Olympics: 3 Key Battles In USA vs. Spain Basketball Semifinal
The Battle Of The Bigs
Spain is clearly lacking the presence Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who would make this dangerous team even more of a threat to upset the U.S., but the team has made due with the players on the roster and through the last four games, appears to have found the right mix of centers and power forwards.
Obviously Pau Gasol is the first name that comes to mind when thinking of Spanish basketball and rightfully so, as he has been one of the best players in Rio.
Along with his three-point shooting, Gasol has dominated nearly every facet of the game so far in the tournament, averaging 17 points per game (sixth-most in Rio). The newly acquired Spurs center leads the tournament in rebounds (8.8 per game) and is second in blocks (2.2 per game).
Gasol’s only noticeable area of struggle in the tournament has been his free throw shooting (53.6 percent), which could make a big difference if it ends up being a close game.
Spain missed Marc’s presence in the first two games of the tournament, but appears to have found some serviceable big men in Felipe Reyes and Willy Hernangomez.
It’s impossible to replace a star center and NBA defensive player of the year, but the 6-foot-8 power forward, Reyes, has improved with each game in the tournament and makes up for his size with a knack to come away with rebounds.
Reyes is averaging 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in the tournament, but the 36-year-old grabbed nine boards on two separate occasions against Nigeria and Lithuania. He flirted with a double-double in both games, scoring 11 and nine points, respectively, and is an important part of Spain’s rotation. Although he is only averaging 15 minutes off the bench, Reyes has been a spark for the second unit throughout the tournament.
The 22-year-old Hernangomez is starting to show flashes of the reason why the New York Knicks signed him in July. The 6-foot-11 center improved with each game over Spain’s first six contests and made his biggest impact in the quarterfinal win.
Hernangomez was quiet in three of Spain’s games, but provided a lift off the bench against Nigeria, Lithuania and France. After playing roughly four minutes in Spain’s opener and not playing at all against Brazil, Hernangomez scored 11 points against Nigeria on 5-of-6 shooting.
He scored nine in a critical game against Lithuania, which helped Spain stay alive in the Group B standings, but really came to life in Wednesday’s match against France.
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Pelican Debrief
In the biggest game of his international career, the Spanish center scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, grabbing five boards in roughly 17 minutes.
Spain was leading by one when Hernangomez entered the game. He went on to score eight straight points for his team in a span of less than three minutes. That type of explosiveness is something the U.S. will have to watch out for on Friday.
The good news for the U.S. is that this is one of the best front lines of any American roster in recent memory.
DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan have feasted upon smaller teams. Spain may provide one of the toughest challenges for these two, but it’s still a clear advantage for the Americans.
Cousins on Gasol will be an interesting matchup, as the Kings center has bullied the opposition at times in the tournament, but Gasol will not back down. Cousins is averaging 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in Rio, playing his best Olympic game to date on Wednesday against Argentina, when he gave Luis Scola fits with 15 points in roughly 14 minutes of action.
Cousins started the first five games of the tournament, but after close calls against Serbia and France, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski decided to insert Jordan in the starting lineup against Argentina. The move may not have gone exactly as planned, as Argentina jumped out to a 19-9 lead, but Cousins came out agressively and full off energy off the bench, helping the U.S. assert its dominance.
It hasn’t been a bad tournament for Jordan by any stretch, as the Clippers center is averaging 7.7 points and 4.7 rebounds over six games. He shot 17-of-22 from the field, a ridiculous 77.3 percent.
His free throw shooting, per usual, has been awful, at just 44.4 percent and if the game ends up close, Jordan will be expected to watch from the sidelines when his team is in the bonus.
Cousins and Jordan matching up with Gasol will be fun to watch, but if Spain can get another big outing from Hernangomez, it could make for an interesting day.
Although the U.S. is the favorite in every Olympic game, we’ve seen three teams challenge the Americans in Rio and Spain is a great all-around team.
Coach K will not be taking this game lightly and perhaps because of those three close games, which Durant referred to as “wake up calls,” we will see a Team USA that comes out of the gate strong and looks to stamp its foot down on Spain.
Fans can bet that Spain will come out with passion and purpose, as the Spaniards are the hottest team in Rio and look like the team most envisioned prior to its two losses to open up the tournament.
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Team USA is two wins away from a third-straight gold medal. Let’s see if the young stars, led by Melo and Durant, can keep the streak alive.