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Spain have been Team USA’s biggest international rival for over a decade. Both teams contested gold medal matches in 2008 and 2012, and after the USA team was knocked out of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Spain won the tournament and claimed the title of World Champion. In what will likely be the last Olympic competition for key Spanish stars Pau and Marc Gasol, Spain pulled one last shot at their longtime nemesis in the quarterfinals.
They gave Team USA everything they could manage. In the first half, Spain led up to 11 points. But in the end, Team USA’s shot was too powerful for them. Kevin Durant led the way for Team USA with 29 points as the Americans overcame that deficit to win, 95-81. They managed to do so despite a legendary game from Ricky Rubio, who scored 38 points in the loss.
Spain are now eliminated from the tournament. The United States team is awaiting the winner of Argentina against Australia to see who their opponents will be in the semi-finals. If they win this match, they will face France, Slovenia or Italy in the gold medal game. Here are the three biggest takeaways from winning Team USA.
1. An Olympic duel of all time
Ricky Rubio is best known for his shortcomings as a goalscorer in the NBA. He is not left out. He’s averaged 11 points per game over his career, but that’s the only weakness in his otherwise stellar skills. If Rubio was a better shot, he could be an NBA All-Star. In the FIBA game, he certainly played as such. Rubio broke Butch Lee’s record for most points scored against Team USA at the Olympics, scoring 38 in that loss. He would frequently reach the edge and hit jumpers he rarely attempted even in the NBA. It was a special performance. If his teammates had defended him, it might have helped him complete the upheaval.
But Kevin Durant was almost as good. He scored 29 for the United States team, and when they struggled to score in the first half, he was their only source of constant attack. His teammates woke up in the second half. Jayson Tatum hit a number of big buckets on the 13-point path, and Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard and Zach LaVine all hit double digits as well. It was the difference. Three of the Spanish starters were held aimlessly. Durant got the help he needed. Rubio didn’t.
Still, it was a remarkable sight on such a big stage. Durant has faced many all-time players in high stakes times. In the NBA, Rubio isn’t exactly one of them. At the Olympics, it has to be. He pushed Team USA into this game, which was perhaps the best he has ever played at all levels.
2. Size continues to be a problem for Team USA
When Spain built their lead in the first half, they did so on the glass. They opened the game with a 25-12 rebound advantage. The United States team was better from there, but was ultimately passed 42-32. Even when Spain lacked shots, they managed to find points early in the game by bouncing them up and coming back up. The lead as a whole was built inside.
Opponent after opponent has the same domestic success against this team. Bam Adebayo and Draymond Green, for all their other virtues, are not traditional size centers. This gave opponents easy access to the basket on practices and rebounds. Spain lost this game partly because they couldn’t enjoy it as much as they needed. They missed several achievable layups and some inside bunnies that could have reduced that margin.
If the United States team reaches the gold medal game, it will likely be against France, a team that beat them in part thanks to the domestic excellence of Rudy Gobert, or Slovenia, a team that to Luka Doncic, who can reach the rim at will. This weakness will be tested again before the end of the tournament.
3. The end of an era
Marc Gasol has strongly hinted that this is his last international tournament for Spain after the loss. Pau Gasol is 41 years old and he is unlikely to return. Rubio is the 30-year-old Spanish core spring chicken. Rudy Fernandez is 36 and Sergio Llull is 33. In all likelihood, we’ve seen the last of a Spanish group that has arguably been the best non-U.S. National team in the world for the past decade.
They never quite managed to get over the bump. In 2008 and 2012, they pushed Team USA into gold medal matches. They won bronze in 2016 despite the absence of Marc Gasol due to a broken foot. The stars just never aligned for them. If the disastrous 2004 USA squad had arrived four years later, they might have a gold medal instead of Argentina. If Gasol is in good health in 2016, maybe they are pushing an American team that had several close games at the time.
It’s a sad end for one of the best international teams in FIBA history. Now Spain will try to reload around young players like Usman Garuba, Alex Abrines and Willy Hernangomez. They can stay competitive, but it can be years or decades before they achieve the same success as this group. Team USA’s biggest rival is officially out of the tournament, and possibly out of competition for the foreseeable future.
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