The situation is as follows: men's basketball team had three finals on their way to the quarter-finals of the Games. They lost the first, so they need to win at least one of their two remaining games to have a chance. After that initial defeat to Australia, all indications are that the shortest route to that is to beat Greece, his rival this Tuesday at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille. It will be at 11:00, at the same time as the debut that the Spaniards criticized so much.
The fact that the duel against the Hellenes is a priori the most affordable does not necessarily mean that it will be easy. The Hellenes are in a situation similar to that of Spain after the defeat on the first day against Canada (86-79), so just like for that of Scariolo Grief is vital to them. In that meeting they stayed close to the current world bronze thanks to the beautiful exhibition of Giannis Antetokounmpowho finished with 34 points and a shooting percentage of 70%.
The Milwaukee Bucks star is a big support for a team that also has two excellent veterans: Nick Calathes and Kostas Papanikolaou. “They are a great team,” Scariolo said in the preview when talking about the rival. “We have prepared for a very demanding match. Their great strength, besides having one of the best players in the world, is that they have a very large number of players who play an important role in great Euroleague teams. They are used to this type of game. “They defend, they have shooters and an atypical structure because their biggest man almost always plays outside the zone.”
Weakness in defense
Stopping the NBA player will be a big obsession for a Spain weak in defense and with scary gaps in the rebound. They are his big pending issues. Making up will be the first necessary step if you want to advance in the tournament. Then you have to trust that the connection between the devices is activated Lorenzo Brown and Willy Hernangómez, non-existent in the duel against Australia. They understand each other well and have worked wonders in the past, but in that first game neither was at his level. The recovery of the North American point guard, after his absence during the last World Cup, was the best news Scariolo could have received before the Games.
In fact, his participation in the pre-Olympic Games was decisive in sealing the ticket for the Games. But against the Oceanians he completed perhaps his worst game with the national team. Only seven points, no success in the outside shot and considerably outperformed by the rival point guards. This poor performance does not raise any doubts. On the contrary, within the coaching staff there is a conviction that if Brown's bad game has already taken place, there will be no other. On Monday you could only see Scariolo talking to the man from Rockford. Without a doubt an inspiring encouragement for what is to come.
Not everything was bad in the analysis of the debut. Spain pays attention to the extraordinary moment of form Saint Aldama (27 points) and suddenly became the team's reference. Or the always essential contribution, both sporting and emotional, of a Sergio Llull who is still full of gas. The national team's hope comes from all those contributions, plus the contributions that may still come from men Rudy, Garuba or Juanchounite as one to achieve the much-needed victory. “The team is fine, still united and with the same habits”, analyzed Llull, the person responsible for the media together with the coach. “I think that against Australia we went out to see them coming, instead of being 100% involved. It is clear that the group is complicated. Five bad minutes here make everything difficult for you, but I trust us. “I still see it with a lot of enthusiasm.”
“It is a moment where experts play a fundamental role,” concluded Scariolo. “And the fewer experts, the role of early learning, because the future is now. It is about having players who can play this game. These quotes teach a lot. “Young people will soon be heavier, but we have to compete in the now.”
Among the players, somewhat disappointed by what they have found in Lille, there is a certain conspiracy to go to Paris, to enjoy, even if it is, a match in the Bercy Arena and enjoy the Olympic atmosphere of the French capital. They already know the task to achieve this.