Eurobasket 2011 Final Revisited
Pau Gasol led Spain to Gold
So yesterday saw the culmination of the 2011 Eurobasket tournament with Spain prevailing against France by a score of 98-85. Rather than running down players individually I’ll just write about the things that stood out for me in the final.
Once again the scoring touch of Juan Carlos Navarro really propelled the Spanish squad towards the gold, as the Barcelona guard racked up a personal haul of 27 points – including a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line. Navarro added 5 assists into the mix, meaning he was responsible for at least 37 of the team’s overall points – around 38%. For he tournament he finished with modest figures of averages of 18.7ppg, 3apg and 1.5rpg. Numbers that won’t set the world alight, but ones that were exactly what Spain needed to complement the Gasol brothers’ interior presence.
Spanish forward Pau Gasol chipped in with yet another double-double, this time in the form of 17 points and 1o rebounds. The haul was his third double-double of the tournament and went nicely with 4 assists and 3 blocked shots. I said at the start of the tournament that the NBA Playoffs were a one off for the Lakers star and Gasol appears to have proven me right – as he finishes with averages of 20.1ppg, 8.3rpg and 1.7bpg. He was also helped outside the arc by Jose Calderon who scored 17 points on an ultra-efficient 8-for-12 shooting performance. The game was the Raptors’ best of the tournament and couldn’t have come at a better moment helping his country secure the gold.
On the flipside you simply have to feel sorry for Tony Parker. His celebration at the end of the Russia game showed just how much this whole process has meant to him and just how much his country returning to international basketball respectability resonates in his heart. For the game Parker finished with 26 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, but yet again he was left wanting in terms of help from his team-mates. If the San Antonio Spurs point-guard had just one of the Gasol brothers, then I think we would be looking at a different country atop of the podium.
The game itself provided a contest befitting of the competition as a whole as it went from end to end with the fluidity you expect from two teams stacked with NBA players. I’ll revisit the tournament and pick out those players who I felt have improved their reputation the most, but my final word on the gold-medal game is to say just how much this shows how European basketball has improved. Yes you’ll say that the majority of the elite players play in the NBA and it’s a point I argued with ESPN’s HoopsHype on Twitter prior to the tournament starting, but the crux of the matter is that these players come from Europe. They were made good enough to play in the NBA by European teams and coaches and that says something about the direction European basketball is moving in.
Do I see Spain as a true threat to Team USA? No, not really. Do I think they could hold their own against them? Of course.
Now, Team Europe vs. Team USA could be a matchup for the ages.
