting it, though.
A capacity crowd of 14,500 will pack the Palacio de Deportes on Thursday when the Grizzlies play Estudiantes and the Raptors face Spanish league champion Real Madrid.
Both NBA teams come equipped with Spaniards. Memphis has all-star centre Pau Gasol and rookie guard Juan Carlos Navarro, while Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa play for Toronto.
The Raptors split their first two pre-season games, an 89-85 loss to the Boston Celtics and a 93-87 win over Virtus Lottomatica Roma.
Five different nationalities have contributed to building what Toronto centre Chris Bosh calls the closest team he's been on "by far."
"We're having a lot of fun right now, and this whole trip is helping us out, which I thought it would," Bosh said. "I don't expect much but I did have expectations and they passed them."
Bosh may not play against Madrid because he hurt his knee in practice last week. All the travelling could be taking its toll.
"Jet lag is definitely a factor. I can feel it a little bit," Argentine guard Carlos Delfino said. "But (the usual) distractions are away. You get to spend time with your teammates. You get good chemistry. It's a good thing."
Including Barcelona's 104-99 win over the Philadelphia 76ers last year, Spanish clubs are on a two-game winning streak against their NBA counterparts.
Garbajosa wants his homecoming to end that.
"Every player has his pride on the line," Garbajosa said. "Once the ball is in the air, we all want to win, and we'll go to impossible lengths to do so."
The Grizzlies lost to Unicaja Malaga 102-99 Tuesday, becoming only the fourth NBA team to lose overseas since 1987.
"It was a hostile crowd last night," Grizzlies forward Stromile Swift said Wednesday. "We came out and . . . underestimated them. It was a nice wake-up call for us."
Navarro, a former Barcelona guard who is one of European basketball's best players, hit five three-pointers and led the Grizzlies with 21 points.
"Offensively he made some big shots," Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni said. "He's perfect for our system. He's fast, he loves to run up and down the floor and make open threes and he knows how to play the game.
"He's got bravado and confidence, which I love."
"La Bomba," as he is called in his native Spain, was a little surprised by his performance.
"To play that many minutes in my debut in Spain was special," Navarro said. "But it's only one game. There's many to go."
The Grizzlies, coming off an NBA worst 22-60 season, are hoping this trip will mark the start of something better.
Though the inexperience showed against Malaga — the team was outrebounded 57-28 — Iavaroni pointed to a second-half rally started by strong defence that opened up the fast break.
"We don't have a championship-calibre team right now. We've got a young team," Swift said. "It's new for coaches, new for players. The teams we're playing have been together for a while. We need to come out and get our chemistry together and we'll be all right."
