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Spain 67, Russia 59: Gasols et al earn gold-medal try as Reds go Serbia cold in second half

August 10, 2012

Okay, so maybe Team Spain was playing possum. Or perhaps they merely hit the snooze on the alarm clock a tad too late in London. No matter: In the end, all history will remember is the final result – Spain 67, Russia 59 – and that it will be Los Rojos and not the Reds playing for the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.

A rundown of BiE’s recent obsessions with these two teams … For Spain, the guards found their shot, Pau Gasol opened the floor like few seven-footers beyond himself can and passing (at least in the second half) was crisp and smooth. And the 22-12 (including just four for Russia in the first 30 minutes) free-throw advantage certainly helped.

Which is not to say that the would-be gold-medallists didn’t get help from their adversaries. After going turnover-free in the first half, Spain’s run in the fourth quarter was buoyed by an incredibly awful series in which Russia gave up the TO on five of six consecutive possessions.

Worse yet for them, as BBC commentary noted, this may be the last go-around for Team Russia as we know it…

As for Serge Ibaka, well, the Blockmaster got very little playing; admittedly not without reason. Among the lowlights were a couple TOs, bouncing a fast-break dribble off his foot and watching Sergey Monya elevate in his face, then over it, then bury a three over it in the second quarter.

Again, though, it was 67-59 to Spain; congratulations to the winners. Sorry to see you go out like that, Russia; good luck in the bronze-medal game, see a bunch of you in Moscow and Minnesota, etc.

And yes, BiE has to admit it: As reader Max says, “Oh man, you’re really on fire with the predictions. Spain maybe are aging, but we’re not washed up yet.”

Syndicated game recap runs below the break.



Spaniards beat Russia to reach men’s hoop final (via AFP)

Pau Gasol scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead reigning European champion Spain into the Olympic men’s basketball gold medal game with a 67-59 victory over Russia on Friday. The Spaniards will play for the championship on Sunday against the winner of a later semi-final between the defending…


 


Aug 10, 2012ballineurope
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This post was published on August 10, 2012
Vincere ego sum: Team France in women’s basketball gold-medal gameMeeting of Dream Teams as Dude Perfect hangs with Team USA
Comments: 24
  1. Gabe
    13 years ago

    A rematch of 2008 as I predicted. This USA team is stacked. All the best American NBA players. That’s the difference between this team and past teams that lost. 2004 only had Duncan and the rest were not the best.

    ReplyCancel
  2. LC 1389
    13 years ago

    WTF do you people mean serbia cold??? u kiddin? we own this sport

    ReplyCancel
  3. mike
    13 years ago

    I predicted it too. Spain over Russia, and the US over Argentina by at least 20, and that is on the mark. The US will defeat Spain by at least 15, but if the US is on early, it could get ugly and turn into a real blowout.

    BTW, Gabe, on another topic, what about my Sixers getting Andrew Bynum? The Sixers are loaded with Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Jason Richardson, Thadeus and Nick Young, Dorrel Wright, spences Hawes, and now the NBA’s best offensive center, Andrew Bynum. The favorite for the Atlantic over your Knicks and the Celtics?

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      13 years ago

      Ummmm……I don’t know. Bynum and J-Rich for Iguodala sounds like an improvement but not too much so. Iggy is a good player. I see you improving for a few wins but I also see the Knicks improving. Also last year you got lucky playing a Rose-less Bulls in the 1st round. Even with Bynum reaching the 2nd round again will be difficult.

      ReplyCancel
  4. Euroleague > NBA
    13 years ago

    Gabe’s “predictions”

    Lakers will beat Barca

    CSKA will beat Olympiacos

    Kirilenko will be Euroleague Final Four MVP

    China and Nigeria will beat European teams at the 2012 Olympics

    France is one of the best European teams ever because of all of their NBA players – despite never winning a gold medal at EuroBasket……….

    Every NBA player from the NBA lockout that went to Euroleague would “dominate”

    He was 100% WRONG on all of those predictions, and I can probably think of another 50 such failed “predictions” made by him here.

    What an arrogant douche bag.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      13 years ago

      Hahaha now I said France is one of the best European teams ever?

      My main prediction: USA will win gold.

      Euroleague > NBA prediction: Greece will be relevant this year. lol Nigeria!!!

      ReplyCancel
      • Gabe
        13 years ago

        I can’t believe Euroleague > NBA has the nerve to comment here. I would think he would be spending his days balled up and crying. USA is on their way to their third consecutive FIBA gold medal with a dominating performance. Apart from the Lithuania every other game the US has won by +30 point. Even their gold medal opponents Spain are basically representing the NBA with 3 out of 4 of their top scorers in the semi-finals being NBA players, two of them, the Gasol brothers, being NBA stars, which give Spain a slim chance of the monumental upset tomorrow. And that 4th top scorer was Rudy Fernandez who just left the NBA after spending 4 years there as a role player.

        On the other side of the coin we have Team Greece with the Euroleague Final Four MVP and many other players from the Euroleague champions not even being able to make the Olympics after getting eliminated by Nigeria. NIGERIA! The same Nigeria that lost to the US by 83 points. Again this shows how Eurobasket is not such a high level considering that again in a global competition, two of the top four teams will not be European.

        BTW Your Nigerian nightmare is never ending. I heard that Ike Diogu is heading to Euroleague. I predict a new Euroleague MVP this coming year to replace Kirilenko,,,Diogu! Spanoulis is probably wetting his pants. lol

        ReplyCancel
        • Gabe
          13 years ago

          ooops I meant +20 not +30 but close enough.

