If the appointment with Brazil was ‘the game’ of the first phase in order to avoid later ills, the commitment against Latvia smelled of the fragrance of the virtually immediate classification to play the quarterfinals. And Spain suffered the impotence of not understanding how to untie the knot woven on the shores of the Baltic Sea. Sergio Scariolo, an expert in placing the bandage before suffering the harmful effects of the wound, already warned about an adversary style that chokes his men. And, indeed, unfortunately for ‘La Familia’ that’s how it happened. Although events took a different course than expected.
The national team feared the air traffic caused by Latvia with its missiles from afar. And yet, the team led by the also Italian Luca Banchi surprised from the start with two inside baskets after cutting through the weak Spanish defense of the direct block through their skilful point guard Zagars and shots from Smits. While the current European champion and current defender of the world title was looking for Willy Hernangómez inside by elevation.
spain
Alberto Díaz (3), Llull (5), Claver (4), Juancho Hernangómez (9) and Willy Hernangómez (14) -initial quintet-. Brizuela (11), Rudy Fernández (5), Aldama (2), Núñez (-), Abrines (5) and Garuba (11)
69
–
74
Latvia
Zagars (7), Arturs Kurucs (1), Rodions Kurucs (13), Davis Bertans (16) and Smits (11) -quinteto inicial-. Strautins (2), Cavars (-), Skele (2), Grazulis (11) and Zoriks (11)
Partials 16-17, 16-12, 26-18 and 11-27
Referees Vázquez (Puerto Rico), Glisic (Serbia) and Fernández (Argentina).
Incidents Indonesia Arena.
By then a sour duel was intuited, that piece of meat that goes from one part of the mouth to the other and refuses to go down the digestive slide to the stomach. A very difficult knot to loosen due to the problem of not seeing the tip of the ball. An arduous clash, interrupted by personal fouls, with little rhythm, a lot of stone to break and too uncomfortable.
Redeeming Dead Time
It is true that Spain had already raised its very improvable defensive level from the beginning, but it did not even fit the third gear forward. Until with an adverse 18-25 on the scoreboard (minute 16), Scariolo implored the table for the timeout that he so badly needed. In that conclave he demanded that his men assume individual responsibilities instead of diluting the problems in the collective paving. And from that severe sharing, a grown painting returned to the parquet floor with some faith in his abilities.
The answer, a favorable partial of 9-0 with Juancho -the youngest of the saga- as the protagonist, and the first rays of light at the end of the tunnel. Because progress back there was an urgent need to clean the opaque lenses on the other side of the track.
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It was already clearing within a gloomy landscape that was even more disturbing at the beginning of the second part. A dawn of the resumption in which the Baltic team repeated the Hispanic crisis of the five points with a partial of 0-8 (32-37). New alarm, the one that was expected to be final and then the penultimate one, to which Scariolo’s team reacted vigorously. With a reborn Brizuela as an offensive island surrounded by containment waters on all sides. The group that he formed together with goalkeepers Díaz, Rudy, Claver and Garuba not only put out the fire in their own kitchen but also billed the less corseted basketball forward in a game that was hard to sink his teeth into.
general blackout
Raise your hand, and you don’t see rampant fingers, who would have thought with the 54-42 score at minute 28 that ‘La Familia’ was going to miss out on a victory that was presumably already tied up. But unfortunately, that’s how it was after a last disastrous act of doubts back and an offensive impotence that prompts reflection. For such a serious duel Scariolo abandoned his left hand and entrusted the predictable access to the rooms with the old guard. Lots of minutes from Llull, including directing, Rudy and Claver, the tall forward who goes around with the toolbox always at hand.
But the recourse to seniority did not work either against a better Latvia, with the courage and game required to win. There, with the water reaching the orifices of the nose, the lack of a matador in attack to untangle the scrambled skeins was noted. And that lack places Spain before the need to defeat a powerful and solvent Canada with its Gilgeous-Alexander exterior like a polished diamond.
2023-09-01 14:47:51
#Spain #drowns #Latvian #knot
