The Spanish national team led with Toronto Raptors’ Marc Gasol and Sergio Scariolo won the FIBA World Cup today, defeating Argentina in the finals. The Spaniards controlled the match right from the start until the end and posted a huge win 95-75. It is their second-ever golden medal at the World Cup competitions.
Gasol and the boys weren’t among the top 3 favorites to win the tournament but proved wrong all those who underestimated the knowledge of this experienced crew. One by one, all the rivals were beaten, with Scariolo targeting the form for the ultimate stages of the tournament.
Despite not being that confident in the group phase, the first glimpses of their true power were seen against Serbia. Back then, Spain completely stiffed probably the biggest favorite for the title here.
One of the key pieces in Scariolo’s machine was Marc Gasol. The duo from the Raptors had a pivotal role in all the key situations. Nick Nurse’s assistant had a perfect analysis of the rivals, finding the ideal tactics for each one of them.
Meanwhile, Gasol was bossing the things on the court. Whenever Spain reached into a tough situation, it was him and Phoenix Suns’ Ricky Rubio who solved the problems.
“We have to show young people that they need to be good people, now is the chance to show god examples because we have all the media attention,” said Gasol before the medal ceremony.
He became only the second player ever who won the NBA and the World Cup title in the same year. The previous one was Lamar Odom.
“These three months were good for me, I am happy, and blessed for being in this situation,” the veteran center told the reporters.
Spain opened the game very strong with them controlling Argentina’s pace since the opening tip-off. They quickly reached a 12-2 advantage, which was held all the way until the end. The Argentinan team had its chances, and they came down to just one point, but couldn’t take the lead. The first half ended with 43-31 for the Red Fury.
Scariolo slowed down the tempo on the court, carefully picking his lineup and demanding long possesions. Gasol and the rest of the frontcourt have successfully shut down Luis Scola, who is the most valuable player of the South American’s.
Rubio had 20 points and 7 boards today, while Sergio Llull added 15 buckets. Gasol scored 14. For the losing side, Real Madrid’s Gabriel Dek had a team-high 24 points, and Laprovitola finished the contest with 17.
Rubio was named the tournament’s MVP, and the starting lineup had Gasol, Evan Fournier, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Scola. The former Jazz and Timberwolves player averaged near 15 points, 6 assists, and 4 boards.
The Canadian national team ended this campaign at the 21st place, and they will now have to win the qualifying tour for the Olympics in order to appear in Tokyo. Nurse had a lot of troubles with withdrawals, which eventually damaged the final result.
Team USA finished at the history-low 7th place.