          ReplyCancel
  5. Gabe
    13 years ago

    You know at fist I had fun messing with this crazy Apollo and his sock puppets because he was just a delusional Euro with an inferiority complex. But now that his world his collapsing around him (Greece getting embarrassed by being eliminated by Nigeria and the US cruising towards their 3rd straight gold medal) he has finally lost it and is showing his true colors which are a lot less benign. With these right-wing rants about reverse racism all we are really missing is some anti-semitism and we’ll have a full blown Nazi in our mist.

    ReplyCancel
  6. Jack Baller
    13 years ago

    http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/basketball/story/_/id/8259569/fiba-chief-says-no-age-limit-coming-2016-olympics

    “Baumann admits that “we have come to a conclusion that (FIBA’s shorter 3-point line) will move back at some point to the NBA distance.”

    As long as they don’t put in the damn defensive 3 seconds rule and the pseudo-zone rules that the NBA has. That makes the NBA unwatchable.

    ReplyCancel
  7. Jack Baller
    13 years ago

    BTW Your Nigerian nightmare is never ending. I heard that Ike Diogu is heading to Euroleague. I predict a new Euroleague MVP this coming year to replace Kirilenko,,,Diogu! Spanoulis is probably wetting his pants. lol

    You really need to stop this bull shit. I can’t stand the Greek teams, but if you think Ike Diogu could win Euroleague MVP then you are the #1 dumbest fuck in internet history.

    Diogu would be lucky to even make the rotation of any good Euroleague team.

    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE just stop this insane trolling and try to act and behave normal. It isn’t too much to ask.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      13 years ago

      Diogu would be lucky to even make the rotation of any good Euroleague team.

      With a statement like that it seems you are the troll. Diogu was the best player on a team who eliminated a team whose best player was the Euroleague Final Four MVP, not to mention having three other players from the Euroleague champions. He also was the best player on a team who eliminated another team whose best player was an NBA all-star, while posting 25 points and 10 rebounds in a game that got his nation to its first Olympics ever. So a guy who was the best player on a team that beat the #4 and #5 ranked teams in the world and finished 10th in the Olympics would be lucky just to make the rotation of any good Euroleague team.

      I was exaggerating about Euroleague MVP (and hey you never know) but your statement makes you just as much or even more than a troll than I am.

      ReplyCancel
  8. Zoran
    13 years ago

    Gabe is the dumbest person I have ever encountered on the internet.

    ReplyCancel
  9. Gus
    13 years ago

    gabe,mike and others . i am praying to God with all my might that Spain upsets the us. please God make this happen so arrogant americans can stop this insanity. i know having the antichrist barak husein obama on ur side makes u powerfull but evil will loose out in the end. how can God actually support a team of rapists,law breakers, and wife beaters over decent spanish players? let there be justice, let there be light!!

    ReplyCancel
  10. Phileus
    13 years ago

    … wat

    ReplyCancel
  11. mike
    13 years ago

    Holy cow, Gus! What you said is so revealing. It is not good basketball you guys seek but your actual motives is purely anti-American. That’s it and that’s all. Unbelievable.

    ReplyCancel
  12. Gus
    13 years ago

    lol im just busting balls guys. its just that arrogance rubs me the wrong way. everybody know the USA is the best team at these olympics and that the infinite talent the NBA produces is incomparable but hey a little humility goes a long way. im tired of hitting all the blogs and reading uninformed nba fans predicting 30 pt. blow outs. i am personaly a fiba fan and will be rooting for spain but i know america is favored and that most likely they will win no big deal.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      13 years ago

      Now I’m confused. So all this time you were playing a character like Stephen Colbert? But well said.

      ReplyCancel
      • Gabe
        13 years ago

        I want it to be a thirty pt. blowout but if I was sure of it I wouldn’t even watch the game. The reason why I enjoy watching team US is because I know they can lose.

        ReplyCancel
  13. Goran
    13 years ago

    If Team USA loses to Spain in the gold medal game, then Gabe, mike, and Phileus must not post here for ONE YEAR.

    ReplyCancel
  14. Gabe Is Scum
    13 years ago

    For YEARS I have to read Gabe’s bullshit here about how Argentina was the “third best team in the world” and it was was a fact simply because they won bronze at teh 2008 Olympics and that is “the only thing that matters”.
    Meanwhile, any loss by ANY European team “proved they are worse than Argentina”.
    Well, Argentina was 5th at the 2010 World Cup and 4th at the 2012 Olympics.
    And they got beat by the THIRD PLACE EuroBasket team.
    I don’t want to ever fucking EVER see Gabe say again that Argentina is the third best team in the world.
    I am so SICK OF THIS FUCKING GUY’S BULLSHIT.
    Argentina would be very lucky to even qualify to the Olympics if they had to go through EuroBasket every time to do so.
    GOD DAMN THIS GABE IS A MOTHERFUCKING IDIOT.

    ReplyCancel
  15. Euroleague > NBA
    13 years ago

    USA only beat Spain by 7 and Lithuania by 5.

    A team of 12 Euroleague all stars would beat Team USA by 30-40 points.

    ReplyCancel
    • Gabe
      13 years ago

      USA only beat Spain by 7 = USA World Champions and 2X defending Olympic Champions.

      ReplyCancel
  16. Gabe is an Asshole
    13 years ago

    Gabe probably would eat white babies.

    ReplyCancel

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ballineurope
13 years ago 24 Comments FIBA, More2012 Olympic Games, Felipe Reyes, Jose Calderon, Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, Sasha Kaun, Sergey Monya, Sergio Llull, Team Russia, Team Spain, Vitaliy Fridzon
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