Spain’s 21-Year Struggle: Can They Finally Defeat the United States in Basketball?

The Spanish basketball team has not won a match against the United States, friendly or official, for 21 years. In 2002, moreover, none paid too much attention to that victory. There was disappointment due to the defeat in the quarterfinals against Germany and, although it was the host in Indianapolis, the USA Basketball Team had been losing some traces that, curiously, it was recovering when worst came to Spain. And, honestly, no one at the Conseco Fieldhouse remembers that.

It may be that, in general, it is normal that the United States has beaten Spain so many times in a row throughout these two decades. It is a top-ranking team, which has even been able to frustrate the best player in the country’s history, Pau Gasol, for 17 years. In Athens, Beijing, London, Rio; and until he finished withdrawing it in Tokyo. A landslide victory from 2004 to 2021 despite admirable resistance from a group that has also been unable to overcome the United States in friendly matches. Not even in Spanish territory (friendlies in Madrid and Barcelona); nor in Anaheim (2019) and Las Vegas (2021), where Spain measured their forces against the Yankees just before two major events (World Cup and Games).

In those two appointments in California and Nevada, the commitment that the best players in the world would be in Andalusia in 2023 to commemorate the centenary of the FEB ended up beginning to be forged between the FEB and USA Basketball. The good management of the president, Jorge Garbajosa; and its general director, Óscar Graefenhain, made it possible with the complicity of José María Arrabal, the Board’s general secretary for sport and a closely linked figure with in-depth knowledge of basketball.

The United States ended in Malaga. And without being a glamorous team, which can boast legends like LeBron, Curry, Durant, Harden, Mitchell, Lillard, Davis and many others, it is a team with the number one in the 2020 draft (Anthony Edwards), the best defender in the world (Jaren Jackson) or the rookie of the year, the ‘Italian’ Paolo Banchero. All this and much more (the glamor of laker Austin Reaves, the class Brandom Ingram, the fire of Brunson or Bobby Portis or the versatility of Mikal Bridges or Josh Hart) led by a coach as magical as he is human, Steve Kerr; who has two ring winners on the bench as assistants: the brilliant Spoelstra and Tyronn Lue, who led LeBron’s Cavaliers to glory.

So, 21 years later, players like Rudy, who were already on that unfortunate day of Marbury’s triples in Athens (2004); Llull (will not play in principle), who did not get those mid-range shots in Rio (2016); and even Sergio Scariolo, who pushed the resistance of the Americans in London to the tactical limit; They have a pending account. Everyone will say that it doesn’t matter, that now it’s enough for Juan Núñez to gain confidence in Alberto; that Abrines becomes that reliable scorer that he carries inside; and that Juancho, Willy and Aldama himself show the NBA world what they have inside. And may everyone prepare well for the World Cup. But in this war of the worlds that is always lost against the United States, a day is needed in which Spain is convinced that it can win against this monster that has eaten up its morale almost since Rudy, that flying Rudy, rose above Dwight Howard in Peking when we were so young we didn’t mind not sleeping.

2023-08-13 05:29:25
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