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World basketball championship
This year’s edition of the World Basketball Championship wrapped up on Sunday night. Naturally, the games were serious stuff here in Spain, as they took place in Barcelona and Madrid. There was a serious setback for the local fans in the quarterfinals, as the Spanish team fell to the French, 65-52. That was not supposed to happen. The Spaniards were ranked second in the tournament, and were supposed to meet the number-one ranked team in the final. That would be los Americanos.
The Spanish team is composed of several NBA players of some repute, including former Toronto Raptor Jose Calderon. The Gasol brothers also played for the Spaniards. Pau Gasol led the team with 17 points before he fouled out. Calderon added five points, but only played 14 minutes. There was a great hue and cry from the fans after the game. They were very critical of the coaching staff. There may have been some merit in thatl however the home team made only two shots from 22 attempts outside the arc.
Boris Diaw had an awesome game for the French. He led the team with 15 points, knocking down three from beyond the line in seven tries. Rudy Gobert, who plays for the Utah Jazz, added five points, but pulled down 13 rebounds. The French were clearly superior under the baskets, pouring it on in the second half after trailing at half time. Thomas Heurtel pumped in 13 points, many at critical times.
Coach Orenga puts it simply: “France played better. They controlled the boards, they shot better. This loss saddens me. For the fans, for the organization, for my family, truly sad.” He realizes heads must roll after such a humiliating defeat. His job is in jeopardy.
The semifinals took place before the weekend championship game on Sunday: France vs Serbia and USA vs Lithuania. The Serbians had disposed of Brazil 84-56. They were led by Milos Teodosic with 23 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic with 12. As usual, the Americans have breezed by their opposition, Mexico and Slovenia. On Saturday night, the Serbs defeated France in short order. They jumped out to a large lead, and France was never able to recover. Nic Batum had a huge game for France, pumping in 35 points, going eight for 10 outside the arc. Teodosic countered with 24 points for Serbia.
I watched the Americans play against Slovenia. It was bittersweet for Slovenian fans, many of whom had made the trek to Barcelona, only to witness the thrashing by the powerful US team. Mind you, the Americans could have been even stronger, had LeBron, Duncan, Kobe and Wade come to play. The stars were not here. No matter.
For the Europeans, this is important stuff. To us Canadians, it is about as important as the World Hockey Championships played during the Stanley Cup playoffs. You know that tournament. If you do not make the playoffs, or if you get knocked out early, you can get flown to some exotic European location to pull on a Team Canada jersey, take a few shifts, then head home for a long vacation and watch the Hawks and the Habs on TV.
The Americans crushed the Serbians in the final 129-92. There was a glimmer of hope for the Serbs early in the game when they led 15-7. The Americans regained their composure, scored 15 straight points and never looked back. They ran the floor, they cleared the boards, they drove the lane, they shot out the lights. No contest.
The powers that be in international basketball are tinkering with new formats. Good luck. Inevitably, it will be a great contest for second place. Not much fun in that.
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