Serbia was an underdog and has been considered an outsider by many in recent tournaments. Spain was expected to win the gold no matter what. This changes everything in basketball. In 2015 when Serbia was seen as the 3d favorite to win the tournament, they choked against Lithuania (who won because they were the underdogs).
During the last three years, Spain was number #1 in Europe talent wise, while Serbia was something like #4-5. They relied on team chemistry to win medals.
Medals aside and all things considered, during the last three years, the best teams in Europe were Spain, France, Serbia. In that order.
Also, some people are mentioning that Spain is in decline. Perhaps they are. They are declining from being the best team in Europe to one of the best teams in Europe. Even without Pau, Navarro, Reyes, Spain still has more skilled players around than Serbia.
During the last three years, Spain was number #1 in Europe talent wise, while Serbia was something like #4-5. They relied on team chemistry to win medals.
Medals aside and all things considered, during the last three years, the best teams in Europe were Spain, France, Serbia. In that order.
Also, some people are mentioning that Spain is in decline. Perhaps they are. They are declining from being the best team in Europe to one of the best teams in Europe. Even without Pau, Navarro, Reyes, Spain still has more skilled players around than Serbia.
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