[SemiFinals] Spain - Australia

[Darrell Armstrong]

If Australia old guys hold up for another year and they add Exum,Simmons and Bolden for the Olympics they could have another very good chance next year.But it could be their last.Every important player will be over 30 and noone can expect Simmons to be as loyal as Mills to NT(he was even playing at Oceania championships every summer)

I honestly look forward to Australia breaking the curse once and for all. They have gone 0-9 in the medal round. Totally cheering for them to get their first bronze this Sunday.

[Sykes]

Now i am 53, when i was younger and we has to face Yugoslavia ir USSR, we knew it was 90 percent of losing possibilities, and nobody talks about flopping or referees favour.
Please try to lose with dignity and sportmanlike as we did over the last century.

[soulis79]

What a game guys today!! Congratulations to both teams, a credit more to Spain!

Boomers was the best team of the World Cup and the only team that made the life really hard for Spain. Clever decision from coach Scariolo to change to a match-up zone in the finale. Great game from Marc, clutch play from Llull in overtime. Spain is a TEAM, with a rare mentality and leaders in FIBA basketball history. This final (or the title) could be the capping stone for this team, that almost for 20 years rules basketball.

On the other hand Boomers were excellent, they lost today in details ( a loose ball, a lay-up, a missed free throw). They deserve the credit. Their continuity as a team their desire to represent their country is unique. Maybe next year!

P.S. In Gasols' era(2001-20019) Spain has lost in brackets only in eight games. Excluding finals, USA beat them twice (2004, 2016), Germany twice (2002,2005), France twice (2013,2014) and once Slovenia (2017) and Serbia (2010). Besides 2014 quarterfinal and 2017 semifinal all the other games were close, some of them decided by buzzer beaters.

[Levenspiel]

Now i am 53, when i was younger and we has to face Yugoslavia ir USSR, we knew it was 90 percent of losing possibilities, and nobody talks about flopping or referees favour.
Please try to lose with dignity and sportmanlike as we did over the last century.

Hi, I apologize for poking, seriously, but what did you think about after the Turkey - Spain game in 2001?

[GeKo_93]

Spain has X5 greek population and have won medals with naturalized players cause they cant produce their own. Still they only exist in basketball maps only after 2005. Just a firework due to a good genereation of flopping actors

Your tears are delicious.

I'm sorry for Greece if the new generations are as mediocre as you

[Bruno Díaz es Batman]

I honestly look forward to Australia breaking the curse once and for all. They have gone 0-9 in the medal round. Totally cheering for them to get their first bronze this Sunday.

Against France

[usagre]

Silver medals are great especially in past tournaments where a powerhouse USA team is almost guaranteed the Gold.
Different story here, if I am Spain it’s Gold Medal or bust since these opportunities are extremely rare.
The Silver Medal in this tournament unless it’s Argentina honestly shouldn’t really be celebrated by either France or Spain considering how things played out.

[Mr Chacho]

We won a World Cup final with all spaniards, and without Pau Gasol. +23 on that game.

[Darrell Armstrong]

We won a World Cup final with all spaniards, and without Pau Gasol. +23 on that game.

I don't remember clearly since that was so long ago, but, maybe Greece was the other team on that final?

[Katastroika]

Exactly. This is why I may suspect that you would have liked to have Teo and a "veteran" trainer for Serbia. They will be in the final instead of playing uninteresting games.

I don't think that Teo would have made the difference but the veteran trainer surely would, so yes. Of course. Even that's not even close to the point that I was referring to. Maybe you should read it again and try to understand what I wrote before going nuts.

[HeinrichMohr]

Typical Interbasket Forum. Bah, Spain is old and will lose. But we win and then: floppers, actors, refs help them. The good thing is that who write this, are always the sames. Just ignore them, or read their messages, some comedy is good.

Just sit back and enjoy. Imagine their angry faces while bubbling white foam and messing up their keyboards.

[Deschain]

Hi, I apologize for poking, seriously, but what did you think about after the Turkey - Spain game in 2001?

That was a shameful game. They destroyed us in 2002 for that.

As far as I remember, in 2009 there were several "critical" no-calls against Spain.
They could've been eliminated due to the Slovenia game in the first phase. The game went to the OT with a basket by (I guess) Lorbek, which featured clear traveling.
In the game we defeated them, there was a clear foul on Llull by Erden in the final play.

There aren't many games in the last 20 years which saw Spain play a close one. Statistically, it could still be a coincidence to see more calls that might have favored Spain.

There's however a game which I'd call dirty, the Croatia-Spain game in 2005 which, in my opinion, should be attributed to the Serbs rather than the Spanish.

--

About this flopping talk;
You definitely need to stay calm to flop. It's not like it's a choice. You should be able to think and be constantly vigilant to achieve that. Which requires you to have practiced not only your acting skills but your game.
Besides, we shouldn't forget that Spanoulis built a career on flopping. (Which shouldn't be a problem to anyone.)

[fasoulaki]

About this flopping talk;
You definitely need to stay calm to flop. It's not like it's a choice. You should be able to think and be constantly vigilant to achieve that. Which requires you to have practiced not only your acting skills but your game.
Besides, we shouldn't forget that Spanoulis built a career on flopping. (Which shouldn't be a problem to anyone.)

Exactly flopping is an art. An art which Spain (and Spainoullis) has really elaborated to prefection. You have to give them credits for this. The victory is well deserved.

[madmax]

Respect to Bogut for telling these FIBA morons how it really is Maybe if more influential players speak up loud and proud, FIBA will finally be forced to clean up it's act - shameful money grubbing expertise needs to be exposed!

[saras]

[deleted.] - Levenspiel