FIBA Pre-Olympic Tournament – semi-final – working day 1
Not so long ago (2008 and 2012), Spain was fighting for a gold medal in the final of the Olympic Games. But times change, generations, some unrepeatable, like that one, are exhausted, and reality is different. Today Spain is fighting, simply, to be in the Games. And it is not easy at all. The Spanish team suffered and suffered this Saturday to defeat Finland (74-81) in the semi-final of the pre-Olympic tournament in Valencia and this Sunday (20.30, Teledeporte) it will face the Bahamas to be in Paris. That is right. When the team was eliminated from the last World Cup, Scariolo warned that qualifying for the Games would be “a titanic feat”. That may have sounded like a certain exaggeration, but given the path it has taken, it is not.
Spain found itself in a mirror. Finland is a school team, as Scariolo portrayed it with their work from the base to the top, a common philosophy. Against an equal, a group that defends well, is organized and knows what it is playing for, the Spanish team tried to open a gap inside with the balls to Willy and his connection with Lorenzo. The rival demanded maximum concentration due to their ability to steal, run and punish every mistake. Finland threatened with shots from every corner, with the points very evenly distributed, encouraged also by a crowd that was noticeable (8-8). Scariolo shook the tree with the entry of Núñez, who had not played a second against Angola, and Brizuela to give more freshness on the outside. On the perimeter and in the zone Aldama continued with the hammer, and on the outside Rudy also chipped. The captain earned an unsportsmanlike foul and the match rose in temperature. Finland took advantage of the lack of concentration to link up a 9-0 and reach the first break ahead: 20-17.
The Fonteta rose to its feet in support of its men. Spain needed the support of the crowd because every ball was disputed in the trenches. Finland attacked and defended with knives between its teeth. In this cocktail of emotions, Brizuela emerged to break the mold, and Alberto Díaz and Garuba to lock the game (20-24). The Finnish team took more than five minutes to score, but the differences were very small because the haste in the attacks weighed down the locals. Nerves ruled in Valencia. It was the stage for Lorenzo Brown to set the pace of the match and show why he is an essential piece in this Spain. With the point guard in front to direct and score (nine points in the second quarter), the team took a breath before the break (30-38).
If they couldn’t do it in the melee, Finland would have to find a way outside. And how. Maxhuni, Jantunen and Grandison connected three three-pointers in two minutes and the score was tight again. Spain turned to Willy as a target, taking advantage of those moments when the pivot was fresh, and the wrist of Aldama, a player who never stops growing, to make another stretch (43-50). But Finland always came back when it seemed that they were falling behind. The Spanish team got stuck with the ball in their hands, orphaned of individual and collective responses, and let the visitors run. The collapse was monumental in creating in the opponent’s basket and destroying in their own. At the worst moment, in the middle of a panic attack, Spain conceded a 12-0 partial in 3m 44s to close the third quarter behind (59-56).
When they were on the ropes, an unexpected hero. Alberto Díaz, the man who symbolised that also unexpected gold at the Eurobasket 2022, lifted the team off the canvas with two consecutive triples and a ball recovered by diving on the floor like a wild boar (63-64). Valtonen cooled the cauldron with another outside success and Lorenzo Brown and Santi Aldama returned to the court. At every Spanish step, Finland responded tirelessly with a triple, each time from a different shooter (72-72). Even though the danger was known, it could not be avoided. The match entered the tie in the last two minutes. Willy enlarged his body to scratch the decisive baskets (28 points in his account) and Rudy left every drop of sweat on the court. That would not be his last battle. At least there is one more, against the Bahamas for being in the Olympic Games.
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