Spain's love story with the Eurobasket is still alive. very alive. Scariolo's team, for which only a small group of adventurers gave a penny before the start of the tournament, qualified for the quarterfinals after an exciting match against Lithuania, one of the big favorites, which was decided in extra time.
In the midst of the transition from the best generation in its history to the unknown, Spain clings to life and refuses to expire. She has been fighting for continental medals for 25 years and this year she does not want to be less. There are ten editions of the tournament in which a medal was hung in nine. A brutality that wants to enlarge the tender and inexperienced combination of Scariolo. At the moment, against almost all odds -there's no fooling around-, he's already in the quarterfinals, where the winner of Croatia-Finland will cross his path.
The feat signed against Lithuania, a qualification by no means exaggerated, will be remembered for the display of Lorenzo Brown (28 points), which definitively sealed his Spanish passport, and the power in the paint of Willy Hernangómez (21 points), but if someone deserves a monument is none other than Sergio Scariolo, a true magician of the blackboard. Nor should the invaluable contribution of Usman Garuba go unnoticed, who did not need to shine too much in statistics to sour the Berlin night for the Lithuanians, helping with each rebound and providing fundamental second chances to his teammates. Rudy, another one who never seems to expire, thanked him for one of them after transforming it into a triple.
At the Berlin Arena, Spain refused to abdicate and always believed in their chances, turning the game around and overcoming a cruel ending as Brazdeikis tapped on the buzzer that sent the duel to extra time. But instead of being a blow, that draw became an incentive for the always combative Spanish players. A two plus one from Lorenzo Brown ended a 5-0 run as soon as the last five minutes began, cementing an advantage that was already Spanish until the end. An unsportsmanlike to Brazdeikis, who from hero became villain, when Lithuania played to tie and force a new extra time ended up closing the Spanish victory, which was signed with a 102-94 which was their maximum difference of the evening.
And that Lithuania had brushed the quarterfinals with the fingertips when a three-pointer by Kuzminskas, who covered the void of an ill-advised Valanciunas, went up to 47-58 in the light (minute 25). But Spain did not lower their arms and with a commendable collective effort they reduced differences until they were ahead in the last two minutes. Then nerves kicked in and the game dragged on. The match had a Spanish color but Brazdeikis' tapping added even more emotion. But Spain does not expire.
102- Spain (19 21 23 20 19): Brown (28), Jaime Fernández (-), López-Arostegui (4), Pradilla (2), Willy Hernangómez (21) -five starting-, Rudy Fernández (13), Brizuela (5), Alberto Díaz (8), Saiz (-), Garuba (8), Juancho Hernangómez (13) and Parra (-).
94- Lithuania (20 25 23 15 11): Jokubaitis (13), Grigonis (8), Giedraitis (-), Sabonis (15), Valanciunas (5) -cinco inicial-, Brazdeikis (17), Echodas (-), Kuzminskas (18), Lekavicius (15) and Butkevicius (3).
Referees: Yohan Rosso (France), Ademir Zurapovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Aleksandar Glisic (Serbia). Eliminated: Butkevicius (min.36) and Brazdeikis (min.45).
Incidents: match of the round of 16 of the European basketball tournament played at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin before 12,938 spectators.
